Attack of the Crab Monsters Page #4

You have destroyed them

and tried to destroy me.

This, mes amis, was

one grave mistake.

Well, doctor...

This is ridiculous.

Molecular structure of this

crab is entirely disrupted.

There's no cohesion

between the atoms.

- I don't understand.

- Nor do I.

Apparently we have one of

those biological freaks

resulting from an overdose

of radiation poisoning.

The way to explain it is...

Look. Electricity.

The free electron in the

copper atom breaks off

to circle the next atom,

taking the charge

along the wire.

Do you follow me, Hank?

I think so.

The free electrons

jump from atom to atom

along the copper at

the speed of light.

I remember that

from high school.

Yes, atom to atom.

Well, something like that

has happened to our crab.

But instead of free electrons,

the crab has free atoms...

All disconnected.

It's like a mass of liquid...

with a permanent shape.

Any metal, therefore,

that the crab eats

will be assimilated in his

body of solid energy,

becoming part of the crab.

Like the bodies of the dead men?

Yes.

And their brain tissue,

which, after all,

is nothing more than

a storage house

for electrical impulses.

That means that the crab can

eat his victim's brain,

absorbing his mind

intact and working.

It's as good a theory as any other

to explain what's happened.

But, doctor, that

theory doesn't explain

why Jules' and Carson's minds

have turned against us.

Preservation of the species.

Once they were men,

now they are land crabs.

Okay, professor, how are the

crabs blowing up the island?

I am not sure.

But I imagine they are able

to send out arcs of heat.

They are packed with it.

The sides of the pit were glazed

as if the rock were melted.

They can melt and fuse

parts of the caverns,

explode the materials contained

and bring about the slides.

- Why?

- To get at us, of course.

Looks like we're on the

verge of a blessed event.

What's that?

What's that?

Or is this the one you killed?

No, it is still alive.

We did not kill it.

Notice the belt of yellow fat

around the base of the shell?

It would indicate that she's

in a very delicate condition,

and pretty close too.

I, for one, should not

like to be around

to hear the patter of

so many tiny feet.

- Then we've got to kill it.

- Kill it?

It's easier said

than done, Hank.

Now wait. This needs

some thought.

Doctor, you're not going to suggest

that we save it for science.

That would be suicide.

No, thank you, Martha.

I have no ambition toward

becoming a mad scientist,

But I do think we ought to

try and capture the thing.

Would you not like to

examine a live specimen?

Certainly, I would.

But I had a chance to

see how the specimen

examined the lab

wall last night.

Hey, take a look at this.

You said something about the crab

being afraid of electricity, doctor.

Let's find out.

Ashes!

The electricity destroyed the

leg in less than a second.

That proves that the crab

is negatively charged.

Yes.

Then, Hank, you must create

a trap of positive energy.

Ha! It works!

Well, sure it does, doctor, easier

to build than a model airplane.

The charge must be

just strong enough

to DE-energize the crab,

long enough for us to remove

the claws and cage it,

but not strong enough

to kill the thing.

That's fine, Karl, but how do we

get the crab to step into it?

Apparently the creature

sleeps by daytime.

We must take the

arc and place it

in one of the well-traveled

cave routes.

He has eight legs with which

to step on the plate.

I am sure he will manage.

Yes, but you better select a

new approach to the cave.

The beach entrance is

completely under water,

and the pit is...

He is using the dynamite.

We must hurry.

You've already lowered the

electric eyes into the cave?

Yes, you must place them either

side of one of the upper caves.

The lower caverns will

be flooded by now.

Use the underwater channels

to the ocean as you escape.

We'll try to attract his

attention from up here.

Take care, honey.

We might as well get to work.

I'll plant this one.

You take the other.

All right.

Lonesome in here.

It's lonesome everywhere.

You know, I bet you could

even be lonesome in a crowd.

Yeah.

Unless, of course, you found

that special someone.

Found him yet?

Why do you ask?

Because I...

Behind that wall!

This might be the perfect time to

collect some of Dr. Weigand's mercury.

If I can't make it back, you get

out of here as fast as you can.

Hank, you...

Get in to the water!

The water's down that tunnel!

Dale, they just ran across the

bottom of the pit into another cave.

Martha!

Let's get down to

the sea entrance.

It's no good shooting, Dale.

The bullets pass through

it just like X-rays.

So, you have wounded me.

I must grow a new claw

Well and good,

for I can do it in a day.

But will you grow new lives

when I have taken

yours from you?

Do you think it'll

work now, Hank?

It should. Everything's

put together.

The generator's always worked.

All we have to worry about is

the strength of our signal.

That is, if

Dr. Deveroux and Carson

will leave us alone long

enough to try it out.

I'm afraid they won't.

Rather than our receiving

radio signals,

they would prefer to receive us

in that great common

stomach of theirs.

Well, come on, Karl, let's go out

and see what's left of this rock.

I hope there is still something

left upon which to stand.

Well, I guess it's about

time I fixed us some food.

There used to be ridges

there for maybe two miles.

Now there's less than

half a city block.

Soon we will have

nowhere to run.

That's the idea, isn't it?

The path is still there.

Yes, Karl, but where

does it lead?

To the pit and to the sea.

At least to the sea.

We'll soon find out.

Aloha, Malihinis.

This is your favorite disc

jockey, Pineapple Joe.

Listen now to Mukakima

and his Ola'Kai boys

playing Muana Loa Lover.

It's working.

Only the receiver.

Not the transmitter.

Well, can you fix it?

I don't know.

Maybe with this telegraph

key and a Morse code setup.

Well, we don't have to worry

about the pit any longer, Karl.

No. Shall we go?

Might as well.

It's not wasting any time.

The sound came from over there.

Let's go.

Oh Hank, I don't know what

we'd have done without you.

Where did you ever learn

to fix all these things?

In the navy during the war.

And I knocked around a lot in the

radio and the TV repair business.

Ended up in the south pacific?

Yeah.

How'd you get here?

Well, after Dale

and I graduated,

we stayed on at the

Institute in research.

- You've been together ever since?

- UN-huh.

And when his promotion

comes through,

we'll be making it a

lifetime partnership.

Yeah.

Well, let's go

find Karl and Dale

and tell them this thing works.

All right.

Is that not oil?

Yes, it is, Karl.

I've never heard of oil being found

on the pacific islands before.

The detonations must've opened

a source deep in the island.

But look, it seems to be

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes