Tired of the everyday grind? Ever dream of a life of romantic adventure? Want to get away from it all? We offer you... Escape! Escape! Designed to free you from the four walls of today for a half hour of high adventure! Sure! You are on a planet of desolation and utter ruin, awaiting the return of your comrades to carry you to safety. While the remains of life about you, crawling in evil, are slowly hemming you in and ruthlessly tracking you down to your death. Listen now as Escape brings you Charles Smith's unusual story, North of Polaris. Testing, one, two, three, four. Will you read me Joe? Loud and clear, R5S5. All ready sir. How is he? Well... How do you feel Mac? Scared sir? Now take your time out there. Be very sure. Quiet. Can you see him? Not yet sir. Yes sir, there he is. Mac, what's it like out there? Nothing much to see. You feel heavier or lighter than usual? Can you move about easily? Just like at home. What about atmosphere? I'm turning off my oxygen unit and opening the intake valve. Careful. Not too fast now. I've cut my supply completely sir. Rescue party standing by sir. It seems to be okay. Yes sir, the air is good. Are you sure? It's okay. Send him out. From the port of the spaceship we could see him calmly walking about on the surface of a planet approximately 20 million miles from our own. All 40 of us had drawn straws. Mac had won. And if we returned home safely he would be remembered as the first man to touch the soil of an alien planet. Well Joe? I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be sir. Who else are you taking with you? Stoner. He's good with the camera. Sam, have you got your gear ready? Joe, what's left for the big? You know what to do. What I want. Yes sir. Map the area as best you can. Bring me a report on water sources, mineral deposits, vegetation. And if you see any signs of life, try to get pictures. But otherwise avoid it. You tell the others that's in order. Yes sir. Do you think there is life here sir? Well, some of our best minds have always claimed there was. When we get back we'll set them straight sir. Yeah. I'll make other drops and pick you up at this spot in 48 hours. So you're on your own. Good luck Joe. Thank you sir. The End Joe, do you notice anything wrong with this place? What do you mean Mac? Well, look around. Do you see any trees, bushes, grass, anything grown? Do you see anything green? Yeah, that's right. Well, it's probably desert country. No, no, look here. You feel the soil. What? It's rich enough. Gets plenty of sun, probably plenty of rain. Look at its color. Gray, dead. Maybe it's like the moon. Maybe this is just another moon. No, there's air here. There isn't any on the moon. How do you know you've ever been there? Well, that's what they say Sam. Sometimes they're wrong. Well, what now? Well, we've got about five hours of daylight left. I'll head north. I don't like it. It's too quiet. Not even the wind. What are you trying to do Mac? Don't you think we're jumpy enough? How long are they going to leave us here? Forty-eight hours. That could be a long time. We started north. It was easy walking over the flat rolling land. Easy because there were no trees or bushes or weeds. There was nothing. Nothing but the gray sky and the gray dead soil. I was beginning to think that maybe it was only a moon. And then we made camp for the night. Okay, come and get it. Look here. Bees and cave-rash. That's what I wanted. Watch your skin. You know the first thing I'm going to do when I get home? Know what? I'm going in the best restaurant in town and order the biggest steak in the joint. You're pretty sure you're going to get home, aren't you? Sure, I'm sure. Why aren't you Mac? I don't know. Hey, want some coffee Joe? I'm not going to drink. Hey, want some coffee Joe? Yeah, yeah, thanks. You married Mac? Uh-huh. Any kids? Yeah, one little girl. She's five. What makes you volunteer for this trip? I don't know. Maybe I just had to. You understand that? Yeah, I think so. Hey, you know what I miss? The crickets. You know, at home you sit around a campfire, like at the lake. You hear the flaws of the crickets. And slap the mosquitoes. Yeah. It's funny. Oh, what's that? Well, here we are, 20 million miles away from our home. 20 million miles. And yet up there in the sky, we can still see it. Yeah, I wonder if anybody's looking at this stinking planet and wondering if we made it. Oh, sure they are. All the scientists, astronomers. I don't mean them. I mean... What you mean? You got a family, Sam? Only my mother, she lives... in this... What? What is it? Something's out there. Moving. It was life. There was life here. And we can see it now. And the dim light given off by our heating unit. It was an ugly, four-legged beast. With a hairless body. And from its odor, a scavenger. Like everything else here, it was the color of gray. Yeah! All right. All right, cut it out. Sam! Oh, that's real smart. You're supposed to be a photographer, take pictures of what we found here. Oh, lay off them, Joe. It was only a rat, a big rat. The day broke clean and bright. And we kept walking north during the job we'd set out to do. And there were no other signs of life, and we'd almost convinced ourselves that the rat had been a stowaway from our ship. For the first time, things felt right. Hey, Joe! What? Hold it! Stop wasting that film. What's the matter? Don't you want your pictures and magazines? I've shot everything there is. You're shooting here, it's all going to look the same. Nothing. Yeah, I know. When are we turning back? Tomorrow morning. Yeah, there. Now let's take a look around. What's the use? There's nothing to see. Hey, why don't we start back now? Joe? Joe! Mac! Come up here! What is it? On the double! Take a look through these binoculars, Sam. Off to the east, there. What do you see? A lake? Yeah, maybe an ocean. Now swing around slowly to your left. No, easy. There. What do you make of that? I don't know. What's up? Looks like clumps of stone or cement. Take a look. Give him the glasses. Hey, could that be what's left of the city? If it is. If we've found... Yes! Yes! Sam! Sam, you fool! Come back here! But he wasn't coming back. Not now. He'd found a subject for his camera and he was racing toward it. At the edge of the sprawling stone ruins we caught up. And he made us turn with our backs to the city. And pointed his camera at us. Welcome to the city. Hold it, both of you, right there. I should have shaved. And Mac, pick up pieces of that stone. I like this. Okay. Come on, what are you waiting for? Hold it. Mac, put that stone down. Hey, you think... Just put it down. What's the matter with you guys? Geiger counter-secting up. Are you kidding? What could be radioactive around here? Mac, lower it near the ground. Well, what do you know? Radio axis. What is it? Uranium? Pitchboard? What? No. This isn't a natural composition. Then what? Look around you. Take a good look. What's it look like? Just stone, cemented ruins. What else? Look at the color of it. The edges. Yeah. Like it's been burnt. Scorched. Remember what our cities looked like? They wouldn't know about atomic energy here. That makes you so sure. I led them on into the sprawling corpse of the great metropolis... until we stood near the jagged base of what once must have been a magnificent building. Mac? Yeah? Over there. What? Look. Rats. Yeah. Scrounging for food. Yeah, we should do. With each step we'd taken, the radiation had increased. And when it reached the danger point, we turned and started slowly back. We didn't say anything. We didn't need to. We had seen and we knew that this world, this civilization, had committed suicide. It's getting late. We'd better make camp. Well, this is as good a place as any, I guess. We didn't know about you guys when I'm pooped. Yeah, it's been a long day. You want to set up the stove, Mac? Yeah, might as well. The sky's clouding up in the south. Looks like a storm brewing. Your film's safe, Sam. You think the radiation back there damaged it? Nah, it's packed in heavy lead foil. Yeah. You see that, Joe? Yeah, yeah, thanks a lot. That's funny. No, what's that? Take a look out there. No, south, I mean. It's not the sky that's clouding up. It looks like dust. Dust storm. Couldn't be. There's no wind. Take a look. Yeah, but there's no wind. Well, something's out there kicking up the dust. How far away you figure? It's hard to tell. Ten, maybe fifteen miles. Joe! Joe, look! What? There, to the right, about a mile. You see them? See what? No, the one over to your left. Well, what is it? People? You're crazy. There's nothing out there. Two of them. They fell. I can't see them now either, but I did see them. There, now they're up again. Joe, he's right. The people like us. Hey! Oh, hey! All right, stop it. Hey! Stop it! Look, we've got orders to avoid contact with life here. But, Joe, they're people, human beings. You don't know what they are. Just because they resemble us physically, that doesn't mean a thing. But, Joe, they're my... We've got our orders. The ground's higher over there. Let's move over there where we can see them better. Come on. When we made it to the rise, we could see a man and a woman. Two people, just like ourselves. Even what was left of their clothing was similar to ours. And they were running desperately. And then I looked beyond them and saw the cause of their fear. Stalking them, slowly closing the distance between them, were six of those great, evil rats. We stood there silently, watching the hunters and the hunted. And the longer we watched, the more it became certain that the rats could end the hunt whenever they wanted to. I could see their features now. The woman was much younger than the man. Their faces were distorted by panic and fear. And we watched and waited. And then the old man fell, and Sam and Mac were running, screaming, driving off the rats. Die, you Are you all right? Can you understand me? Yes. Where's my father? I must go back to him. The boys are with him. You speak our language. Yes, but we were sure there wasn't anyone else in this sector. We thought they'd all gone. Gone where? South. They left us behind. They said he was too old, not worth the trouble. How many of you lived here? Eleven of us. Only eleven? Father and I started out yesterday morning. We thought we could meet them later. And then the rats were... Where are you from? Outside. Then there is something left outside. Oh, yes. I was sure. I'd hoped. I knew it couldn't end here. Come on, we'd better get you back to camp now. Well, they're asleep. Gave them a set of it. She'll be all right, but I'm worried about the old man. Hey, Joe. Yeah. We've been talking. How can they know our language? How? Yeah. I don't know. I don't know. You know, it's like our world, isn't it? After the atomic war, I mean. Yeah. I remember reading how the radioactive dust spread all over the land, killing everything. Grass, trees, animals, everything. I guess the same thing happened here. You off your rocket, Joe? We're 20 million miles apart. And our world was over 50 years ago. Look. Don't you think it's possible that life on another planet could have started, advanced and progressed step by step with ours? Oh, Joe, now you're talking like something out of one of those science fiction magazines. Well, what's the matter? Can't your ego accept it? Do we have to be the greatest, these super beings? Everything else in the universe is subhuman? Oh, wait a minute, Joe. Knock it off. Sit the sack. Okay. It might be a good idea if one of us stood watch while the other two slept. How about it? Sure. Well, I'll take the first lap and then you, Sam, and then Mack. Each of us will do three hours, huh? Now try to get some sleep. The three hours passed quickly. My mind was racing, asking if this world was a parallel to our own world. Were all the worlds of the universe alike? I was trying to find the answer when Sam relieved me, and I still hadn't found it when I dropped off to sleep. But I didn't sleep very long. Sam! Sam! Oh, good Lord, the rats. He must have dozed off. Come on! Look. Oh, my. We buried Sam just as the sun rose full above the horizon. And then as we turned to walk back to camp, we saw it. The sky to the south was black with dust. It was close enough, much closer than the day before. And whatever it was out there was moving straight for us. What do you make of it, Joe? I don't know. Oh, Jean. Yes? Does your father feel well enough to travel? He's much better. He wants to talk to you. All right. Joe, how far are we from our rendezvous point? About 12 miles. Have you noticed the dust to the south? Yes. I was hoping that you could tell us what it was, sir. It is the Army. The what? The Army. The great Army of the rats. The others, those you saw yesterday and this morning, they were the Scouts. Out there is the main force. Why only rats? Why no other animals? When the war started, the rats were already immune to radiation. They thrived on it when all other lives perished. But why? We did it. We made them immune. We used them in our early atomic experiments, generation after generation. And generation by generation, their resistance increased until a rat was born who was immune to radiation. What are we waiting for? Let's get out of here. Yes. We must run. For now they are the masters, the rulers, and we are the scavengers. Wait. Wait. My father. Well, if he can't keep up... Hold it. All right. Hold up. Oh, there's no use going on. Look there ahead of us. Yeah, dust. More of them. Behind us? Into the north? Yeah, they've cut us off. Now they close in for the kill. I told you it was an efficient Army. They've started as well planned. They've a good general. The good man is myself. Father, please try to understand. Oh, now these young men need me, Gene. We're outnumbered. We need time to muster our forces. Perhaps we could make a truce with the rats. Talks easily. Gentlemen, gentlemen, be reasonable. We have no other choice. You see how easily they outmaneuvered us? A truce is our only hope. Make him shut up! Joe, he's crazy. He talks crazy. Don't let it get you. How much time we got left before they pick us up? Seven hours. We'll never make it. Uh, Gene. Yes? Do you know this sector? Yes. Well, come with me, please. Huh, Mac, keep an eye on the old man. I didn't know what I was looking for or what I expected to find, but I had to do something. Even walking aimlessly over the scorched stone rubble was better than standing, waiting for the circle of rats to close in. And then Gene found it, an entrance to an underground bomb shelter, one just large enough to hold the average family. We raced back to where we'd left the others, and now we could hear the rats, stars and stuff them all around us. Joe, Joe, I tried to stop him. He wouldn't listen. He was like, what are you doing? I couldn't help it. Believe me, I couldn't help it. Father! Father! He was about 200 yards away. His shoulders back, his head held high, walking directly toward the rats, and in his right hand he was holding a small white handkerchief, waving it back and forth like a flag of truce. He kept on until they formed a semicircle around it, and then he stopped. And all around us the rats stopped. For a moment, I swear, he spoke to them. And then he turned toward us, raised his hand in salute, and then the rats swarmed all over him. No! Come on! Father! No, come on, come on, Gene, you can't help it. Come on! Father! Father! We burrowed ourselves in the shelter. In a few moments we could hear them overhead, hurdling themselves against the heavy lead-lined door, their yellow teeth digging at the concrete and steel. But it had been built to stand an atomic blast. It held off the rats. And we waited. The one thing, how long could we stay alive in that coffin? We didn't speak. We just sat there, wondering when they'd break through. So? Yeah. Let's see here. Let's get it open. No. No, they'll give up. They're starving. They'll leave to find some other food. The Joe. What? The rats. They're quitting, they're leaving. Maybe they are. Maybe they just want us to think for you. No. No, they're leaving. I'm going to take a look. Mac, don't open that door. Joe, they're... Now listen. Listen, it's a ship. Clark, and their ship. Come on, Joe, let's get out of here. Open it and see us. Hey! Hey! Down here! Well, Gene, we can go out now. They've gone. What? It's all over. We're safe now. We can go out. Out? Out? Oh, I can't believe it. We're going to take you back with us. Away from this. Now, come on. No, please. Please, I'm afraid. Afraid? Don't you hear it? That noise? That's our ship. Here, I'll show you. Look, you see the landing. Ship? I don't understand. But the one that brought us here. Brought you here? Yes. Where did it come from? Europe? Asia? Where? Europe? Asia? I knew we hadn't destroyed all of the Earth. Earth? Is that what you call this planet? Earth? This is the Earth. You. Where are you from? What? Way up there. North of Polaris. Under the direction of Anthony Ellis, Escape has brought you North of Polaris by Charles Smith, starring William Conrad as Joe, with High Aberback as Mac, and Eddie Firestone as Sam. Featured in the cast were Vivi Janis, Ralph Moody, and Frank Gerstel. The special music for Escape is composed and conducted by Leith Stevens. LEITS� mountain
