The Other Man by 2000 Plus

Summary

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Relic Radio Sci-Fi – 2000 Plus: “The Other Man”

Episode Date: January 19, 2026
Host: RelicRadio.com
Original Broadcast: 2000 Plus (1950s)

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Episode Overview

In this classic episode from the old-time radio series 2000 Plus, “The Other Man,” an unsettling case of mistaken—or duplicated—identity spirals into a high-stakes mystery. When Security Police chief Scott Douglas is reportedly arrested for murder in Cairo, his wife Mira is shocked to find him at home, alive and well. What follows is a tense investigation involving doppelgangers, cutting-edge (for its time) science fiction technology, and the collapse of certainty about identity itself. The episode explores themes of selfhood, trust, and the unintended consequences of technological advancement.

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Key Discussion Points and Story Elements

1. The Impossible Arrest

• Opening (00:08–02:00):
  • News flashes claim Scott Douglas, Security Police chief, is arrested in Cairo for murder.
  • Mira, his wife, is confronted by Scott in their home—apparently proving he cannot be in two places at once.
  • “No man can be two places at once.” – Security Police (00:08)

2. Mira’s Confusion and Fear

• The Confrontation (02:04–05:56):
  • Mira desperately questions Scott, citing the damning evidence from news and police.
  • Scott insists he’s been nowhere near Cairo, offering evidence of his true identity: wallet, birthmark, intimate memories.
  • “Who would know that, Mira, except your husband?” – Scott (05:18)

3. The Second Scott

• Airport Sequence (07:34–12:08):
  • Mira is escorted to witness “Scott's” arrival from Cairo.
  • She meets the other Scott Douglas—in every way identical, from memories to physical features.
  • Mira is unable to reconcile the contradiction, doubting both her senses and the evidence before her.

4. The Investigation

• Doubt Grows (12:14–15:03):
  • Security Chief Enright realizes both men are seemingly genuine.
  • Both “Scottys” recall the same life, including deeply personal details, up to a certain point.
  • The investigation uncovers a suspicious gap in memory: a pivotal two hours in both their accounts.

5. Revelation of the Molecular Duplicator

• The Secret Room (21:42–27:24):

  • The group visits the last location where anything odd happened to Scott: an art dealer’s shop.

  • An accomplice of Mustafa Cornelius (the murdered man) is found trying to destroy a hidden machine.

  • The device is revealed to be a molecular duplicator—capable of creating perfect duplicates of objects and living beings.

    • “Just a minute, chief. Look at this marking. Molecular duplicator... the molecules and atoms of the originals are perfectly duplicated... you'd actually have two originals where only one existed before.”
      — “Tweed” Scott (25:34)

  • The man explains: the machine, when used on a dog, resulted in one dying a horrible death after a month, suggesting impermanence or instability in living duplicates.

    • “One day the dog bark and whined… it is in agony… and before my eyes… it disappeared slowly… as if it fall apart. And in a little while, there was nothing left.”
      — Arab Accomplice (27:04)

6. Existential Cliffhanger

• Final Questions (27:24–28:03):
  • The episode closes with both men confronted by the possibility that one is doomed to “disintegrate.”
  • The mystery lingers: Which one is the real Scott Douglas? For how long is duplication truly duplication?

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Imperfect Certainty:
  “It looks like Scotty. It talks like Scotty... Small birthmark on the left arm. Same blood type. Same fillings in the teeth. And the fingerprints are exactly Scotty’s.”
  — Enright, the Security Chief (04:06)

• Intimate Knowledge:
  “Who would know that, Mira, except your husband?”
  — Scott at home, pleading his case (05:18)

• On the Power of Perception:
  “But they can’t fool me.”
  — Mira, before being forced to doubt herself (06:41)

• Doubling Down:
  “Two hours. Two hours. What happened in those two hours, Chief?”
  — Tweed Scott, grappling with the mystery (21:29)

• On Duplication:
  “No, no, sahib, they are not copies. All are original.”
  — Arab Accomplice, after splitting the objects with the machine (25:24)

• On the Horrors of Duplication:
  “One day, about a month after the first dog become two dog… it is in agony, sahib…. it disappear slowly… and in a little while there is nothing left. Nothing.”
  — Arab Accomplice, describing side effects of duplication (27:04)

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Timestamps of Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | Details | |---------------|-----------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------| | 00:08 | Introduction/News bulletin | Scott arrested in Cairo—a seeming impossibility. | | 02:04 | Confrontation at home | Scott convinces Mira with physical proof/intimate facts. | | 07:34 | Airport scene—arrival of “Cairo Scott” | Mira confronts identical Scott from Cairo. | | 12:14 | Police investigation findings | Both Scotts have matching memories; focus on blackout. | | 21:42 | Art dealer’s shop/Discovery of device | Machine behind duplication revealed. | | 25:34 | “Molecular duplicator” explained | Science fiction underpinning laid out. | | 27:04 | Duplicated dog’s fate | Unsettling side effects unveiled. | | 27:41 | Existential dilemma | Both Scotts face uncertain reality and fate. |

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Episode Tone & Style

• Dialogue-driven, tense, and atmospheric—classic midcentury sci-fi paranoia.
• Relies on suspense, moral anxiety, and scientific speculation rather than overt action.
• Anxiety is heightened through Mira’s emotional turmoil and the police’s methodical investigation.

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Conclusion

“The Other Man” exemplifies classic radio science fiction’s knack for turning speculative technology into a metaphor for personal and societal anxieties. The story raises the suspenseful question of who we really are—and what happens if the distinction between self and other is shattered not just by mistaken identity, but by literal duplication. The episode closes on this note of uncertainty, allowing listeners to ponder the terrifying implications—and setting up for another week’s mystery.

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Transcript

[A]

Relic radio. This is Relic Radio.

[B]

Sci Fi Old Time Radio Science fiction stories from relicradio.com. This is Security Police headquarters. We've just seen the photo print and it's impossible. I said impossible. No matter what the evidence proves, no man can be two places at once. 2000 Plus Science Fiction Adventures in the World of Tomorrow 2000 plus presents the Other Man.

[A]

Hey, when I come home, I want my wife to be here. Marianne.

[C]

Here.

[A]

Hey, didn't you hear me?

[C]

Scotty. Oh, my darling. Oh, Scotty. Scotty.

[A]

Mary, for heaven's sake, what's the matter?

[C]

When did you escape? How did you get away?

[A]

Escaped? Would you mind telling you.

[C]

Quiet. I thought I heard someone. Just a moment, darling. There. Now we can talk. Oh, Scotty, I couldn't understand what had happened to you. I was so worried I. I couldn't believe it.

[A]

Mira, I hate to stand here like an idiot. I just can't go on repeating your silly phrases. After you. What are you talking about?

[C]

Then you didn't kill the man in the blue turban?

[A]

Where was I supposed to have killed him?

[C]

In Cairo.

[A]

Cairo? When?

[C]

This morning.

[A]

Look, darling, I know this is the year 2000 +120. But even in this age of super science, there's no jet plane fast enough to fly me from Cairo, Egypt to Metropolitan City, usa. That fast.

[C]

Scotty, I'm telling you the truth. Look, I'll show you. It's all over the front pages of the facsimile newspaper. See there? The whole story in headlines. And your picture too. Read it. Read it.

[A]

The World Security Police and a daring action in Cairo, Egypt today captured Scott Douglas, chief of the Eastern Zone Security Police section, as the chief criminal behind a worldwide black market operation running into millions of dollars annually. In the struggle preceding his arrest, Mr. Douglas shot and killed a mysterious stranger wearing a blue turban.

[C]

You see, darling, it is true. Not only in the papers, but all day on the televox news. I've seen it, Scotty, with my own eyes. Being taken to the police, to the airport. It was you. Scotty.

[A]

I tell you this is not true. It's not me. Look, call my office. Ask for the chief. Ask him what this is all about.

[C]

They know you've escaped. They'll come here, they'll capture you.

[A]

They won't do any such thing because none of it. True. Look, if you're worried about it, don't tell him I'm here. Yes, you deny it, but for heaven's sake, call him.

[C]

All right, Scotty. All right. Mr. Enright.

[B]

Hello, Meera, I was rather expecting you to call. You want to know about Scotty, don't you?

[C]

I can't understand it, Mr. Enright. I've seen it in the papers, on the telephones. But I can't believe it.

[B]

I'm afraid it's true, Mira.

[C]

But are you certain it's Scotty?

[B]

There's no doubt of it.

[C]

But how do you know?

[B]

By the obvious methods. It looks like Scotty. It talks like Scotty. It's wearing Scotty's clothes. Carrying Scotty's wallet with your picture and his private papers in it. Small birthmark on the left arm. Same blood type. Same fillings in the teeth. And the fingerprints are exactly Scotty's. I had everything double checked by audio from Egypt against Scotty's personal identification file here. And to top it all off, Mira, I talked to him by audiophone just a few minutes before the jet plane took off. I'm sorry.

[C]

I see.

[B]

Thank you, Mr. Oh, just one thing more, Mira. Scotty is due to land in about three hours. I'll send someone over in a little while to pick you up. I know you'll want to see him.

[C]

Thank you. Thank you.

[A]

It's unbelievable. It's fantastic. Mira, I.

[C]

Who are you? Who are you?

[A]

Who am I? I'm your husband. I'm Scott Douglas.

[C]

I'm going to call the police.

[A]

Stop it. I am Scotty. Look at me, Mira. I am your husband. No one can fool you about that. Look at me.

[D]

Good Lord.

[A]

Mirror.

[D]

Look.

[A]

Look. Look. Here's my wallet. The one he talked about. See? It is mine. You know it.

[C]

Look.

[A]

Touch it. Thumb through it. There's your picture. There's the stitching where I had it repaired last October. Remember, Mirror? When I didn't want to throw it away for sentimental reasons. Because we bought it that night last summer at the little bazaar. Who would know that mirror except your husband? Who would remember that except me? Here. Look at this. Pull my sleeve up. The birthmark on my left arm. Nobody could fake that ugly thing. You know that mark? Every twist of it. Fingerprints. Fingerprints. I'll give you all you want. Have them checked any way you want. I am Scott Douglas. I am your husband.

[C]

Then who? Who is the other? That's the police, Scotty. They're here to pick me up and.

[A]

Take you to the airport to meet your husband.

[C]

Oh, Scotty, I'm frightened.

[A]

You must never let anyone know that. It's the only way I'll ever be able to figure this thing out.

[C]

I'll try, darling. Just a moment.

[D]

I'm Coming.

[C]

Oh, darling.

[A]

Now, remember, this whole thing may be a trick. I don't know why or for what reason, but there's always the possibility this was a deliberate deception.

[C]

But they can't fool me.

[A]

They did fool you near Mira. You believed all the publicity, all the newspaper reports, everything you saw in the Telebox. That's what I can't understand. This whole thing's being carried out so openly, so boldly. They act as if they're so sure of themselves.

[C]

I. I've got to go now. They'll be suspicious.

[A]

Yes, yes. Now, remember our plan. After you leave, I'll get out of here. I don't know where I'll go, but I'll get in touch with you from time to time. You'll always know it's me and not the other man because I'll use the code word bizarre.

[C]

I know, darling. You don't have to tell me again.

[A]

All right. And act toward this other man as if he really were me. At least do that for a while. It's obviously what they expect of you.

[C]

Yes. Yes, GY You've told me a dozen times. I. I know what to do. Goodbye, darling.

[B]

Yes, what is it? Plane from Cairo with Douglas aboard. Coming in, sir. Okay. Over here, Mira. We can see the plane land from this window. It'll be landing over there by that ramp.

[C]

Who are those men?

[B]

Security police. I'm sorry, Mira, but we can't take any chance of Scotty escaping. We've taken great care ever since his arrest. Plane's coming in now.

[A]

Taxiing.

[C]

I wonder what. What he'll look like.

[B]

Little tired, perhaps. But it's Scotty. I told you that the plane stopped. You'll see him in a moment, Nero. Now, look, when he comes in here, don't break down. He's going to need all the courage and help you can give him.

[C]

There. Look. It does look like Scotty.

[B]

Yes? Prisoner's coming up, sir. Bring him in the moment he arrives.

[A]

Yes, sir.

[B]

Would you like a drink, Mira?

[A]

No.

[C]

No, thanks.

[A]

Cigarette?

[C]

Nothing, please.

[B]

Oh, here they are. All right, men, outside. Leave Douglas with me. Hello, Scotty.

[A]

Hello, chief. Hello, Miram.

[C]

Hello.

[B]

I think I'll. Look, I'll leave you two alone for a while.

[A]

Thanks, chief. I'm glad you're here, Mira. I was wondering if you would be. Were you, Mira? What's the matter? You're so cold, so distant. Darling, I don't understand. Don't you want to talk to me, Mira?

[C]

I don't know. I. I don't know.

[A]

It's all Been a terrible shock to you, hasn't it? What did you learn? Did the chief call him?

[C]

No, I. I first learned through the newspaper, then the televox.

[A]

You mean it's. It's been published? Broadcast. Good Lord. Everybody knows then.

[C]

That's right.

[A]

Oh, darling, I'm sorry. I hardly know what happened myself. The last few days are a blur, a blank. All I remember is a room in a hotel in Cairo, a man with a blue turban, the police. I became panic stricken. There was a fight, a shot, and then the arrest and the talk about the black market. I don't know what that means. Murray, you look so strange. For heaven's sake, what's the matter?

[C]

Don't touch me.

[A]

Don't touch you?

[C]

I'm your husband, you love.

[A]

Oh, darling.

[C]

Darling, I can't pretend you're not Scotty. You're not.

[A]

I'm. I'm not Scotty. Mara, stop this hysteria at once. What do you mean, I'm not Scotty?

[C]

It's a trick. It's a cruel hoax.

[A]

I think you're serious.

[C]

Goldman. Tell them.

[A]

I know. Mira, what have they done to you?

[C]

Said to you I could ask you those questions. And I could also ask you. Who are you?

[B]

Who am.

[A]

This is crazy.

[C]

Let me see your birthmark.

[A]

What? All right. Look, it's me. Darling, you know that's real.

[C]

I. Let me see the wallet.

[A]

You mean this? There it is. Your picture. Even the stitching I had done when I wouldn't throw it away. You remember, darling, it is the wallet.

[C]

It looks just like it.

[A]

What did you expect?

[C]

Well, they could fake it. They have ways a wallet could be faked.

[A]

Look, Mira, I don't understand all this, but I am your husband. I am Scotty. Let me prove it. Do you ask me anything about us? Anything?

[C]

Where did we go last summer?

[A]

To Paris. For two weeks we stayed at the Hotel George 5th.

[C]

What did we do when we first got there?

[A]

We opened the window and sang a silly song about Paris. We made it up as we went along. And then. And then I kissed you.

[C]

We were alone. No one could have seen.

[A]

We went out, had a drink. You ordered champagne in the afternoon. The way to try to talk you out.

[C]

Stop it. Stop it. I don't know how you know these things. You seem to be Scotty and. Yes? Oh, darling, I saw you only a few hours ago at home.

[A]

But I was on the plane. You saw that.

[C]

You were home.

[A]

All right. All right, darling, if you say so. Take it easy, honey, don't cry. Don't.

[C]

Don't.

[A]

There. Now, if you say Scotty was at home, then that's where I was. Home.

[B]

Home. I've got the reports from Cairo, Chief. Complete? As complete as they'll ever be. They just came in via high frequency Telebox. So we have photo prints made. Here they are. Never mind. Just give me the highlights. Well, the man in the blue turban was Mustafa Cornelius. He made his living in art, sold pictures and things. How was he doing in Scotty's room? Oh, probably picking up some stuff. You know the place was filled with pictures. Yeah, and Scotty said he doesn't know how they got there. He said that even when we showed him Egyptian police reports that he and Mustafa had been followed for two days. And on several occasions, Scotty was carrying pictures himself. So he was lying. No, he wasn't. We gave him a lie detective test and he came through 100%. I didn't know that, but it's true. And why was Scotty in Cairo anyway? He had no orders to go there. How do you explain that he didn't? He said he couldn't remember. This is one for the books. Sounds like two other guys. That's not so funny. What do you mean, that's not so funny? When Scotty got off the plane and came in here, I turned on the intercom and left him and Mira together. I listened to their conversation from the outer office. Learn anything? I don't know, except that Mira seemed to doubt it was Scotty. No, no, wait a minute.

[A]

It was Scotty.

[B]

I know it was Scotty, and you know it was Scotty. But why wouldn't Scotty's own wife know it was Scotty? I don't know. I don't either. Two other guys, huh? Well, we know that the Scotty who got off the plane is safely locked up in this building. You and I are going to see his wife and try to figure this puzzle out. Come. On. Hello, mira.

[C]

Mr. Enright.

[B]

I want to talk to you. Close the door, Paul.

[A]

Right.

[C]

You.

[A]

You.

[C]

You. You shouldn't have come here.

[B]

Why not? I have some questions to ask you.

[C]

I'm expecting someone. Please go.

[B]

It'll only take a few minutes. Mira, I want to help Scotty, but I can't do it alone.

[C]

I'll come to your office, but the.

[B]

Chief wants some answers now, Mrs. Douglas.

[C]

Oh, then come in here.

[B]

Thanks.

[C]

When my visitor comes, I must ask you to stay in here.

[B]

Of course. I'm sorry to have disturbed you like this, but there are some very strange things about this matter.

[C]

Strange? What do you mean? Strange.

[B]

Why didn't you believe that was Scotty in my office then?

[C]

He told you that he isn't Scotty?

[B]

He told me nothing. I listened in and it was Scotty. It's the Scotty I know. Now, why don't you believe that? That's one of the things that puzzles me. One of the strange things.

[C]

Where's Scotty now?

[B]

That's your doorbell person you're explaining.

[C]

Where's Scotty now?

[B]

He's at the detention house in a cell. Why aren't you answering the door?

[C]

You stay here. Please stay here until I get back.

[A]

Sheep.

[B]

She's as nervous as a radio scope.

[A]

Quiet.

[B]

Put your ear to the door and listen.

[A]

Hello, darling.

[B]

It's a man. Can't make out what they're saying. Something vaguely familiar. Oh, no, it can't be. What do you mean, Chief? Take your gun.

[A]

All right.

[B]

Now just don't move.

[A]

Hello, Chief. Mayor was just telling me you were here.

[B]

Scotty, I don't know how you did it, but escaping from detention is a very serious.

[A]

I didn't escape. I've never been there. I've never been to Cairo. I don't know what's going on, Enright. But I'm glad you're here so this whole mess can be cleared up.

[B]

Just don't move, Scotty. Get on the audiophone, Paul.

[A]

Yes, sir.

[B]

Call headquarters. Have them check on Scotty. Right. Scotty, you and I have been friends for 10 years now. What kind of a game are you playing?

[A]

I don't think friends hold a gun.

[B]

What do you want me to do, let you get away again?

[C]

Mr. Android?

[B]

I told you, you're as mixed up as I am. Admit it. You see, Scotty, I overheard the conversation you and Meera had at headquarters, but I wasn't. Let's not argue about it. We'll know in a moment. Hey, Chief. Yes, what is it? I talked to headquarters, Chief. Well, Scotty is still there in a cell.

[A]

What?

[C]

Still there?

[A]

Now, wait a minute.

[B]

That's what they said. Get them to put Scotty on the phone.

[A]

Yes, sir.

[B]

We'll get to the bottom of this pretty quickly. Now, let's go into the other room. Come on.

[A]

Yeah? Chief wants to talk. Yeah, that's right.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

All right.

[B]

Hold the line.

[A]

Chief wants to talk to you. Here he is.

[B]

Keep them covered. Hello?

[A]

Yes, Chief?

[B]

That you, Scotty?

[A]

Yes, sir.

[B]

I just wanted to be sure.

[A]

Chief, what on earth is going on? You don't have to talk to me to be sure. Not when you've got me locked in a cell. That dynamite couldn't blow.

[B]

Okay, Scotty.

[A]

Scotty, who are you talking to?

[B]

To Scott Douglas who got off the plane from Cairo this morning.

[A]

I'm Scott Douglas. Chief, you seen Mira? I want to talk to her again.

[B]

Just hang on a moment. Just repeat after me. I am Scott Douglas of the World Security Police.

[A]

Now, look you. Oh, all right. I am Scott Douglas of the World Security Police.

[B]

Okay, let's hear you say that, Chief.

[A]

Are you crazy?

[B]

Say what I tell you.

[A]

I am Scott Douglas of the World Security Police.

[B]

They sound exactly alike.

[A]

Now what do I do? Sing Mother McCree.

[B]

What you do is what you've been doing all day. You wait for me in your cell, and you're coming along with me. What are you going to do, Mrs. Douglas? I'm going to take you and your husband to meet your husband.

[A]

He's out here, Chief.

[B]

Bring him in, Mira. Scotty, you stand over there.

[A]

All right, Chief. Now, once and for all, tell Mira. Oh, darling, I'm glad. Good Lord.

[C]

Mr. Enright. I can't believe it.

[A]

It's absolutely incredible. He looks just like me. What is this, Chief? What is.

[B]

Have either of you two ever seen each other before?

[A]

Every morning in the mirror. What kind of a gag is it?

[B]

Now, be quiet, both of you.

[A]

Yes, Chief.

[B]

Have you got those reports? About two minutes. Let me know now. One of you two is an imposter. I will say this. The resemblance is fantastic. You. The one we had in the cell. We got your fingerprints, teeth identifications, birthmark and so on. When you were arrested, they all verified that you are the real Scott Douglas.

[A]

I told you that all along. I'm Scott Douglas, Chief, whatever is going.

[B]

On, I'll know who you are in a few minutes. We'll have the results of the fingerprint identification check we had you take before. I brought Scotty up from downstairs. Yes? I've got the report, Chief. Well? Everything checked, sir. Now, come on, talk sense, will you? What do you mean, everything checks? Fingerprints, teeth identification, birthmarks. Everything checked, sir. They're both Scott Douglas.

[A]

All right.

[B]

Now remember. Don't interrupt me. The only way I can tell you two apart is by the clothes you wear.

[A]

You.

[B]

You're wearing a tropical suit. The one you had on when we picked you up in Cairo.

[A]

Yes, sir.

[B]

Well, I'm going to call you Tropical. And you with the tweed, that's your name, Tweed. Is that clear?

[A]

Right, Chief.

[B]

The last two hours of questioning has revealed that the memory of your lives is exactly the same. Up to four days ago. Whatever questions you were asked separately, you both answered the same intimate questions, family questions, every kind. But as of four days ago, the police interrogators report that you, Tropical, you are hazy, almost blank until the arrest and murder in Cairo.

[A]

That's right, sir.

[B]

On the other hand, you, Tweed, you have a clear memory. Except for a few hours three days ago. Here, let me read it. Pursuant to file 198, I was ordered to visit a Mr. David Eitner, suspected of dealing in black market paintings at 223 W. 18th St. And to pose as a buyer of rare paintings. Mr. Eitner conducted himself in a reasonable and normal manner and exhibited several paintings, allegedly genuine Old Masters. During our conversation, I heard a faint oscillating sound in the room and inquired whether it was the air conditioning unit. And then I blacked out. Now, at this point, your two memories separate. You both remember everything up to the moment Scott Douglas blacked out. But after that, Tweed's memory does not pick up until two hours has passed. Then he reports. The next thing I knew, I awoke lying on the floor. I thought I had been slugged. But subsequent examination by police medical authority showed no injury of any sort. The assumption was that I had fainted, but no reason for this possibility was advanced. The paintings, together with Mr. Eitner were nowhere to be found when I regained consciousness. Subsequent police investigation failed to reveal any trace of Mr. Eitner or his paintings. So there it is. And you, Tropical, you remember nothing for the next several days until we picked you up in Cairo.

[A]

I remember that report very well. I wrote it. But he couldn't have known about the first part of that report. I went alone. No one else. I was there. That was my reply. What about you two?

[B]

It's bad enough seeing double without you two talking double and remembering double. Two hours. Two hours. What happened in those two hours, Chief?

[A]

I've got an idea.

[B]

What is it?

[A]

Probably nothing to it after three days. But why don't we visit 223 W. 18th St. Again? Let's see whether Mr. Eitner possibly left something behind when he fled with the paintings. This is the place.

[B]

Looks pretty empty now.

[A]

This is where he had several old paintings hanging on the wall. This is where I was standing when I blacked out. That's right, Chief. I walked over there from here. And then it happened.

[B]

What's that? That sound came from over there.

[A]

That clown.

[B]

Come on. Come out of there.

[A]

Come out or I'll shoot.

[D]

Do not shoot, sahib. No. Do not kill me.

[A]

Who are you?

[D]

Do not kill me, sahib.

[B]

What are you doing here in this room?

[A]

Talk.

[B]

Talk.

[D]

Do not kill me, sahib. I beg.

[A]

If you don't talk.

[B]

I make no promises.

[D]

I have children, I have a wife.

[B]

And I've got a gun.

[D]

Well, if I talk, you let me live.

[B]

Talk.

[D]

I come to destroy the instrument.

[A]

What instrument?

[D]

It is in here, sahib. The instrument of Mustafa Cornelius, the man.

[A]

In the blue turban.

[D]

I swear to come back and destroy it if he ever died. It is built into this closet behind this secret panel. It make Mustafa and me very rich.

[B]

Let's see that instrument. Open the panel.

[A]

Looks like a control board. What does it do?

[D]

I do not know the words to describe it. Only Mustafa knew because he was very wise and very scientific.

[B]

You know how to operate this?

[D]

Oh, yes, sir. He. Mustafa showed me what to do. And I work long hours doing that for our boss, becoming very rich.

[A]

Show us what it does. And remember, if any danger results this man has a gun, you'll be the first to die.

[D]

I understand, sahib. Give me something for the instrument.

[B]

What do you mean, give you something?

[D]

I try to explain. Give me something. A picture, perhaps?

[B]

There are no pictures here.

[D]

Then a ring, perhaps? A watch or a shoe, A dog, anything.

[B]

Does this make any sense?

[A]

Play along with him, chief. Here. Here's a ring and a watch.

[D]

Thank you, sahib. I place them in here and close this small door. I turn on the instrument.

[A]

That's the sound. The sound I heard. He's right, chief. The sound before I blacked out.

[B]

Now what do you do?

[D]

A moment, until the bell sound. It is finished. Now, you see? There are now two watches. Two rings.

[A]

Let me see them. Great Dynamos of Niagara. They're exactly alike, even to the scratches.

[B]

The.

[A]

The dirt marks, everything.

[B]

Let me see them.

[A]

You're right.

[B]

Identical. Perfect copies.

[D]

No, no, sir Heep, they are not copies. All are original.

[A]

But that can't be. The ones I gave you were the originals. The others are the copies.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

Just a minute, chief. Look at this marking. Molecular duplicator. What did you say? Molecular duplicator. That's right. That means that somehow. Well, it's possible, theoretically. But it means that the molecules and atoms of the originals are perfectly duplicated. And we know that if somehow the atoms and molecules could be exactly arranged, you'd actually have two originals where only one existed before.

[D]

Yes. Yes, sahib. That is what Mustafa say. Those are the words that I do not know how to use.

[A]

All right. Now listen to me, you desert rat. Does this machine work on anything other than inanimate objects?

[D]

None. I do not understand, sir. He.

[A]

Does it work? On living things. Dogs, birds, human beings.

[D]

It has worked on a dog, sahib. Mustafa, he had a dog he liked so much. He make himself another dog. Like it with this instrument then.

[A]

And it would work on human beings too.

[D]

But the dog, one of them. I do not know which one of them. The dog. He die very horribly, sahib.

[A]

What do you mean died horribly?

[D]

One day, about a month after the first dog become two dog. One day the dog bark and whine. It is in agony, sahib. And before my eyes it. I. I do not know how to say. Is disappeared slowly, as if it fall apart. And in a little while there is nothing left. Nothing.

[A]

Molecular disintegration on living flesh. The effect of the machine lasts only a limited time. Chief, which one of us?

[B]

Him.

[A]

Or me? Which one of us is Scott Douglas?

[B]

Next week 2000 plus presents another exciting melodrama from the world of tomorrow for thrilling for thrillers that are different. Join us again next week and every.

[A]

Week.

[B]

2000 plus is produced by Dreyer and Widowson Productions Incorporated. In today's cast, Ralph Bell portrayed Scotty. Joan Shea was Mirror Nat. Poland was the Chief and Gilbert Mack was the Arab. The orchestra was conducted by emerson buckley. Music composed by elliot jacoby. Sound walt shaver and adrian penner. Engineer ed formica. This is ken marvin speaking. 2000 plus is a regular presentation of the United States on Armed Forces Radio Service.