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Two American scientists
are lost in the swirling maze
of past and future ages
during the first experiments on Americas
greatest and most secret project-
the Time Tunnel.
Tony ewman and Doug Phillips now tumble
helplessly toward a new, fantastic adventure
somewhere along the infinite
corridors of time.
You! Citizen! Come here.
Stop, or we shoot!
Come here, citizen.
- What do you want?
- You are under arrest.
Arrest? Well, what have I done?
Quite a sight, citizen.
What are they doing with that man?
Oh, he is on his way to the guillotine-
another aristocrat.
That proud head
will soon be in a basket.
Doug.
- Careful, citizen.
- Its a mistake.
That man doesntt belong there.
I do not doubt it.
Many innocent people
go to the guillotine these days.
- Ive got to get him out of there.
- I would not try it.
Your own head
will be on the block.
They have no right to kill him.
He hasnt done anything.
One of those, huh?
Citizen Robespierre
has decreed a quota.
If it cannot be filled from the prison cells,
sometimes its filled from the streets.
You mean, they just grab people
off the streets and cut off their heads?
Oui.
It has been known to happen.
No!
Aah!
The Time Tunnel.
Please.
Theres no question
about that time or place.
No.
The French Revolution.
Reign ofTerror.
What year do you make it?
Its horrible.
Cantt bear to watch it.
I understand, Ann.
I dont blame you.
Hey, thats
the Place de la R�volution.
Tony and Doug must be
somewhere near the center of Paris.
Lets refine this setting
and see if we can zero in on them.
Citizens! This way! Quickly!
That was a foolish thing
to do, citizens.
- I warned you.
- Sure glad you didnt take his advice.
You took quite a chance
yourself just now.
Why?
Ah, who knows?
- Perhaps I felt sorry for you.
- No, it was more than that.
Why did you risk your life
to help us?
For one thing, you are foreigners.
Your clothing tells me that.
Do you make it a habit
of helping foreigners?
How do I know I can trust you?
- Perhaps you are spies for the committee.
- What committee?
The Committee for Public Safety.
Robespierre has spies everywhere.
Why would my friend
attack the guard to save me?
If I were a spy I could have identified myself
and had my friend released.
Yes, there- there is that.
But if you are indeed foreigners
perhaps you are here
to help the widow.
- The widow?
- Oui.
The widow Capet.
The queen of France.
- Marie Antoinette?
- Oui.
Alone in a cell
in the Conciergerie
separated from her children,
without friends.
- Perhaps you are here to help her, no?
- Now, wait a minute.
Why are you so interested
in Marie Antoinette?
Before the-
the revolution
I was held in the Bastille
because I defended her name
against certain factions in court
who were opposed to her.
She ordered my release
and out of gratitude for my defense
of her name she became my patroness.
And now-
Now I have sworn to help her.
Theres no way to help her now.
- Hasnt she been condemned to death?
- No.
No.
Not yet.
Since the king
was beheaded lastjanuary
they have been looking for evidence enough
to condemn her, but so far they have failed.
Still, they keep trying
and her time is running out.
- There is no way to help her.
- Still, we must try.
You are alone in Paris,
and that is good.
But you need other clothing.
You cannot
walk around the streets this way.
- Where can we get them?
- Guards.
!
- Shh!
- Search this house.
!
They are still looking for you.
Through there
is a staircase.
Take it.
At the top of the stairs is a closet.
Put on the clothing you find there.
But hurry!
Guards! This house!
Open up.
! Open up
in the name of the Republic.
!
Open, or we break it down.
!
Oui, oui.
! Coming!
I am- I am coming.
Search this house!
It is reported that you were seen
giving shelter
to enemies of the revolution.
Monsieur, there is
no one in there but me.
Indeed.
And soon
there will be no one at all.
In the name
of the Committee of Public Safety
I arrest you for treason
to the sacred cause of the revolution.
Seize him! Take him away!
Were losing them.
Our image is drifting away.
We dont even know
if they were captured.
General, whats wrong?
- General?
- Hmm?
Oh, Im sorry.
That period in history
always does something to me.
I think it affects all of us.
- Can we get them out of there?
- No, I dont think so.
Our signal is very weak.
Well, how about
the irradiation technique?
Well send back something
that we can get a focus on
something thats, uh-
Here.
- This?
- That ring is an heirloom.
Its, uh, fairly distinctive.
You think Tony
and Doug would recognize it as mine?
- Id recognize it.
- I think they would too.
Ray, is your fix good enough
to send this back?
It may be, General.
But why your ring?
Its small, compact,
easily recognizable by them.
Yet its something from the period that
wouldntt readily arouse anyone elsesss suspicions.
I think its the ideal object
to use as a focal point.
- Dont you think so?
- Well, wevve got enough energy to handle something this size.
If only we could be sure
theyd recognize its significance.
They would.
I know it.
Send it back.
General, Im not altogether sold on
this irradiation technique.
Even if we get the ring back
and they find it
the odds are all against
our bringing them both back.
- There is a chance?
- A one-in-a-million chance.
Then try it.
All right.
Ann, well place this in the radiation bath
at 30 seconds exposure.
- Good.
- Prepare for the transmission.
Right.
Doug!
- What did you find out?
- Theyve arrested him, all right, poor old guy.
- Where did they take him?
- The Temple.
Its the main prison.
- I think theyre going to execute him.
- Execute him?
Its our fault he got into this.
We cantt let him die.
Were gonna be lucky
to get out of this place alive ourselves.
But, Doug, we still have to try to help him.
How far is the Temple from here?
We cant go up there.
That place is swarming with guards.
Besides, we dont
even know his name.
Doug, there it is
right above the shop window- Blanchard.
Citizen Blanchard.
All right.
Well manage
to free him somehow.
Wed better get out of here.
The ring is ready,
and its in the tunnel.
- Havent you relocated them yet?
- Almost.
There.
That should be it.
- Those two men in the shadows- could
they be Doug and Tony? - I think so.
- Yes, I can make them out now.
- Right! Weve got eem.
- Can you hold that, Ann?
- Not for long.
Its not very stable.
All right, lets send the ring now.
Its gone.
- How will we know if the ring gets to them?
- We wont, General.
Not until we can regain our focus.
- What do you think, Ann?
- I dont know.
If we start getting emanations
from the ring we may do better.
But right now
Im not getting a thing.
I guess you were right.
Everybody in Paris
seems to be under suspicion.
Thats why we cantt
do much without help.
- Maybe wed better concentrate on getting ourselves out of Paris.
- That wontt be easy either.
Remember your French history?
Every gate and road
out of this city is guarded.
- No ones allowed to move without a passport.
- Great.
Look!
- A gold ring.
- Let me see that.
- Whats the matter?
- Dontt you recognize it?
- No.
- Its Kirkss.
- How could it be?
- Doug, I remember admiring it once.
He said it was an inheritance.
Im certain this is the ring.
Kirks ring.
That means they sent it back
as a focal point.
- Its part of the irradiation technique.
- Right!
- Look.
- That proves it.
Theyve got a fix on us now.
They can bring us back.
Put it on.
What about you?
It doesnt matter which one wears it
as long as we dontt get separated.
Go ahead.
Detail, halt!
Search this house.
If you meet
with resistance, use your weapons.
Hey, kid! Its Kirk!
- General!
- Who called?
- General, here!
- Come out, citizen, and show yourself!.
Shh! Come here.
- Come out!
- If you only knew how glad we are to see you-
Stop in your tracks,
or you are a dead man.
Okay, well play along.
- We found your ring.
- Ring?
The ring.
What are you talking about?
Give me the ring.
Give it to me!
Guards!
These two unworthy citizens
are Royalist spies.
Arrest them.
TTo Axel from M.
A
with eternal love.
M.
A.
Marie Antoinette.
This may cost
the Austrian *** her head.
Its amazing.
He looked exactly like the general.
He sure had me fooled.
Welcome to the Temple ofjustice.
- Im sorry.
- Yeah.
We are all sorry these days.
- Guillotine?
- Without a doubt.
- When?
- Who knows?
Perhaps tomorrow.
Perhaps a week later.
It all depends
on the demands of the quota.
There any chance
of escaping this place?
It has been done.
But we need time
and to be left alone.
Oh, my apologies, citizens.
Such accommodations
are hardly fit for Royalists.
Were not Royalists.
Werre citizens of the United States.
And we demand to see
the American ambassador.
Demand? You are scarcely in the position
to make demands, citizen.
What do you intend
to do with us?
Before we discuss
your ultimate fate
I have some questions of my own
which require answers.
Where did you get this?
- We found it in the street.
- Oh, come now, citizens!
If youre going to lie, at least do me
the honor to be more inventive.
That shopkeeper
has long been suspected ofbeing
an admirer of Marie Antoinette.
He gave you the ring, hmm?
Am I right?
No, citizen.
I have never seen that ring
before this moment.
Hmph.
I wonder which one of you
knows the Swedish diplomat
Count Axel von Fersen.
- Hmm?
- Fersen.
Von Fersen.
- Well, do you know the man?
- There was a von Fersen with Washington at Yorktown.
Ah!
You have a commendable knowledge
of recent events.
But this does not answer
my question.
- Do you know this man?
- No.
- What does that man have to do with the ring?
- Everything.
You didnt think
Idd recognize it, did you?
This ring was a gift to him from the widow
Capet long before she became a widow!
- It is a lie.
- Is it?
To Axel from M.
A.
with eternal love.
For nearly a year now
Citizen H�bert and his committee have been
seeking the evidence to behead that woman.
And to think that I now hold it
right in my hand.
It is a lie.
Fersen was only a friend
of the queen.
- o more.
!
- This is a love token.
She was in love with a foreign diplomat,
proof enough ofher treasonous actions.
!
It is a lie! A lie!
No, no! No killing.
I want them all to die
on the guillotine.
Citizens, I owe you a debt.
This ring
will cost your queen her head.
It will also make me
a hero of the revolution.
Many thanks.
For your reward
all three of you will encounter what
my sansculotte friends like to call
the national razor.
Until tomorrow morning,
my friends, � bient�t.
Oh, its impossible.
My ancestors came
from Scotland, not from France.
Its all right, ***.
- No ones accusing you of anything.
- I know what yourre thinking.
An ancestor of mine sending
Tony and Doug to their deaths.
A man is not responsible
for the behavior of his forefathers.
But, blast it,
hes not an ancestor!
None of my people
came from France.
Of course he isnt, General.
Only you must admit its
a rather startling resemblance.
Merci.
Were getting out of here.
- Impossible.
- Were going to try.
Will you help us?
I am not afraid to die any longer.
There is only one reason
I would want to escape- the queen.
We cant help her.
I must get word to her about this ring
and how they plan to use it against her.
Theres nothing we can do.
We want to get out of Paris.
- You need papers.
- Where can we get them?
There are still some powerful men
devoted to the queen.
Her signature will carry
a lot of weight with them.
In other words,
you can get us out of Paris
if we can help you
reach Marie Antoinette.
Precisely.
Well, what do you say about it?
All right, well help
if we can.
Thank you.
Now we must plan our escape.
Its already planned.
Take off your vest.
- No pursuit?
- No pursuit.
- I hope its as easy to get into the Conciergerie.
- It will not be.
How about these uniforms?
Wont they help?
No, we must think
of another plan, a better one.
- How much time do we have?
- It will be a few hours before they discover our trick.
It will be time enough.
Let us go.
- What happened?
- We lost the picture temporarily.
They just found out Tony and Doug escaped.
Ann, turn up the audio.
Our missing guests
are both clever and courageous.
But they are also loyal to this woman
they still call a queen.
They will go to warn her.
I will be there to greet them.
Whats happened
to Tony and Doug?
I cant pick them up.
The image keeps shifting to your-
to that other man.
Its your ring thats doing it.
Were zero in on it, and we cant shake it.
He would be wearing it.
I dont see what we can do but wait
and watch for our chance to save them.
Hes on his way now to arrest them.
Hess not going to let them escape again.
I know.
But what can we do?
Only one thing.
Bring him back.
- We cant do that.
- Why not?
- Weve got a pertect fix.
- But what about Tony and Doug?
Theyre safer where they are if that man
is right here in the Time Tunnel.
Its risky.
We have no idea
how helll react to a shift in time.
I dont care how he reacts.
Right now I want that man here, in front
of us, where I can talk to him face-to-face.
Will you make the shift
or not?
Well, well try.
It doesnt mean
it will work, but welll try.
- All right, Ann, make the preparation.
- Right.
Get me an armed detail!
Be quick about it!
What is this place?
Answer me!
Welcome to
the 20th century, citizen.
Am I going mad?
Who are you?
What is this place?
Put away your gun.
I brought you here
to answer questions, not to ask them.
Put it away!
- Well?
- Thats better.
Youre wearing a ring
that belongs to me.
I want it back.
Ah.
I assume you have
proof of ownership.
- I dont need proof.
Yourre my prisoner.
- Prisoner?
Well, France is at war with many countries
now, but I see nothing here that is familiar.
Surely this is not Austria.
This is America
but nearly two centuries
after your time.
I dont expect you to accept that fact,
but it happens to be true.
Ah, this is the age
of reason, citizen.
We no longer believe
in witchcraft.
Neither do we.
This isnt witchcraft.
Itss science.
My ring, please.
- This is actually the 20th century?
- It is.
Then the ring belongs to me
by right of prior ownership.
I can have it
removed by force.
- It will cost you the life of at least one man.
- Is the ring that important?
It is important to France,
to the revolution.
- Youre going to use it to kill the queen.
- The widow Capet.
- Isnt there enough blood on your hands already?
- You speak like a Royalist.
Listen to me.
Your revolution is already won.
You did behead
Marie Antoinette
and without the evidence
of that ring youre wearing.
How can you know these things?
Its, uh, history now.
Come here.
Let me show you.
See what you can pick up now.
The Conciergerie?
And the widow?
What kind of magic is this?
The age of reason, citizen.
Youre witnessing history.
Watch.
- Widow Capet.
- What do you want?
- Weve brought you a priest.
- I dontt need one.
Leave me alone.
Your Majesty.
- You.
You shouldnt have risked coming here.
- Dontt be alarmed.
My children.
Youre bringing
bad news of my children.
No, no, no.
They are both well.
But why are you here?
- To warn you, Your Majesty.
- To warn me?
The Committee for Public Safety
is about to receive a ring.
They will use this
as evidence against you
on the grounds that you gave it
to a certain foreign gentleman.
Axel.
They know about him.
Am I to be spared nothing?
But they have invented lies about this ring
and why you gave it to Count von Fersen.
- Lies?
- Oui.
My poor, devoted friend
I loved Axel von Fersen.
I will never deny it.
Theyll use it against you.
Weve come to warn you,
to give you a chance to prepare a defense.
Defense? As God is my witness, I have committed
no crime against my adopted country.
Still, they call me
the Austrian ***
and other names so foul
I cant repeat them.
Nothing can save you now! In a matter
of days well have your head!
Release me at once!
In the name of the Republic, I demand it!
- Youre not in France now.
- Let me go! Send me back!
These men have no right to interfere with
the execution of that Austrian woman!
Youre right on one score-
they cantt interfere with history.
Marie Antoinette will die at the hands
of your fellow citizens.
- How do I know she will pay for her crimes?
- I can prove what I say.
Ann, move your fix ahead to October 15,
shortly after high noon.
The time of her execution?
Please, dont make me.
I dontt want to look at it.
All right, Ill take over.
All right, citizen,
heres your proof.
Theres your revenge.
I hope yourre proud of it.
All right, Ann, its over.
Ive switched the image back to where
it was, a week before her execution.
Take over the controls.
I hope this will help you and your friends
escape from this terrible city.
If only we could
do more for you.
There is nothing.
I am beyond help.
Doug, maybe something can be done.
The Dauphin.
Thats right.
Nobody knows what happened to him.
Maybe he did escape.
There are lots of legends, even that
he came to America, became a famous man.
What about the Dauphin?
My son? My little Charles.
If there were any hope
of saving him-
Gentlemen
there is a chance,
if you will help me.
I dont know.
Where is he being held?
In the Temple, in a special cell.
The Temple?
Why, its filled with guards.
o, with this paper,
and for a cause like this
I can get gold for bribes
and all the necessary documents.
Do this, and I guarantee
to get you out of Paris.
I have no right to ask
for my sake
but for the sake
of a helpless child-
Well do everything
we can, Your Majesty.
My thanks.
Your Majesty.
Those men of yours must be stopped.
They are trying to save the Capet boy.
- I hope they do before we bring them back.
- Back?
- You are returning them here?
- Were going to try to.
With the help of that ring youre wearing.
Remove the ring from his finger.
Place it in the tunnel.
What are your plans
for me?
Youll stay here until,
or if, our men return.
If they do, well send you back
to your own time.
- Ray, start the countdown.
- Prepare coordinates.
Activate.
You are going to let them
save that boy?
Let him become Louis XVII?
No! I will not permit it!
Dont try to follow him!
Itss too late!
Dont try to follow him!
Itss too late!
Guard!
Find me a carriage.
I must get to the Temple
at once!
- Any luck?
- Not a sign of him yet.
Do you think
he might have been arrested?
Anything could happen
in this town.
- Without the papers he promised, well never get out of Paris.
- I know.
Someones coming.
My friends.
! It is I.
!
Here.
I had a little trouble,
but it is all right now.
Gold.
I find the constabulary
is extremely sensitive to it.
- Did you get the passes?
- Ah! Oui.
!
An official pass
from Robespierre himself.
A forgery, of course.
It permits two guards
to escort one art instructor
to the cell of the Dauphin
for a lesson.
- Art instructor?
- Ah, oui.
I am resigning
from the priesthood.
Voil�! An artiste!
- But how do we get out of the city?
- Oh!
I have, uh, four passports.
for a young man, his grand-p�re
and, uh, two uncles.
I believe that covers
everything, huh?
Youve had a busy evening.
- We are going to have a busier night.
- Lets go.
Very good, my boy.
Very good indeed.
With instruction, you can become
a painter- a fine painter.
Thank you, msieur.
Citizen, you scummy spawn!
I beg your pardon,
Citizen Simon.
I meant to say,
Thank you, citizen.
Well, mind what you say
or Ill box your ears for you.
Yes, citizen.
- Citizen, I must ask you to leave me alone with the boy.
- Impossible.
My orders are never
to leave him alone.
Guard, the pass.
I have seen that pass already.
Then you realize I have the authority
to teach the boy.
I am his tutor.
He needs nobody else.
Oh, then you choose
to ignore the orders.
Bon.
Citizen Robespierre
will be interested to learn this.
Wait.
I am a patriot.
I obey my orders.
Then leave me alone
with the boy.
All right.
Ten minutes.
o more.
- Will you be my teacher now, sir?
- Oui, mon petit, from now on.
What about Simon?
Who, that shoemaker?
You can forget about him.
- Im glad.
He beats me, you know.
- He will never beat you again.
- Now, come.
Let us gather your things.
- We are going away?
Oui, mon petit, to another land entirely,
with Gods help.
Quick.
I am looking
for three men- strangers.
- They plan to kidnap the Capet boy.
- Three men?
- There are three men with him right now.
- Follow me!
Citizen, be careful.
They have a pass from Robespierre himself.
Idiot! Its a forgery!
They are traitors!
Let no one out of here
without further orders.
No one!
Hurry up.
Were taking too long.
- Youll have to forget that.
We have no time.
- Leave it.
Come.
Theyre coming.
Take the boy out that way.
Well try to hold them off.
Around to the side!
Quick! Theyre getting away!
Another wagonload of aristocrats
for P�re Lachaise.
- Are we through the gates?
- So far, so good.
Next stop, Calais
and freedom.
- You must be exhausted, Ann.
Ill get a relief for you.
- No.
No, not yet.
Not until were sure Doug and Tony
get away to safety.
Any new developments?
Well, Im getting less and less interference
from the ring all the time.
Its making it a lot easier for me
to keep a fix on Doug and Tony.
- Can we try a time shift?
- I wouldnt risk it yet, not unless we have to.
- Why is the effect of the ring getting weaker?
- The radiation is wearing off.
- Where is the ring now?
- Hes still wearing it.
- Can we bring him back again?
- We could, General.
But I dont see any point in it.
The committee
has been alerted by this time.
Theyll track down Tony and Doug
whether hess around or not.
I can work him over, get him to change
the orders and free Tony and Doug.
No, it wont work, General.
Besides, weve got to conserve power
for one last attempt to shift them.
Youre right, of course.
Uh, incidentally, I-
I just got word from Research.
A branch of my family did migrate
to Scotland from France.
Then you are a descendant of his.
Yes.
One thing this has done: Its cured me
of any tendency toward ancestor worship.
Well, keep at it.
Bonsoir, gentlemen.
I am Lieutenant
Bonaparte.
May I see your papers?
Uh
here you are, Lieutenant.
These indicate
you are citizens of France.
Yet your accent is foreign.
Well, forgive me, Lieutenant,
but so is yours.
France is my adopted country.
I am from Corsica.
France is also
my adopted country.
Your insignias indicate
youre a lieutenant in artillery.
You find something
strange in that?
In a sense, yes.
An artillery lieutenant from Corsica
in the French army must be very rare.
True.
I am, perhaps, the only one.
I thought so.
Tell me, Lieutenant,
do you believe in destiny?
Only a fool would not.
Im a great believer in destiny.
There are those who say
I have second sight.
Looking at you, Lieutenant,
the strangest visions appear to me.
- Indeed.
What visions?
- Forgive my friend, Lieutenant.
Hes too modest.
He has the ability
to see the future quite clearly.
For you, sir,
I see great things, soon.
I believe in destiny,
msieur, not fortune-telling.
I see France in ruins,
and out of it rises a great leader
to carry the country to the days
of its greatest glory.
And that leader, Lieutenant
I say, is you.
Its going to happen.
Hess never wrong.
- Now, may we pass?
- One moment.
- Are there any others?
- No.
Were traveling alone.
Days of greatest glory, you say.
Beyond anything
you can possibly imagine.
Yes.
This is a vision I share.
Alors.
Very well.
Pass on, citizens.
Were getting under way.
- Wheres the boy?
- Down below, in the hold.
Stop the ship.
!
Stop the ship.
!
Get below with the boy!
Well lead them away! Come on!
Stop the ship, in the name
of the Committee of Public Safety!
Search this ship from stem to stern.
I want all four of them.
- What is the meaning of this?
- Were looking for an old man and a small boy.
No doubt you allowed them to walk aboard
under your very nose.
I have passed no such passengers, and
you will not delay the sailing of this ship.
Cast off the lines!
Get under way at once!
Citizen, you will pay
for this insolence.
- I will report you to the committee.
- Do that.
To make it easier, you shall have name-
Bonaparte.
Lieutenant Napol�on Bonaparte.
Bonsoir, citizen.
Those men! Arrest them!
Shoot them.
!
Shoot them.
! Fire.
!
Shoot them.
!
Somehow, theres
a unfriendly feel in the air.
- Europe?
- Could be.
Not France or Spain.
Not Northern Europe though.
- Germany.
- No.
Farther east, I think.
Its hard to tell about Europe.
Some of these
places haventt changed in hundreds of years.
I cant make it out.
Its a Cyrillic alphabet.
Thatss Southeast Europe.
Tony.
Today is june 16, 156.
Looks like the kind of city where you
might need identification papers.
Maybe we wont
be here that long.
Look!
Whats the matter?
- Tony, let go of it!
- I cant!
Are you all right?
Time Tunnel
gave it too much power.
At least their time lock
was accurate.
Accurate, but not enough control.
The day they solve the problems
of control is the day well get home.
Theres another one.
