Original subtitles

(FRENZIED GROWLING)

Thanks, Fiona. And for printing up the slides.

- (BANG) - Sounded like a maroon.

- At the coastguard station. - Come on, Tom.

(GROWLING AND SHOUTING)

No answer.

Damn McGrath! I warned him not to take any chances.

Maybe they've gone after it.

They wouldn't have fired a distress rocket.

Why don't you take a patrol up there?

Listen, if that thing's already in the station,

we'll get up there in time to pick up the pieces.

Anyway, I'll probably need every man I can lay my hands on before the night's out.

I'd like a word with you, Inspector. With all of you, in fact.

- What is this? - State of emergency.

This island is being placed under martial law and I'm taking control.

Martial law? Are you out of your head?

As a representative of the civil authority, you will be required to cooperate with me.

- On whose authority? - I'm sure you're acquainted with the law.

A proclamation of martial law is not necessary,

since the military's right to exercise exceptional powers

depends on the circumstances, not the proclamation.

- I think I've got that right, haven't I? - You still have to prove your authority.

The decision has been taken at the highest level.

The fact is, the situation can no longer be left in civilian hands.

You can't impose martial law without troops.

No, of course not.

Mr Carey!

Yes, sir?

- When is the raiding party due? - 0800 hours.

Mr Carey came here ahead of the task group, by parachute.

- You took a hell of a chance. - It was necessary.

- We're trained for blind drops. - What unit?

A rather special one.

The rest of your men can't land in this weather.

I'd back these men to land in any weather.

If there are no further questions, I suggest we get moving.

I have one.

The army's not doing this just to apprehend a murderer, are they?

My orders are to find him, but, no, that is not the point of the mission.

What is the point of this?

To retrieve certain highly sensitive military equipment

before it falls into the wrong hands.

- That submarine thing? - An official secret, Inspector.

I presented you with a fait accompli. I trust you'll accept it gracefully.

No chance. I'll be asking loads of questions.

Why wasn't I told about this earlier? Why is it being played underhand?

Speed and secrecy.

I want you and the doctor to stay here.

It's probable that you'll be needed later.

Why?

- Expecting a war? - If you are needed, you'll be told.

The moment your patrols encounter anything, I want to hear.

Mr Gaffikin, you and Miss Patterson will come with me.

Where to?

The golf course. I may need your knowledge.

- It seems we've no alternative. - Quite.

Incidentally, there's no point in trying to ring the mainland. The line's out of order.

- Since when? - Since about ten o'clock.

The hell it's out of order. They've cut the damn thing.

- I'll go to the RV. - We'll set up headquarters at the club.

Keep radio contact. The jamming signal's been lifted.

Damage to post office property. I can see the

post office and the army haggling about that.

I can't see the necessity for cutting the line, anyway.

There's no necessity, Alan.

Unless Colonel Howard doesn't want the mainland to know what's going on.

- I have a feeling we are being conned. - What good would that do him?

I don't know, Tom.

What's the maximum range of our radios? Seven miles?

Aye, in perfect conditions.

Right.

Send a car to Southantie Point. You'll have to use one of the special constables.

Ask him to try and contact Sergeant Napier at Balmachy.

- Give him this message. - Right, sir.

- Do you want him to stay at Southantie? - Aye. All night if necessary.

We must maintain a link with HQ.

Sun Ray Minor to Sun Ray. Over.

Sun Ray to Sun Ray Minor. Receiving you. Over.

Have sighted landing craft. Over.

Sun Ray, roger. Out.

Excellent. They'll hit the beach at first light.

We have one hour to carry out this operation.

- And everything's going very smoothly? - Yes, I think so.

I hope they don't hit the rocks. Have you any idea how dangerous this coast is?

You don't need to be concerned. These men are experts.

Experts can still get killed, Colonel.

Anyone want a drink? It's all right, I am a member.

If I'm not breaking the law, I'll have a small whisky.

I shouldn't think breaking the law worries you very much.

True, but I do have great respect for your police. Especially Inskip.

Our police? You mean here on the island?

Exactly, Miss Patterson. Your island police.

- Cheers. - Cheers.

When I was in the services I never went on leave with full combat gear,

or carrying an RT and a pistol.

Where will you go for your next holiday?

I hope your dentistry is less clumsy than your irony.

Touch�. But we do have a right to know rather more than you've told us.

For example?

For example, what that strange craft actually is.

- And how you came to know it was here. - It's an official secret.

There were a limited number of places within its range. We covered them.

Quite an operation. It must be a very important official secret.

The powers that be think so. I am but a simple soldier.

- From NATO intelligence? - Good try for this time in the morning.

Excuse me.

- Closed-mouth beggar. - I suppose he has his orders.

Sure. His orders are to cover up what's

obviously been a monumental grade-A cock-up.

They lost contact with that craft and it ran aground here. Probably a power failure.

Because what got out of it was no longer a man. Radioactive. Its mind in splinters.

As a result, two people have died horrible deaths.

God knows what's at the coastguard station.

All Howard can say is that it's an official secret.

- There's going to be hell to pay. - But if there's a government clampdown?

We'll demand an inquiry. They can't clamp down on murder.

Sun Ray Minor to Sun Ray. Over.

Sun Ray to Sun Ray Minor. Receiving you. Over.

Landing completed. We will join you shortly.

- Have they landed yet? - As calculated. Almost to the second.

As an ex-paratrooper, you should appreciate that.

All I appreciate right now is that you've risked men's lives.

It must be more important than you implied.

You're not a fool.

We're trying to prevent an international incident.

What sort of international incident?

I only had one whisky, Miss Patterson.

(SHOUTS ORDERS)

They look very impressive. Royal Marines.

A special force, trained for this kind of operation.

- Where's the mother ship? - She's a sub, actually.

Too far out to be visible.

You're enjoying this, aren't you, Colonel?

Yes, I suppose I am, Miss Patterson.

A soldier is always happiest when the time for action comes.

The last day or two has been rather a strain.

- Raiding party at your disposal, sir. - Very good.

- We found this between here and the beach. - Did you indeed?

- There's a chance he's not far away. - That's what I thought.

Good. We may yet achieve both objectives.

I'll organise a search while you're in town.

Right.

- Picked up the equipment canister yet? - We will do.

We have 45 minutes, so we'll have to make it snappy.

This sketch map shows you where the chandlery is.

- Know what you have to do. - Right, sir.

- So it was you who clouted Malcolmson. - Just a tap. I tried not to hurt him.

Will you excuse me? I have things to do.

- Stay inside, please. - Come on.

Looks as though Howard's authority's arrived.

Troop, halt!

Right turn!

Fall out!

- What the hell do you think's going on? - Decontamination, by the look of it.

Morning.

- Yes, Tom, what is it? - I've had a message from HQ.

Colonel Howard, gunnery instructor at the Highland School,

he's now in a hospital in Oban with a broken hip.

(LAUGHS) Really? So our Colonel Howard is an impostor, eh?

Carries a lot of clout for an impostor.

Hey, Carey! I want a word with you.

- What about, Inspector? - This so-called Colonel Howard.

Who is he? Where's he from?

I'm not at liberty to answer.

As the civil authority upon this island, I will give you the liberty.

Thank you. But at the moment you're subordinate to the military.

Difficult, isn't it?

- What's that? - Professional interest, Miss Patterson?

Something you can't get on prescription. Enough antitoxin for the whole island.

Is that what you meant by an international incident?

You're catching on. The Vodyanoi is equipped with a biochemical warhead.

Something went wrong, so the island's in danger.

We'll know more when we've examined the Vodyanoi,

but we can prevent any consequences.

Is that supposed to be reassuring?

Biological warfare is lunacy. Nobody can win.

Perhaps all warfare is lunacy. It's a question of degree.

What did you call this thing? A Vodyanoi?

It's a creature of Russian mythology.

A deadly spirit with burning eyes that can fly above the water or deep beneath it.

I see. It's Russian?

It is the latest submarine-launched piloted missile

to enter service with the Soviet navy.

That is why my superiors think it so important.

- We've got the Vodyanoi outside. - Have you examined the warhead?

I thought we'd better get it out of town first.

Right. Examine it and then recall the search party.

Very good, sir.

(SPEAKS RUSSIAN)

Yes, I know. He got the salute wrong, didn't he?

Where did you learn your English, Howard?

That can't be your real name, can it?

The answer to your first question is partly Moscow, partly London.

And my name is Kornilov. I am Colonel Vladimir Kornilov.

Colonel Howard is a friend of mine. I thought

he might not mind if I borrowed his identity.

You're permitted English friends, are you?

We're not at war. I hope we never shall be.

When this incident occurred,

I was in Scotland as an observer of the NATO exercises.

That explains how you got here so quickly.

Yes. I was fortunate to be so close at hand.

Assistance came as soon as possible.

The lieutenant is also noted for his perfect English.

But not for his salutes.

- And Carey isn't his name. - Of course not, Miss Patterson.

You've gone to incredible and dangerous lengths, Colonel.

- The back-up needed must be enormous. - It was.

- But the Vodyanoi is very valuable to us. - Why? What makes it so valuable?

It is unique. The Vodyanoi is not simply an inert piece of metal.

It has, for instance, its own nervous system.

- You mean it's alive? - Not exactly.

But it responds to the pilot's brain like your system responds to your brain.

That's not possible!

Our scientists have been exploring such possibilities since Pavlov's time.

In the West you call it cybernetic engineering,

the linking of man with machine.

We are 20 years ahead in the technology. Your government knows this.

You haven't got it right yet, have you?

- None of this should have happened. - Misadventure.

- The fault is yours as much as ours. - How can it be ours?

Not yours personally, perhaps.

But from their base at Murmansk,

our submarines have to pass between here and the Faeroes.

Your NATO submarines always attempt to shadow them.

Three days ago there was a collision.

Then an explosion.

Only one man survived.

The pilot of the Vodyanoi. Vasily Genyeva.

He was returning from patrol when the accident occurred, or so we understand.

The Vodyanoi was caught in the radiation blast and crippled.

Genyeva must have had barely enough fuel to reach land.

- The rest you know. - So that thing is radioactive?

No, the level of radiation from the hull must be very slight now.

Two days travelling beneath the ocean is an effective decontaminant.

It's leaked, sir. The tank's nearly empty.

Ruptured in the explosion, I imagine.

I'm afraid Dr Goudry is going to be busy.

Everyone must have the antitoxin. Tell the doctor that is vital.

You could have started earlier. The moment you traced the Vodyanoi here.

This virus took years to develop.

I was told not to hand over the antidote unless I was sure of a biological incident.

- And now you are sure? - No.

But I will not take the chance, anyway.

Thank you.

I don't like these things. Wars should be fought by soldiers.

- We've had the recall order, sir. - Carry on. I shall join you.

- You're leaving? - We must.

My orders were to recover the Vodyanoi and get out.

- What about its pilot? - You've been in the army. You understand.

Major Genyeva is expendable. Your people will learn little from his body.

He is a killer. He will have to stand trial. That is the law.

He will die before then. Radiation.

Probably he is already dead. Although with his constitution...

I hope he is dead.

- Genyeva was a good officer. - A good officer?

He's worse than an animal.

That's not his fault! It's what was done to him.

What do you mean?

The Vodyanoi and its pilot must become one organism.

This is achieved by means of this ganglia being inset into the pilot's skull.

When a pilot returns from a mission, he can only be released by specialist fitters.

When Genyeva came ashore, there was nobody here.

- Are you saying he damaged himself? - Part of his brain stayed in the Vodyanoi.

He became a... creature acting only from instinct.

And for 15 years, remember, he has been trained to kill.

Oh, God. That's horrible.

I believe they call it progress.

However, it's true that as long as he's alive, he is a terrible danger.

Gaffikin, would you give me 24 hours to get off this island?

- 24 hours? - Before reporting to British intelligence.

I'm supposed to leave now that we have the Vodyanoi.

But I feel that I owe it to you to try and find Genyeva.

What do you say? Do we have a gentlemen's agreement?

Yes. But I can't answer for Inskip.

Perhaps if I put Genyeva out of his misery, Inskip will feel he owes me a favour.

The men will leave without me.

They've gone. Ours, I think.

Get that antitoxin to Dr Goudry without delay.

Tell him the injections must be given quickly.

We'll see to it.

Tell me, Kornilov, why are you doing this?

I'm not sure. Perhaps I have a sense of "nravstvyennost".

- Morality. - Do you know this man Genyeva?

I knew him well once, before...

...before they changed him. - What do you mean?

Vodyanoi pilots are selected with even greater care than astronauts.

The training is more rigorous.

They spend long periods under hypnosis

while their bodies, injected with steroids,

are brought to a peak of fitness and strength.

The idea is to create superhuman beings.

But, you know, I've never met a Vodyanoi pilot who seemed even human.

- Well, I must leave you. - Do you know where to look for him?

Here on the golf course. The blood on that ganglia was wet when we found it.

He probably ran for cover when the raiding party landed. He may still be hiding.

(RASPING)

(HEAVY BREATHING)

Genyeva.

- (FRENZIED GROWLING) - Agh! Agh!

Mike!

(SPEAKS RUSSIAN)

Mike. The vaccine.

Yes.

That's it. Statements from Fiona and Michael, your report, bits and bobs,

one army-issue parachute, one army-issue automatic...

and a set of teeth.

And five bodies.

Aye, and five bodies.

All of which we can blame on the Russians. That's what I call a tidy job.

What is the explanation for the teeth?

According to Michael, the pilot's helmet was fused to the upper jaw.

Some kind of surgical reconstruction had taken place.

Incidentally, is there any of that vaccine left?

A drop. I'll bring it along later.

Perhaps we can find out something from that.

Superintendent Ross has arrived with the heavy mob.

- He's as sick as a dog. - Bloody landlubber.

He'll be even sicker when he finds out we've got it all sewn up.

- You've got no heart. - Can't afford one, Tom.

When I told him about the Vodyanoi, he almost accused me of being drunk.

Later, when I said we were under martial law, he was convinced I had the DTs.

Not at all. Just working at it.

A policeman's lot is not a happy one.

Truest damn words ever written. Cheers.