Relic Radio Sci-Fi: "Untitled Story" by Dimension X

Original Air Date: September 15, 2025
Host: RelicRadio.com
Source: Dimension X (NBC radio series)

Episode Overview

This episode of Relic Radio Sci-Fi features a suspenseful, time-bending detective story from the classic radio anthology Dimension X. Combining noir sensibilities with speculative twists, "Untitled Story" follows hardened private investigator Donald Han as he’s pulled into an enigmatic web involving a dying mayor, a supposed elixir of life, political intrigue, and mysterious figures who seem to know more than possible—even things from the future. As Han investigates the case, he uncovers layers of deception that transcend both time and space.

Key Discussion Points & Story Breakdown

1. The Noir Setup: A Case with Strings Attached

• [00:01–04:48]
  • Donald Han, a seasoned PI, is summoned by Mayor Mike Flaherty. The mayor confides a health secret: he has a fatal, inoperable condition, but was convinced to pay $50,000 for a vial claiming to cure anything—“an elixir of life.”
  • Shortly after buying it, he gets warned anonymously that the vial is actually poison.
  • Han is tasked to track down the seller, Arthur C. Lehman, and find out the truth.
    • Notable line:
      "Easton, I want you to do some investigating for me...This is a confidential business." – Mayor Flaherty [03:08]

2. First Clues and Fatal Traps

• [04:48–06:03]
  • Han leaves his details with Flaherty’s sharp secretary, Katharina Cooper (“Kathy”), but gets a strange vibe.
  • Returning home, Han receives an ominous phone call:
    • "This is a warning, Mr. Hasen." – Anonymous voice [06:03]
  • His dog Jocko is killed by a deadly trap set on his bed; Han narrowly escapes.

3. The Mysterious Dr. Lehman and a Deadly Game

• [06:03–12:44]
  • Han tracks down Arthur C. Lehman, who is armed and suspicious but claims the phone warning as his own doing, urging Han to have the “elixir” tested on animals.
  • At a lab, they attempt the test, but Lehman disappears.
  • Han continues to press for answers, beginning to suspect a larger plot.
    • "You're playing around with something much too big for you to handle." – Lehman [09:15]

4. Kathy’s Secrets and Shifting Loyalties

• [12:44–14:40]
  • Han confronts Kathy in a late-night diner; she pleads with him to abandon the case, hinting at danger but refusing to explain.
    • "Don, I like you. You're a nice guy. Why don't you let it alone?...I've told you too much already." – Kathy [14:02]
  • Her fear seems genuine, but Han refuses to back down.

5. Scientific Proof and a Vanishing Act

• [14:40–19:51]
  • The biology lab soon informs Han that the elixir miraculously cured a dying guinea pig, proving it works.
  • Han returns to Lehman's office—only to find all traces of Lehman erased, as if the office was never occupied.
  • Han uses a clever ruse to pressure the janitor to reveal that Lehman recently rented and then hastily abandoned the office.

6. Showdown at City Hall: Motives Revealed

• [19:51–23:02]
  • Han returns to Flaherty’s office, confronting Kathy. She tries (at gunpoint) to force Han to hand over the vial, desperate to prevent Flaherty from using it.
  • Lehman arrives, clarifying his own motives: if Flaherty survives and rules, he’ll influence presidential politics, which may alter the world’s future in critical ways.
    • "I am most anxious to see that that does not happen. The entire future of our country, indeed the history of the world, would be affected by it." – Lehman [22:32]
  • Han realizes both Kathy and Lehman know things they shouldn’t—about the future.

7. The Time Travel Twist

• [23:02–27:19]
  • Han deduces the truth: Lehman and Kathy are time travelers.
  • Kathy admits that the “prime injunction” of time travel forbade her from intervening openly, but she has fallen for Han, clouding her mission.
    • "Both Lehman and myself are from the future." – Kathy [24:30]
    • Lehman’s plan: manipulate the past to install his own ancestor in power and thus secure his own future dominance.
    • Kathy had tried to kill Han to prevent interference but changed her mind, warning him instead.

8. Alternate Timelines and Sacrifice

• [27:19–28:52]
  • In a gunfight, Han is shot and dies—or so it seems.
  • He awakens, unhurt, in Flaherty’s office with Kathy. She reveals that the entire office is a time machine; she transported them back to moments before he was killed, giving Han a crucial second chance.
    • "This office is a time machine... When I saw he was about to shoot you, I jumped to the switch that sets the machine into reverse." – Kathy [27:54]
  • Kathy begs Han to destroy the vial and defeat Lehman; Han must make a final, fateful decision as Lehman returns.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "You get hardening of the cranial arteries, you become stupid." – Mayor Flaherty [02:11]
• "Somebody wanted to get rid of me pretty badly. Somebody to whom I had suddenly become very dangerous." – Han, on the lethal trap [06:27]
• "If you tell me just who you are and what you’re doing here..." – Lehman, confronting Han [08:32]
• "You're playing around with something much too big for you to handle." – Lehman [09:15]
• "Don, I like you. You're a nice guy. Why don't you let it alone?" – Kathy’s conflicted plea [14:02]
• "I am, as you surmise, a traveler from the future." – Lehman acknowledges the time travel secret [23:41]
• "The prime injunction to time travelers is never to reveal their identity. The penalty is death." – Kathy [24:34]
• "What he didn't know was that this office is a time machine." – Kathy reveals the final twist [27:54]
• "For our own sake, for the future's sake, break the vial now. In a moment, it'll be too late." – Kathy’s urgent appeal [28:37]

Timeline of Major Segments

• 00:01–04:48: The case begins: Han hired by the mayor about a suspicious “elixir of life.”
• 06:03: Anonymous warning; the first murder attempt (Han’s dog is killed).
• 08:32–09:55: Han’s tense confrontation with Lehman; the elixir’s mystery deepens.
• 12:44–14:40: Late-night confessions; Kathy tries to persuade Han to quit the case.
• 16:30–19:51: The lab confirms the elixir works; Han discovers Lehman’s office is wiped from existence.
• 19:51–23:02: Confrontation at City Hall—Kathy’s betrayal and the escalating stakes.
• 23:41–24:46: Time travel secret revealed.
• 27:19–28:52: Death reversed; Kathy’s confession and the final, time-twisting decision point.

Tone and Style

The episode’s dialogue is classic hard-boiled noir, full of witty repartee and a world-weary detective’s wisecracks. However, the story’s layering of science fiction concepts—time travel, alteration of history, parallel timelines—balances this tone with a sense of cosmic suspense and tragic inevitability. Kathy's sincere emotional conflict adds a touch of romance and pathos to the cerebral, twisty plot.

Conclusion

"Untitled Story" is a prime example of Dimension X's imaginative merging of pulp detective fiction with the mind-bending possibilities of science fiction. Its surprising, time-looping ending leaves both its protagonist and the audience pondering the butterfly effects of even the smallest decisions. The episode is driven by sharply-drawn characters, clever period dialogue, and a final, sophisticated twist that still feels innovative in a modern context.

End of summary.