The Space Children

Is it much further? A few miles.

Do you have enough gas?

Heh, I got plenty.

All this ocean and sand,

I feel as if I were in another world.

Oh, you won't mind it. Wait and see.

Look, men, we gotta stick together.

Tell you mother it's going to be swell living at the ocean.

Sure, Mom. Dad's gonna buy me some flippers

And I'll let you wear them.

Hey, Mom, listen.

Listen to what?

Dad, don't you hear it? Hear what, son?

What in the world? I warned you.

Honey, I got more than half a tank left!

The electrical system isn't working.

Dad, listen.

Not now. I gotta figure this out.

There's something wrong here.

Mom, look up there. Yes, dear.

That's funny. I don't understand.

It's working now. But Dad, up there!

It's just a jet, Bud. It's not.

It wasn't a jet! It wasn't anything like a jet!

Children, will you stop chattering?

Dave Brewster, Oakland Electronic Company,

San Francisco. I'm assigned to Colonel Manley.

Brewster, Dave, family of three.

Is this the last of the bunch?

Yes, that's all.

Here, let them through.

Okay, go ahead. Oh, where is Unit 3?

- We're gonna live there. - Yes, ma'am.

Keep going right over the rise.

You'll find Unit 3 on your left.

Thanks. Thank you.

Well, this is it, honey.

Try to make the best of it.

Yes.

Come on, kids, let's get out.

Well, I put away most of the clothes.

There's good closet space anyhow.

It's not so bad.

Sure, if you like living on the beach.

It's only temporary, honey.

Doesn't matter. The sand's going to drift in

And ruin everything anyhow.

Look, honey,

I've driven over 500 miles today.

Tomorrow I start a new job, an important job.

I'm a little tired myself.

Of course. I'm sorry.

I guess I'm just homesick for San Francisco.

Well, where is it?

The launching platform.

Is it on the beach?

Probably somewhere on the beach.

When's the first test?

I don't know. Soon. Maybe this week.

Will it work?

It's got to.

It's gotta do a job better than theirs

So if they start anything...

Dave, what you said about its accuracy?

We just got in, honey.

I don't know any answers.

But you, your company. You worked on it for months.

I worked on one part out of 35,000 parts.

It's much more complicated

Than just an intercontinental missile.

Is ours the only one?

We don't think so.

It's almost funny, isn't it?

I mean, the children living in the middle of all this.

Would you have wanted me to say no

When the company insisted I come here?

Of course not. I'm just tired.

Let's go out and find Bud and Ken.

Okay. I could use some air.

Just wait until this project's a few weeks old.

You won't recognize the place.

A little grass, it'll be like a vacation spot.

It's just the bleakness of it at first.

It's your fault for marrying a city girl.

I wish the children hadn't wandered off.

You think it's dangerous down there on the rocks?

No. Besides, you know how the boys love the beach.

The ocean, rocks, everything makes me feel

So unimportant myself.

Well, you'll like it here. Wait till you meet the others.

I guess we'd better get back and straighten things out.

Mr. Brewster?

Hi.

I'm Mr. James, Security Officer for the Command.

I just heard from the gate you'd arrived.

This is my wife. How do you do?

I hope you'll be comfortable here, Mrs. Brewster.

Thank you. I'm glad I caught you.

I hope it won't be inconvenient,

But you're the last member to arrive

And the Colonel's giving a briefing

And I think he'd like you to attend.

If you don't mind, Mrs. Brewster.

No, of course not. You'll come back as soon as you can?

Sure, I will.

Hello.

I'm Frieda Johnson. I live in the next trailer.

Oh, I'm Anne Brewster. How do you do?

We just arrived.

Everything certainly is strange and different here.

I know just how you feel.

I thought I'd die the first few weeks

Away from my folks and friends.

It's the feeling of living so close

To the end of the world, maybe.

After a while you don't think of it like that.

Do you have any children? Mm-hm.

Two boys. They're on the beach somewhere.

How old are they? 12 and 10.

Oh, that'll be great for Eadie. She's 11.

Well, I'd better get my laundry on the line.

Oh, by the way, we're having a weenie roast

Out here tonight. Why don't you come?

It's really for the kids.

That'll be very nice. Thank you so much.

Good. Then we'll see you later. Mm-hm.

Here, catch! Just a minute.

Come on, run.

Hey, Bud, come here.

Gee, Bud. I bet it's a real cave.

Yeah.

Gee, do you think we discovered this cave?

Maybe.

What a day. First that thing in the sky and now this place.

Are you scared of what you saw?

You? No.

Do you think it'll come back?

I hope so. So do I.

You bet. Then we can show it to Dad

And prove we weren't making things up.

Kind of spooky, huh?

Yeah. It's awful dark back there.

Maybe it leads to another cave.

You better stay here, Ken.

Hi. You scared me.

Hi. Hello.

So you found our cave.

We didn't know anyone knew about it.

We have secret club meetings here.

My name's Eadie Johnson.

I saw you move in next door to us.

Who are you? I'm Bud Brewster.

This is my kid brother, Ken. Hi.

This is Buster, Tim,

George, and Helen.

Hi.

Your father going to work here?

Yeah. He's what you call a technician.

He knows everything about orbits and satellites and hydrogen

And missiles and warheads.

So does mine.

Have you seen it yet, the Thunderer?

It's the biggest one in the world!

It's a six stage rocket.

It takes a satellite with a hydrogen warhead

And the satellite will be hundreds of miles up in the air,

And when it gets above any city you want

All you gotta do is press a button and bang.

Wow. Gee.

Let's show it to them. Yeah, come on.

There it is.

Wow! Man!

Isn't it terrific? Yeah, it sure is.

All right, beat it, kids.

You know you don't belong here.

Okay, okay.

I was only showing them the Thunderer.

Come on, let's move. All right.

Gentlemen, we've been charged with a heavy responsibility

In this technological race.

We've all worked long and hard, and it's paid off

With the development of the new propellant

And other extraordinary advances.

We have reason to be proud of the Thunderer.

Because of this weapon we're prepared 24 hours a day

To retaliate instantly in case of enemy attack.

The Thunderer is no stranger to you.

You've all worked on it in one way or another.

You all know what the Thunderer can do,

Send a satellite equipped with a hydrogen warhead

Into the ocean of space, where for years,

If you wish, it can circle on a path known only to us.

A satellite containing the means to bring retaliation

By the pressing of a button.

Here, throw it to me!

Catch it.

Hey, look up there!

Come on!

With pinpoint accuracy...

Let's just wait a minute, gentlemen.