Imagine...
Imagine that your life is spent
in an environment of total physical sensation.
That every one of your senses has been heightened
to a level that, in a human being,
might only be described as...
ecstatic.
That you're able to see, to perceive,
with every part of your being.
Sight, hearing, taste, smell.
And every inch of your surface, your skin,
is a receptor.
A continuous source of perfectly accurate information
about the world for miles around you.
Imagine...
that you're able to carry on simultaneous conversations
with two members of your species,
one right next to you,
and the other one several miles away.
Listen to the language,
the intricate patterns of clicks, whistles, squeaks and groans.
Sounds subtle enough to convey complicated factual data.
Complex enough, perhaps, to deal with...
abstractions,
what we would call "ideas".
His brain...
is a big as a man's.
It processes information about two worlds.
The world of water, in which he is born, and feeds,
and reproduces, and dies.
And the world of air, in which he breathes.
He has few natural enemies.
The shark, the barracuda,
the fisherman who doesn't care what he catches,
and certain clumsy scientists,
who believe that the easiest path to an animal's brain
is made with a scalpel.
As tragic and senseless as that kind of death can be,
so is his birth a moment of inspiration.
That's why I thought I would close my report to you today
with this piece of film,
which shows our first dolphin born in captivity.
His tail comes out first.
That's so his spiracle,
that's the hole on top of his head, through which he breathes,
can come out last.
He then rushes to the surface, to the air.
Now, watch closely because this happens rather quickly.
There.
Well, that was Alpha's birth.
He's now almost four years old,
and we think he's very bright.
Well, that's all, unless there are any questions.
Dr Terrell?
Did you say "Alpha"?
Yes, we call him Alpha, because he was the first...
the first dolphin born at the Center.
It's a little bit pretentious, perhaps,
but it's better than "Spot" or "Rover".
Actually, we call him "Pha".
Is Alpha still with his mother?
No, er... Alpha's mother died shortly after giving birth.
We don't know why. We raised him ourselves.
My wife and associate, Margaret Anderson, and I,
have spent the major part of the last four years, er...
living with him, and feeding him, teaching him.
Teaching him what?
Well, we're concentrating on certain, er... experiments,
trying to learn certain things from Alpha.
Things that have to do with...
Oh, measurements of intelligence, so forth.
Um... Dr Terrell?
Is it possible...
I mean, like, I read somewhere
that dolphins are as intelligent as we are?
Well, that depends on your definition of intelligence.
His brain contains a sonar system that is amazingly sophisticated.
For instance, it enables him to distinguish, from enormous distances,
between objects of fractionally different sizes.
Or between different kinds of metal,
or between organic and inert matter.
Dr Terrell?
What about the experiments of the military...
I don't know anything about the military.
But certainly you've heard about
the misuse of animals like dolphins that the government is rumoured...
Just a moment, please.
I'm not a political scientist.
My degrees are in biology, and zoology, and behavioural psychology.
The government and I pay very little attention to each other.
Well, doctor, what is it, exactly,
that you hope to learn from all these studies?
I mean, what can a dolphin teach us?
We're trying to learn
about how his sonar system works,
about the functions of his language,
about how he manages to manoeuvre with such speed and dexterity.
Most of all, we'd like to know why,
after millions of years as a land animal,
his species was compelled, or...
decided to return to the sea.
Um...
What about their speaking in English?
I beg your pardon?
I saw this dolphin on television,
and he counted from one to eight in English.
Really? I didn't see that.
What... What do you suppose it was? Was it some of trick or something?
Yes, I... I'd say...
Yes, just a trick.
Oh, Harold, I'm afraid we're gonna have to skip that drink.
I've gotta get back to the island right away.
- Oh, nothing wrong, I hope? - No, nothing that can't be fixed.
Is there anything I can do to help?
Yes, you could, um...
get the Foundation to pay those bills at Key Largo for me.
- I need that new equipment right away. - Ah, Jake, I want to talk to you about this...
Thank you so much. That was absolutely fascinating.
- Thank you. - As I was saying, I'd like to talk
about some of those bills.
You're getting weekly reports, aren't you?
Nobody's complaining.
It's just that we're wondering about all that new recording equipment.
- Wondering what? - What are you using it for?
- Recording. Excuse me. - I see.
Er... Harold, we're recording the sound the dolphins are making,
and trying to develop a highly complicated feedback system.
Look, are we going over the budget?
- Yes, you are. - Oh.
- Well, we'll try to be more careful. - Thank you.
- That's your car? - Yeah.
Drop me off at the marina, will you?
Jake, that's thirty miles in the wrong direction.
Tell him to drive fast. I'm in a hurry.
Drive fast. He's in a hurry.
Jake?
Thanks for giving the speech.
Anything for the Franklin Foundation.
It's all in the name of good public relations.
- Yeah, now you owe me a favour. - Name it.
Pay those bills.
- Let's get outta here! - That's what I had in mind.
What happened? Do you know'?
No, I was picking up the new equipment over at Key Largo.
David called me, told me to come over and get you,
and bring you back.
- Damn it! - Oh, don't worry. Maggie's tough.
What?
I said, Margaret is tough. She can take it.
Oh, I know. I was...
- I was worried about Alpha. - Oh, yeah.
- Wake me up before we get there. - Right.
- What did he say about her? - About who?
- Maggie? - He said she was all right.
She's fine, Jake. Maryanne's up at the house with her.
Who's in there? Larry?
No, Larry's up at the house, too.
- Who's with Alpha? - No-one right now.
- Well, we thought that... - Thought what?
Everything stops just because someone has a little accident?
- What's the matter with you? - Well, I thought, under the circumstances...
There are no circumstances. There's to be someone with him always.
Always!
Whether he's in the tank, or in the dry room, or the control room.
Continuous monitoring, no exceptions.
Okay?
Jake?
Jake? Coming?
Well...
I go away for one lousy afternoon, the whole place falls apart, huh?
Doesn't anybody have anything to do?
Come on, Larry.
Don't blame Maggie, Jake. It wasn't her fault.
I didn't say it was.
I'll be down at the tank if you need me.
Jake, I'm really sorry.
I panicked. I was so scared I just forgot everything.
He wasn't trying to hurt me.
He just wanted me to stay in the water with him.
Was he, er... excited?
That's what, the third time this week, huh?
Getting jealous?
Don't be a wise guy or I'll bite your other leg.
Go on, Jake.
Go ahead.
I'll be all right.
- He's growing up, Jake. - Yeah.
I think maybe his "Ma" and "Pa" aren't enough for him anymore.
Listen, I want you guys to put an intercom
between here and my house, okay?
Sure.
You all eaten?
Go ahead, I'll stay here.
There's some terrible coughing down in tank three.
Oh, that must be Patsy. She's got a cold.
Paaaa!
Well, Pha.
You've had quite a day, haven't you?
Pa.
You seem to have some very impressive credentials here, Mr Mahoney.
Yes, I seem to.
I don't quite understand what it is you want of me?
I want to visit Jacob Terrell's marine biology centre.
Why?
I'm interested in the work he's doing.
As you see, I'm a writer.
I'm thinking of doing a series of articles on marine research.
For whom?
Oh, that's not established. There are a number of markets.
Why don't you contact Dr Terrell himself?
You know that I already have.
- What do you mean? - And that he said "no",
and that it's taken me several weeks to push my way into your office,
so that you can do me this very small favour.
The fact is, Dr Terrell does not want visitors,
strangers, at the Center.
- Why? Is he hiding something? - No, of course not.
Is he scared someone's gonna run off
with that good-looking little girl he's married to?
I don't think that's a particularly nice thing to say, Mr Mahoney.
Forgive me, please.
I have a terrible habit of making thoughtless statements.
I'm dangerously unrefined.
"Dangerously"?
Look, let's leave it at this.
I'll take these, and I'll leave this with you.
It's sort of a first draft of an article I was considering.
You'll find it interesting. It's about the Franklin Foundation.
I'd really prefer doing something along the lines we were discussing,
but you read it and see what you think.
Are you a blackmailer, Mr Mahoney?
Good Lord, no!
I'm just an average guy,
with an above average curiosity.
And, of course, I make friends easily.
Yes, I see that.
That's why I have access to a lot of files, information,
public and private, all kinds of sources.
Listen, when we get to know each other better,
I'll tell you some things about yourself that'll simply astound you.
Dad?
"JAKE". No. Come on, Pha.
- Good boy, come on. - What?
No, no, no, no. "Hand, hand."
- Come on, Pha. - Good.
No, it's not good.
- Fish. Pha want fish? - Yes.
- Well, Pa give fish. Pha say "hand". - Fish!
Alpha, I am deeply disappointed in you this morning.
You're really a pain in the ass.
- Ass. - Oh, Christ!
Jake? Jake?
Can you hear me?
- Maggie? - That's right. How's it going?
I'm thinking of selling him, and getting myself a parrot.
Jake, we have a visitor.
I'll be right down.
Pa?
No!
You can't say a simple word like "hand".
Hand.
Beautiful, simply beautiful.
It's like being in another world.
What's the problem, Harold?
You can't accept the possibility that I just wanted to drop in?
- "Drop in"? - And see how you were getting along?
No.
You know, Jake, the Foundation subsidises, fully or partially,
an extraordinarily eclectic group of scientists, artists, writers,
two medical research centres, a library,
a yearly international students' conference...
Am I boring you?
Oh, I'm sorry. It's just the beer.
The point is, Jake, we're sincerely interested
in the work of all these people.
We like to think it's a co-operative venture.
Yes?
It's not a charity.
Of course not.
Basically, it's one gigantic tax write-off.
That's a little joke, Harold.
Don't take it seriously.
The Board of Directors of the Franklin Foundation
is considering withdrawing its support of the Terrell Marine Center.
They're what?
Let's take a little walk.
What are you doing in there?
In where?
The figures taken from your monthly report seem to indicate
that you put about $200,000 into that building.
It's all itemised under "the care and feeding of one",
count 'em, "one male dolphin, Alpha, age four."
- 200 thou? - What does he eat, caviar?
Jake, I can't justify that kind of expenditure to the board,
because I don't know myself what you're doing in there.
David!
Would you like to sit down, Harold?
What do you know about, er...
linguistics, semantics, phonetics?
Very little.
Here goes lesson number one.
First month, first year.
Alpha speaking, in his own language.
The sounds are coming from his spiracle, not from his mouth.
Second month, second year.
Thirteen months to isolate the clicking patterns
from the squeaks and the whistles and the groans.
- Ah! - Seventh month, second year.
Our first phoneme, "ah".
- Ah! - Ah.
- Ma! - Ninth month, second year.
More phonemes, the atoms of speech.
Ma! Ma!
Second month, third year.
Fourth month, third year.
From vowels to consonants.
Fifth month, third year.
Tenth month, third year.
He's learning faster now.
Second month, fourth year. Here comes our first morpheme.
- Phoneme "P" plus phoneme "A" equals... - Pa!
Pa!
This one is, er... sort of a collection,
made in the past few months. We call it our Top Fifty.
Ball... Swim...
Eat... Now...
Man...
Coat...
Car...
Friend... Girl... Love...
One...
two...
three...
four. ..
Five...
six. ..
Seven...
eight. ..
Nine...
ten.
Alpha's been regressing a little in the past few weeks,
so we're gonna give him a companion.
Of his own species, of course.
Beta. Let's go.
Where did Beta come from?
Oh, we caught her off the Florida Keys a couple months ago.
Watch her tail!
What are we gonna call her for short, Jake?
Ta?
Pha, Ta, Ma and Pa. Terrific!
I think we better try Bea. "Bea" for "Beta".
Okay, Bea... and here we go.
What exactly do you think will happen?
We hope they'll find each other sexually attractive.
- And if they do? - Then Alpha will happier,
and if he's happier, he'll learn faster.
In other words, you're offering him a bribe in the form of sex?
Beats the hell out of butterfish.
Harold, would you like to watch through the window with Maggie?
- Is the hydrophone on? - Er... yeah.
- Then start the tape. - Okay.
Wait till she breathes.
NOW!
Two pm.
Alpha and Beta say hello.
Now, I understand.
Well, I don't want any of this getting out.
That's the important thing.
All I got so far is a dolphin imitating human speech sounds,
and responding to certain verbal signals.
But, if it gets out, well, it's bound to be misinterpreted.
They're gonna say that Terrell's down here,
carrying on conversations with a bunch of fish,
and the whole thing's gonna turn into a circus.
My report will be completely confidential.
- I'll back you up all the way. - Thanks.
- There is one favour you could do for me. - Sure.
There's a man I know, an old friend of mine.
His name is Curtis Mahoney.
Now what do you want? Pha?
Fish? Say it. "Fish."
Pha want fish now?
He's not going to say anything.
- Yeah. - It's been what, two weeks?
Fifteen days.
Why?
Well, honey, if I knew that,
then I'd know what the hell to do about it, wouldn't I?
I'm sorry.
It's all right.
I'll tell you what I think it is.
I think he's learning his own language, from Beta.
- Mm-hmm. - Must be a great relief.
Fish for Bea?
Come on, Pha. Come on.
Say "fish".
Say "Ma".
Come on. Ah, say something.
Come on, Pha. You know how.
Oh, all right. Here, take it.
Okay, Bea. And good girl, Bea. Come on.
It's love all right.
How much longer?
What?
- How much longer? - Oh, it's hard to tell.
- Guess. - Half an hour, maybe.
- Yes? - Forty-five minutes.
- Forty-five? - Could be an hour.
- Oh, Christ. - Feeling a little sick?
"Little" isn't exactly the right word.
There's a bunk down below.
- How often do you make this run? - Now and then.
- You work with the dolphins, too? - Sometimes.
- How many of you are there? - What?
- Working at the Center, how many? - Oh! Few, I guess.
That's pinning it down, all right.
- Terrell tell you not to talk to me? - What?
Did he tell you not to give me any information?
Hang on, Mr Mahoney, we're gonna hit some swells.
Is the, um... water circulating in the holding tank?
- Yeah. - Yeah.
He's been down there almost all day, Maggie.
Mm-hmm. You wanna argue with him about it?
No, thanks!
He says he wants Alpha and Beta to know
that what's going to happen is his doing.
Huh!
- I know... - Jake!
- Boat's comin' in. - Ah, nuts.
I told Mike to take the long way. Hey!
Pha, give now!
Okay, listen, you guys take Alpha and Beta,
and put 'em in the holding tank, huh? I'm coming out.
Okay!
You won't be laughing long, pal.
Ah, that's what you say.
- Take it easy, Mr Mahoney. - Yeah.
I don't get it.
We're supposed to be keepin' all this Alpha stuff a secret,
and this guy comes to write somethin' about us.
What's the point?
Well, he's supposed to be a friend of someone at the Foundation.
Anyway, we keep him from seeing these two, that's all.
He'll be gone tomorrow.
- Let me help you with that. - Thanks, I can do it.
I've still got a few ounces of strength left.
Was the trip over a little rough?
No, no, it was delightful.
I particularly enjoyed the part where I threw up.
What's that building?
Well, we're trying to build a special tank for some experiments.
Sounds interesting.
No more so than anything else. That's, er... nothing special.
A special kind of tank for nothing special.
I can hardly wait to see inside.
What magazines do you write for, Mr Mahoney?
Anyone that'|| accept my material.
- How long have you known Harold DeMilo? - Oh, quite a while.
- Did you know him at Harvard? - I think he went to Princeton.
Oh, yeah, Princeton. That's right.
Well, I thought you might wanna get some rest,
maybe have something to eat,
and then we'll have one of the boys show you around.
- You know what I'd really like to do? - What?
I've really been looking forward to seeing that dolphin of yours.
You know, what's his name, Alpha?
You know, the one who was born here.
- Isn't that his name, Alpha? - Yes, that's his name.
I'd really love to take a look at him.
- He's right behind you. - Oh.
- What's he saying? - Your guess is as good as mine.
Who is he, Jake?
What's the difference? He won't be here long enough to give us any trouble.
What kind of trouble?
Whatever kind of trouble you had in mind.
Well, you know he's not here to write an article about dolphins.
No, I don't know that.
- Oh, come on. - "Come on" yourself.
Well, he's lying about being a friend of Harold DeMil0's.
I don't think he even knows him.
That sort of makes Harold a liar too, doesn't it?
That doesn't come as any great shock to me.
You just don't trust the good old establishment, do you?
Which good old establishment?
Leave it alone, Maggie.
Well, don't you even wanna know what...
Leave it alone.
Let Mr Mahoney do his job, whatever that is, and get out,
and we'll go on about our business.
We'll probably be ready in a month or so,
and then we can move one of the dolphins in,
and really concentrate on him.
Which one are you gonna put in?
- No special one. - Mm-hmm.
- He likes you. - What?
Alpha, he likes you, I said.
Oh, he likes everybody.
- Everybody likes him, too. - Not everybody.
- What? - That piece missing from his fin.
Looks like somebody chewed it off.
Oh, a shark did that, probably.
A shark out in the ocean?
He did that when he was a baby.
He jumped out of the pool, fell on his back,
the fin got infected, and we had to take a piece out.
That was before Lana got here.
That's right. That was before I got here.
- Well, thanks for the tour. - My pleasure.
Jake?
Are you awake?
Jake?
Jake's asleep. What is it?
Maggie, someone just tried to open the door.
Where is he now?
Well, it sounded like he went away.
There's a telephone number on the card.
You can reach me there if you ever need to.
- Not sure what it is you have in mind. - You will, when the time comes.
- Goodbye, Mrs Terrell. - Goodbye, Mr Mahoney.
We're all on the same side, you know.
He knows somethings up.
What is it, Pha?
What does Pha want?
Jake, he's gonna try to jump over it.
He can't broad jump.
Jesus!
It'll hold.
Will Alpha?
All right, er...
leave us alone.
Pa.
Pa...
give...
Bea.
What?
Pa give Bea.
Pha?
Pha...
want...
Bea...
HOW.
Yes.
Pa...
give...
HOW.
Yes, Pha wants Bea.
Now.
Pa...
give...
HOW.
Bea...
HOW.
Maggie?
Maggie!
- How's it look? - It's okay.
A section came loose from one of the pipes. I re-attached it.
Does it look like anything's been at it?
No, I don't think so.
- You mean, like a shark? - Yeah.
Do you think they could handle one if it got in?
I don't know.
I don't think it's worth a chance of trying.
What would they do?
Well, they could always yell for help.
Man, it's weird.
- Think so? - You don't?
I mean, I stand there and watch you
talkin' to them, and listening.
I know it's happening, but it's weird.
It's like we're all having a dream, or some sort of...
psychotic fantasy.
Don't you feel something like that?
Well, I'll tell ya,
since Alpha started speaking, I've had a feeling
- I haven't had since I was your age. - What's that?
That there are infinite possibilities.
Jake!
It's the Foundation. Mr DeMilo.
Maggie and I've talked about this thing, and we both feel
that all of you should know as much as we do about it.
So here's what's happened.
It seems Mr Mahoney knows about Alpha and Beta.
How much about 'em?
All about them.
And, apparently, he's ready to publish
all his information on the work we've been doing here.
- How in hell did he find out? - We don't know.
But you can imagine how... well...
Disappointed the people at the Foundation are
that we kept them in the dark, too.
Oh, boy...
Mm-hmm.
Well, the point is it looks like we're gonna be forced
to come out with the information first,
to keep this whole thing from turning into some kind of freak show.
That's exactly what I didn't wanna have happen.
I had hoped we'd have more time.
- But... - We don't.
We don't.
They're sneaking up on us.
Jake, it's not that bad.
It's not that good.
The world has to find out about this sooner or later.
That's all part of it. What's all this work been for?
I don't know any longer.
Jesus, you're acting like a baby.
- Ah, you don't understand. - The hell I don't understand.
You're just pissed off because the world is coming in here
and interfering with your little kingdom.
All those people who carry
whatever disease you think the outside world has.
It is a disease.
Well, I hope you're not the only doctor around
when the epidemic hits.
It's a disease, and it can kill Alpha and Beta.
And how's it going to do that?
By turning them into valuable properties.
By putting their pictures on T-shirts and cereal boxes.
By signing 'em up with record companies,
by naming a restaurant chain after 'em. Christ, I don't know.
They'll end up with a high-priced agent,
and a saltwater swimming pool in Beverly Hills.
Jake...
if they're gonna be exploited, who's responsible?
You taught them our language.
Why?
To become like you?
Maybe I was wrong.
It's a hell of a time to come to that conclusion.
We should have become like them.
Like what?
Like what they are.
Instinct,
and energy.
Then let them go.
Send them back to the sea.
Afraid it's too late.
They wouldn't know what to do, or where to go.
We've changed them.
I'll be back in a little while.
I wonder if we could hear that again, Dr Terrell.
Yes, sir. Pha, say again.
Man is good.
Why does he believe that, do you suppose? "Man is good."
Ask him.
May |?
Pha?
Pha!
Why is man good?
Smooth.
I didn't get that, I'm afraid.
"Smooth." He says we're smooth as he is.
He likes the way we feel.
Ah, so it is less a philosophical judgement,
than a physiological one.
Well, to Alpha, smoothness is pleasure, and pleasure is good.
I think that's a reasonable beginning for a philosophy, don't you?
Isn't a shark also smooth? Does that make him good?
What about the shark?
What does he say?
I'm afraid he doesn't understand what you're saying.
Your accent makes it difficult for him.
- Er... Pha? - Pha!
Is a shark good?
You have to understand that Alpha has never seen a shark.
Beta undoubtedly has.
- I'm sorry. - Pha! Here, now!
Let me see whether I can clear this thing up.
Assume the hypothesis that a shark...
Ah, excuse me, sir, but you're using words that aren't in their vocabulary.
They wouldn't understand a hypothetical.
As far as they're concerned, a thing either is or it isn't.
There are no ifs.
All right. Let's try it this way.
- Pha... - Pha!
Now...
There is a shark in this tank!
Son of a bitch! I told you there's no hypo...
Jake!
Pha!
Pha, bring Bea here now.
Wait a minute, Mike.
Let's see if Alpha'|| do it.
Good, Pha, good.
- No shark here. - No shark.
No shark.
Man say thing not.
What, er... What is it? What does that mean?
He's calling you a liar.
He is, is he?
Well, that's what he said.
I'm being called a liar by a goddamn fish?
There's always a first time, Ben.
And he's not a fish, he's a mammal.
You seem to be having trouble
understanding what I've been telling you.
I'm going to make this simple as I possibly can.
Don't say anything more, okay?
- Are you telling me to... - I'm telling you to shut up.
Ben! Sit down.
Why didn't the sonar of the dolphin
tell him that there was not a shark here?
It probably did, but they trust us more than they do their own instinct.
Now, they've never been lied to before.
Maybe we could ask some less emotional questions?
I think that'd be an excellent idea.
How far can he swim without breath?
- Pha? - Pha!
- How far can you swim? - One day.
- Yes, but how far?
Well, Alpha, um... conceives of distance in terms of time,
and he can swim without stopping for one day.
At what speed?
I would estimate, er...
with maximum energy, between twenty and thirty knots.
Dr Terrell, if, as you say, Alpha's teaching Beta to speak,
are you suggesting that, if you were to set Alpha free,
he might pass on this facility to others of his kind?
We might have a whole ocean full of English-speaking dolphins?
No, I'm not. Er... He'd revert to his, er...
normal system of communication.
Speaking our language is very difficult for him.
Why is he doing it, then? What motivates him?
He does it for me.
Yes, but why?
- Pha? - Pha!
Why does Pha speak?
- Pha speak. - Yes, why Pha speak?
Pha speak Pa.
Why does Pha speak to Pa?
Pha love...
Pa.
- They're leaving. - Hmm?
- They're going to the plane. - Mmm.
I hope somehow you can convey our appreciation
to the little fellas themselves.
I'll try to!
What is it?
They've set up some sort of, er... press conference.
They want me to go over there right away.
I'm terribly sorry.
I thought all that had been explained to you before we got here.
I'm afraid there isn't room for everyone on the plane.
Why don't you get whatever you need,
and Harold will go with you in your boat,
and explain it all to you on the way over.
I'll come with you.
That'd be delightful.
Yes, of course. They'd love to have you.
Make sure they don't go over the nets again.
- And don't leave them alone. Understand? - Don't worry, Jake.
I'll get on the radio and ask for some advice.
Don't go away.
Who is this, um... Mahoney, Harold? Why did you send for him?
I don't really know who he is.
He's got a lot of pull with some people in the government.
He put some pressure on us.
I'm sorry I couldn't tell you about it before.
I didn't know how much he knew.
I would have told you if I did. I hope you believe me, Jake.
Yeah.
Well...
- Doesn't matter. - Why doesn't it?
Because tomorrow, I'll say it all myself.
Let the press find out who Mahoney is, and what the Foundation's afraid of.
They want a press conference, I'll give 'em a press conference.
Hello?
I can't hear you.
What?
Jake?
Yeah, it's me.
What's goin' on?
Yeah, that's better. Go ahead.
But, Jake...
No.
I'm not arguing...
I said, I'm not arguing with you.
I just don't understand why...
Okay, I got it.
Yeah, I'm sure.
We'll do it. Don't worry.
I said, "Don't worry!"
Do you wanna tell Maryanne anything about...
Jake?
Hello?
Jake!
I don't get it.
Do you have any...
No, I don't like those.
No?
- It's a quarter after twelve. - It is?
- Oh, it's almost time for lunch. - Jake.
I'm gonna give them about five more minutes.
Then what are you gonna do?
I may set fire to her desk.
Dr Terrell?
I'm so sorry.
Please, sit down.
I'm Mrs Rome.
Mr Simon's executive secretary.
You're Mrs Terrell, aren't you? So nice to meet you.
Who is Mr Simon?
Oh, don't you know Mr Simon?
The fact of the matter is
that there has been one of those unforeseeable events.
Which one?
Which what?
Which one of those "unforeseeable events"?
I see what you mean.
But, seriously, the Director has been taken ill.
We haven't received word yet on exactly what his condition is.
He's been taken to the hospital.
We're... We're all keeping our fingers crossed.
Where is Mr DeMilo?
Mr DeMilo?
Mr Harold DeMilo?
Mr DeMilo is at the hospital with the Director, of course.
Of course.
I have been asked to apologise to you for the inconvenience,
and to tell you that the Director will contact you,
at your Center, as soon as he's able.
- Well, what if he's not able? - How do you mean?
What happens if he is not able to contact me?
But I'm sure he will, sooner or later.
Mrs Rome, you'll forgive me if I seem unsympathetic,
but there was a reason for my coming here today.
Now, I've... I've left my work, I've had a boat trip.
I've spent a reasonably sleepless night in a motel
without any air conditioning, and very little air.
- I'm so sorry. - Dr Terrell would like to know
what happened to the press conference?
Oh, we've had to cancel all of today's events.
As a matter of fact, everything for the rest of the week,
until we're further informed.
I just wish you could see the list of things
that we've had on our schedule.
As it is, I'm afraid we'll just have to tread water,
until we receive further instructions.
Maggie.
May I tell the director that you asked after him?
Only if he lives.
- I can't get through. - Why not?
Some kind of interference.
I didn't make that call.
But David was talkin' to ya, Jake.
No, he wasn't.
Well, he was talkin' to somebody.
Well, either he thought he was talking to Jake, or...
Or he lied.
Now, tell me again. The stretchers came from the boat.
Yeah...
They were brought off the yacht by a couple of men.
You don't remember seeing any name on that boat, Larry?
Go on.
Maryanne and I
helped David get Alpha and Beta into the stretchers.
Didn't they put up a fight? Didn't they do anything?
What?
We told them that you were on the yacht.
You lied to 'em.
Whose bright idea was that?
David's?
That's right.
I don't think there's anything more that we can do tonight, Jake.
Do you?
I mean, the phone is out. What do you think?
No.
I mean, er...
yes, you're right. There's nothing we can do.
Jake.
Let's take a walk outside. We can cook something out there.
Okay. Okay.
What are we all whispering for? That thing's inside the house.
There may be others.
So what? How far can it transmit?
Maybe to a booster somewhere on the island.
- Who put the intercom in your house? - David.
When?
Just before we put Alpha and Beta together.
You and Jake have been on the air for six months.
I think I'd like to kill him.
Isn't it just possible that it's not David's fault?
I mean, that he was fooled, along with the rest of us.
His name's not David. It's William.
C for Charles, Conklin.
Trained in the Navy as a demolitions man.
While he was stationed at San Diego,
he decided to supplement his income
by bringing a couple of pounds of heroin across the border.
Jesus.
They gave him fifteen to twenty years at hard labour,
of which he did about eight months.
Who got him out?
The guys you work for.
The hell are you talkin' about? I don't work for them.
Oh, really? I always thought you work for the people that pay you.
That's not fair.
Lady, I never said it was fair.
Who do you work for, Mr Mahoney, assuming that's your real name?
I work for the guys that pay me to watch the guys that pay you.
And then there are, I imagine, some guys that are paid to watch me.
That's some business you're in.
Yeah, it works toward a full employment economy.
Watchers watching watchers.
- With us at the end. - No, you're watching the dolphins.
- Where are they? - The dolphins?
I would guess they're on that yacht.
What are they gonna do with 'em?
That's the part we don't know.
What we do know is that they've been working on this thing
since you started teaching your friend Alpha to talk.
- How do we stop them? - From doing what? That's the point.
At the moment, assuming we could find them,
we could get them on the unique charge of kidnapping a bottlenose dolphin.
I'm not even sure it's a crime.
So you're just going to sit here? You're not gonna do anything?
Look, number one, the boat we came in
has been scuttled in about twenty feet of water.
- Number two... - Who's "we"?
Oh, there's a Mr Stone, a friend of mine.
I think I'd better start trying to find him.
Wait a minute, wait a minute. Now, if it's true, as you say,
- that the Franklin Foundation got David... - William.
All right, got the son of a bitch out of jail,
then that implies that they must have some very powerful connections.
- That's what it implies. - I mean, with the government.
Yes, you might call them a part of the government.
Well, what government do you work for?
What government have you got?
What the hell is that supposed to mean?
Dr Terrell, there are two or three million people working for the government,
and that's not including the military.
Did you think that "e pluribus unum"
was engraved on anything other than our small change?
Or haven't you been living on this planet?
Then how did you get Harold DeMilo to let you come down here in the first place?
Oh, that was easy.
I let on that I knew about David... William.
And that I'd be willing to keep it a secret if he'd let me look around.
And then there were a couple of other things.
Like what?
Like the fact that I had information
concerning DeMil0's activities as a homosexual.
Which would have come as a hell of a shock to his wife and kids.
You're a real charmer, Mr Mahoney.
You must be very proud of your work.
Go ahead, answer it.
Yes?
- Jake? - Where are they, Harold?
Jake, I don't want you to say anything.
The phone will only be operative for a few minutes.
I want you to know that the equipment we borrowed is in fine shape,
and will be returned to you very soon, if nothing interferes with it.
Don't leave the island, Jake. Do you understand?
Yes.
Mike!
Get the boat ready!
Jake, you can't leave. Not while they've got Alpha and Beta.
- I can't, but one of you can. - And do what?
Call some newspapers, tell them what's happened.
You're gonna call the New York Times,
and tell them that a group of respectable businessmen
stole some talkin' dolphins from ya?
Something like that. Why not?
Are you prepared to give your interview in a padded cell?
- We have tapes of Alpha speaking. - You wanna bet?
Hang on. Let's be careful of what we say.
You may be broadcasting from in here, too.
Hello. Everything all right?
Feeling good? That's good.
We'll see Pa tomorrow. See Pa. Light.
Was he a good friend?
- Pretty good. - I'm sorry.
Yeah.
Well, he shouldn't have come down here.
Should have waited for me. He made a mistake.
It won't happen again.
One...
two...
three...
four...
five...
six...
seven...
eight...
nine...
ten...
eleven...
twelve...
thirteen...
fourteen...
fifteen...
sixteen...
seventeen...
eighteen...
nineteen...
twenty...
boom!
They'll kill them.
Mmm?
They'll kill them, won't they?
Yes, of course they will.
Why?
They've killed a man.
Do you think they're going to get sentimental about a dolphin?
But... Jake, why?
What would be the point of killing them?
Alpha can talk. We taught him, remember?
He's a witness.
Come, Pha. Come.
Pha! Come here!
Pha want Pa.
What's the matter?
Want Pa.
He wants Terrell.
Pa's waiting for Pha.
Man say thing not.
Pa's here!
No!
Get that goddamn animal in here, will ya?
Get back. Get out of his sight!
Get Beta up on deck.
If we have her, he won't go anywhere.
- Pha! - We can't wait any longer.
Let's get going.
Let's get outta here.
- I think you got him. - You better hope so, mister.
But it doesn't matter.
When this day is over, we're gonna go back to Terrell's place
and have one hell of a dolphin hunt.
Holy Mother of God!
Terrell.
Look at this.
- That's Andrews Bay. - How far is it?
- Oh, two, two-and-a-half hours. - Ever been there?
A lot of rich people go there.
Catch fish that they don't eat.
They get natives to bait the hooks for them.
It's very exclusive, no?
Yeah, millionaires and movie stars, retired gangsters.
Presidents?
Yeah. So?
So I'm imagining an animal getting through a protected area,
that a man or a boat couldn't penetrate.
- So what? - Jake!
Maggie!
How does he know where the yacht went?
He can taste it. He's following the trail in the water.
We can't do it, Jake. We haven't got enough power.
We're just slowing him down.
Well, how about lightening the load?
You wanna swim alongside for a while?
Well, we don't need him, do we?
He's your friend! You wanna throw him over the side?
He's still dead, isn't he?
Cut the engine.
Pha!
Pha! Come!
Pha!
Listen, Pha.
- Can you find Bea? - Find Bea!
Find Bea. Stop Bea.
The thing on Bea's back...
- The thing... - Ball!
Yes, the ball on Bea's back is not good.
Not good.
The ball will hurt man.
Ball is play.
No. The ball is not play. The ball kills, the ball is bad.
Man say thing not.
Yes! Pha stop Bea now.
Now!
Let's get to a phone or a radio.
We can't. Alpha's taken us out too far.
We've only got enough gas to get back.
What do we do, Jake?
There's nothing we can do. We're finished.
Bea want Pha?
First Bea find boat.
Put ball under boat, then come back, see Pha.
Bea find boat, now!
Oh, shit.
Here comes something!
Pha...
Where is the ball? What did Bea do with the ball?
Ball is not.
Did Pha stop Bea?
Stop Bea.
Listen, Pha.
The boat. Where is the boat?
Not!
Which one? Which boat?
Two boats, Pha. Two.
Say to Pa the boat that is not.
Boat is not.
Pha, where is the boat with David?
Not!
That's the one.
Pha, where is David?
Not.
And the other men. Where are they?
Not.
SN...
They're all dead.
Jake, we gotta get out of here. They'll be coming.
They're all dead.
There'|| be others. They'll come for them.
Alpha, listen to Pa.
Pha love Pa.
Yes, Pa knows.
Listen, Alpha, some men will come here.
Men who are not good.
Pha and Bea must go.
Pha stay with Pa.
No.
Pha and Bea go now.
Pa not love Pha?
Yes, Pa loves Pha and Bea, Ma loves Pha and Bea.
Pha love Ma.
Everybody loves everybody!
Now, for Christ's sake, let's get the hell outta here!
Listen, Pha...
Pa and Ma go to land.
Pha and Bea go to water.
Pha not see man, not talk to man.
Pha talk.
Not talk!
Swim, eat, play, not talk!
So long, folks.
Pha...
Men come now.
Men are bad.
Men will hurt Ma. Men hurt Pa.
- Hurt Pa. - Yes.
Pha go now, men not hurt Pa.
Men hurt Pa.
Yes.
Pha go now.
- Ma loves Pha. - Stop it, Maggie. Let 'em go.
Ma loves Bea.
Bea, Pha, like.
No!
No like!
Pa is not!
Pa...
Don't turn around. Keep going.
Pa!
Pa...
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