In just a moment, X minus one, but first, after a hard day's work, there's nothing more welcome than an evening of variety entertainment. And that's just the tonic provided tomorrow night by NBC Radio. You'll laugh your cares away when good-natured contestants carry out the rib-tickling stunts dreamed up by MC Jack Bailey on NBC's Truth or Consequences. And later on, Groucho Marx peps things up with lots of spontaneous good fun and more of the friendly insults at which he's so accomplished. For a brighter, livelier evening tomorrow night, it's Groucho Marx and Truth or Consequences on this station. And now, stay tuned for X minus one on NBC. Have a nice trip. Your seat number is 15. Next, please. Countdown for blast off. X minus five, four, three, two, X minus one, fire. From the far horizons of the unknown come transcribed tales of new dimensions in time and space. These are stories of the future, adventures in which you'll live in a million could-be years on a thousand maybe worlds. The National Broadcasting Company, in cooperation with Galaxy Science Fiction Magazine, presents X minus one. Tonight's story, Jay Walker by Ross Rocklin. Intergalactic flight number 14 now loading at ramp 10. Intergalactic flight number 14 now loading at ramp 10. Please have your flight. You walk from the waiting room down the long ramp number 10. The flight pack is in one hand, the validation papers in the other. Other passengers chatter behind you. You turn a corner and there's the ship, a cylinder of glistening silver aimed at the moon. You feel yourself carried up the moving stair to the gaping entrance lock. A pretty stewardess in a blue uniform smiles at you. Validation papers, please? Your papers, madam. Oh, papers? Oh yes, here they are. Mrs. Marsha Foster. You feeling well, Miss Foster? Yes, quite well, thank you. We have to make sure. Once in a while somebody slips aboard with another person's validation papers. What difference would it make if I felt well or not? Great deal, I'm afraid. You see, the effect of a free fall in space without gravity can do quite a bit of damage in certain glandular conditions. I see you've passed your physical. Yes, I'm quite all right. Fine. Have a nice trip. Your seat number is 15. Next, please. You walk down the carpeted aisle to the plastic-on seat. Her words make a ringing pattern in your brain. Are you feeling well, Mrs. Foster? Mrs. Foster's feeling quite well, thank you. Mrs. Foster has passed her physical examination. There's only one thing wrong with the picture. You are not Mrs. Foster. Attention, please. Attention. In one minute the flash walls will be raised around the ship. If for any reason the passenger is not feeling well or does not wish to make the trip, please speak up. One minute. You begin to wonder if you ought to go after all. You begin to think of how it happened. Why you're here sitting in this silver vessel waiting to blast off to the moon. What happened between you and Jack? What happened? Honey, honey, I'm back. Jack, oh darling. You miss me? Did I miss you? I brought you a little present from the moon. What is it? Open it and see. All right, I will. Try it on. Oh, it's beautiful. Took us two hours to pick it out. Us? Me and Sue. Sue Higgin. Who's she? The stewardess on the ship. Oh, how long has she been on the Earth Moon Run? I guess it's about a year now. It's funny you never mentioned her. Oh, haven't I? Well, what's the difference? Just seems odd. Hey. What? Well, you're not jealous, are you? Is she pretty? Oh, monstrous. Four feet high and three feet around. And she has a big blue eye right in the middle of her forehead. Oh, you're insane. Come on, how about a kiss? No. Oh, lady, I've been away for four months. Sorry. I guess I'll just have to go back to Sue Higgin and her three blue eyes. In that case, here. I have been away a long time. Jack, I want to talk to you about that. Okay. But could it wait till tonight? I am taking you to dinner, Mrs. McClain. I'd rather talk about it now. Okay. Jack, we've been married for six years now. Is it that long? Seven in July. For the last two, you've been skippering that rocket to the Moon. I know. Three weeks at a time with only a week in between. Well, I do get a month vacation. Jack, that is no kind of life. Masha, I don't know what I can do about it. But you haven't tried to do anything about it. I guess you're right. Do you intend to try? Masha- But I need to know. Masha, flying is my whole life. But it isn't mine. I'm not going to spend three weeks out of four sitting here wondering if you'll come back alive. Oh, now that's ridiculous. Is it? What about my father who died on the Elsinore when it missed Mars? Your father died as the result of a space maneuver that no pilot in his right mind would try. They missed the planet. That could happen to anybody. They missed it because they tried to warp the ship around. I'm afraid I don't understand. Well, it isn't very hard to understand. A spaceship takes off with everything calculated to the last decimal point. It has exactly enough fuel to take it to a planet if it follows an exact course. An iron-clad mathematical orbit. Well? Well, there was a jaywalker aboard the Elsinore. A jaywalker? Well, that's what we call somebody who boards a ship knowing that he has no business doing so. In this particular case, it was a senator going to a convention on the moon. He had been taking endocrine treatments and kept it secret on his validation papers. He felt he had to attend this convention to muster some votes for his campaign. He didn't consider that he was jeopardizing his life. I still don't see how they missed the planet. Six hours out, the senator began to die. The effect of the free fall on his glands was catching up with him. And the only way to reverse that effect is to reverse the spin of the ship. Turn it end over end. That creates artificial gravity, reverses the stress on the glands. The pilot took a chance. He did just that. Is that why they missed the planet? They lost their trajectory. By the time they recalculated their course, they'd passed Mars. They ran out of fuel and kept going until... Well, until they fell into the gravity of the sun. And that couldn't happen today? A pilot would have to be out of his mind to try a maneuver like that. You wouldn't try it. Risk an entire ship to save the life of one fool? You wouldn't. Who? Marsha, I can't say I definitely wouldn't. Right now it's inconceivable. Just as inconceivable for you to give up space flight for my sake. Isn't it equally inconceivable for you to put up with it for my sake? I've put up with it for two years. Jack, this is the end of it. Now, what exactly do you mean by that? I mean you have to decide whether you want a marriage and a family or a career as a space jockey. Why do I have to decide? Why can't I have both? Because I won't live this way. Nobody else does except a handful of wives whose husbands are crazy and have to have picked a profession like this. Well, you knew this was my profession when you married me. I didn't know it was like this. Marsha, what you're asking me to do I simply can't do. Wouldn't make you happy if I did. I'd just be walking around resenting you. Now, come on. Let's have dinner and forget this for a while. No. We're not having dinner. You'd rather stay home tonight? No. I'm going to Los Angeles to my mother's house. What? I have tickets on the six o'clock flight. Tonight? Yes. Jack, I'm quite determined. I've made up my mind that I'd put it to you squarely and if you refused, I was leaving. Just like that? Yes. I've had all I can take. Marsha, for heaven's sake, can't we talk this over and make some kind of a compromise? There is no compromise, Jack. It's all very exciting for you tearing back and forth to the moon with glamorous stewardesses and all sorts of celebrities, but sitting here waiting isn't much fun for me. Well, you could get a job. You could develop some interest. That isn't why I married you. I want a home and a family and a man who comes home every night and talks to me about little unimportant things. And I'm not that man? No. No, you're not. Okay. What are you doing? I don't like people walking out on me, so I'm leaving first. Would you mind telling me where you'll be? I don't know. You can reach me through intergalactic if you change your mind. Marsha, maybe we'll both be better off. We didn't have much of a home life anyway, just the two of us. Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. I know how you feel about not having children. Goodbye, Marsha. There it was. You learned when you came back from Los Angeles two months later that he'd been seen in the company of one Susan Egan, stewardess for intergalactic on numerous occasions. You learned, too, that he'd applied for the Earth-Venus run, the newest and most difficult run in the galaxy. And you learned something else, something that was going to change the whole course of your life. Come in, Mrs. McClain. Sit down. Thank you, Doctor. I have some good news for you. Yes? You're going to have a child. Well, I... I thought you'd be happy about that. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not. Happy? Oh, yes. Yes, I am. Naturally. You debated for a long time, and then you called the intergalactic office. Mr. McClain was out on the Earth-Moon run. He'd be back on the 12th, but only for an afternoon. He was taking off again immediately. They were so sorry. You were sorry yourself. It seemed as if life would not be worth living without Jack, especially now with a child on the way. You had to talk to him, to be with him. That was when you first began to formulate the idea of going to the Moon with him on this run. Attention, please. Attention. We're about to count down for blast-off. Fasten your seatbelts and recline back as far as possible. The next sound will be that of the first-stage rockets heating up. Do not be alarmed by the vibration of the ship. From the bulkhead's overhead everywhere comes the deep rumbling sound. Some of the passengers look anxious, some excited. Some leaf casually through magazines as they lie on their backs in the reclining seats. Those of you who've never been in rockets will find it an experience that will make you proud to belong to the human race. Countdown for blast-off. X minus five. Minus four. Minus three. Minus two. Minus one. Zero. The rumble heightens. All emotion leaves you. Cold, ravening fear takes over. You try to close your eyes, your ears against it, but your mind won't respond. You look out the port and the scene is suddenly splashed with a rushing sheet of flame that darkens the sky and is torn from your vision. It's snatched away. The buildings, the trees, the roads vanish. A great soft uniform weight presses down on you. You push with all your might, but it smothers you, presses you back, drives your blood down, down inside of you. And then... quiet. We are now 102 miles over New York City. You may unfasten your safety belt. The pull of gravity will no longer trouble you. You may unfasten your safety belt. The pull of gravity will no longer trouble you. You unfasten the safety belt and sit in the seat, wondering what to do next. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Intergalactic Flight Number 14 out of New York Rocket Port, Destination Moon. I'm your hostess, Ms. Susan Egan. Your pilot for this flight is Captain Jack McClain. Our position at the moment is approximately 550 miles above Earth, and in less than one half hour, we'll be in free fall, completely without gravity. Our speed is currently 29,000 miles per hour. We should arrive at Moonport at exactly 6 p.m. tomorrow, Earth time. I wish you a pleasant voyage, if there's anything you need. Intergalactic is at your service. Well, you think to yourself, everybody's here. Your husband, his loved one, and his wife. You watch her, she walks back along the rows of seats with an armful of the latest magazine recordings. A tall girl, about 29 or 30, dark brown hair, dark eyes. Not very pretty. The sort who would be able to talk to him about steam tubes and beautiful landings and solar storms. Mrs. Foster, would you like something to read? Oh, thank you, no. First time, no rocket ship? Yes, could you tell? You look a little green. You feeling well? I'm quite all right. Just a touch of space sickness. Come along to the ship's hospital, and we'll fix you up in the jetty. No, I'd rather just sit here a minute. Of course. I just... Come on, come on. Let me help you into the ship's hospital. That's it. Come on, take it easy. Now, come on. Now, you just lie down there. How are you feeling? I'm scared. There's nothing to be afraid of. I think there is. What is it? I'm pregnant. What? I mean, I was just getting my papers. Do you know what you've done to yourself? I hoped it wouldn't affect me. There's not much I can say, Mrs. Foster. I'll have to tell the captain naturally. But would it be... I mean, could I tell him myself? If you'd rather, I'll call him. Steward, it's the captain. Maclean, what is it, doll? Jack, there's a passenger in the ship's hospital. What's up? You'd better come down here. Look, Susie, I've got my course correction... I think you'd better come right down. I'll be here in a minute or two. Here, let me put this pillow under your head. Thank you. Now, what made you do it? You wouldn't understand. You loved him, and he stationed on the moon, and you wanted to be near. Is that it? Could you understand that? You mean not being able to have the man you loved? Yes. I think I could understand. You wanted to scream at her, to claw at her face. She was going to live, and you were going to die. She was going to share a life with Jack when you were only a dim sort of memory in his mind. He came in, moving fast, with that kind of schoolboy gait of his. His dark face was frowning, but handsome as ever. Now, just why did you... Marcia. Marcia, honey. Hello, Jack. What are you doing aboard? Sue, this is my wife. Marcia, this is Sue Egan. Oh, hello. I'll be getting out, excuse me. What's going on? Jack, sit down. I want to tell you something. Yes, Marcia. I've had a chance to do a lot of thinking lately. And if you think we could work it out, I'd like to try again. You mean that? Yes, I do. What about Miss Egan? Sue? What about her? Well, I... I thought... I mean, I heard. I'm very fond of Sue. Yes, I thought you were. But she isn't my wife. You are. Was. What do you mean? I'm going to die, Jack. Marcia, what are you talking about? Jack, I'm pregnant. You see, we... We're a little too late. Did you know this when you came aboard? Yes. But weren't you aware that... What about the physical? I used another woman's validation papers. I paid her for them. Why, Marcia? How could you do with them like that? Oh, no, I don't know. All I knew was that I had to see you. I had to be with you. If you'd only told me. I couldn't reach you. Didn't you know what would happen if you took a rocket flight? I know. I thought somehow it wouldn't happen to me. I... I didn't know that pregnancy was affected. And if you had? I would have come along anyway. I suppose in the way I'm to blame. I'm the one to walk down. Don't take the blame on yourself. I'm over 21. Marcia, what did you hope to accomplish by this? I'm not sure. There's only one possibility. Possibility? Yes, excuse me. Miss Egan. Yes. Come into the ship's hospital, please. Bring Petrocelli for maintenance. Tell him to come up here with a crescent wrench. Yes, Captain. What are you going to do? Do? Nothing much. I'm going to warp the ship around, that's all. Petrocelli was a big, easygoing man. Jack left me alone with him and Miss Egan while he went back to the control room. Petrocelli started to bolt a metal bed to the side wall of the cabin. Why are you putting the bed on the wall? Because, lady, when he starts to spin the ship, that outside bulk is going to be down, not sideways. Centrifugal force, eh? I'm afraid I don't. Well, that's too bad, because I got other things to do besides explain. Okay, sir, that's all you have. Is he always that rude? Doesn't it occur to you that maybe he's under a slight strain? Strain? Look, Mrs. McClain, your husband's going to warp the ship around. The chances of his pulling off a maneuver like that without piling us up in the sun or in deep space are about a thousand to one. I appreciate that you wanted to see him and show him that he ought to be ashamed of himself for leaving you, but does it occur to you that he's a little bit rude? No, but does it occur to you that all of us may lose our lives because of it? Including Petrucelli? No, I hadn't thought about it. Let's go. I've got to strap you into that bed. No, wait. What will happen to me if the ship isn't warped? Sudden floods of the adrenal glands, convulsions, panic, spastic secretions, and eventually death. What causes it? Lack of gravity. We aren't sure just how. Purpose of spinning the ship is to press you up against the outer wall and create the effect of gravity through centrifugal force. Do you... Do you think he can do it? I think he's the best skipper in the intergalactic fleet. That isn't the answer to my question. Can he spin the ship without killing everyone? I have faith in him. I have faith in him. She loved him. She had faith in him. And you? You to whom he was married, you who carried his child inside you? Did you have faith in him? Everything set in here? Jack, could I... could we talk alone for a minute? Only a minute. We have to get the new data into the computers. Suzy, will you excuse us, please? Yes. Well? Jack, don't do it. I mean it. You have no right to risk all those lives just for me. Marsh, I'm captain of this ship. I do as I see fit, and I can't do otherwise. But it isn't fair to them, it isn't fair to you. When we're born into this life, we don't make any agreement that says everything is going to be fair and equitable. I refuse to let you do it. You have to love me. I'll take my life. I'm going to ask Sue to stay with you. What about her? Don't you love her? Well? Marsha, whether I love Sue Egan is not the point just now. I've decided to spin ship to save you and my son. Or daughter. If it means risking the lives of others, I have to take that risk. Jack. Yes? Why are you doing it? I'm going to save you. It seemed to me during the next hour through the haze of the drug they gave me that I could see him. There was the curved silver board before it sat Jack hunched like a harried bookkeeper on the last day of the month. Okay, Charlie. We'll come to the moon obliquely at 0.307. We pass it to you. I'll be there. I'll be there. I'll be there. 0.307. We pass it, stop, spin the ship over once to check speed, then put the tail down when we feel gravity at 7.035. And if we can do it with the fuel we've got it will be a miracle. All right. Start the calculators. Engine room, reverse tubes. Reverse tubes. Wait for new cost vector 7073. Ready for new cost vector. Set firing formula 2635726. Firing formula ready. Coming into cost vector. Counting down. 7077. 76. 76. 75. 75. 74. 73. 74. You don't recall much after that. There's the bulkhead pressing against you like a magnet pressing harder and harder. Then there's the needle and then sudden relaxation. For what all the stars and the moon and jack and soo egan dance in a pattern of mist and the words come back to you from long ago. The things he said to you when you were both in love many years ago. When I fly the ship it seems that all earth watches me through your eyes. The man comes to love the things he has to fight for I guess. How is she? Hold tight Marcia. Hold tight to me. She calls you Marcia. This woman who hates you, who loves your husband, she calls you Marcia. Marcia. Marcia. Marcia. Marcia. The curved ceiling but a new curve and soft rose instead of chrome metal. A new feeling unlike earth or the ship. Jack. Jack. It's alright honey, we made it. We're on the moon. Moon? Yes, you're in the new lunar city hospital. You did it. You really did it. Well I've been telling you for years that I was the best pilot in the fleet. You don't have to pretend. I know how you must feel about what I did. I'm not pretending. I was a selfish coward. I wasn't concerned about anything but my own happiness. Marcia, there isn't any absolute scale for courage or kindness or goodness. I couldn't pretend to judge you or anybody else. I only know that I believe you're a good person. And I loved you. With your flaws and your good points. I just wanted to be with you Jack. That's all I ever wanted. I'm sorry I'm not brave and strong like Susan or you or the others. Oh honey, nobody expects you to be. Come on. You've got to save your strength. We've got to take good care of you. He reaches down and touches your lips with his fingers. It's like a benediction. You know that you'll never again question his right to do the things that will fulfill him. To take a silver ship above the Earth and guide it to new planets. Our child will be born on the moon, we whisper to him. And our grandchildren in the stars. You have just heard X minus one presented by the National Broadcasting Company in cooperation with Galaxy Science Fiction Magazine. Which this month features the Arthur Sellings tale entitled One Across. The story of a man who thought that doing puzzles was an escape. Until he suddenly found himself completely boxed in. Galaxy Magazine on your news stand today. Tonight by transcription, X minus one has brought you Jay Walker. A story from the pages of Galaxy written by Ross Rocklin and adapted for radio by George Lefferts. Featured in the cast were Bob Hastings, Terry Keene, Raymond Edward Johnson, Connie Lemke, and Eugene Francis. Your announcer Fred Collins. X minus one was directed by Daniel Sutter. And is an NBC radio network production. Next week, the story of the journey that had no end. Of a ship that had traveled so long through space that none aboard her could remember their destination or even wonder where they were going. Listen for the Sense of Wonder next week on X minus one. The big news tomorrow centers around the tiny Principality of Monaco where one of the century's most fabulous weddings will take place. An NBC radio is on the spot to cover it for you. In the daytime, NBC's weekday reports the civil wedding ceremony as it happens with simultaneous English translation.
