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Katya Markova...............Gia Scala

We're scientists, we're not guinea pigs.--Harriman Nelson

The Seaview is at sea. The headlines of the Washington Gazette are "Whales Peril Deep Sea Lab; U.S.-Russia Form Rescue Team." On the front page is a picture of a beautiful woman, captioned "Russian Scientist Joins Nelson to Save Underwater Laboratory." On the Seaview is the same woman, now wearing glasses and a grim look on her face. She and Nelson watch as the diving bell is lowered; she asks Sharkey what depth it is at, and is surprised it's taking so long. Nelson says they also like speed, but not at the expense of safety. The bell continues to drop, while on the surface a massive whale's tail breaks the water. Crane enters, asking how things are going; he's concerned because sonar has been picking up whales nearby, in full migration, heading this way. Nelson turns to Markova, saying that that could be what wrecked he undersea lab. Over the intercom, sonar reports that the whales are very near and heading directly for the Seaview. Crane says that's close enough for him and aborts the dive, telling Sharkey to stop the winch that's lowering the bell. Markova objects, but Nelson agrees that it's too risky, and they bring the bell up as quickly as possible. Sonar reports to Crane that the whales are all around them and are moving fast, and a couple are starting to dive. Crane calls a rescue team to the missile room. Just then, a diving whale rams the bell, and water starts to fill it; the man inside screams. The bell soon approaches the hull, and is taken aboard. Kowalski is the first man there, and he calls Crane over to see that the window has been broken. Nelson tells Markova that there's no need for her to watch this, but she stands firm. The men open the hatch, and water pours out; they quickly move to put the man inside on a stretcher.

Markova watches, her expression impossible to read. Nelson watches her, then goes to her and takes her arm to lead her away. She resists, and asks him how long it will take. "How long will what take?" says Nelson. To attempt a new dive, she replies. Nelson says this is no time to talk about a new dive, and Markova asks if he never expects to accept some risk; only when necessary, says Nelson. As for another dive, first the bell must be prepared, and then there's the problem of picking just the right man for the dive. "When the bell is prepared, I'll go," says Markova, softly but firmly, and leaves.

Later, Markova approaches Kowalski, who is working on the bell. She asks when it will be ready, and he says it's ready now, ready for testing at least. She asks how long that will take, and Riley says "Guess you have to get with Daddy on that." She wonders who Daddy is, and he answers that if they take the bell down too soon "it's a wipeout for all hands!" Riley leaves, and Markova turns to Kowalksi, asking what dialect Riley is speaking. Kowalski tells her that Riley is a surfer. She's confused, wondering if "Surf" is one of the United States. "Yes, ma'am," says Kowalski, "It's a state of being, like, way out!" "I see," says Markova, although clearly she does not. Nelson, who has been listening with some amusement, comes up and suggests that she may need an interpreter. She immediately becomes serious, asking Nelson why the delay in testing. He replies that he's waiting for the whales to clear out of the test area--it will be the end of the week at the earliest. "Impossible!" says Markova. He says that they won't ask a man to lay his life on the line unless every avoidable risk has been eliminated. "Perhaps in your country," says Markova, "Not in mine." "You have my sympathy," says Nelson, and moves away. Markova laughs, saying that she doesn't want his sympathy--only his cooperation; once before she went over his head to her government and his. Kowalski and Riley, at work on the diving bell, hear this and exchange amused glances. Nelson tells her she's seen the result of one collision with a whale--if she'd been a little more patient then, her colleague would still be alive. "Alexei was more than a colleague," she replies, "He was my very good friend." She pauses, then says that this is a joint project. At the cost of how many more lives, asks Nelson; how many more lives will be lost, asks Markova, if we don't go back now, before it's too late. Angrily, he tells her to be realistic--in a few more days, they may be able to do it safely. In a few days, says Markova, hundreds of migrating whales will have passed through the area--it's unlikely they'll leave enough of the laboratory to be of any use. They must salvage what they can. "If you are too tender-hearted to risk a man I shall go myself," she says. A long pause follows as Nelson considers his options. He looks at Kowalski and asks if he'd volunteer to go down in the bell as it stands. Nervously, Kowalski asks if Nelson is asking him or telling him. Smiling, Nelson says he's just asking. Kowalski looks around the bell, feels the door seal, and says that yes, he would. Nelson tells Markova that she has herself a pilot. She turns to Kowalski and thanks him; "No, not him," says Nelson, "Me."

Markova looks at a painting of a sperm whale, commenting that its homing device makes Nelson's sonar look like a primitive child's toy. For the first time, they'll be able to learn how it functions, for use in navigation or in harvesting underwater crops. She regards Nelson through narrowed eyes, saying "Doesn't that excite you at all?" He smiles and says "You know perfectly well that it does." She suggests that perhaps he resents sharing this work with her country; he counters, saying that perhaps the United States doesn't need the technology as desperately as her country does. "You call yourself a scientist!" she says, telling him that even the Seaview is nothing more than a horse and buggy, compared to what could be achieved in a few years "if beaurocratic dunderheads like yourself weren't always shivering about the possible loss of a human life." Nelson laughs, saying that she can call it a weakness, but they believe that every life is important. She says it's a war they are fighting, to keep up with the exploding population; Nelson says he has been fighting that war at least as long as she has, but he knows that each accident or casualty sets them back far more than if they had waited until it was safe. Just then, Morton calls them over the intercom--all systems are ready, they can lower away. "Ready?" asks Nelson. "Any time you are," says Markova.

The diving bell is lowered, with Nelson and Markova inside. She takes photographs out of the portholes as they go, leans back and is alarmed to find water on the bell walls. Nelson jokes that they could use an umbrella. She's afraid that the bell is leaking, but Nelson says that the pressure is forcing the two sides together so that all moisture is being forced out of the joints; of course, he says, if the pressure should increase beyond a certain point.... The bell nears the ocean floor where the damaged laboratory is visible. She asks if they can go lower, and Nelson takes them down further. Markova is intently taking pictures of the destroyed lab, when Morton calls with an urgent message--they are picking up a blip on sonar, which could be a very large whale. It's less than a mile away, and appears to be heading straight for the bell. He glances at Markova, and tells Morton to keep tracking it; Morton says he will, but it seems to be traveling at a fantastic speed--it sounds unbelievable, but sonar clocks it at 50 knots. Nelson says "I believe you, haul us back up!" Markova begs Nelson for one more minute--she must have a full report of the damage. Nelson says they can do it another time, but Markova insists that there won't be another time, another day and all this will be destroyed! Despite her protests, the bell starts to rise.

On the Seaview, Morton sees the whale coming straight at them. He tells Nelson that the whale is within 900 yards and closing fast. Crane comes up quickly and takes the microphone. He tells Nelson he is going to expel 100 gallons of shark repellent; it won't scare the whale off, but it may blind him long enough to miss them. He tells Sharkey to load the repellent, and expel on signal. The whale is getting closer, and when it gets within range he gives the order.

In the diving bell, Nelson and Markova see the whale approaching. Shark repellent surrounds the bell, and Nelson tells her to brace herself, but this time the whale doesn't ram the bell--it swallows it. Back on the Seaview, Crane watches in horror. The cable snaps, and in the missile room Riley and Sharkey work to stop the winch, which is starting to smoke. Meanwhile, Nelson and Markova, in the whale's stomach, are thrown around the diving bell like rag dolls.

On the Seaview, Crane orders a crash dive, and immediate pursuit of the whale. Soon enough, they catch up with it; Morton asks if they can put a torpedo in it, but Crane says no--if they kill the whale, Nelson and Markova are finished, too. Morton says that they couldn't still be alive; why not, says Crane--the bell is watertight, and they have oxygen, so there's a good chance. Morton motions toward the whale, saying that he knows they're after him--the whale is taking evasive action. Crane tells Morton to stay after the whale, no matter what--he's going to the missile room.

In the missile room, Crane tells Sharkey to load a warhead with 500 cc of anodyne, three-quarter strength because he doesn't want to paralyze the whale entirely--he'd sink like a rock and they'd never see him again. The warhead is ready to go. Kowalski asks Crane how they'll get the admiral out of there; Crane replies that obviously they'll go in after him. Sharkey and Kowalski are speechless, while Riley says "Man, that'll make riding a hot tube seem like kid stuff!" Sharkey shakes his head in disbelief.

In the control room, Crane orders the warhead fired. He watches as it hits. The whale tosses around, and in the diving bell, Nelson is thrown from side to side as well. He looks at Markova, who was knocked out when the whale swallowed them, then out the window to see the inside of the whale. He opens the first aid kit, takes out the smelling salts, and brings Markova around. She wonders what happened, and asks where they are now. Nelson, not quite sure how to put it, tells her they seem to be in a state of temporary suspension. She starts to look for her camera, finds it damaged on the floor, and calls Nelson a blunderer. Nelson good-humoredly concedes that he seems to be a little bit out of practice. She says she wants to get back to the sub at once, and will make a new dive that afternoon--this time with an experienced pilot! Nelson says that he sees what she means. He sits back, and she asks what he is waiting for; he replies that quite frankly, he can't think of anything else to do at the moment. She looks at the gauge on the oxygen tank and notes that they have enough air for 92 minutes--that should easily last them until they get back, if they start right now. "Dr. Markova," says Nelson, "Do you have the slightest idea of where we are?" She looks out the window and gasps--it's impossible, there is no whale now in existence large enough to swallow the bell. He says that people were once skeptical of Jonah, and couldn't believe that a whale could be large enough to swallow a man. Ancient history, says Markova, myths. Nelson apologizes for taunting her with a book she's never read, and she says that she has read the Bible, adding that "Jonah, of course, was a very poor sailor, although perhaps he would have made a good admiral." Nelson laughs. Agitated, Markova asks how they can get out--they can't sit here and wait. Nelson pauses, then says that a few moments ago the whale suddenly calmed down. It may have simply gone to sleep, or someone may have put it to sleep. Even so, says Markova, how can your men get them out of here before the air gauge hits zero? Nelson says nothing.

On the Seaview, Crane is examining a cross-section of a whale's anatomy with Sharkey, Kowalski, and Riley. They are planning their route to the whale's stomach. Kowalski wonders if the three of them--Crane, Kowalski, and Riley--will be enough; Crane thinks so.

The sub approaches the unconscious whale. It's dead ahead and there's no way to avoid it. "Man, dig that fish!" says Riley. They brace themselves and it hits them, then hits again. Crane orders another drugged warhead fired at the whale; this one knocks it out entirely, and it lands on a plateau. "It's down on a ledge, quiet as a baby!" says Morton.

Soon, in the missile room,the rescue party gets into their diving gear. Crane asks if Sharkey has prepared the cable they are to take with them; he has, and Crane tells him to keep a fire hose by the winch in case it heats up too fast, as it did earlier. The whale is relaxed and his mouth is open; Crane tells Morton that if it begins to tighten its jaws, he's to give it another shot. The three men leave, Sharkey telling Crane not to worry, and Kowalski and Riley to be sure to get their suits back in one piece.

The rescue party exits the sub and approaches the whale. Sparks maintains radio contact with them and keeps Morton posted on what's going on. They enter the whale's mouth carefully; as they proceed, radio contact becomes fainter. The three move through the whale's body; it's rough going, especially since they have to be careful to do nothing that could wake the creature. One man falls, and the whale starts to thrash around. Morton, on the Seaview, sees this and orders the whale drugged again.

The creature calms down soon enough, and in the bell Nelson asks if Markova is all right. She says she is, and notices that Nelson is hurt. It's just a bump on the head, he says, nothing to worry about. Suddenly, Markova has trouble breathing--she says that they are running out of air, the gauge on the oxygen tank must be wrong! He tells her it's a constriction of the windpipe--she's just plain scared. He makes her drink something, and soon she's fine. He says they need to make a decision soon. There are two possibilities--they can use the rocket launcher to blast their way out, although they should wait until the last possible moment, because their chances would be very small. She laughs at his concern with statistics; he asks if she knows how deep they are, because he has no idea--even if they were able to blast their way out, they'd still have to swim to the surface, and if they were too deep they'd be killed. The other possibility, he says, is that they might be able to irritate the whale's stomach enough to get it to disgorge them, the way the great fish did to Jonah after three days. "I don't want to pin my life on the accuracy of a fairy tale," says Markova. Nelson tells her of a documented case of an English sailor who survived 24 hours in the belly of a whale--he came out bleached white as a bone and quite mad. She laughs, and asks which it is to be. Neither at the moment, says Nelson--he prefers to wait. For what, asks Markova--for Crane to come to the rescue? Why not launch the explosive and have done with it? Because, says Nelson, he's afraid that if they launch the explosive, they might kill anyone attempting a rescue. She asks why, if to the Seaview crew every life is precious, they would risk theirs attempting a rescue. Nelson says that it's because of the value of life that they would do it. Markova looks thoughtful.

In the Seaview's control room, Morton goes to the radio shack and asks Sparks if he has managed to reestablish radio contact with the rescue contact. He hasn't; it was fine until the whale closed its jaws, but he's had nothing since then.

On the ledge, the whale starts to thrash around again. Inside, the rescue party is having some trouble--Kowalski is trapped, and Riley draws his knife to free him, but Crane orders him to put it away. Another reaction from the whale like the last one and they'll all be dead. Crane takes out the shortwave unit, saying that ultrasonic waves will relax the muscular constriction. It works, and they free Kowalski and continue on. They stop, and Crane tells them to wait there--neither is to make a move for five minutes unless he signals. Crane takes the cable and moves along.

In the diving bell, Nelson and Markova have only 22 minutes of oxygen left. Markova says it's too bad that the Bible isn't more specific about how Jonah's escape was managed. Nelson says that it was--he simply addressed himself to the author of his temporary misfortune. He adds that Jonah must have been pretty good at his job, or else he wouldn't have been sent to save the people of the city of Ninevah, just as Markova descended in the diving bell to try to save her laboratory. "And I will save it!" she shouts, moving toward the control for the rocket launcher. Nelson is right behind her, and disables it. He says they have 16 minutes of air left--16 minutes to fix it--and gets to work.

Meanwhile, Riley has gotten his foot stuck in the whale's tissue. Kowalski says he'll cut him loose; Riley tells him to put his knife away--the captain said not to use it. The captain isn't here right now, says Kowalski. Riley says to wait until he gets back--if he hurts the whale, everyone will die.

Back on the Seaview, Morton says that Nelson has only 13 minutes of oxygen left--if he's still alive. He asks if Sparks has been able to reestablish contact with Crane; in another 11 or 12 minutes, they might as well turn back.

Crane returns to the two crewmen--the bell is up ahead, past the next valve. He asks what happened, and Riley tells him his foot is stuck. Crane tries to use ultrasonic waves to free him, but it doesn't work; he says he'll have to try something else. In spite of the risk, he shoots the whale. Riley is freed, but the whale starts to move and the three men are thrown around violently, as are Nelson and Markova in the diving bell. Crane drops the cable, but it catches on the whale's tissue. Unfortunately, Riley is unable to get the hook loose--there's too much tension--but he keeps trying.

In the bell, Nelson works frantically to repair the damaged control while Markova watches impatiently. He says he's still willing to gamble that there's someone trying to rescue them.

Riley frees the cable and they continue on.

Time is running out; Nelson says that it looks like they will have to blast themselves out after all. He says the explosion should blow them free from the whale the way an ejector seat does in an airplane--he just hopes it doesn't blow out the portholes as well! "I suppose if there had been a rescue party..." muses Markova. Nelson says it's too late to think of that. She pauses, then tells Nelson that the man who died in the bell, Alexei--they were to have been married next month. Almost his last words to her were that people like them, like Nelson, should be friends.

The rescue party approaches the bell.

Nelson, preparing to fire the rocket launcher, tells Markova to count to three and take a deep breath. Just then, Crane appears ot the porthole. Nelson and Markova smile in relief. Riley attaches the cable to the bell while Crane passes in fresh oxygen to Nelson and Markova and enters the bell. Just then the whale starts to wake up. Morton, on the Seaview, orders Sharkey to let out the cable fast, and not to lock the drum until 2000 feet had been let out. The whale drops off the ledge as Kowalski and Riley enter the diving bell. In the missile room, the friction is making the winch smoke; a crewman douses it with the fire hose. Meanwhile, the whale is moving further and further away from the sub. Sharkey locks the winch. The helmsman asks if they should follow it, but Morton says no--they're to start reeling in the cable at 3 feet per second.

The bell starts to rise, bringing the whale with it. Soon the bell appears in its mouth, and then is suddenly free. The whale swims away, and the bell is taken into the sub.

Later, Markova is drinking coffee with Nelson, Crane and Morton. Crane says that according to Chip, they've been getting all sorts of calls from the press. They're particularly interested in Markova's impressions. She says they were recorded long ago; Morton is confused, but Nelson isn't.