Escape. Escape, designed to free you from the four walls of today for a half hour of high adventure. You are flying lost and alone over the empty wastes of the Pacific, while the fury of a typhoon is tearing your plane to pieces. And on a desolate island ahead of you, awaits the strangest adventure in the knowledge of man. Listen now as Escape brings you Nelson Bond's famous story, Conqueror's Isle. You've got to believe this. I know it sounds impossible, it sounds crazy, but you've got to believe it. That's why I'm here. It's the truth and you've got to believe it. You've got to, sir. That's the way he started, almost as soon as I'd walked into his hospital room. He wasn't violent, you understand. There was no need for restraint. But as every action, every gesture was evidence of a psychotic condition, of the extremely charitable battle fatigue. It was an odd case. I was already well acquainted, of course, with the history. Graduate of Annapolis, lieutenant in the fleet, air arm, excellent record, citations for bravery and so forth. Toward the end of the war, he and his bomber crew disappeared over the South China Sea. Search failed to turn them up. They were, of course, presumed to be lost. Then a month ago, almost seven years later, Lieutenant Brady was found by a Brazilian freighter, alone, drifting and nearly dead in a tiny life raft. Curiously enough, his position was not far from that last reported by his radio operator, seven years earlier. And when he was asked where he had been, he gave a story so fantastic, so completely unbelievable. It's the truth and you've got to believe it. You've got to, sir. At ease, lieutenant. I'm sorry, sir. I'm here to consult with you as a physician, not ordering you anything. Suppose we forget the braid while you tell me about it. Yes, sir. Where should I begin? Well, it's your story. You know what it is you want me to believe. Somebody's got to do something, doctor. It's getting later and every day that passes, they grow stronger. I've got to make people understand. I've got to make you understand. At the beginning? Suppose you start with that last flight at the end of the war. Yes, sir. I get a little... Well, it was this way. We'd finished our mission and we were starting from home. We were over the South China Sea between the Philippines and Indochina, roughly off Palawan, and everything was peaches and cream. The Arden Allis was purring along like a dream and I was sitting here chewing up a pack of gum, thinking about how good that can of cold beer was going to taste when the intercom cracked off in my ear. Lieutenant, Jack Frater, ten o'clock. Huh? Yeah, you're right. Looks like a tramp. That's what I figure. Have we still got Bertha? Yes, sir. Okay, maybe we can have some fun. Red Four to Mac. Red Four to Mac. Go ahead, Red Four. Jack Frater, ten o'clock. Trek. We're carrying a Bertha. How about it? Why not? It's your party. Go ahead and good luck. Roger, and out. It's as easy as hitting a sitting duck. Come on, dive. Fun release. The pull out, the gulp and touch it. We laid it down our ass stack and that Jap ship went up like a Roman candle. Hey, hey, nice going, Lieutenant. Right on the button. That's one Jap we won't have to worry about. We'll get it. We'll get it. Hey, hey, nice going, Lieutenant. Right on the button. That's one Jap we won't have to worry about anymore. Lieutenant, we're hit. Huh? A piece of that Jap must have come up and hit us with spraying gas all over the Pacific out of the left wing tank. Yeah, I see it. The guys get ready for a bath. We'll never make it back. My object. It ain't Saturday night. Never mind. I always did want to take a ride on one of them little rubber boats. Maybe you'll be out to get us before we have a chance to get thirsty. Red 4 to Mac. Red 4 to Mac. Nice going, fella. Yeah, only it was a two-way deal. We're hit, Mac. Losing gas fast. Think you can make it? No, it's a soft bath for us. Sorry, fellas. Keep your radio on. Give your last position to base before you ditch. Deliver rescue party out in an hour. Will go. See you tonight. Good luck. Over. Roger and out. See, there was nothing to it. Happened every day. Ships all over the Pacific, they'd have a destroyer sitting here when we came down almost. But a half hour later when our gas was down to a few cup fulls and the rest of the squadron was long out of sight, an amazing thing happened. One minute the sky was clear and cloudless. The next minute we were surrounded by thunderheads and a typhoon hit us. Holly! Holy cow, Lieutenant! Where'd this come from? I don't know, but it's a lulo. Faster your safety belts. There's no telling what this will do to us. It was a granddaddy typhoon all right, but it lasted only a few minutes. Then we were out of it as miraculously as we'd come into it. Then something else happened. I guess we all saw it about the same time. Well, what do you know? Take a look at that sight for sore eyes. Man, oh man, it looks mighty fine to me. What island is it, Lieutenant? I don't know. At the way we got tossed around back there, I haven't any idea of our position. We could be anywhere from the coast of China to the Philippines. Who knows? Who cares? It's dry land. Just in time. We're out of gas. Take a bearing and ready our position, Jack. We're going down. We landed safely on a little strip of sandy beach, and only after we'd climbed out of the plane did we begin to have any misgivings. What do you think, Skipper? Well, it doesn't look like much, but... I don't see anybody. Not a sign of life. I got a good look from topside coming down. And weren't any houses? Nothing. Still, you can't tell, it could be Japs. Or worse. Headhunters, maybe? We'd better stick together, stay close to the plane. It shouldn't be more than a few hours before... Yeah, except that I... Hello! Hey, what... Hold it. Hello there! It's a white man. Hey, what is this? Keep your eyes open. It might be a trap. Yeah, but he's a white man. He speaks English. And he's not armed. No, I don't see any guns. It's the same. Watch it. Welcome, gentlemen. Welcome. I saw you land, so I hurried out to see if I could give any assistance. May I introduce myself? I'm Dr. Grove. I'm Lieutenant Brady, Radio Man Kavanaugh, my gunner, Sergeant Gowler. It's a pleasure, gentlemen. Any of you in need of medical assistance? No, thanks. We're all okay. Just a little surprised to find anyone here. Yes, of course. That can be explained to you later. But now you'll be wanting food and rest. Hey, a little shower wouldn't be bad, huh? First we have to get in touch with our base, Skip, my position. Of course, but such things take some time in these primitive areas. Oh, no, we have a radio in the place. I did have, Skipper. I was starting to tell you. Went out just before we sighted the island. Must have got wanged up in the storm. But you can fix it. I guess so, if it's nothing serious. I'll tell you better after I get a chance to go over it. Of course, but in the meantime, I hope you'll accept our humble hospitality. Now, if you will follow me. How about it, Skipper? Sure, why not? After the last half hour, we could all use a little relaxation. Very good. Right this way, please. We should have smelled it right then. There was something strange about the whole thing. There were a lot of questions in my mind, but I didn't ask them. Instead, we walked down the jungle path behind Dr. Grove like lambs to the slaughter. Tom Goler must have had the same misgivings because he whispered in my ear. I don't get it, Skipper. You don't get what, Tom? Where did this guy come from? Where does he hang out? When we were coming in, I took a good look at this island. There were no houses, no nothing. I don't know. I guess we'll find out sooner or later. Yeah. Holy cow! Look at that. The rock. Here we are, gentlemen. You'll be good enough to enter. Enter what? That? Don't be alarmed. It's only an elevator. The entrance is from the ground floor. An elevator? In this jungle? I don't get it. You mean to tell me you live underground? My dear lieutenant, I'll be glad to explain everything later. It's all very simple, but first I must insist into... Insist? Suppose we prefer not to get into your elevator. Then what? Then I should be compelled most regretfully to enforce my request. Yes, again, pal. We've got guns. Three guns. Lieutenant, would you be kind enough to fire your gun? If you have qualms about killing a man in cold blood, you might fire it in the air. Wait a minute. Keep your hands out of your pocket. Perhaps you'd care to stop me, Lieutenant. I'm warning you. I'll... What? Try again, Lieutenant. I'm afraid you're going to find that your guns will not work on this island. My skipper is right. Mine won't work either. Neither will mine. And now perhaps you will be kind enough to step into the shaft. Look, I don't know what's going on here, but I don't want any part of it. Come on, gang, let's get out of here. Just a minute. I'm sorry. You forced me to use harsh measures. Believe me, I do so reluctantly. What's that you got there? Just a small tube, but a very potent weapon, I must warn you. Yeah? Well, then you better use it fast. I made a desperate lunge for him, and suddenly... A tiny shaft of light flicked out from the tube and touched me, and I stopped. Frozen in my tracks. Conscious, my eyes open, seeing him, hearing him. But try as I would, I couldn't move a muscle. I seemed to be turned to stone. I was paralyzed, you understand. Completely paralyzed, Dr. Gorham. I had all my senses. I could see and hear and feel, but I couldn't move a muscle, not even turn my eyes. And you say this happened because of some kind of light beam? Not exactly a beam, perhaps not exactly a light, just a kind of radiance. And then? Then some other men came out of the elevator. They picked us up and carried us. I could feel their hands very softly, as if they were far away from my body. As if there were layers of rubber between them and me. And I could hear Dr. Grohl talking, seeing, bending over me into my line of vision. I'm sorry, Lieutenant, I sincerely regret having to inconvenience you. But you see, just as we have the means of hampering your primitive mechanical devices, your guns, your radio, so do we have the means to enforce our requests. Requests which are, I assure you, they're only reasonable and necessary under the circumstances. Very well. Take a start. My head was reeling, and fear was growing in me. What were these men to talk of radio as a primitive device? What kind of men were they? Where were they taking the three of us? What were they going to do with us? As if you'd read my thoughts, Dr. Grohl leaned over me again. There is no need to be alarmed, Lieutenant. No need at all. Well, Freighter? I'm sorry, Freighter Dordain. It was necessary. They would not come willingly. I see. Few of them do. Oh well, put them in sleeping chambers until they recover. And be gentle. They're frightened. Poor things. Poor things. Poor things, he'd said. Not as if we were human beings at all, but animals. Some weak, dumb animals with whom they must be gentle. It was then that I began to know real fear. We were in a great underground city, but I could see little of it. Nothing except what passed in front of my rigid eyes. And then I was carried into a room, deposited upon a soft couch and left alone. I couldn't close my eyes, but gradually the light began to fade, melt away. I was in deep blackness, and I slept. I don't know whether the return of the light awakened me or whether it came on automatically when I woke up, but the room was bright and I could move again. The room was a small cell with metal walls and ceiling, a kind of metal I'd never seen before. It was a couch, a desk, and a chair. Nothing else. But the really amazing thing was the light. I searched the entire room carefully, but there were no fixtures, no indirect lighting arrangements. The light came out of the walls, the ceiling, the floor, evenly, filling the room, casting no shadows. Suddenly I wanted to see Kavanaugh and Golder. I yelled, yelled at the top of my lungs. Kavanaugh! Golder! Kavanaugh! Golder! But the walls simply absorbed the sound into utter silence. I thought for a moment I was going mad. I heard someone's voice shouting, and I was surprised to find it was mine. Was I to be left here to die? Would no one ever hear my calls? I went to the door, banged on it. Let me out! Let me out! Let me out! As I leaned there with fear cold in my stomach, I heard a faint sound, a footstep behind me. I whirled around just in time to see Dr. Grove stepping through the wall. You... you said he stepped through the wall, Lieutenant? Of course you mean through the door. Through the wall. Through the wall, sir. The door was in front of me. But Dr. Grove stepped into my cell through the solid metal wall. You realize that what you are saying is impossible? To us it is. To them nothing is impossible. Nothing. That's why we've got to do something now before it's too late. You must believe me, sir. This is man's last chance, all of us. We'll see. Perhaps you'd better go on. This Dr. Grove stepped through the wall. Yes. Dr. Grove stepped into my cell through the wall and at the sight of him my panic ended. For some reason he gave me a sense of peace. Perhaps it was awe. I don't know. And we talked not as man to man, but as man to a lesser creature. You must not be frightened. You don't understand how I passed through the wall, which to you seems solid, and not understanding you feared. Yet there's nothing supernatural or fearful about what I did. Any of us can do it. We simply make a necessary mental adjustment and quark where we will. It's an ability as basic to us as breathing to a person like you. What kind of man are you? You know the facts of evolution. You know how man has progressed through various stages from primitive savagery. Well, obviously this process can and will continue. To suppose that evolution of man is complete with you is a mistake of conceit. You mean you are the next stage? Exactly. We are the next stage. Infinitely superior to our parents and to our fellow men. Your most difficult physics and mathematics are our A, B, C's. Our studies, far beyond your understanding. Are there many of you? Oh, very many. You see, the process has been going on for many years. Hundreds, thousands more come here to us every year from all over the world, where we need isolation to study, learn, build, and prepare ourselves. Prepare for what? For the task ahead. Obviously when we are ready, when we are numerous enough to fill all the necessary positions, our superior intelligence must shape a new world. Take over the world? Obviously. And you'll destroy man? How little you understand us. Do you destroy the animals of the field because they're not your intellectual peers? Our obligation is to keep and to protect you, to act as your friendly guardians in a world which will be strange to you and frightening, as my walking through the wall was frightening to you. Yes, I see. What do you plan to do with us then? Rather say, what does nature plan to do? And the answer to that, well, that lies in history. What became of the anthropoids in the cave then? They died out. Civilization passed them by. They fell before the onrush of higher forms of light. Even so. Even so. But I give you our pledge that we will be kind. We will be kind. And then he took me out into that great underground city through its corridors and great halls and laboratories and shops. Took me among the thousands of its fellow men. There I saw marvels of which I could talk for hours. Then I met others like us. Some 200 captive captives. People who'd stumbled onto this island as I had. There were famous names among them. A famous author whose ship disappeared in the Pacific years ago. A big game hunter. A famous aviatrix for whom a dozen fleets had sought in vain. All of us prisoners. We were treated with great kindness. Made comfortable and relatively happy. We were their pets, you see. Their dumb animal pets. For over seven years I stayed there. After a while I ceased to struggle even in my mind. I was defeated. And so I succumbed to the peaceful bucolic existence that was my fate. At least that's what I thought. And then came that last day. Dr. Grove had made me his special pet. I was allowed to follow him about at his work to talk to him at length. And on this day he confided in me even more than usual. Well, Lieutenant, it's been a pleasant day. Yes, Doctor. You know, I shall mishave you with me when I'm gone. Gone? You're going away, sir? Oh, yes, very soon. But where? Out into the world, where you once lived. Why? Oh, there are many, very many of us there already. In strategic places, of course. An important politician here, an industrial magnate there, a famous author whose words are gospel to his readers. I will have my place, an important one. But I didn't know... Then it's already begun, this taking over. Oh, yes, definitely. The hour is close at hand. And then all of us, the whole world... Lieutenant, you know us now. You know that we will be kind. Kind. Yes, kind. Suddenly all the anger that was in me welled up. I didn't want to be a dumb animal, a pet for some superior being to be kind to. I didn't want that for my loved ones, my friends, my fellow men. That night at dinner when they fed the prisoners in the big communal hall, I got a chance to talk to Tom Golder, my old gunner. He listened and then shrugged hopelessly. You'll succeed, Joe. You know that. No, Tom, no. Not if the world can be warned. I don't know. Maybe it wouldn't make any difference. Besides, how could they be warned? If somebody could get away from here. Escape? It's impossible. Yeah, I know. That's what I thought. Listen, I got an idea. There's one flaw in their perfection. What? Their gentleness, their kindness. They can't bear to hurt anyone. None of their weapons kill, but only paralyze temporarily. And they simply can't conceive of treachery from us. What are you driving at? I'm going to play on Dr. Grove's liking for me, his kindness. And I'm going to trick him. How? Tomorrow I'll ask him to take me up, back to the plane, get pictures of my father and sister, tell him I'm lonesome, suffering. He'll do it. I'm sure he will. It's kind of you, Dr. Grove, to do this for me. Not at all, Lieutenant. I understand your feeling, but... When you're leaving, I'd have no one, no one close. The pictures will make me feel a lot better. Oh, I hope for your sake they're still there. Dr. Grove, look, over there. What? I hope I didn't kill him. He had been kind, but I hit him hard. Then I broke out a life raft from the plane. I was almost afraid to look at it, but it was okay, even complete with supplies. It should have been rotted, but it wasn't. Maybe he had control over that, too. I don't know. I ripped the valve and threw it in the water. In five minutes I was out beyond the breakers. I don't know how many days or weeks it was before they picked me up, but it was a long time, and I was more dead than alive. It was quite an experience for you, wasn't it? But you see, it doesn't matter with me. It's the other that... You don't believe me either, do you? Well, Lieutenant, then. I'm glad now I heard your story. I'll make a report to my superiors. Please be patient and try not to worry. Try not to worry. Good day, Lieutenant. Oh, get out. Get out, sir. Well, Commander Gorham, you talked to him. What's the verdict? What do you think? Clear case of persecution mania. An amazing form. I never heard a tale more complete and logical. Yes, I know what you mean. Know what you can for him. I'm afraid he's going to be here for a long time. Perhaps for as long as he lives. Turned loose, he might be dangerous. That's too bad. Nice boy, too. Floating four weeks on a life raft. That sometimes does things to a man's mind. Well, Doctor, how about lunch? No, thanks. I've got to run along. I have to turn in my report and recommendation on this case. Yes, of course. See you later. I watched the man disappear down the hall. I stood there for a moment, lost in thought. Seeing the face of that boy in there. It was hard to know how best to be kind to a boy like that. But I roused myself. I had much to do. So much. And if I went down through the lobby of the hospital, the school would surely delay me, get me into a long-winded discussion. And there was nothing to discuss anymore. My report on the Brady case was closed. There'd be no more trouble from that source. And now there was no one in sight in the corridor. I wanted to get out of this place. So I turned and walked quietly through the wall. The ГРМ���わрна
