"How was the take tonight?" "Not bad, Mr. Hennessy." " Almost 20 grand." " Good." "Tell the boys I'll be with them in a few minutes." "Mary, for deposit tomorrow." "142 one hundred-dollar bills, 100 fifty-dollar bills, the rest five, 10..." "I told you I'd come back." "Remember Buchanan?" "Why, you're not Buchanan!" "I don't look like him but I am him." "Don't you recognize the voice, Jim?" "I promised to see you die and I will." " Hey, boss, what's the matter?" " Hey, boss, let us in." " Hey, boss, what's the matter?" " Hey, boss, let us in." "Hey, boss." "Come back home." "Come back home." "Get in the automobile." "Get in the automobile." "The automobile." "Get inside!" "Turn on the ignition." "Now, drive home." "He got hit when they shot at him." "He might not be able to make it." "If his brain is still receptive, he can be directed." "Well, what if it isn't?" "What if their bullets hit one of the brain electrodes?" "As long as he has an ounce of liquid in his veins, he will return home." "I've told you, these creatures automatically try to return to their source of feeding when their energies run low." "Well, your creature's helped us get rid of the first one." "I'll see them all die before I'm through." "Oh, if I had only known when you first offered to help me financially." "Dr. Steigg, if it weren't for my money, you'd still be experimenting with cats and dogs in that flea-sized lab of yours in Europe." "I made it possible for you to prove your theory with human beings." "That is true." "But my theory was to use these creatures to help people live by doing everything that was difficult and dangerous." "You just want to see people die." "Not just people, Steigg." "Particular people." "And I'll get them." "Every single one of them." "And after you do?" "What?" "There'll be nothing we can't do or have." "Nobody'll be able to stop us." "Can't you keep him going any longer?" "No, I can't keep them breathing longer than a few days, then the glands deteriorate." "They just disintegrate." "Is he dead?" "He never was alive." "Different parts of the body die at different times." "My next problem is how to keep them working as long as the heart is beating." "Does the brain still die first?" "Always." "The brain always dies first." " Why aren't you boys home in bed?" " Hello, Dr. Walker." "I gave him exactly $19,821." "All right, wait outside, will you, please?" " Oh, hello, Chet." " D.A." " Hi." " Hi, Dave." " What does it look like?" " Your guess is as good as mine." " Robbery behind it?" " Yeah, it could be." "Yet whoever did it left over 60 grand in the safe." "Maybe he didn't want to get into a higher bracket." "Oh, brother." "How did he get it?" "How didn't he get it?" "The neck's been broken and also his spine." "Just by twisting it." "The murderer must have had the strength of an ape." "Hennessy's guards saw him." "Said he looked like any other man." "Don't tell me he bent these bars?" "That's what Hennessy's boys say." "The killer came in and got out that way." "Well, I'd hate to meet him on a dark night." " Bullet holes, huh?" " Hennessy's boys shot at him." "Hit him, too." "Look at the trail of blood." "We found some blood on the road." "You know, there's something screwy about this whole thing." "He must've been hit bad to lose that much blood, yet he made it to his car and got away." "Well, whoever it was, was certainly careless." "These fingerprints are perfect." " That's strange." " What is?" "Turn out the lights for a minute, will you?" " See it?" " Yeah." "The fingerprints are luminous." "Yes, and the footprints and the blood." "Turn on the lights again, huh?" "What do you make of that?" "I'm a district attorney, not a chemist." "Ask Chet." " What about it, Chet?" " I wish I knew." "Let's take this back to the lab and make a test on it." "I'll send the fingerprints to Washington." "Maybe they can trace them there." " Don't let anyone in there." " Have you any idea who did it?" " Was it robbery?" " What's the inside on this?" "Got nothing to say now, boys." "Doctor, how did anybody break through those bars in there?" "Maybe he ate all his vitamins." "Vitamins?" "Look, a diluted solution of hematin." "Two absorption bands between the Fraunhofer lines." "Oh, cut the double-talk, Chet, and break it down to plain English." "Take a look." "This so-called blood is a chemical composition." "It looks like a bunch of crystals to me." "Exactly." "There are crystals in that concoction." "Now, what do you mean "concoction"?" "Here." "I'll show you." "Adrenaline, sodium hydroxide" "and blood sugars." "Throws the beam to the right dextrose." "No hemoglobin traceable." "No hemoglobin?" "Then it isn't blood." "Right." "Like I said before, it's a chemical composition." "Here, I'll put it in the centrifuge and we'll see what else it's made of." "Well, why is that stuff luminous?" "That's right, why is it luminous, Chet?" "Just as I thought." "This so-called blood is highly radioactive." " Dangerously so?" " Plus nine." "Is that a lot?" "Enough to kill a man if he's exposed to it long enough." "Well, that's about all we can do for tonight." "Let me know when you hear from Washington on those fingerprints." "Well, what'd you find out?" "Yeah, how about giving us a lowdown on this?" "Yeah, give us a lead, will you?" " You want the truth?" " Yeah." "All right, then, according to the evidence," "Hennessy was murdered by a creature with atom rays of superhuman strength." "And a creature that cannot be killed by bullets." "Creature?" "You don't expect us to believe that?" " No." " Big joke." "Just for that I'll misspell your name." "I don't blame them." "I don't believe it myself and I was with you." "Dave." "Come on in." " Where's Chet?" " Sleeping." "Sleeping?" "At this hour?" "Yes, at this hour. 7:30." "Well, don't blame me, Joyce." "I didn't ask him to be a cop." "Get him up, will you?" "it's important." " Where's Penny?" " Having breakfast." "Uncle Dave." "Well, how's my little sweetheart this morning, huh?" "I feel fine, Uncle Dave." "There's some coffee in there, Dave." "Thanks, I can use it." "Well, Penny and me are going to have a little tête-à-tête, aren't we, huh?" "I never tasted a tête-à-tête before." "Chet." "Chet." "Chet, wake up." "Chet, not now!" " Name a better time." " Dave's here." "Oh, he can wait till I kiss my wife." "Chet, he'll hear us." "So what?" "We're married." "But he's not." "Well, then let him find out what he's missing." "Chet, he says it's important." "Important?" "About that murder last night?" "Yeah, must be." "You didn't tell me anything about it." "I don't believe in talking shop when I'm home." "You'll probably read all about it anyway." "And when you do, you won't believe it." "I'll tell him you'll be right out." "Oh, this door sticks." "Remember, Mrs. Walker, you had your chance." "Come on, open up." "Tell me a story first." "It's too early in the morning for stories." "I always tell a story to my dolly." " Do you like her?" " Oh, I'm crazy about her." " What's her name?" " Henrietta." "Henrietta?" "I used to go with a girl named Henrietta." "What happened to her?" "What happened to her shouldn't happen to your doll." "She married a con man." "That's not the kind of a story to tell kids." " Hi, Penny." " Hello, Daddy." "Hurry up, Penny." "You'll be late for school." "Come on." "Atta girl." "Goodbye now." "Goodbye, Daddy." " Goodbye, Uncle Dave." " Have fun, Penny." "That's the story of a cop's life." ""Hello, Daddy." "Goodbye, Daddy."" "What's up?" "You'd better sit down first." "I just came from the Bureau." "They checked the murderer's fingerprints." "His name is Willard Pearce." "They let me have it from the files." "Petty theft, fraud, three months in prison, tubercular..." "How could a tubercular man have strength enough to break those bars like that?" "You think that's something?" "Answer this one." "How could a dead man have strength enough to do it?" "Deceased?" "Yeah, and I used to think Scrabble was tough." "When did he die?" "Well, according to that, 24 days ago." "Oh, that doesn't make sense." "You're the smart one." "If it doesn't make sense to you, imagine how it sounds to me." "Have they got a file on this guy?" "Yes, I copied it." ""Died of asphyxiation on the 22nd of last month." ""Body delivered to the city morgue." ""Copy of coroner's report was attached."" "Have you checked with the morgue?" "I got two of the boys doing it now." "Does MacGraw know?" "I called him at his home." "He told us to meet him at his office." "Hello." "Oh, yes, he's here." "For you, Dave." "Yes?" "Be right over." "Remember that cylinder we took out of Hennessy's Dictaphone?" " Yeah." " Like to hear it?" " Sure." " Come on." "Bye, Penny." " Now perhaps we can all relax for a little..." " Bye, honey." " Call you later." " Chet, you didn't have breakfast." " Nope." " Chet, it's not healthy to..." "Goodbye, Joyce." "What are you doing in here?" "I'm from Buchanan." "If you know that, you know why I'm here." "It's no use, MacGraw." "I said I would live to see you die." "I am watching you now." "Come back home." "Come home." "Come back home." "Mary, for deposit tomorrow." "142 one hundred-dollar bills, 100 fifty-dollar bills, the rest five, 10..." "I told you I'd come back." "That's when the Dictaphone was knocked out of his hand or he dropped it." "Anyone recognize that voice?" "I do and I don't." "I just got a feeling that I've heard it before." "Well, it'd be hard to place it anyway, but the killer's voice sounded more mechanical than Hennessy's." " Did you notice it?" " Yes, it's like a..." "Like a recording of a recording." ""I told you I'd come back."" "Not much to tie onto there." "Well, could've been some big loser who swore to get even or some gambler he rousted around." "Anyone and anything." "Anyway, there's no doubt that he bent the bars and came in through the window." "We could hear the sound of the glass crashing." "Listen, MacGraw must be waiting for us now." "Yeah." "Oh, but if that's the D.A., tell him we're on the way up." "Hello." "Yeah." "MacGraw?" "MacGraw was found in his garage, murdered." "I'll meet you down there." "I want to pick up some equipment first." "Okay." "Looks like the same job pulled on Hennessy." " Did you find any prints?" " Plenty." "I asked the Bureau to call me here as soon as they get a line on them." " How long has he been dead?" " About an hour." "It must have happened just as he was getting ready to go to the office." "Who found him?" "His wife." "She's in the house now." "I had to give her a sedative." "Take him away, boys." "Captain Harris, I can't figure this one." "His jaw's broken." "Neck, too." "It wasn't a weapon." "The bruises look to me as though they'd been done by a fist." "But MacGraw was a husky guy." "I've never seen a case where a man's neck was broken by the sheer force of a grip." "Why should anyone want to kill MacGraw?" "Well, he was a district attorney." "A lot of guys must have hated his guts." "MacGraw's enemies were usually friends of Hennessy's, and yet they were both killed in the same way and by the same person or thing." "Thing?" "How about a statement, Captain Harris?" "About time we had something official." "As soon as we have something to say, we'll say it." "Do you tie up MacGraw's murder with the Hennessy murder?" "Not until we know more about it." "You're wanted on the phone, Captain." "It's in the house." "Geiger counter?" "I want to check the car for radioactive emanations." "Emanations?" "Say, Dr. Walker, didn't you find radioactivity in the Hennessy killing?" "Well, then that would connect the two murders, wouldn't it?" "Well, yes and no." "It's not a conclusive fact." "Just an approach." "That story you gave us last night about a creature charged with atom rays," "it's on the level then, huh?" " I told you it was." "Hey, we had a scoop and didn't know it." "Let's get out of here." "It was the Bureau." "The prints belong to a Vernon Dunn." "He died a few weeks ago." "And that's not all." "Get this." "The boys just checked the morgue." "Eight bodies have disappeared." "Call the inspector and tell him I want to talk to him as soon as possible." "And ask him to have the Mayor there and the commanding general of this military area." "General?" "We're going to need all the cooperation we can get on this one." "How do you do, ladies and gentlemen?" "This is Dick Cutting with today's commentary on the news." "Well, as you know, today's big story hinges around the killing of District Attorney MacGraw, whose body was found today in his garage, murdered in much the same manner as Hennessy was." "What connection the murder of MacGraw can possibly have with Hennessy, a gangland boss, is unknown at present." "Dr. Chet Walker of the police laboratory has given out a fantastic story, so incredible that one can lend it little credence." "Dr. Walker is of the opinion those crimes are being perpetrated by dead men." "Yes, I said dead men, restored to life in some unknown manner by being charged with atom rays, which give them superhuman strength and makes them impervious to bullets." "Well, if you want to believe that story, you can..." "This Walker must be a pretty smart cookie." "He has imagination." "The kind of imagination that may prove dangerous to us." "You mean the kind of imagination that could prove dangerous to him." "About time to feed them, isn't it?" "Hello, Walker." "Captain." "Mayor Bremer." "General Saunders." "This is Captain Harris and Dr. Walker." "Walker's in charge of our lab." "I hope, Dr. Walker, you've called us here to assure us the stories about dead men walking our streets is only a hoax." "I wish they were." "What did you find out about those bodies stolen from the morgue?" "Well, according to the records, they were to be cremated." "They were placed in coffins and delivered to the city crematory." "May I ask how this concerns me?" "You can be of great help to us, General, as I'll explain in a moment." "But first, I'd like to give you and the Mayor a picture of what's been taking place so that you can understand exactly what we're up against." "Couldn't those bodies have been stolen by some of those creatures on or before arrival?" "Well, they could've." "But that wouldn't explain them coming back to life." "What makes you so sure they were alive?" "What makes me so..." "Well, they were walking around, weren't they?" "It says you found fingerprints." "You yourself said those dead people committed the crimes!" "Yes, those are the facts." "But I'm afraid we'll have to depart from our usual approach to get anywhere on this case." "I wish, Dr. Walker, you'd make yourself a little clearer." "Well, let me give you a very primitive example." "Do you remember Faraday's experiment with a frog's leg?" "I flunked Chemistry One three times." "I remember Faraday's experiment." "Good." "Then you'll remember that Faraday applied energy, in that case electricity, to the leg which had been severed from its body." "It moved." "Frog legs." "I don't see the parallel." "People of that day wouldn't believe that the leg of a dead animal could move, but Faraday proved it." "We know why." "Yes, now we know why and take our knowledge for granted." "In our case, which is as mysterious to us as Faraday's was in his time, we found traces of energy." "Energy which would increase the strength of any animal tremendously." "Radioactivity." "Well, you've lost me." "All right, Chet." "What you're trying to do now is throw away everything we've learned so far about life and death and start from scratch." "And just how do you propose to do this?" "Well, we have certain clues." "One very definite one." "In both of the murders, radioactive emanations were found." "Now that's where you come in, General." "We'll have to find the source of these emanations." "Now I want to use Air Force planes and trucks equipped with instruments which can track down that source." "I'll see that you get the trucks and I'll call Colonel Roberts at Monroe Air Force Base about the planes." "He'll give you all the cooperation you need." "We'd certainly appreciate that." "Tell him I'll be down to talk to him at, say, 3:00." "Goodbye, Dr. Walker." "Good day, gentlemen." "Of all things to happen under my administration." "Keep me posted on this." "And suppose we do find the source?" "Then we'll be able to find the cause." "That car in front." "Get it." "Wreck it." "Drive into it." "What's he doing at the airfield?" "Better wait and find out." "It may concern us." "Come back!" "Stop." "It's you!" "Well, who did you think it was?" "Don't tell me strangers are in the habit of..." "I was wondering if you'd be home in time for dinner." "That's not true, Chet." "Is it?" "Better hide it from Penny." " But how can I hide a thing like..." " Please, Joyce." "I'm tired and I'm hungry and I'm..." "Frankly, I don't know how." "I don't know any more about it than it says right there." "Look, how are we fixed for a nice, cold martini?" "Coming right up, Chet." "Penny's outside playing." "Well, what about it?" "Well, is it safe?" "There seems to be some sort of a definite pattern." "Can't put my finger on it, but I do know that Hennessy and MacGraw were killed for a reason." "Well, it's all right then?" "Well, for a while." "I don't think they've gotten around to indiscriminate killings yet." "Yet?" " Hi, Daddy." " Hi, Penny." "Where's the paper, Mommy?" "I want to read the funnies." "Oh, it didn't come today, dear." "Oh, then I'll put on the TV." " No, Penny." " It's broken, Penny." "We'll have to have a man over to fix it." "Yeah." "Look, why don't you play with Henrietta?" "She's a bad girl and I'm punishing her." "Well, did you spank her?" "I put her in her bed and told her she can't look at TV all week." "You're a tough one, you are." "Thanks, honey." "I've been looking forward to this all day." "I'll go." "Hello, Uncle Dave." "Hi, Penny." "How are you?" "Oh, it's you." "Oh, you don't seem particularly happy to see me." "There comes a time in every woman's life when she'd like to be alone with her husband, if only for a few minutes." "How come you never got married, Uncle Dave?" "He'd be a bigamist, Penny." "He's already married to your father." " Want a drink, Dave?" " No, not while I'm on duty." "Well, I'm not on duty." "You will be when you hear what I've got to tell you." "Penny, will you please go to your room?" "Why?" "I didn't do anything." "I know, dear. it's just that Daddy and Uncle Dave want to be alone." "I won't bother them." "Go to your room this minute, Penny." "All right." "But I always let you listen when I talk to Henrietta." "Okay, let's have it." "Look, I'm not a child." "And this is my house." "You're not going to put me out of it." "The only time my wife talks is when I'm ready to go to sleep." "All right." "I'll get dinner." "Remember you said this morning that you were thrown because Hennessy and MacGraw were both killed in the same way and by the same thing yet they were always on opposite sides of the fence?" " Yeah, what about it?" " Well, that worried me, too." "So I checked back on both of them and found that they were on the same side of the fence, once." " Well, when was that?" " About 10 years ago when you first came into the police lab." "Hennessy and MacGraw helped convict Frank Buchanan." "Buchanan." "The name rings a bell, but not too clearly." "Buchanan was a top mobster around these parts." "He practically ran the city." "When MacGraw became D.A. he took out after him." "Well, where does Hennessy come in?" "Well, Hennessy was Buchanan's number-two man." "He wanted the number-one slot, so he turned on him." "Oh, yeah." "I remember something about it now." "Wasn't Buchanan shipped off to Europe?" "That's right." "He got five years and deportation." "I don't get the connection." "Listen to this." "I got it out of the newspaper files." ""No sooner was sentence pronounced" ""than Buchanan leaped to his feet, screaming to MacGraw," ""'I'll get you for this." "You and everyone who squealed on me." ""'I'll come back and see you die, every single one of you!"' Get it?" "That voice on the Dictaphone." ""I told you I'd come back."" "That's right." "That's the first thing I thought of, too." " Yeah." " But you just said he was deported." "I'm not saying it's him, but it's a lead." "It's the only connecting link I could come up with, why any guy should want to kill both MacGraw and Hennessy." "Did you check with the authorities over there?" "Well, I cabled them and just got this answer." ""Frank Buchanan, resided in Rome." "Via Lucullo, Number 11." ""House vacated." "Left no forwarding address."" "Well, he could still be anywhere in Europe." "Well, I cabled the chief of police in Rome." "Asked him to investigate further and cable me as soon as he had a line on him." "Were there any others who helped convict Buchanan?" "Two others who were in with him and the fellow who was the Assistant District Attorney, Lester Banning." "He's now in private practice." "Think they should be warned?" "I'm having the boys round them up now." "They should be in my office any minute." "Well, let's go." "What about dinner?" "Oh, keep it warm, honey." "I'll be back in an hour or two." " Sorry, Joyce." " I'll bet you are." "One for the road?" "Oh, not now, dear." "I'm back on duty." " Oh, nice to see you, Mr. Banning." " Thank you, Captain." "This is Dr. Walker, head of our crime lab." " Doctor." " Banning." "And this is Jason Franchot." "He used to be Buchanan's accountant." "And Dunn here used to be his gunsel." " I don't like that word." " Paid killer." "Like it better?" "Look, I've been traveling straight and I don't know what I was brought here for, but it's a bum rap." "I want to see a lawyer." "Now tell me, Captain, what's this all about?" "I called you here to warn you that your lives may be in danger." "Is Buchanan back?" "What makes you say that?" "First Hennessy then MacGraw." "He said he'd get us." "But I didn't know he was back in the country." "His sentence wasn't changed." "How could he be back?" "If he's in this country, he's here illegally." "Now if you take my advice, you'll all go to jail for protection and stay there until we can find out whether it's Buchanan or not who's behind all this." "Not me." "I worked too hard to get out of jail." " It's for your own good." " Think my wife would believe that?" "She'd think I went back to packing a rod." "What about you?" "I have a good business now." "Tax auditor, public accountant." "If I went to jail, my reputation would be ruined." "I don't think it's necessary, Captain." "Particularly since there's no proof that Buchanan is back in this country." "All right." "But I am going to give you protection 24 hours a day no matter where you are." "Got that, Tom?" " Right." " Have some of the boys drive them home." "Now if an attempt is made to get any one of them next then we'll know for sure." "It'll complete the pattern." "It's the hard way to find out." "This is from the chief of police in Rome." ""Attention, Captain David Harris."" ""...in lab operation, who also has disappeared." ""If find any additional information, will advise." ""Rome Chief of Police."" "Dogs, cats, monkeys." "That's the way experimentation usually starts." "Starts?" "It's only one step from animals to human beings." "Captain Harris sent me to relieve you." "A little early, but why complain?" "And with the murder of Jason Franchot last night I must apologize for my recent skepticism regarding these radioactive creatures." "It seems they do exist and they are prowling the street." "Police Chief Camden assures us that they are doing everything in their power to get to the source of these beings." "With the cooperation of the military, planes and helicopters equipped with radium finders are now overhead, and strange-looking trucks similarly equipped are now at this moment prowling through the streets of our city to track them down." "Excuse me, please." "A glass of beer, please." "Thank you." "Hey, you forgot your change." "This is a sawbuck." "Two bits in the till, $9.75 in my pocket." "Now that's what I call a tip." "You from Water and Power?" "Five point two." "What's this all about anyway?" "I'm probing for radioactivity." "Is there uranium around here?" "I'm going to call my lawyer and find out if I own the mineral rights." " Who was sitting here?" " Search me." "He went out the back way." " Do you know who he is?" " Never saw him before." "Hey!" "Don't wash that glass." "He never washes them anyway." "He leave anything else here?" "No." "Just this." "This 10-spot hot?" "Hotter than you think." "This is an international who's who of the medical profession." "Here's what it says." ""Wilhelm Steigg, born in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1893." ""University of Berlin, Zurich, Milan." ""1948 Harman Prize for his research in amygdala stimuli."" "Amygdala stimuli, what's that?" "Ultra-short wave stimulations to specific parts of the brain, producing involuntary movements of the body." " That's highly specialized stuff." " Yeah." "A number of stories have been published about amygdala stimulation of monkeys." "Here's one of them." "Appropriations have been made for research and development, and there's a doctor in Madrid who's made great advances since this article was published." "Have you been conducting any experiments here at the hospital?" "No." "But I have a short film that I told you about." "Would you like me to run it?" " I'd appreciate it." " Fine." "Draw the curtains, will you?" "This animal looks content, doesn't it?" "You wouldn't suspect that it has 18 electrodes inserted in its skull." "Turning this switch releases a small amount of ultra-short waves." "Those electrodes are tuned to specific frequencies." "As long as the impulse is released, the dog barks." "By applying another impulse of different frequency, the dog immediately falls asleep." "It will lie there as long as the stimulus is active." "Another impulse will make it vicious." "Docile." "Hunger can be induced." "Or it can be made to resent its food." "Amygdala stimulations, somatomotor and visceromotor effects." "Does this demonstration satisfy your curiosity?" "Almost." "Try my special mixture." "Thanks." "This experiment was done on live animals." "Of course." "Do you think it could be applied to dead ones?" "Dead ones?" "Offhand, I'd say no." "The command impulse is so small, less than a millionth of a watt, that only the animal's body energies could supply the reactions." "If you could replace the body energy from an outside source, say, with radioactive energies, do you think you'd get the same results?" "Well, your question is much too abstract to be answered at this moment, Dr. Walker." "Do you think an experiment on humans would have the same result as on animals?" "We haven't arrived at that stage of our experiment, yet." "Could it be possible that somebody else has tried and already succeeded?" "Are you trying to connect the experiments with animals with mysterious events of our city?" "It would answer the riddle, wouldn't it?" "Remote-controlled creatures, their brains powered by atomic energy, roaming the streets, directed from a central point." "Utterly fantastic." "Yes?" "Yes, he's here." "It's for you, Doctor." "Yes?" "Oh, yes, Dave." "Send the glass and that bill over to the lab at once." "That bird must be radiating in the dark." "I don't understand how he can stay alive with all that radium poisoning in his system." "German accent, huh?" "Better have them search every house within a 10-block radius." "Letting them get that close to you." "What did you ever leave here for?" "The pain, the pain in my hand was killing me." "If I hadn't gotten some medicine to relieve it, I would have gone crazy." "From now on just hide in here." "With the walls and the shutters leaded, they'll never find us." "I'm not so sure." "Those creatures, they leave radioactive traces." "Sooner or later they will be picked up." "The planes, how low they're flying." "Oh, I think it was a mistake not to get rid of that Walker when we had the chance." "It's a mistake we can remedy easily enough." "I'll stop them." "I'll make them ground every plane and pull out every truck looking for us." "Go in there and fix up that stoolie." "I want to send one of them out." "And you feel certain it's Buchanan who's behind all this?" "For my money, it is." "Killing Franchot completed the pattern." "What about those other two, Banning and whatever his name is?" "Who, Dunn?" "We put them in the county jail." "They'll be safe there." "It's the first time that gunsel ever begged to be put into jail." "He was scared stiff." "He isn't the only one." " Yes?" " Call for you, sir." "Personal." "The party says it's important." "Hello." "Yes, this is Chief Camden." "You will stop all planes and trucks searching for radioactivity." "I will give you until 3:00 this afternoon to do this." "If you do not, many people will be killed exactly one hour later." "Who is this?" "Who is this?" "There will be no other warning." "Hello?" "Hello?" "Hello?" "They hung up before I could put a tracer on it." "It was a warning to withdraw all our planes and trucks equipped with radium finders by 3:00." "Or else." "What do you mean "or else"?" "He, or whatever it was, practically threatened mass murder one hour later." "What did the voice sound like?" "Sort of mechanical." "What do you think, Dr. Walker?" "Could he, or they, or whatever these creatures are, could they do this thing?" "There's no definite knowledge as to what they can or cannot do." "Then they must be stopped." " How?" " Well..." "Our only chance is to find their source." "But if we pull back all the planes and trucks we'll never find the source." "Give into Buchanan now and there's no telling what he'll ask for next." "You think they're bluffing, Chet?" "They could be, but I doubt it." "Captain, alert the entire force." "Put every available officer on duty at 4:00." "I wonder just what they're trying to do." "We'll find out in two hours." "As Governor, I am declaring a state of emergency." "All police facilities have been alerted to protect us against any further crimes by so-called atomic creatures." "The state militia will assist in patrolling all traffic." "All scheduled transportation shall be canceled until further notice." "If you must go outside, have identification papers with you." "The radium-finding planes and trucks will continue to operate since this is our best hope of locating the source of these beings." "Do not be alarmed as we are confident we will soon pinpoint the origin of these emanations." "All possible measures for your safety are being taken..." "I think we'd better dismantle the panel right now and get out of here while we can." "Not till I'm finished." "There are two more yet, to say nothing of that bright boy, Dr. Walker." "But you don't even know where they have hidden Banning and Dunn." "Walker'd know." " If we got him..." " Why, as a creature, he would have no memory." "You know that." "He's a cop, isn't he?" "We can use him to get the information for us." "Bring one of them out, right now." "Oh, hey, Dave, will you do me a favor and take my car over to the lab?" "Have one of the boys take the Geiger counter out of the trunk." " It needs a little adjustment." " All right." "You can drive mine home." " Thanks." " I'll bring it back in the morning." "Okay." "Hey, what's the big idea?" "Identification." "Oh, yes." "Of course." "I forgot." "Franchot." "Hand me the scalpel." "I think we've made our first real mistake." " A dangerous mistake." " I don't think so." "What will you use Captain Harris for?" "The same thing I was going to use Walker for." "He's a cop, too, isn't he?" "Get him in shape as fast as you can." " Is he ready?" " Yes." "Let's take a look at him." "Come in." "Closer." "Stop." "Why doesn't he see us?" "What's wrong?" "Look at us." "See how the selen cells transmit the image the creature sees on this screen?" "And with him I have actually succeeded in stimulating the muscular impulse of the larynx so that I can activate him to speak." " With his own voice?" " Yes." "Let's hear it." "Make him say something to me." "What do you want him to say?" "His name." "And make him look at me." "Look at him." "Say, "My name is David Harris." "Captain Harris, Homicide Squad."" "My name is David Harris." "Captain Harris, Homicide Squad." "Steigg, you may be a crackpot, but you're also a genius." "I think we can finish up all our unfinished business by tomorrow." "I'll go." "Penny!" "Ask who it is first." "Who is it?" "I am Captain Harris, Homicide." "It's Uncle Dave." "Why so formal?" ""I am Captain Harris, Homicide."" "Hello, Uncle Dave." "Daddy isn't home." "He just left." "I'm baking a cake for Penny." "It's her birthday." "I'm seven today, going on eight." "Excuse me, will you?" "My cake will be ruined." "Gosh, your hand is cold." "Sit down, Uncle Dave." "I want you to see what Mother got for Henrietta." "See?" "She got a new dress, panties, socks and shoes." "Don't you think they're beautiful?" "What's the matter, Uncle Dave?" "Cat got your tongue?" "Where is your father?" "I don't know." "Ask your mother." "Mommy, Uncle Dave wants to know where Daddy is." "He went to see Chief Camden, Dave." "Something about those two men involved with Buchanan." "Those two you're keeping in the county jail." "What are their names again, Dave?" "You know who I'm talking about." " Banning and Dunn." " That's it." "You sound terrible, Dave." "Are you sure you feel well?" "Penny, keep away from him." "He may be coming down with a cold." "Here." "Hold Henrietta for me." "It's time to feed her." "Chet had a brainstorm this morning, Dave." "Something about giving out phony information as to where those two men were hidden." "He thinks Buchanan will send out one of those creatures to kill them and then you can capture him." "But he'll tell you all about that when you see him." "Penny, what are you looking for?" "Where's Henrietta's bottle?" "Here is it." "Now please stay out of the kitchen." "I'm busy enough as it is." "Mommy!" "Penny!" "Penny!" "Mommy!" "Penny, baby, what's the matter?" " Honey, what's the matter?" " It's my dolly!" "I told you I'd make use of him." "They were going to trick you with false information." "We're about to pull a neat little trick ourselves." "Tell him to hurry up." "Faster." "Faster." "Dr. Walker's trying to locate you, Captain." "He said to get in touch with him immediately." "This is 13-F-1 calling from frequency two." "Inform Dr. Chet Walker that Captain Harris is at the county jail." "KMA 3-6-7." "Oh, Captain Harris." "Glad to see you again." "Yeah." "We're getting tired of looking at one another." "How long do we have to stay holed up here?" "Being with him is like being in solitary." "Well, if we can judge by the progress the police are making, we may as well resign ourselves to spending the rest of our lives together." "That may not be as long as you think." "What's wrong, Captain?" "Captain, you off your rocker?" "I'm Frank Buchanan." "You're cracked!" "You ain't Buchanan." "You're Captain Harris." "I am Buchanan." "I told you I'd see you die." "Hi, Dave!" "Joyce called me." "Why in the world did you..." "Hey, Dave." "Wait a minute." "What's the rush?" "We got Walker." "For Pete's sake, Dave." "What's eating you?" "Slow down, Dave." "Attention all cars." "Lester Banning and Tom Dunn found murdered in county jail." "Police Captain David Harris, suspect." "Proceeding south with Dr. Chet Walker in yellow convertible." "License number 27H4926." "Dave?" "Did they..." "Oh, no." "Proceeding south with Dr. Chet Walker in yellow convertible." "License number 27H4926." "Smash up that car." "Smash it up." "Did the car crash?" "It must have." "Then both are dead." "Only one can die, Mr. Buchanan." " Dr. Walker, you all right?" " Yeah." "Have Chief Camden rush a helicopter to pick up Captain Harris and take him to the city hospital." "Yes, sir." "And tell him to have Dr. Norton stand by." "Right." "Muscular movement extremely strong." "Extra-ocular reactions missing completely." "Reactions similar to those of animals subjected to strong amygdaloid stimulations." "Got that?" "Thank you." "The X-rays of the skull." "These will bring us a few steps closer to the solution." "Will you follow me to my office, please?" "Doctor, stay here and let me know should the patient's condition change." "Amazing." "What are the small protrusions on end of the dark lines?" "Electrodes." "As you see, they are grouped in patterns." "Every one is connected with an amygdala circuit." "You used that word before." "What does it mean?" "The small lobes projecting from the underside of the cerebellum." "All our body movements originate from there." "These nerves stimulate muscular impulses." "That's how the body gets orders from the brain." "Muscular impulses?" "The larynx is a muscle, isn't it?" "We certainly move it by muscular contraction." "That's why those creatures are able to talk." "If the right stimulation activates the amygdala circuit, they will speak." "There is no question about it." "But they're not aware of what they're saying." "They are not aware of anything." "Those disks in front of the eyes are selen cells." "What makes you think so?" "Electric impulses produced by light." "They could very well be transmitted back to..." "Well, let me call it a receiving station." "What would that mean?" "If the image on the retina could be transmitted then someone would be able to witness whatever this creature is seeing on a screen." "But that's impossible." " Look here." " What is it?" "You see?" "A few of the very fine wires have been broken loose." "That's why the creature is impassive." "He's moving." "He's trying to get away." "We can't get through to him." "See?" "Some of the electrodes must have been broken when he had that accident." "The oscillograph doesn't register the impulse." "His eyes are open." " Does he see us?" " I don't know." "Don't go closer in case the selen cells can still transmit light images." "Maybe you can lead us to them, Dave." "Maybe you could... it's just a hunch but I think he's trying to return to his source of energy." "Look, see how he turns, as if trying to find a certain direction?" "Watch it!" "Let him go." "I'll follow him in the helicopter that brought us." "Tell your men not to interfere with Captain Harris if he takes a car," "even a police car." " Right." "Let's hope he leads us to the source before his energy runs down completely." "Try to contact him." "If he has any energy left at all, he will return to replenish it." "The radium in this tube, wherever he is, this will attract him like a magnet." "Captain Harris leaving hospital area." "Patrol car 557 passed First Street heading north." "Over." "Camden!" "Come in, Camden!" " This is Camden." " I can see 557." "Have your men keep out of his way." "He can only see what is in front of him, clear?" " Over." " Clear." "Over and out." "Take her down." "Fly about 500 yards behind 557." "Patrol car 557 passing Third Street area." "557 turned onto foothill proceeding south." "Caution them to follow and not interfere." "Will advise when 557 reaches destination." "Over." "Place located at end of Westholm Boulevard." "Notify all aid." "Over and out." "Okay, set her down." "In a little while, the police and soldiers will be here." "Come with me." "I've had enough bloodshed." "I will not let you commit any more." "Oh, yeah?" "Try and stop me." "A life of work." "But I'll destroy it first." "I'll bring up some incendiaries, burn the place down." "No!" "There must be radium in there." "A fire would burn off its protective lead shield." "Yes, once the radium is exposed, the gamma rays might spread over the entire city." "Then we can't even blow open the door or the windows." "It would be too dangerous to try it because of explosion." "Come in." "Come in." "Go out and kill them." "Kill them." "Look." "Good grief." "Look at them." "Those are the bodies that were stolen from the morgue." "Kill them." "Kill them." "The bullets have to sever the electrodes to stop them." "Incredible." "With the last ounce of energy remaining, he's still trying to reach the source." "Are you all right?" "Well, I wonder what we've got here." "Look at that, a birthday present from Uncle Dave." "Isn't that pretty?" "Oh, but isn't he coming?" "No, no." "I'm afraid he'll have to be away for a while." "Why?" "I'm not mad at him anymore." "It's not that, Penny. it's business." "Look, Penny, why don't you name your new dolly Henrietta the second?" "No." "I'm going to call her Dave." "Dave?" "Dave's a boy's name." "That's a girl doll you've got there." "I don't care." "I know." "I'll tell all my friends she's a tomboy." "Well, guess that ought to do it, huh?" "All right, Penny." "See if you can blow these out now." "Here, Daddy, hold Dave for me." "All righty." "Take a deep breath now." "Get ready." "Come on, blow." "Come on." " There." " Wonderful, Penny."