Dante's Peak Page #4

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that they put this town

on alert.

They were just

about to vote on it.

Harry, can I have

a word with you outside?

Sure.

Excuse us.

Who the hell is this?

I sent you up here

to have a look around,

not to scare

the city council.

I know,

but two people are dead.

Recommending an alert was the

only responsible thing to do.

There are dozens of reasons that

would account for what happened.

Anything from a mild earthquake

to a slight seismic shift

and not one

of those reasons

means that the mountain will

blow up next week or next month

or the next 100 years.

They just think

they can walk in here...

Ladies and gentlemen

Dr. Dalton was only doing what he

thought was in the town's best interests.

However, I have learned

through bitter experience that

these decisions are

not to be made lightly.

Now, back in 1980,

I would've bet $1 million

that Mammoth Mountain

was about to go up.

We, at the U.S.G.S., began to talk about the

possibility of putting that town on alert.

Thank God the mountain

didn't go up,

but the damage

had already been done.

You see, the word leaked out that

the U.S.G.S. Had expressed concern

and so the tourists panicked

and stayed away

the real estate

values plummeted,

and the town

nearly went bankrupt.

Consequently,

I'm now a lot more cautious

when it comes to even talking

about putting a town on alert.

Now, folks,

understand something.

We'll be camped here

for as long as it takes

with seismometers

and tiltmeters

that will measure and monitor

every hiccup the mountain makes.

We'll be bouncing laser beams off

it to track any changes in size.

We'll be analyzing

gas emissions.

We've even got a robot to go up

there and take its temperature.

Now, believe me, I'm not trying

to make light of your concerns

but I want you

to understand that

if the time comes

to call for an alert...

If the time comes

it will be based

upon scientific evidence

and not upon

anyone's opinion.

For God's sake, this thing should've

been handled much more discreetly.

This meeting never

should've been called.

I just hope Mr. Blair

didn't get wind of this.

You're making

a big mistake, Paul.

This is an unstable system,

and this town

should be on alert.

You need a vacation.

I'll see you in two weeks.

Well, we got some serious

damage control to do.

If they get scared off,

Rachel,

you're the one

who's responsible.

Any questions? I'll be

happy to answer them.

How about

a nice adult beverage?

Excellent.

Good.

Sounds good to me.

Give me just

a minute here.

Thought you'd be off on

your fishing vacation by now.

I decided to

stick around.

I can see that.

The question is, "Why?"

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