Original subtitles

[beeping]

[whooshes]

[coughing and gasping]

[gasping]

Susan, here!

Susan!

Here! Grab my hand!

[coughs]

[gasps]

Grab my hand!

Grab my hand!

[gasping]

-Reach my hand! Reach my hand! -I can't!

-I can't reach! -Come on!

Grab my hand!

Come on!

Reach! Come on!

Come on! I got you!

-[water rushing] -Susan!

Susan!

Susan!

-[gasps] -Are you okay?

Oh, there's something down there!

Oh, God! God, it's got me! Oh!

[water rushing]

Susan!

Susan!

-[water rushing] -Ah!

[gasps] Thank God.

[breathes heavily]

[gasping]

[grunts]

[beeping]

[beacon humming to life]

[woman] Sir, we thought you'd want to see this immediately.

-[beeps] -[man] We'll have to bring in the chairman.

Use a priority-com channel.

It'll be the only way to reach her.

She's not gonna be happy.

Don't I know it.

She hasn't seen her husband in weeks.

-This can't wait. -What should I tell her?

[smacks lips]

Tell her...

Tell her we have an emergency capsule retrieval at sea.

Tell her the S.O.S. just came in.

S.O.S.?

You mean that something manned just fell out of the sky?

Sir, I didn't think we had anything manned in orbit.

That's just it.

We don't.

[control voice] There is nothing wrong with your television.

Do not attempt to adjust the picture.

We are now controlling the transmission.

We control the horizontal and the vertical.

We can deluge you with a thousand channels

or expand one single image to crystal clarity

and beyond.

We can shape your vision

to anything our imagination can conceive.

For the next hour,

we will control all that you see and hear.

You are about to experience the awe and mystery

which reaches from the deepest inner mind

to The Outer Limits.

[indistinct chatter]

As technology evolves,

the means to communicate with each other

become increasingly sophisticated.

But will these means ever be sufficient

to bridge the gaps between us?

Or will they only serve to pull us further apart?

My students have finally learned

to appreciate the common mollusk,

I mean more than just something to eat.

What could possibly be more important than that to college kids?

Penis size.

Of course. What was I thinking?

Once they discovered a clam's sex organ

is roughly half the size of its entire body,

the inevitable debate raged--

[both] Is size important?

Well, is it?

[chuckles] It is to a clam, I'm sure.

Maybe you should write a paper.

I should.

Not that you'd ever find time to read it.

Oh, come on, that's not fair.

You know damn well the stress I've been under

since my appointment to the chair.

Yes, darling, I know the stress we've been under.

And speaking of papers,

Senator O'Reilly was quoted

once again in The Tribune this morning

spouting his usual rhetoric against the Agency...

inept leadership,

fiscal mismanagement, et cetera.

He's keeping his fat face in the news by dumping on me,

what I've done, what I'm doing.

Excuse me if I've brought it with me tonight.

O'Reilly's on the attack

because he's taking a beating in the polls.

Well, pulling the U.S. out of the program is not gonna help.

Keeps him in the news.

And the Europeans are worried.

You know, the French are already talking

about doing their own thing.

And they're fighting with the Brits

over that damn moon base,

which never should've been put there in the first place.

I wonder why I stay on sometimes.

So do I.

[beeping]

Speaking of the devil Agency.

I told them priority messages only.

[exhales]

I'm sorry.

Yeah, so am I.

[grunts]

[chuckling]

Thank God for the Navy.

To good friends.

Wish you were here.

[thud]

[grunts]

Damn it, Raymond, how did the press get hold of this?

Same way we did.

The call didn't come in over secure channels.

It was sent on a C-box.

C-box?

Communications device, standard issue on the Vegan capsules.

Wasn't that series discontinued

twenty years ago when Vegan 4 disappeared?

Yeah, that's right, Doctor, somewhere in lunar space,

carrying the only C-box that's unaccounted for.

Do we know who sent the signal?

A Lieutenant Christopher Lindy.

Chris Lindy? My God, is that possible?

Dr. Tillman, it might be better if you came with me.

It's late, and for security reasons,

we'd prefer to have you stay on the compound.

We took the liberty of having a room made up.

Is this really necessary?

We're in the middle of an emergency rescue.

The next couple of hours could be critical.

Please.

We'd appreciate it.

So let's bring him in.

Find out what he's been doing for the last 20 years.

Understood. It's just that we're having some difficulty getting a fix on the signal.

Why is that?

[George] Problem with the reception.

Maybe the age of the box or damage it suffered.

But the signal seems to be coming in from everywhere and nowhere.

The Navy's on alert for a pick-up, but--

Which brings us to another problem.

[Senator O'Reilly] Good work. Carry on.

Senator O'Reilly.

Madam Chairperson.

I thought I'd drop in, seeing I was in the neighborhood.

Welcome.

I'm pleased you'll have the opportunity

to watch a group of very talented people at work.

Our tax dollars in action.

Money well spent.

If you can bring him back.

Oh, we'll bring him back.

Hard to retrieve what you can't find.

Temporary problem.

Let's hope so.

I brought Defense on board.

All our military resources are fully engaged in the rescue effort.

This is not a military operation, Senator.

We still pay the bills around here.

We'd kind of like to bring him ourselves.

I'm not risking the lieutenant's life

for a photo opportunity.

If there's no immediate danger,

what's the harm in letting us do the pick-up?

We finally got a fix on him.

Good work. We'll have our people there immediately.

I don't think it's going to be that simple, Senator.

Why not?

The origin point is unusual.

How's that?

[exhales] The source of the signal isn't terrestrial.

Where the hell is it coming from?

[gasps]

[beeps]

[George] Quadrant J-55-6A of local space,

just above the lunar surface.

In fact, this particular picture was taken almost 25 years ago

by an orbiting telescope.

It's part of a long-term mapping program.

As you can see, it's nothing extraordinary.

Now, this. This shot here was taken almost five years later,

just before Vegan 4 entered the area.

As I recall from the files, just a routine flight.

It couldn't have been more routine.

Hell, they were sent to fix the same telescope that took these pictures.

They must've been less than an hour away from it when radio contact was lost.

I take it the S.O.S. came out of that blur?

This shot here was just taken a few hours ago.

-It's a wormhole. -Exactly.

We've got a wormhole in local space?

Why haven't we seen it before?

It's relatively small and located in and area we've had little activity in.

If it wasn't for Lindy's signal we'd probably still miss it.

For another, it appears that wormholes open and close like a door.

A door? Into what?

It's a corridor through space-time,

an entrance to a room sitting next to us,

or more accurately, next to the moon.

For as long as the door remains open,

distant space becomes local space.

But the passage between the two

creates time distortion patterns

that explain why we're only now receiving Vegan 4's S.O.S.

Bottom line?

Throw out your ideas of space-time.

Twenty years to us may well have been 20 minutes to Lieutenant Lindy.

He could be a thousand light years from here.

And all alone.

We have to reach out to him.

How do you propose doing that?

We beam a signal back into the wormhole.

If he can send, he can probably receive as well.

We'll resurrect an old C-box,

and see if we can't get the two units talking to each other.

And if we do? What then?

We tell him we're coming for him.

You gotta be kidding.

Our mandate was not only to put a man in space

but to bring him back as well.

I... I realize that, but...

How long do you figure this door will stay open?

[exhales]

[smacks lips] Yeah, that's what I was afraid of.

[exhales]

What the hell?

[screeching]

[creature growls]

[screeching]

[gasps] Shit!

[grunts]

[creature moaning]

[clock radio switching on]

[man talking indistinctly on radio]

-[shuts off radio] -It's not even six o'clock.

What's the matter?

I had a bad dream.

I'm going to go for a walk.

It's Lindy, isn't it?

Why can't someone else handle this?

There is no one else.

It's my responsibility.

It's my job.

You're too close to this.

Go back to sleep.

You know why no woman will ever marry you, George?

You look too damn good in the morning.

Ah, is it morning already?

That's right. You never know in here, do you?

-No. -Any word?

Yeah. He's online, and he's okay.

It's not the best connection, but, uh, we'll be able to talk to him.

When do we connect?

Twenty minutes ago. I was just coming to get you.

[exhales] If you're still thinking about trying to bring him back--

No more thinking.

That's exactly what we're gonna do.

Do you have a problem with that?

We don't know the effect it might have on others passing through it.

Hell, it could collapse at any time.

In my opinion, until we know more,

a rescue mission is completely unfeasible.

Your opinion is noted, Professor.

But it's my call.

[static]

[woman] He did ask specifically for you.

What have you told him?

Nothing. So far as he knows,

the last 20 years haven't happened yet.

[exhales] Twenty years.

[beeping]

[Nancy] Chris?

Chris?

It's Nancy.

Chris, are you there?

Yeah.

Yeah, I'm still here.

Wherever here is.

God, it's...

It's good to hear your voice again, Nancy.

I really miss you.

I miss you too.

[beeping]

[gasping]

[exhales]

[low screeching]

[slams table]

All I'm getting from you, Colonel,

is how impossible a recovery is.

Yesterday morning I thought it was impossible

to put a man outside our solar system.

Senator, we're studying every option.

And the world is studying you, Colonel.

There isn't a person on this planet

who isn't tuning in to Lindy's transmissions.

It isn't like pulling him out of the South Pacific.

We need time.

You don't have time, Colonel. You heard his last message.

He's scared and alone.

And I'll be damned if I'm gonna let an American hero

become food for some jellyfish.

[Raymond] He didn't say it was a jellyfish, sir.

He said it looked like a jellyfish.

Would you want it swimming around you?

That's enough.

Senator, we want him back here as much as you do.

Nancy, the logistics of this sort of operation are staggering.

Damn it, Raymond, I know that.

We have to move on this.

I need our options. Now.

Well, uh, there might be a shot from the moon.

You're gonna send in a bunch of geologists?

Oh, there's a solution.

No. The French have a small number of their legionnaires there for training.

And a Hesiod shuttle,

something I believe we loaned them, Senator.

To our everlasting regret.

It's tougher than the Vegan series.

It'll follow his signal in,

provided the French will authorize its use.

Paperwork should only take a few hours.

With all due respect, Senator, you better hurry.

Our window is tight.

The wormhole is closing fast.

Then we'd better not waste time.

We'd better put a care package together.

If we can't retrieve him, it'll be all he has.

I'll have George coordinate with our friends on the moon.

No matter how good the Hesiod is,

it wasn't designed to land on the open water.

Even I know that.

But it was designed to land

on virtually any terrestrial surface.

If Lindy can reach land,

they can make the pick-up there.

If he can escape the local food chain.

And as far as I know, we don't have any expertise

on, uh, whatever it is

that's following the raft.

[Nancy] Anything interesting?

Not really.

Same old news.

I need your help.

You're the best in your field.

We need the best.

Whatever you want.

What was that for?

I love you.

Now help us bring him home.

[creature moaning]

[exhales] I guess it's time to meet the neighbors.

Good God.

[creature screeching]

We'll have launch from the moon in less than an hour.

So I don't want any foul-ups.

The Agency has complete authority over the Hesiod.

The French government just transferred jurisdiction

for all on-board personnel.

-Welcome to the jungle, Professor. -Thank you.

You know your, uh, advanced Invertebrate Biology

was required-reading in my graduate program?

-My sympathies. -[laughs]

Extend them to Lindy as well.

It's on his reading list.

We're sending him a library on that old C-box

it'll take a dozen lifetimes to get through,

all courtesy of the new infinite disks.

-[breathes deeply] -Tell me about this creature.

Better if he tells you himself.

[Dr. Tillman] Lieutenant?

Dr. Tillman?

[sighs] Thank God.

Nancy tells me you're the best.

Well, that's nice of her to say.

Now, Lieutenant,

you've described this thing as a type of jellyfish.

Could you elaborate for me?

It looks like a huge translucent umbrella.

Medusa-shaped?

Yeah, that's right.

The tentacles extend out from beneath it.

And how big are they?

Um...

Ten feet long.

Can you give us a minute, Lieutenant?

[beeps]

Judging from their size,

I'd say those tentacles aren't designed

to attack anything as small and insignificant as a man,

but something much, much larger.

The raft.

Exactly. That creature may not prey on Lindy

if it sees the raft as a bigger and better meal.

Greg, you can't be serious.

I have no other choice.

But you're suggesting that he leave the raft.

I'm considering it.

For God's sake, Greg, you can't send him

into the pitch black water with that thing.

If he doesn't, he'll be dead

long before your rescue mission arrives and pull him off the shore.

He doesn't even know if there is a shore.

What he doesn't know won't hurt him.

But this thing just might.

[Nancy] So, you...

think he could swim through this thing?

No guarantees.

But when you consider the alternatives...

There's no way in hell I'm leaving without supplies.

I could be here a long time, Colonel.

Not if we can help it.

You're coming after me?

A ship is already on its way.

All you have to do is get yourself on land.

That's easier said than done.

[creature growls]

Let me see if I can buy myself a bit of time.

[creature moaning]

[screeching]

[breathes heavily]

So far so good.

He's still with us.

Damn. This is taking forever.

[Raymond] There's a message coming through from the Hesiod.

Looks like trouble.

Who's running the show?

-It's Guy LeClerc. -You know him?

Yeah. He's tough. He wouldn't check in if it wasn't serious.

-Line secure? -Absolutely.

Patch him in.

[people talking indistinctly]

Commander LeClerc, I have Chairman MacDonald here.

Good afternoon, Commander.

Are you still able to track Lieutenant Lindy's beacon?

Barely, Madame Chairperson.

Perhaps when we pass through the rift, it'll improve.

I still don't know how Vegan 4 did it.

Our navigation system is dead.

The ship is taking a beating. It's like a whirlpool.

There seems to be some sort of gravitational flux

coming out of the wormhole.

How close are you?

We are just minutes away.

[George] It's changing shape.

[Raymond] One minute, Commander.

The wormhole's folding in on itself, collapsing.

-I think we should pull back. -They're right there.

Even if they get through, there's no guarantee

they'll end up even remotely close to Lindy.

-They still have his beacon. -For now.

But the wormhole's changing shape, all right.

It's becoming something different from what Vegan 4 went through.

-It could dump the Hesiod-- -We're not gonna get another shot at this.

There are 12 people aboard that ship.

Each of whom knew the risk when they signed on.

So did Lindy when he joined Vegan 4.

That's the price of space exploration.

And he wouldn't expect that debt to be paid off

by the men and women in the Hesiod.

[sighing]

[powering down]

[beeping]

[creature growls]

[grunts]

[gasping]

[creature screeching]

[gasps]

[beeping continues]

[gasping]

[breathes heavily]

[people chattering]

Commander, are you able to maintain your position?

It's difficult, but we will try.

Await my word.

What the hell are we waiting for?

We're within inches of retrieving him.

There's a lot at stake here, Senator.

You're damn right there is.

We finally sent humanity to the stars.

Think of what he's seen and experienced.

You pull this off,

and the world will support your space effort.

Hell, this is what you've been fighting for all this time.

I'll even support you myself.

But you turn back now when we're this close,

without even making an effort,

you won't have to worry about me shutting you down.

World opinion will do that for me.

Get LeClerc back.

Have him get as close as possible

without being pulled in.

I want him ready to go in a moment's notice.

You can't. You can't go ahead with this, all right.

There's no way.

Your opinion is noted, Professor.

And I'm considering it.

[Dr. Tillman] People don't enjoy nature enough.

They don't understand the therapeutic value to it.

[sighs]

I ought to do an empirical study.

God knows it would be a hell of a lot better

than measuring the length of bivalves.

[inhales and exhales deeply]

Or people's lives.

The men and women of the Hesiod.

I figured I should know a little about them

if I was going to send them into something they may not come back from.

Who are they?

Children.

They're just kids.

They all look so impossibly young.

Just like Chris did when he left,

all dressed up

and eager to leave the world behind.

Eager to leave me behind.

Was he?

I don't know. Probably not.

Sure seemed so at the time.

And if you could turn the clock back?

I'd still be standing on that beach,

still screaming at him

as he suddenly gave us up for the stars.

Seemed so easy for him.

That's what hurt so much.

I tried to understand.

God... I tried.

[sighs] But when I looked into his eyes,

he'd already gone.

He'd already left me far behind.

I'm sure it was a difficult sacrifice for him to make.

It's intoxicating, you know?

Pushing the boundaries of what's known,

travelling on the edge of new worlds.

It's something... deep inside of us,

this need to touch the face of God.

You sound envious.

He's in a place we've never been,

seeing things we can't even imagine.

Every day I go to my lab,

and occasionally, if I'm lucky,

I catch a glimmer of it.

You know, I think the two of you

are more alike than I ever thought.

Maybe.

But with a huge difference.

I wouldn't give you up for anything.

[beeping]

[coughing]

[beacon humming to life]

We can't hold our position much longer.

It's getting late, Colonel? Where the hell is she?

She's right here, Senator, and well aware of the timetable.

Then give them the word before we lose our chance.

Lindy sent the okay. He's reached land.

But the door's closing in fast.

I've relayed the situation to him.

I figure he should be aware of the risk.

There. You hear that?

This is it.

There is no more time.

Commander, do you still have Lieutenant Lindy's coordinates?

Barely. We're being torn apart out here.

Are we on?

-[Senator O'Reilly] Yes. -[Lindy] No.

It's not worth it.

I already lost one crew going in. We're not gonna lose another.

Not for one man.

I'm here to stay.

[Raymond] One moment, Lieutenant.

[Senator O'Reilly] We can't listen to him.

He does not know what he's saying.

Yes, he does.

And he's right.

Jettison the care package.

We're pulling back.

And, Commander?

Yes?

No mistakes.

These may be the last supplies he receives for a very long time.

As a matter of honor, Madame Chairperson,

it will reach its destination.

Thank you, Commander.

[beeps]

What will you tell him?

The truth.

Twenty years?

My God.

It's been 20 years?

Where did all that go, Nancy?

Where did all that time go?

Wish I had an answer.

Guess it was fate.

Fate just put me in a place where I was always meant to be.

But with a bonus.

I got real lucky.

I got a chance to reach out to you.

On the other side of the galaxy,

I got a chance to reach across...

space and time

To touch you again.

To say goodbye the right way this time.

It was something of us that's... kept me safe.

[transmission breaking up]

[control voice] The distances between us,

so vast and so close, are so easily bridged.

Not by what we make, but by what we feel.