1. The Last Flight
First Aired: 5 February 1960
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2. There is a fifth dimension.
Beyond that which is known to man.
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3. It is a dimension as vast as space.
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4. And as timeless as infinity.
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5. It is the middle ground
between light and shadow...
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6. between science and superstition.
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7. And it lies between
the pit of man's fears...
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8. and the summit of his knowledge.
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9. This is the dimension
of imagination.
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10. It is an area which we call:
The Twilight Zone.
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11. Witness flight lieutenant William
Terrance Decker, Royal Flying Corps.
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12. Returning from a patrol somewhere
over France. The year is 1917.
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13. The problem is, the lieutenant
is hopelessly lost.
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14. Lieutenant Decker will
soon discover...
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15. that a man can be lost not only
in terms of maps and miles...
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16. but also in time.
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17. And time, in this case,
can be measured in eternities.
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18. All right, mister.
Get out of there.
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19. What do you think you're doing?
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20. Who in the name of...?
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21. What do you mean running this antique
in front of an approaching aircraft?
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22. Don't you understand what
I'm saying? Are you French?
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23. I'm British.
Are you American?
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24. Can't you see this
is an American base?
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25. What, all this? We had no
idea you were so advanced.
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26. You better come with me.
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27. Major Wilson to see you, general.
- Sit down, major.
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28. Well, what is this?
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29. This man. He's apparently British.
He landed his ship on our field.
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30. His ship, I might add...
- Who are you?
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31. 2nd lieutenant William Decker, sir.
Royal Flying Corps.
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32. You mean Royal Air Force.
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33. No, sir.
Royal Flying Corps.
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34. What are you doing here?
Why are you dressed like that?
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35. I beg your pardon, sir?
- Some kind of an air show nearby?
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36. Air show, sir?
- Are you making a film?
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37. I didn't quite understand you, sir.
- You don't understand?
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38. What are you...?
Why are you wearing this costume?
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39. This is my uniform, sir.
- Your...
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40. At ease.
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41. Excuse me, sir.
Where exactly am I?
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42. Where exactly did
you think you were?
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43. I thought I was landing
at 56th squadron, R.F.C.
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44. 56th squadron R.F.C.?
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45. Wasn't that...?
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46. What's today's date?
- March 5.
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47. What year?
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48. Why, 1917.
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49. 1917?
- Yes, that's correct.
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50. Well, isn't it?
- It's March 5, 1959, lieutenant.
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51. Look here.
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52. You're not joking with me, are you?
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53. Good lord.
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54. You don't seriously expect us
to believe that...
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55. It's true. When I took off
this morning, it was 1917.
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56. That cloud.
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57. While I was passing through it,
I couldn't hear my engine.
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58. It was like being swallowed
in a vacuum.
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59. The same sort of thing
happened to Guimard.
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60. The French fighter pilot.
- He disappeared one day while flying.
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61. At the memorial service,
the cardinal said...
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62. 'He belonged to the sky
and the sky has taken him.'
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63. Who do you think you're fooling,
Decker?
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64. Sir, I swear to you when I took off
this morning it was March 5, 1917!
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65. Mack and I were...
Captain Mackaye.
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66. Yes, we're in...
- Alexander Mackaye?
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67. How did you know?
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68. What have you got to do with...
- How did you know?
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69. You're going to tell us you don't
know that Alexander Mackaye...
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70. Air vice-marshal Alexander Mackaye
is en route to this base...
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71. for a tour of inspection.
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72. But that's impossible.
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73. Why is it impossible,
lieutenant Decker?
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74. Because he's dead.
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75. It's ingenious.
- This could be checked on, sir.
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76. If we wanted to waste our time, yes.
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77. If it's a hoax,
it's certainly an elaborate one.
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78. If it's a hoax, major.
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79. Nobody goes to such incredible
lengths just to play a joke.
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80. Who said it was a joke?
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81. Alright, sir, what is it?
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82. We'll find out when Mackaye arrives.
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83. We could ask the Ministry of War
in London about this Decker.
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84. I think you believe him.
- No, sir.
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85. I can't help feeling there's
more to this than just a hoax.
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86. Exactly.
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87. You think he wanted to kill Mackaye?
- We'll know soon enough.
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88. The man was genuinely shocked when
he heard Mackaye was coming here.
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89. If he'd meant to kill the man, he
wouldn't have left it in his plane.
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90. Major, if you'll excuse me.
- This doesn't make any sense.
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91. Major. If you'll excuse me.
- Yes, sir.
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92. Lieutenant.
- Why am I a prisoner here?
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93. Not quite as bad as all that.
- I'm being kept here, am I not?
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94. I'm only following orders, Decker.
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95. What earthly good is it going to
do for me to see Mackaye?
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96. Why are you so afraid of seeing him?
- I'm not afraid.
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97. I'm not afraid of anything.
- Well, then?
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98. Well, all right, I'll see him.
- Good.
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99. About that white cloud you spoke of.
- I've told you everything.
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100. Do you realize you're asking us to
believe something rather incredible?
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101. A cloud of silence?
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102. A World War I pilot landing at an
American Base in France in 1959?
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103. That doesn't happen every day.
- Well, it happened today.
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104. I've told you I'll see Mackaye.
Why don't you leave me alone?
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105. You really feel you know him?
- Know him?
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106. 'Old Leadbottom?'
- Leadbottom?
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107. Yeah, well, when ever we fly...
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108. When ever we flew over the German
lines the soldiers fired at us.
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109. One day Mack got hit in a
most embarrassing spot.
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110. I always called him
Old Leadbottom after that.
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111. It's a private joke, of course.
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112. Mack's a proud fellow. He wouldn't
like it if I bruited it about.
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113. But why do you keep insisting
that he's dead?
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114. The last I saw of him he was caught
in a circle of seven German planes.
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115. There was nothing I could do.
I was involved with three others.
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116. Obviously, he got away.
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117. I don't see how he could have.
- Not only could have, he did.
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118. He was one of Britain's great
heroes during the blitz.
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119. That was the second war
we told you about.
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120. Won the D.F.C. for knocking
down three German bombers.
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121. He saved hundreds of lives.
Maybe even thousands.
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122. Decker.
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123. You manage, sir?
- Yes, you can wait outside.
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124. What's wrong, Decker?
- I've got to leave.
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125. Mackaye will be here in a while.
- I can't see him.
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126. He'll know me for what I am.
I'm a coward.
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127. I'm a coward.
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128. I've always been a coward.
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129. All my life I've been running away.
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130. Pretending to be something
I never was, never could be.
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131. That's why I'm here.
Because I was trying to run away.
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132. I wanted so desperately to escape
that I did escape.
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133. I got by with my pretending
well enough.
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134. My kind of strained idiocy
is exactly the brand we all put on.
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135. We're playing a part, you know?
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136. Boys on a lark. Laughing, joking,
drinking. It's too much, all of it.
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137. And turning into deadly,
ice-cold killers in the sky.
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138. Although not me, of course.
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139. No, not me.
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140. Up there, I'm just as afraid
as I am on the ground.
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141. Mack and I are supposed to go
on patrols together. But...
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142. I can usually manage to
persuade him into splitting up.
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143. I think he actually hopes he'll
run into some trouble.
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144. Me, I just linger in the clouds
flying back and forth.
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145. Dreading the possibility that I
might see an enemy plane, and...
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146. just hoping for enough time to pass
so that I can go back.
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147. Sometimes I think I'll land behind
the German lines...
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148. and I'll let myself be captured.
The pilots are very well treated.
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149. But I'm afraid of doing that even.
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150. I'm afraid that I'd be discovered...
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151. and discredited.
I couldn't bear that.
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152. I have to carry on
the self-delusion.
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153. You know...
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154. I've actually fired bullets through
the cockpit walls...
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155. so that the chaps
would be impressed.
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156. God help me.
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157. It isn't a crime to be afraid.
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158. Everybody's afraid at
one time or another.
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159. I'm sure Mackaye would
understand that.
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160. What makes you think
he knows anyway?
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161. Because it was me that let
the Germans trap him.
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162. You were fighting three Germans...
- I wasn't fighting anyone.
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163. I was running.
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164. When the Germans came at us,
I left him up there to die.
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165. But he didn't die.
- I can't understand that.
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166. Maybe he got helped somehow.
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167. What's the matter?
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168. What you said.
- What?
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169. That he got help.
- It's certainly one possibility.
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170. Maybe it was me that helped him.
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171. I meant that somebody else...
- There wasn't anyone within 50 miles.
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172. Maybe it wasn't an accident
that I landed here.
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173. I was brought here for a purpose.
To find out that Mack had survived.
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174. To find out that time was
giving me a second chance.
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175. You've got to let me go.
- But I can't.
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176. You've got to. It's the only chance
I have. It's the only chance he has.
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177. But he's alive.
He's coming here today.
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178. How do you know that if I don't
get back he won't be here?
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179. How do you know that he won't
have been killed...
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180. 42 years ago unless I help him now?
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181. That's insanity, Decker.
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182. Hey, where do you think you're going?
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183. Turn it off.
- No.
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184. Can't you understand?
It's all those other lives he saved.
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185. Are they to be lost as well?
- Turn it off or I'll fire.
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186. Well, fire.
I'd rather die.
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187. You're in trouble. You know that?
- I know it, sir.
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188. Your thought processes elude me.
Letting that maniac loose.
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189. How could you possibly...?
Yes?
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190. Air vice-marshal Mackaye, sir.
- Fine. He is already here.
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191. At ease.
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192. Marshall Mackaye.
- I'm very pleased to meet you, sir.
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193. I trust you had a comfortable flight.
- Yes, splendid.
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194. This is Major Wilson.
- How do you do, sir?
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195. Won't you sit down, sir?
May I?
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196. Sir, did you ever know a man by
the name of William Terrance Decker?
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197. Terry Decker?
I certainly should know him.
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198. Saved my life.
- What?
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199. How did he save your life, sir?
- We were out on patrol together.
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200. As a rule, we'd have split up but on
that day, we were flying together.
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201. When a flight of Germans dropped down.
- You fought them together?
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202. Not at first.
- What do you mean, sir?
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203. I had a feeling that old Terry
was lighting out on me.
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204. He flew away?
- Yes.
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205. Climbed high. Disappeared in a cloud.
- A white cloud, sir?
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206. I don't know. I suppose so.
- And then?
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207. Then, out of nowhere,
Terry came diving down.
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208. His gun chattering away.
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209. He got three of the blighters
before they got him.
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210. Saved my life.
- Then he did get back.
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211. Didn't the Germans usually bring
back the personal effects...
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212. of pilots who had been shot down?
- Usually. What is this all about?
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213. They brought back his?
- No.
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214. No?
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215. Where in heaven's name
did you get these?
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216. They're his?
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217. Yes. What the devil
is this all about?
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218. Maybe you'd better sit down,
Old Leadbottom.
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219. What did you call me?
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220. Dialog from a play.
Hamlet to Horatio:
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221. 'There is more between heaven
and earth than we can dream of.'
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222. Dialog from a play written long
before men took to the sky.
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223. There is more between heaven, earth and
the sky that perhaps can be dreamt of.
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224. And somewhere in between heaven,
the sky and the earth...
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225. lies the Twilight Zone.
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