"The heavens, once an object of superstition, awe, and fear, now a vast region for growing knowledge." "The distance of Venus, the atmosphere of Mars, the size of Jupiter and the speed of Mercury, all this and more we know." "But their greatest mystery, the heavens have kept a secret." "What sort of life, if any, inhabits these other planets?" "Human life like ours?" "Or life extremely lower in the scale, or dangerously higher?" "Seeking the answer this timeless question, forever seeking, is the constant preoccupation of scientists everywhere." "Scientists famous and unknown, scientists in great universities, and in modest homes." "Scientists of ALL ages." "What are you doing, Darling?" "It's all right, Mary, I'll..." "I'll put the coffee on." "It's four o'clock in the morning." "Four o'clock?" "The alarm went off." "You've been dreaming." "The alarm's set for seven thirty, as usual." "That boy!" "David!" "Gee, Dad, I didn't mean to wake ya up." "Do you know what time it is?" "I know, but Orion's in its zenith and it won't happen again for six years." "Move over!" "Isn't that something?" "Boy, that is sure clear." "Ya know I spot Rigel and Bellatrix, but to be able to spot the Great Nebula and..." "Both of you can hike right back to bed." " I was just telling him..." " So I saw." "It's not enough that I'm married to a scientist, but my son has to turn into one, too." "Come on, David, back to the feathers." "Gee, Mom, can't we stay up a few minutes longer?" "I should say not!" "At this hour in the morning!" " But..." " Now, your mother is right." "Now, not another peep out of you until you hear her in the kitchen." "You'll hear your father this morning, if this old lady gets awakened early she sleeps late." " Good night, David." " Good night, Mom." "Good night, Dad." " You go to sleep now?" " I will." "Good night, Son." "Gee whiz!" " Dad!" "Dad!" " What is it, Son?" "Something landed out beyond the trees, in the sand pits." " A big, bright light!" " What?" "Come on, it's out there now, I'll show ya." "Didn't mother ask you to stay in bed?" "I did, I was asleep, it woke me up." "There's a bright light that lit up everything, and..." "Dad, it landed right out there!" "You were dreaming!" "If a meteor fell it would've wakened people up for miles around." "But it didn't fall, it landed!" "I saw it!" "I don't know what it was, Dad, a spaceship or something." "How big was it?" " As big as..." " An airplane?" "Bigger!" "Well, there's nothing out there now, is there?" " Not now, but there was, I saw..." " Climb in bed, Son." "Now, look, Son, you know this is all your imagination, don't ya?" " But I saw it!" " Well, what did it look like?" "Well, I can't say exactly." "First there's this light, then it faded, then there's a humming noise." "Okay, I'll tell you what we'll do, the first thing when we get up, we'll go out and take a look." "And if there's any flying saucer out there, we'll notify General Mayberry." "Now how's that?" " But..." " In the morning!" " Okay." " That's a fella." "Good night now." " What's the matter, Dear?" " You go on back to sleep, Mary." " David all right?" " Oh, yeah, sure." " I'm sorry I woke you." " And what are you doing now?" "Oh, nothing, I'll be back in a few minutes." " George, what is it?" " Well..." "David says that he saw something land in fields out back." "It doesn't make sense, but he seems so convinced." "What does he mean, "land"?" "Well, he said he saw a bright light or something, and... well, he's not the type of boy that's given to imagining things, you know." "After all, the work at the plant is secret, and we have orders to report anything unusual." " And there have been rumors." " Rumors?" "Mary, you know I can't talk about that now." "I better go out and take a look." "Mrs. McLean, where is your son now?" "He's still asleep, I didn't want to wake him." "And your husband just put on his robe and slippers, walked out into those fields and disappeared?" "I know it sounds insane, but if you'll only look and see if you can't find..." "Mrs. McLean, did you husband ever disappear like this before?" "Of course he never disappeared." "Now look, no offense, but you know how these scientists are sometimes..." "My husband is a designer, an engineer, not a comic book professor." " Please!" "If you'd only stop talking and go and look..." " Okay, Lady, okay!" "We have to know all the facts, we've gotta make a report to headquarters, you know." "Let's go, Butch." "Well, there ain't nobody out here, that's for sure." "Flying saucers, disappearing scientists, what next?" "Aw, c'mon, let's go back, he ain't out here." "Well, that suits me, I could use some coffee." " George McLean." " So that guys was out here." " Yeah, you take the north side, I'll take this way." " Yeah." "There goes the coffee." "Hey!" "Jackson." "Jackson!" "Hey Jackson, where did you go?" " Hi, Mom." " Good morning, Dear." " Did you have a good sleep?" " Gosh!" "Yes." " What time is it?" " It must be nearly eight." "Where's Dad?" "He left early." "Oh, gosh, Dad promised me he'd go out..." "Don't cuss this morning, Mother's tired, and..." "Any chance for a cup of coffee?" "George, you're safe!" "I was so worried." "What happened?" "I thought he'd gone to the plant." "Never mind, David." "What did happen to you?" "I stopped over to see Bill Wilson." " In your pajamas?" " In my pajamas, obviously!" " But..." " Period!" " Where's your other slipper?" " I said period!" "Well, I guess we better tell those policemen." "What policemen?" "Well, I was so worried, George, I called the police." "They're out there looking for you now." " Go and call them, David, and tell them..." " Just stay where you are!" " Are they out there now?" " Yes." "What happened, George?" "What is it?" "I wish you'd please learn to mind your own business!" "Those policemen, they'll ask questions, and I can't..." "So what if they do?" "Why can't you...?" "Am I gonna get my coffee?" "Say, Dad, when you were out there, did you see anything?" "Let's not start that flying saucer nonsense again!" " Hey, Dad!" " Yeah, what do you want?" "What happened to your neck?" "It looks like there's..." "Nothing!" "I caught it on a barbed wire fence." "Barbed wire?" "There isn't any barbed wire..." "I caught it on barbed wire, I said!" "Now you get your clothes on." "Yes, David, hurry and get dressed, I want you to do some errands." " I'm sorry, but I..." " Is this your husband?" "Yes, I'm George McLean, I'm sorry my wife put you to so much trouble." " Think nothing of it." " You feel all right?" " Yes, I'm fine." " Well, then we won't report this." "We'll forget the entire matter, won't we, Mary?" "Yes." "Won't you have some coffee?" "Don't be silly, Mary,. these gentlemen have some important work to do." "Yeah, you, too." "Yes, I know." "We'll see you around." "What are you gaping at?" "What were those men talking about, as though you were in some kind of plot together." "Don't talk nonsense, Mary." "I thought I told you to get dressed!" "Well?" "What is it?" " I was just looking for Mom." " She's dressing." " What do you want?" " Nothing." " What are you up to?" " Nothing, just playing." "Get over to Andy's house and play there." "David... come here." "I wanna warn you, don't go spreading stories about things you imagined out in those fields." "Understand?" "What was that?" "Your son... said he was going over to Andy's." "Well, shall we go into town?" "I want you to come outside first, there's... something I want to show you." "Mrs. Wilson, is Mr. Wilson around?" "Why, no, David, he won't be home until this afternoon, he's out of town." " What is it?" " Out of town?" "Are you sure, Mrs. Wilson?" "My father said he saw him just this morning." "You must be mistaken, Dear, you're the first person who's been around here today." "Is something the matter?" "Mrs. Wilson, Kathy's gone." "Gone?" "Whatever are you talking about?" "Out by the sand pit, I saw it through the telescope." "The ground opened up and something pulled her down." "David!" "Talk sense, where is she?" "What's happened to her?" "It's the truth, honest, Mrs. Wilson!" "There's something out there..." "Where is he?" "Kathy, where have you been, what's happened?" "Nothing, Mother, I just picked you some flowers." "Oh, David, how could you come in here scaring me to death." " I'm sorry, Mrs. Wilson." " I should think you would be," " making up a story like that..." " I'm sorry." "Mrs. Wilson!" "Mrs. Wilson!" "Your house is on fire!" "Now, David McLean, I've..." "I'll call the fire department." "The fire department won't help, someone spilled gasoline down there and the fire's spreading all over the place." "That's impossible, we keep our spare gasoline in the garage." "There's a can of gasoline on its side down there with the top off, and that's what's burning." "Kathy, were you playing in the cellar?" "No, Mama." "State 43559, please." "Hello?" "Hello, David." "No, I'm sorry, Professor Kelston is out." "Would you like to leave a message?" "Do you know when he'll be back?" "Well, he's not expected back until this afternoon." "Oh, geez." "Never mind, thank you." "Okay, Mr. Mitchell, thanks, come back." "Jim!" "Jim!" " Hello, David." " You gotta help me!" "They got Kathy Wilson, they've done something to my Dad." "Who?" "What?" "I don't know, but I saw it, I saw it land out in the field and..." "Now, wait a minute, wait a minute, you saw WHAT land?" "A spaceship or something, I saw it." " Are you being funny?" " No, it's the truth, I tell ya." "And the policemen, two of them, they did the same thing to them." "Who did what?" "Please, Jim, you gotta believe me." "You've gotta help 'em, we've gotta help Dad." " All right, David, just take it easy." " Where ya goin'?" "You just wait here, I'm gonna make a phone call." "You're gonna call Dad!" "No, you mustn't!" "Now, don't worry, I'll be right back." "I gotta see the Chief right away!" "The Chief, huh?" "Must be very important." "Please, you don't understand, I gotta see him." "Now, now, settle down, Son, what's the trouble?" " You can tell me." " No!" "I gotta see the Chief." "That's what I'm here for... anybody who wants to see the Chief, has to tell me why first." "I can't, there's no time, besides..." "Oh, please, let me see him." "Besides, what?" " You wouldn't believe me, and..." " What makes you think the Chief will?" "What's the trouble, Mack?" "You got me, the kid here's got something so important that he can't tell anybody but you, on account of, "I wouldn't believe him"." " Are you the Chief?" " That's me." " What I can do for you?" " I wanna talk to you alone." "In here." " What's on your mind?" " Well, Sir, it's kinda hard to explain, but..." "Start at the beginning, what's your name?" "David McLean, Sir." "Are you George McLean's boy?" "Yes, Sir, but I don't want my Father to know about it." "Finley, come in here." "Let go me!" "Let me outta here!" "They got him!" "I saw it!" "He'll kill me if I tell!" "Put him in the detention room, I'll have his old man come and get him." " What's bitin' him?" " He's out of his mind, that's what." "Come on, Son, settle down, take it easy." "It's on his neck, too." "Please don't let my father get me!" "Please don't let him get to my father!" "They'll drag me down, like they did with Kathy!" "I know they will." "You leaving?" " You lock that crazy kid up?" " Yeah, he's really scared." " Think maybe we oughta..." " His old man'll take care of him." "If he doesn't answer the phone, I'll go out and find him." "Hello, Doc, Sergeant Finley." "Come on over, will ya?" "I have a kid here, something's eating him." "Well, I don't know, but I know kids, this one's really scared." "Thanks." "Hi." " Who are you?" " I'm the Doctor Blake, David.." "What kind of doctor, I'm not sick?" "I know you're not, but Sergeant Finley said you had a story to tell... a confidential story." "Doctors are sort of like ministers, you can tell them anything." "So he thought I might do." "Could I see the back of your neck?" "What kind of nonsense is that?" "Sure you can, help yourself." " All right?" " Yes, I guess so." " Well?" " I'll only tell YOU." "Is that all right?" "Sure, we'll get along fine, won't we, David?" "You have any trouble, just yell." " Now..." " Well, it started last night, I was listening to my... and THAT'S the honest truth, I know they're under there, but I don't know what they do to people." "But once they're down there, they act differently?" "Gosh, yes!" "If you knew my Dad, there isn't anybody like him, not anybody, but today, he acted like somebody I never saw before." "You ask my Mom, she'll tell ya." "I have the same idea, David." " Then, you believe me?" " I don't know." "It sounds so UN-believable, and yet..." " You wait here, David." " You're not gonna leave me?" "No, I'll be right back." "You don't haveta lock me in, I won't run away." "I know you won't, but I have to obey the rules." " Well?" " It's a new one on me." "Did two policemen report the disappearance of George McLean this morning and the search of the field behind his house?" "No." "But they'd have to report a call like that, wouldn't they, even if he turned up later?" "Sure, ya gotta report everything..." "in quintuplicate." " Is the Chief in?" " No, he isn't back yet." "Is it all right if I use his phone?" " Help yourself." " Thanks." " I'm Mrs. McLean." " Well, glad you're here." "I saw Chief Barrows at the Bank, he said David was here." "He's here all right, he had a little scare." "If you'll just wait, I'll get him." " Hello, Stu?" " Oh, hi, Pat." "Yeah." "Why, sure I know David." "Yeah, he just called me a little while ago, I was out." "He used to use our telescope here before things got so hush-hush." "Well, no, no... no, not David, he's a pretty realistic young fella." "Oh, sure you can, Pat, I'll wait." "Well, this may sound silly, but..." "David tells me he's seen a spaceship." "Mom!" "Mom!" "Come, David." " No!" " Stop this, please." "You listen to me, you've caused us enough trouble, c'mon." "Just a minute." "Sergeant, that boy is not to leave this building." "Who are you?" "I'm Dr. Blake, from the City Health Department, and your son is in my care." " He is NOT!" "Chief Barrows told my wife..." " I don't care what anybody told her, the boy stays here." "What has he been telling you?" "He's been reading those trashy science fiction magazines." "He's completely out of control." "It may interest you to know, Mrs. McLean, that your son is running a high temperature, his heart action is unnaturally fast." "It's too soon to tell, but he had every symptom of Polio, and I'm having him removed to the isolation ward of the General Hospital." "No, he HAS to go with us." "If he's better in the morning, we'll discuss it then." "Now, you listen to me, we don't want you telling a lot of the idiotic stories." "Understand?" "George, you know we can't leave him here, we have to take him..." "Never mind, it can't be helped now." "Come on." "Mom, too." "That's the coldest pair I ever saw." "They're not, they're wonderful, they've done somethin' to 'em, somethin' awful." "Oh, well, come on, Son, I'll wrap up real warm and I'll take you to the hospital." "It's all right, there's nothing the matter with him." "Good thing I talked to Stuart Kelston about you." "I found out that you were the cold, scientific type, not given to flights of fancy." " Do YOU know Dr. Kelston?" " Uh-huh." "He's my favorite astronomer." "Come on, David, let's get out of here before we get you trouble." " But the Chief..." " You tell the Chief he's in my care." "Hello, operator?" "Kelston, priority A14." "Closed circuit, Coral Bluffs 127." "What's this all about?" "Are they gonna do somethin' about my Mother and Father, Sir?" "I hope so, David, I hope so." "Hello, General Mayberry?" "Oh!" "Will you please tell him to call the moment he comes in?" "This is WJ738." "Thank you." "You often need the best." "We were afraid you might laugh at us." "I'm not laughing." "What do you think it's all about, Stu?" "Possibly what David thought it was." "A spaceship?" "From where?" "It could be from a mother ship, in free orbit, just above the Earth's atmosphere." "But, where's this mother ship from?" "David, from the Earth's point of view, which planet is nearest to us right now?" " Venus?" " Correct." "What I should have said, "Which planet is nearest to us in its particular orbit?"" " Mars." " Right." "Only about thirty million miles away." "And here we are, moving around the sun, going more than a hundred thousand miles an hour." "And if we ever left our orbit, we could reach Mars within a few days." "Let's take a look through the telescope, shall we?" "If Mars ever left THEIR orbit, they could reach US." "But, a hundred thousand miles an hour," "Wouldn't the friction burn them up?" "In space there's no atmosphere, so... no friction." "But, a spaceship, where could it go?" " It went right in the ground, I saw it!" " Oh, it can't be underground!" ""Can't" is what our grandparents said about the airplane." "Besides, we know nothing about these people." " If they are people." " What do you mean?" "Here we are." "I'm not allowed to look through a telescope anymore." "Special occasions make special conditions." "We do know his, there isn't enough oxygen on Mars, and the surface is too cold to support human life as we know it." "There is a theory, consequently, that their cities are underground, near some central core of heat." "Or that they live in spaceships." "You don't believe that?" " I'm a scientist." " But it can't be proved." "It can't be DISPROVED, either." "Could you disprove, for example, that the Martians have bred a race of synthetic humans to save themselves from extinction?" " Synthetic humans?" " The theory calls them "mutants"." "Mutants?" "What would they want here?" "Coral Bluffs?" "There you are, it's focused now." "A rocket?" "I thought they were testing some kind of atomic device out there." "It IS an atomic device." "The highest powered rocket ever conceived." "You see, once we can shoot a rocket far enough into space, it will just anchor there." "Then it's merely a matter of time before we set up interplanetary stations equipped with atomic power and operated by remote control." "Then if any nation dared attack us, just by pushing a few buttons, we could wipe them out in a matter of minutes." "So you think it's on account of the rocket that the..." "Look, put the shoe on the other foot, say you're a Martian." "With the aid of these mutants you've developed a way of life to save your race." "Giant ships floating in space with sufficient oxygen to sustain life." "Then the inhabitants of another planet start shooting powerful rockets endangering your zone of survival." "Wouldn't you want to do something about it?" " But, Stu, it's fantastic." " So was the airplane." "But look how it adds up..." "What's David's father?" "He's an engineer over at the Armstead plant." "What's made at that plant, David?" "Gosh, I don't know, Dad would never talk." "Because the plant your Dad works at, is where the whole motor assembly for that rocket was made." "But, what would they want with little Kathy Wilson?" "Nothing, David, but Kathy's father is Dr. William Wilson." "The physicist?" "The man who conceived that rocket, and whose house was burned down." "What did they do to Kathy?" "How did they make her set fire to her house?" "What have they done to my Mother and Father.?" "Dr. Kelston, you know them, you know how nice they are, and..." "I don't know the answer to that one, David." "Not yet, but we'll find out." "Now, let's take a look at the place where you saw the light disappear." "The fence!" "The wooden fence!" "It used to stretch all the way across the sand pit." "I hadn't noticed before, it's gone!" "Let's increase the magnification." "The path stops, too." "Dad!" "Closer, Dr. Kelston!" " What!" "Why, it's General Mayberry!" " The one you tried to get on the telephone?" "Yes, he's in command of Coral Bluffs." "Dad sent for him, he's trying to stop the Martians." "Dad, oh, Dad!" "Just like Kathy!" "Oh, not his father." "They HAVE got his father, now they've got General Mayberry." "Hello, operator?" "Kelston." "Priority A14." "Coral Bluffs 127." "And hurry!" "Colonel Fielding, please." "Right." "Get me the Chief of Staff at the Pentagon." "Be back in a second." "Two more companies for the Armstead plant." "Three more Coral Bluffs." "Two more at the Magnesium Works." "Good, I want you personally..." "Yes, Sir." "Anything else, Sir?" "Right, Sir." "Get me the Chief of Police." "I don't know, Colonel, the Chief left here some time ago, and we haven't been able to contact him since." "We've been trying to reach his car by shortwave right along." "No, Sir, Officers Blaine and Jackson are out of circulation, too," "I don't know where they are." "Yes, Sir, it'll be handled in strictest confidence." "Thank you, Sir." "That was Colonel Fielding, in charge of the Task Force at Coral Bluffs." "Off the record he's ordered a all-points alarm on McLean, the Chief, and McLean's wife, Blaine and Jackson and General Mayberry." "Ya know, I'm awful glad I don't have to pick up the General, generals can get awful unpleasant." "Then you came, Sir, and that's all." "Well, thank you, David, that was a very clear account." "Now, can you tell us where to find this little Kathy girl?" "The one who set fire to her house?" "Where does SHE live?" "Just down the road, it burned down." "Mr. Turner'd know where they are, though, he's their next door neighbor." "Good!" "I'd like you all to come with me." "Poor woman, she's almost out of her mind." "Who's to blame her." "First she loses her home and then her little girl, just like that." "You say she died instantly?" "Yes, it was almost a matter of seconds, one minute she was playing, just as she always did, the next she keeled over as if she had been poleaxed." " Okay, Mr. Turner, thank you." " Just a minute, Colonel." "What was the report on the cause of her death?" "Cerebral hemorrhage, they said." "I see, thank you, Mr. Turner." "Where's Rinaldi?" "Still in the house, Sir, guess he's still on the phone." "You know, Colonel, I think I'd like to go down to the hospital and take a look at that little girl." "Cerebral hemorrhage, that doesn't make sense for a young child like that." "But if she has a scar on the back of her neck..." "Why, you're right!" "I'll let my driver take you." "Oh, any authority that you need to get through the police or our own patrols, Doctor," "Jones'll be it." "We'll be at the McLean place." "Thank you, Colonel." " You get that order through?" " Yes, Sir." "There's the place, Sir, right where the fence is." "Yeah, try to be exact, David." "Just where in relation to the fence?" " Oh, I dunno." " You see, it's rather hard to tell exactly, we saw General Mayberry disappear from another angle." "I'll show you exactly, Sir." "Yeah, we're as close to that spot as anyone's gonna go for the present." "Here, see if these'll help." "Yes, yes, that's the spot." "The path used to go all the way across the sand pit, too, just like the fence." "That's where they got Kathy, too." "Can I have a look, Sir?" "There ya are." "Do you suppose there could be some sort of trap door out there?" "Well, if there is, it's pretty well concealed." "No, Sir, there's no trap door out there." "Something would show, a crack or something, there's just nothing out there." "Well, what do you think?" "Do you mean, do I think some sort of spaceship crashed through that sand pit?" " Yes." " Well, let me ask YOU a question..." "How would it get underground instantaneously without smashing up?" "Well, if they had some sort of ray." " Like an X-ray?" " Uh-huh." "Some radioactive ray that could eat through the earth." "Well, we'll soon find out." "Rinal..." "Where'd Rinaldi go?" "Hello, Clary, you all briefed on what's been happening?" " Yes, Sir, but..." " No buts, Major, it's all true." " Hello, Roth, I'm glad you came." " Hello, Sir." "Captain Roth is our expert on electronics." "And Dr. Kelston thinks there's a spaceship out there, underground." "Do you think that's possible?" "Well, theoretically, yes, with infrared waves." "But nobody's been able to harness them yet, I mean on this planet." "Yeah, we're assuming these people are NOT from this planet." "Well, Sir, if they have a transmitter that can generate infrared rays, the way we generate shortwave rays for radio, there's no reason why they couldn't melt right through the earth, or anything else for that matter." "Well, that'd mean a pretty destructive weapon, wouldn't it?" "Yes, Sir, there would be no effective counter-weapon." "Can I ask, Colonel, what our orders are?" "Our orders are to secure all the installations in this area against any form of attack, and to explore beneath the surface of that sand pit area out there." "Excuse me, Sir, just where was it General Mayberry disappeared?" "Right there, where that fence ends." " Here, take a look with these." " Oh, thank you." "There's Sergeant Rinaldi out there." "Rinaldi, always sticking his neck out!" "You'd think after twenty years of service he'd know better." " That sound!" " Here, give me these." " It's got him!" "He's gone!" " You can't go out there, Colonel!" "Rinaldi's been with me 20 years." "Let him be the last one they get, Sir." "We may have no counter weapon, but if it's a fight they want, war, they're gonna get it." "As soon as the rest of the lights arrive, I want three more trained on that spot." " Keep it surrounded." " Very good, Sir." "I don't want anyone to go near there until I give the word." "I want the rest of the lights to keep the entire area swept constantly." "These devils might pop up somewhere else." "Sergeant, I thought I issued orders no one was allowed..." "It's you, Doctor!" " Find anything?" " I found something very interesting." "The autopsy showed this, it WAS cerebral hemorrhage." "What do you make of this?" "It seems to be some sort of kind of crystal attached to what looks like a piece of platinum." " Where was this located?" " At the base of the skull." "When that globe exploded in the brain, it caused a hemorrhage." "And that's what killed her." "Mom, Dad." "Now, take it easy, Son." "They're not gonna use a complicated device like this just to kill people." "It involves surgery we've never know possible." "You know what I think, Colonel," "I think this little device attached to the brain, is some method of control." "We've made white mice follow directional impulses with high frequency oscillation." "Now, theoretically, there's only..." "Do you mean that those Martians out there could be giving instruction right now to the people they've operated on?" "And they do exactly as they were told?" "Possibly, and then when they've served their purpose, they could loose a wave that would detonate that little bulb in the brain." "No!" "It stands they've been operated on." " Colonel, I think we can reproduce this." " What for?" "Well, if we had a reception unit like theirs, we might be able to get in on their wave length." "And intercept the messages?" "No, not that, you see, their messages would be just meaningless impulses to us." "But we might be able to locate their point of origin." " Well, get going, Captain!" " Yes, Sir." "Please, Sir, please hurry." "Colonel." "Fielding here." "Great." "No... no, nothing else." "The Armstead plant has just been blown up." "Halt!" "Stand as you are!" "Stand back, don't touch him!" "All right, c'mon, you, let's go." "What happened to him?" "He was all right, then..." "Yes, yes, go on." "No, take them to the morgue." "They got Jackson and Blaine, the two cops." "Both of them had that thing in their necks." "They're the ones that blew up the Armstead plant." "Were they killed?" "No, they died just the way the little girl did." "Please, God, let them find Mom and Dad before they do something awful." "I don't want them to die, too." "Halt!" "Halt or I'll fire!" "Give a near miss, that'll stop 'em." "You idiots!" "I'm General Mayberry!" "Sufferin' cats!" "It is!" "We got orders to bring you in, General, so drop what you got and hands up, both of ya." "Holy mackerel!" "What was that?" "Those suitcases must've been loaded with nitroglycerin." "It's for you, Colonel." "Fielding here." "Both of 'em blown to bits." "Yes, Sir, the rocket's okay." "Any further orders?" "No, no further orders, just carry on." "Out men just got..." "Tanks, in any normal war they're a beautiful sight, on your side." "Okay, Major Clary, if they got a ray down there, I don't know what good our tanks are gonna do, but we'll soon find out." "Have them surround that whole area." "Tell Lieutenant Blair to have his demolition crew ready." "to plant C2 charges where Rinaldi disappeared." "Right!" "Colonel's orders, surround field." "All tanks surround field." "Right here." "All right, men, start digging." "Yes, Brainard." "What is it?" "Nothing, Dr. Wilson, I just didn't expect to find you here tonight." "Sir, we're all DEEPLY sorry to hear about your little Kathy." " There's nothing one can say, but..." " Thank you, Brainard." "You sure you want to keep on working, Sir?" " You wouldn't rather..." " Be somewhere else?" "No thank you, Brainard, I always work at night." "I must go on, you know?" " Good night, Brainard." " Good night, Sir." "You can't park here, Lady." "Something's wrong with the car, I think it's the ignition." "I wonder if you'd be kind enough to see if there's a wire loose." "Well, I'm no mechanic but I'll take a look." "Put your foot on the starter." " Is your ignition on?" " Oh, I'm sorry." "Keep that motor running!" "Step on it, Corporal, get them to the hospital." "There's a chamber of some sort underground here!" "Give me the flashlight, Sergeant!" " You'd better let me go first, Sir." " I'm giving the orders here." "The rest of you can follow me." " Are you all right, Colonel?" " Yes, I think so." "Now, the rest of you come down by rope, it's a long drop." "All right!" "Come ahead!" "What do you make of it?" "They must have a ray all right." "One that doesn't just blast its way through the earth but fuses it, as well." "Where's this earth and what's phosphorus?" "It's not as bright as it was a few seconds ago." "Maybe because it's not longer in contact with the ray." "Now, what it doesn't tell us where they got to with Rinaldi." "They must've burnt themselves a tunnel out of here and then sealed it up after them." "And that leaves us knowing as little as we did when we got in here." "All right, get ready to haul away!" "Okay!" "Go on!" "Well, they've moved out of this spot." "Did you have any luck?" "We've rigged the original crystal to a variable oscillator... here." "Now, if it hasn't been damaged, it SHOULD give off some kind of vibration." "Well, these creatures can't be very far away... try it." "Yes, Sir." "WXPY, Sergeant Funston here, go ahead." "Hold it, I'll find out." "Is Dr. Blake here?" " I'm Dr. Blake.." " This is for you." "Dr. Blake." "Oh, who's operating?" "Good, he knows how the wires are attached." "Call me the minute it's over, will you?" "David's parents are in the operating room." " I think I'd better tell him." " Yes, I think you should." " Getting cold, David?" " I'm all right, if only..." "If only you get news of your Mother and Father, huh?" "Let's take a little walk, David." "They've found your parents, David." "Where?" "Are they all right?" "They're not..." "you know, they're not like Kathy?" "No, David, they're not dead." " Can I see them?" " Not just yet, David." "They're at the hospital and Dr. Metzler's going to operate." " He's a fine brain surgeon." " Brain surgeon?" "Well, there's no reason why he shouldn't be able to remove the crystal." "And then they'll be safe, and nothing can happen to them, like..." "like what happened to Kathy." "No, David, they'll be all right." "When'll I know?" " Well, Dr. Metzler is not there yet." " Not THERE yet?" "You have to be patient, David, he has to come all the way from Middletown." "But, that's an hour away." "But there's no one here that can perform the operation." "But an hour!" "In an hour the Martians could..." "David, try not to think about it, they'll be all right." "But nobody's getting anywhere out there!" "Nobody can locate anything!" "Anybody!" "The Martians, they're gonna start to..." "Roth!" "Fielding!" "Over here!" "Over here!" "Colonel!" "Quickly!" "Over here!" "Mutant!" "Let me go!" "Let me go!" " You want here, Sir?" " Right, just hold it a minute." "Let me go!" "Let me go!" "Stop!" "Colonel Fielding!" "Keep on trying, Roth, they can't have gone very far." "There's nothing here, Colonel, they already gone." "They disappeared here just a minute ago!" "And we won't save them by blasting more holes where the Martians have already left." "Come on." "Stop!" "Let me go!" "Let me go!" " Here!" "Here we are!" "We've located 'em!" " Lieutenant, set off your charge there!" "Major, I want your tanks to fire shells from the opposite side of the field." "The more noise, the better." "Let the Martians think that's where we're hunting them." "And maybe they'll still be here when we blast." "All right, Sir." "Sergeant Rinaldi!" "What is your name?" "David, you know me." "Not you, YOU." "What is your name?" "But you know, I'm Dr. Blake." "What are they doing up above?" "What are they doing?" "Who is he?" "He is mankind developed to its ultimate intelligence." "These are his slaves, existing only to do his will, just as you will." " What are they doing up there?" " I don't know." "You will tell him in a few moments." "Let's go!" "Let her go!" "Tell him to let her go!" "Let her go!" "Tell him to let her go!" "If you've done anything to my Mom and Dad, I'll..." "Come on!" "Step on it!" "On the double!" "Stop!" "Let me go!" "Let go!" "Let go!" "Let me go!" "Colonel Fielding!" "Colonel Fielding!" "Colonel Fielding!" "Colonel Fielding!" "Colonel Fielding!" "Colonel Fielding!" "Colonel Fielding!" "It's the boy!" "Come on!" "What in the name of time is that?" "Blast Him!" "Come on!" "Come on!" "Now get clear!" "Pat!" "Pat, are you all right?" "They're getting ready to take off!" "Blair, set up demolition charges, enough to blow this thing right back to Mars." "Where's David?" " And Rinaldi?" " I don't know." "Baker, form as many squads as it takes." "Comb every tunnel leading out of here, you only got a few minutes." "We'll give you a signal, as soon as the demolition charges are set, this ship goes sky high." " I'll take her top side, Colonel." " Right." "Colonel Fielding!" "Colonel Fielding!" "Colonel Fielding!" "Come on!" "Step on it!" "Search every tunnel, we gotta find Rinaldi and the kid, and the girl..." "Lincoln, get back here on the double!" "Colonel Fielding!" " Halt!" " What is it, Sir?" "I thought I heard something." "Go ahead." "This place is crawling with them big apes." "Get everybody out of here, Sergeant." "Everybody clear out but Jack." " You and I'll try to hold 'em." " Warning, Colonel." "That's emergency retreat, how much longer, Lieutenant?" "We're set, Sir, at what interval should I set it for to fire?" "Six minutes, that'll give us time to get above." "Let's move!" "Let's seal it up good, Lieutenant, give me a grenade!" "If any of those apes touch around, they won't get into the detonator now." "Colonel Fielding!" "Colonel Fielding!" "They've sealed up the exit tunnel." "If we don't release that detonator, we'll be blown to smithereens." "We can't release it now!" "We can't get back on the spaceship!" "How much longer, Lieutenant?" " About three minutes." " Start digging!" "Ya gotta hit 'em right in the PUSS with the grenade if ya wanna stop 'em, Major." "If nothin' works, we blow 'em apart!" "Here they come!" "Hold it!" "It's the kid!" "A coupla more, we're blowin' this place up, we gotta get outta here!" "It's Rinaldi, Sir, he's alive." "Well, take him, but hurry!" "What's the hurry, Major, we're sealed in, there's no way out." "There is!" "With this!" " How much longer?" " Just under two minutes." " How much time now?" " Ninety seconds." " He's just out, Colonel." " Stay with him." " Can you work it, David?" " Yes, Sir." "Give him a hand, will ya?" "All right, stay clear, Men!" "Come on!" "Hurry up, everybody!" "Hurry up, Harry, send the boy up first!" "Easy!" "How are..." "Rinaldi." "All right, move way back, the whole thing's gonna blow up." "Come on!" "Let's go!" "Colonel Fielding!" "Colonel Fielding!" "It's the boy!" "Come on!" "Mom!" "Dad!" "Are you all right?" " Of course we're all right!" " Whatsa matter, Son?" " That lightning scare ya?" " No, it wasn't that." "Didn't you got to the hospital?" "Why, no, we've been sleeping." "You've nothing to be afraid of." "Ah, now, what's wrong?" "It was horrible, I thought they did something awful to ya." "They were green, they had a ray gun, and that fence was gone." " What fence?" " Across the sand pit." "Well, let's go out and have a look at it." "It's back now." "Well, if it's back, and we're the same, then you were dreaming, Son." "I guess so, only..." "Go to sleep, now." "Gee, whiz!"