Exploring Tomorrow The Mutant Date: Feb 12 1958 CAST:
CLYDE MERRICK
LISA ROBERTS
SENATOR
DOCTORSOUND: THE DOCTOR AND SENATOR'S FOOTSTEPS DOWN HALLWAY, IN BG-- SENATOR: And you say the annual budget of this institution is eight million, Dr. Hawley? DOCTOR: That's right, Senator Bryan. Eight million dollars a year for the care and feeding of-- SENATOR: Of freaks, Doctor? SOUND: THEIR FOOTSTEPS STOP DOCTOR: Oh, we try never to think of them as freaks, Senator. And never to speak of them that way. Some of them have unusually sensitive hearing. SENATOR: Yes, but they are, er--? DOCTOR: Well, they're mutants, Senator. Genetic sports created by radioactive fallout. You might say they're martyrs to the criminal stupidity of the 20th century. SENATOR: But is it compulsive for a mutant to live in an institution like this? I confess, I'm not completely familiar with the legal aspects. DOCTOR: Compulsory? No, Senator, it's not compulsory. But it's often simpler for a mutant to live within these walls than out there in the world at large. SENATOR: Yes, I can understand that. DOCTOR: Eighty percent of them have come here voluntarily. SENATOR: And the rest? DOCTOR: Committed by relatives who couldn't stand the sight of them. SOUND: THEIR FOOTSTEPS RESUME, IN BG-- DOCTOR: But, uh, come, let me show you some of the patients, Senator. SOUND: FOOTSTEPS OUT AS ROOM DOOR OPENS DOCTOR: That's Anna over there. You'll notice I didn't bother knocking. Anna doesn't hear sounds. When she wants privacy, she just bolts her door. SENATOR: But, uh, what is she doing? DOCTOR: Thinking. SENATOR: That's all? Just - just thinking? DOCTOR: Well, that's all she ever does, Senator. She's busy working on a new cosmological theory. (LOW) Come, Senator. We're disturbing her concentration. Let's - let's try another room. SOUND: DOOR CLOSES ... FOOTSTEPS RESUME, IN BG-- DOCTOR: You know, there are many different types of mutations, of course, Senator. Hardly any two are alike. And some of our patients are simply physically deformed. You know, an extra limb, a strange texture of skin, differences like that. But others are more or less normal physically, but have unusual mental abilities. And still others, like Anna here, well, they're both deformed and mentally unusual. SOUND: THEIR FOOTSTEPS STOP DOCTOR: Now, in this room, we have a pair of remarkable mutants-- SENATOR: (INTERRUPTS, LOW) Er, Dr. Hawley, what's that coming up the hall toward us? SOUND: MERRICK'S FOOTSTEPS SLOWLY APPROACH, IN BG-- DOCTOR: (LOW) It's Merrick, one of our more interesting patients. SENATOR: (LOW) You, uh-- You let them wander around the halls? DOCTOR: (LOW) This isn't a prison, Senator. (UP) Uh, hello there, Merrick. Where are you heading? MERRICK: I'm taking a little walk, Dr. Hawley. SOUND: MERRICK'S FOOTSTEPS STOP BEHIND-- DOCTOR: This is Senator Bryan. He's paying us a visit here today. He's on the Senate Appropriations Committee. MERRICK: How interesting. (BEAT, MATTER-OF-FACT) I'm leaving here, Dr. Hawley -- right now. DOCTOR: Leaving? But you haven't been out of here in ten years, Merrick. MERRICK: I've decided to give the world another chance. DOCTOR: You know the rules, Merrick. If you volunteer to come in as a patient, you have to give three months' notice. Now, that way we can prepare you for life in the outside world. MERRICK: (POLITELY, SIMPLY) I'm leaving right now, Doctor. Ten minutes after I'm gone, you'll forget all about this. You'll remember there was once a Clyde Merrick here, but according to your records, he was discharged today, September 4th, 2019. You go directly to the recording computer and make the change. And as for you, Senator -- whatever your name -- you will have no recollection whatever of this conversation. And when you return to Washington, you will do your best to see that Dr. Hawley's appropriation is increased. Is all that clear? (NO ANSWER) Good. (BEAT) Goodbye, Dr. Hawley. Thank you for everything. SOUND: MERRICK'S FOOTSTEPS RESUME AND MOVE OFF DOCTOR: (RESUMES, A LITTLE AWKWARDLY) Uh, very well, Senator. Let's, uh-- Let's continue our little tour now. Uh, suppose I let you see our recreational therapy wing now. SOUND: THEY TAKE A COUPLE OF STEPS AND STOP, IN BG-- SENATOR: (WOOZILY) If it's all right, Doctor, I don't feel very well. Could we sit down and rest for a while? I have the oddest sensation in my head. It's as if-- As if I fell asleep for a few minutes. Had a very strange dream. A young man talking to me. DOCTOR: Maybe a little fresh air. It's rather warm in here. SENATOR: Yes, yes, yes. Fresh air would be good. SOUND: THEY TAKE A COUPLE OF STEPS, IN BG-- DOCTOR: Straight through that corridor. It'll take you to the courtyard. SOUND: THEIR FOOTSTEPS STOP DOCTOR: (DISTRACTEDLY) I - I'll be with you in just a moment. I - I have to stop in at the office and make an entry on a patient's record. Something I've been meaning to do for a long time. I keep forgetting it. Uh, I'll be with you in a moment, Senator. MUSIC: CURTAIN ... SOUND: AUTOMOBILE ENGINE ... CAR BRAKES TO A STOP ... ENGINE IDLES, IN BG-- MERRICK: Driving to town, miss? LISA: Oh-- (EXHALES) Yes. Yes, I am, but-- (HALF-CHUCKLE) I never pick up strangers when I'm driving alone. (PUZZLED, TO HERSELF) But why did I stop the car? MERRICK: You will give me a lift. LISA: Uh-- I-- (BEAT, CASUALLY) Sure. SOUND: CAR DOOR OPENS LISA: Climb in. Over here, next to me. SOUND: MERRICK CLIMBS IN BEHIND-- MERRICK: Thanks. I was sure you'd change your mind. SOUND: CAR DOOR SHUTS ... CAR IN GEAR ... THEN IN BG-- LISA: This is an awfully lonely part of the country to be hitching a ride in. Where are you coming from? MERRICK: You see that building up on the hill with the brick fence around it? LISA: Yes. MERRICK: Do you know what that is? LISA: Some sort of government hospital, isn't it? MERRICK: Close. It's a sanctuary for mutants. That's where I was coming from. LISA: (UNEASY) From the mutant sanctuary? But-- Are - are you a--? MERRICK: A mutant? (BEAT, CAREFULLY) Do I look like one? LISA: I don't know. You look-- You look-- MERRICK: How do I look? I look perfectly normal, don't I? LISA: Yes, you - you look perfectly normal in - in every way. MERRICK: (SLIGHTLY APPREHENSIVE) Tell me how I look to you. LISA: (SLOWLY) You're tall, blonde, blue-eyed, broad shouldered, nice smile. MERRICK: You'd say I was good looking? LISA: Yes. Yes, I'd say you were quite handsome. MERRICK: (EXHALES, RELIEVED) Thank you. What's your name? LISA: Lisa Roberts. You? MERRICK: My name is Clyde Merrick. LISA: Oh, you must work at the sanctuary, then. MERRICK: (IMPROVISING) Yes, that's right. I - I work there. This is my afternoon off, and I - I thought I'd hitch a ride into town for - for some fun. LISA: Well, you're lucky I stopped for you. I'm going all the way into town. You know, it's funny, too. I never usually stop for strangers. Tony says I shouldn't. MERRICK: Who is Tony? LISA: My fiancé. MERRICK: (BEAT) You're going to get married then? LISA: (CHUCKLES) That's what having a fiancé usually means. We're getting married in December. Going for a long cruise on our honeymoon. MERRICK: What do you do, Lisa? LISA: Do? Oh, I'm a dancer. Maybe you've seen me on TV. I'm usually on every Saturday night. Not that anyone ever remembers the girl from the chorus. MERRICK: I - I don't look at TV much, I'm afraid. Is this Tony of yours a dancer, too? LISA: Yes, he's the leading man of the show. MERRICK: (BEAT, SOBERLY) You love him very much, don't you? You could never think of marrying anyone else. LISA: You do talk strangely sometimes. I guess it's because you're around those crazy mutants all the time. Of course I love him very much. What do you think? MERRICK: How do you feel about mutants, Lisa? LISA: Just the way everyone else does, I suppose. MERRICK: What is that supposed to mean? LISA: Well, I - I feel sort of pity for them. But still, pity and all, it makes me feel creepy to think about people with two heads and all. MERRICK: None of them have two heads, Lisa. That particular mutation doesn't survive to adulthood. Most of the really strange ones die off the first few weeks of life. LISA: (WITH MILD DISGUST) Well, even so, I've seen pictures of them. (SHIVERS) It's a good thing they keep themselves cooped up in their sanctuaries. Good for them, good for us. MERRICK: Sometimes they leave the sanctuaries. They try to live like normal people. LISA: But they aren't normal people. MERRICK: Sometimes they can convince others that they are normal. We can be very convincing, Lisa. LISA: (BEAT, UNEASY) We? MERRICK: (BEAT, SLOWLY) I'm a mutant, Lisa. I'm casting a mental projection that hides my true appearance. LISA: (SUDDENLY AFRAID) Oh, no. Leave me alone. Get out of the car! MERRICK: (QUICKLY) Don't slow down. I won't hurt you. I'm - I'm very friendly. (BEAT) I'm a lonely person, Lisa, and - and you're so beautiful. You're not afraid of me, are you? LISA: (STIFFLY) I'm ----- not afraid of you. MERRICK: (SOOTHINGLY) Of course you aren't. You like me. You like me very much. I'm tall and broad-shouldered, and you think I'm handsome. LISA: (RELAXED) Very handsome. MERRICK: More handsome than your fiancé, Tony. LISA: Of course. MERRICK: You're wondering what you ever saw in Tony, aren't you? You're starting to forget you ever had any liking for him at all. LISA: I can't imagine how I could ever let myself think I cared for him. MERRICK: You're forgetting him rapidly. You don't even know who Tony is now, but you know who I am, don't you? LISA: Yes. Yes, of course. MERRICK: And you love me. You've only known me for a few minutes, but despite that, you've fallen deeply in love with me, haven't you, Lisa? LISA: Yes. I love you, Clyde. MERRICK: And I love you, Lisa. Will you marry me, Lisa? LISA: Of course, Clyde. Yes, I'll marry you. Darling. MUSIC: CURTAIN ... SOUND: CROWDED RESTAURANT BACKGROUND LISA: (MERRILY) Oh, that was a wonderful meal, darling. You know, I don't know how you did it. All those people waiting in line for tables and the headwaiter just took you right over to this spot. MERRICK: I have ways of being persuasive. LISA: (AMUSED) Oh, I see. D'you love me? MERRICK: Of course, Lisa. LISA: We'll be married tomorrow and go far, far away. Rent a cabin somewhere and stay there for months and months, and just read and fish and sleep. (CHUCKLES) Oh, it sounds wonderful. MERRICK: It is wonderful. Just the two of us. LISA: I can't wait. MERRICK: You're not worried about Tony, are you? LISA: (PUZZLED) Tony? I don't know anyone named Tony, do I? MERRICK: (SOBERLY) No, you - you don't know anyone named Tony. SOUND: CHAIR SCRAPE AS MERRICK ABRUPTLY RISES MERRICK: (BRISKLY) Come on, let's get out of here. LISA: Well, if you say so, darling. SOUND: LISA GETS TO HER FEET LISA: Where will we go? MERRICK: To your car. We'll - we'll drive out into the country. You can't see the stars here in town. SOUND: THEIR FOOTSTEPS TOWARD THE DOOR, IN BG-- LISA: You haven't paid the check. MERRICK: It doesn't matter. You see them trying to stop me? LISA: Well, no, but I-- MERRICK: I can eat for free anytime. You see? They're smiling goodbye to us. SOUND: TINY BELL RINGS AS RESTAURANT DOOR OPENS ... RESTAURANT BACKGROUND CHANGES TO CITY TRAFFIC BACKGROUND AS THEIR STEPS WALK TO THE CAR ... CAR DOOR OPENS AND LISA CLIMBS IN, DOOR SHUTS ... MERRICK WALKS AROUND CAR TO PASSENGER DOOR, WHICH OPENS, HE CLIMBS IN, DOOR SHUTS ... ENGINE STARTS ... CAR IN GEAR ... MOTOR CONTINUES IN BG-- LISA: Just - drive anywhere? MERRICK: Take the road you were on this morning when you met me. LISA: Of course. MERRICK: (BEAT) Lisa--? LISA: What is it, dear? MERRICK: (BEAT, SLOWLY) Do you really love me? Really and truly love? LISA: (GENUINELY) I love you, Clyde. MERRICK: (IN DESPAIR) No. No, you don't, not at all. LISA: Oh, whatever do you mean? MERRICK: It's no good, it isn't real, it's just another fraud! LISA: I don't understand. MERRICK: You don't love me, not really. I've made you think you do, and you say you do, but that isn't enough. Every time I'd kiss you, every time I'd hold you in my arms, I'd know you were nothing but a puppet playing the role I made you play! Do you call that love? LISA: Clyde, you're talking nonsense. MERRICK: I wish I were. I thought I might be able to find some fulfillment outside the sanctuary, but I was wrong. What good is it all? I - I can fool everyone! Everyone except myself. (BEAT) Lisa, tell me again. How do I look to you? LISA: (AMUSED) Why, tall, very good-looking; blonde hair, kind of wavy; regular features. MERRICK: In other words, as handsome as a video star. LISA: (YES) Mm hm. MERRICK: All right, stop the car. LISA: Stop it? Why? MERRICK: Because I want you to. SOUND: CAR SLOWS TO A STOP ... ENGINE IDLES, IN BG-- LISA: (BEAT) Well? MERRICK: Ever since I left the sanctuary this morning, I've - I've been projecting a false appearance. It's a power of mine. Something special I have, thanks to the otherwise unkind Providence. I'm going to turn that projection off now, Lisa. Let you have a look at me as I really am. As I look without the benefit of hypnotic trickery. LISA: (SUDDENLY HORRIFIED) Oh, no! Oh, no! Hideous-- That - that face. Those eyes. The skin-- (GIBBERS IN FEAR UNTIL SUDDENLY STOPPING AT [X]) MERRICK: (SOOTHINGLY) Everything's all right now, you're starting to forget. In a moment you'll have forgotten it. [X] (BEAT) There. All better. (BEAT) How do you feel? LISA: (EXHALES, STIFFLY) All right, Clyde. MERRICK: Good. But you see, Lisa, I was wrong. I thought if I left the sanctuary at last, disguising myself as one of the normals, I could be happier. I - I could-- But it would be a synthetic happiness. You can't live on nothing but cotton candy, Lisa. (BEAT) Start the car. LISA: Yes, Clyde. SOUND: CAR IN GEAR ... THEN IN BG, IN AGREEMENT WITH FOLLOWING-- MERRICK: Drive up the hill to your left. That's it. Right - right up to those big gates. SOUND: CAR ENGINE FILLS A PAUSE ... THEN IN BG-- MERRICK: All right. Stop here. SOUND: CAR SLOWS TO A STOP ... ENGINE IDLES, IN BG-- MERRICK: (PENSIVELY) This is the sanctuary. I'm back home now. Home to stay, where I belong. LISA: Clyde, I'm - I'm all mixed up. I don't know what's happening. MERRICK: You're going to turn your car around and drive home, Lisa. You're going to go home and go to bed, and when you wake up in the morning, you'll have no recollection of today at all. You'll simply have lost a day. (BEAT) And you'll marry your Tony, and you'll be happy with him. Is that clear, Lisa? LISA: Yes, Clyde. MERRICK: All right now. You're beginning to forget me already. Say goodbye to me, Lisa. LISA: Goodbye, Clyde. MERRICK: That's right. No, don't-- Don't kiss me. SOUND: CAR DOOR OPENS ... CLYDE CLIMBS OUT ... DOOR SHUTS ... CAR IN GEAR ... CAR DRIVES AWAY, FADING OUT BEHIND-- MERRICK: (TO HIMSELF, SLOWLY AND SADLY) Back home again. Goodbye, Lisa. SOUND: MERRICK'S STEPS AWAY MUSIC: CURTAIN ...