Tarantula Page #4

Well, I've heard of giantism,

but I've never seen it produced.

Why don't you have Deemer ask me out

in the next day or so.

- I'd like to discuss it with him.

- I will.

Besides,

it'll give me a chance to see you again.

Or don't I need an excuse?

- Now, what do you think?

- I'll call you.

My laboratory is not open to the public,

Miss Clayton.

Explain why you brought Dr. Hastings here.

- Sir?

- Dr. Hastings.

Will you please explain

why you brought him here?

He's very interested in your work,

sir, and I thought it'd be all...

Were you in the habit of conducting tours

at Owens University?

No, sir, but I thought it would...

Bringing him here

was a breach of my trust in you.

Experimental research is always confidential

be it here or anywhere else.

You didn't tell me it was confidential.

I didn't think I'd need to.

Professor, your face.

- That will be enough, Miss Clayton.

- Yes, sir.

- Boy, you got nerves. Simmer down.

- Where did you come from?

I was on my way to old Andy Andersen's

when I saw your car.

What are you doing here?

There was a landslide an hour or so ago.

- Came back to see what caused it.

- This is one of those days.

Old Andy called me in a sweat

and said to come a running.

Couldn't figure out

what he was yakking about...

but it seems like

something was eating his cattle.

- Eating them?

- Say...

He had sunstroke a couple of years back.

You don't suppose...

No, there must be something to it.

Said he had a stack of bones to show me.

You wouldn't like to come along,

would you?

You still trust my judgement

after the Jacobs business?

I ain't looking for medical advice, Doc.

Just company.

Glad you finally got here, Sheriff.

Hi, Doc. Didn't expect to see you.

Hi, Andy. Jack met me on the way.

Told me you've been having trouble.

- Yeah, darndest thing ever happened.

- Where's what we came for?

Let's go.

SHERIFF:
I never saw anything like it.

No footprints, no blood, no sign of struggle.

The bones just stripped clean,

like peeling a banana.

About noon the boy here came up

from the lower section and found them.

I don't suppose

it could've been mountain lions?

I've ranched here 22 years now, Doc...

and I've had more than my share

of lions and wolves.

It wasn't them.

MATT:
Where did that come from?

ANDY:
It was there when the boy got here.

Stop worrying about that

and tell me what's picking my cattle clean.

That's all I want to know. What's doing it?

- Take it easy, Andy.

- They're not your cattle.

If it could happen last night,

it could happen tonight, tomorrow night.

It could wipe me out.

Aren't you going to do anything?

I'm up a tree, Andy, like you are.

I don't know where to start thinking.

You got any ideas, Doc?

Better round up what livestock you can

and stand guard.

If you see or hear anything,

ring me at the house.

I'll be there, just in case.

See you, Andy.

Hi, Jack.

Anyone pull through?

You kidding?

I want to show you something.

Morning, Doc.

The Sheriff tells me

you've seen something like this before.

Yeah.

You buying this accident business, Doc?

- Aren't you?

- Nope.

I can't figure it. There isn't a skid mark.

We ploughed through the wreck

and found the brakes still work.

It's just like something grabbed the pickup

and threw it 30 feet off the road.

Take a look at this, Doc.

I can't understand

why I didn't spot this stuff...

when I hauled those skeletons out of here

and stacked them on the other side.

- They were here?

- Yes, sir. Why?

There doesn't seem to be

any distinctive odour.

Say, have you got a thermos

or a jar around here somewhere?

I think there's one over here.

- Same stuff we found at Andy's?

- Yeah, I think so.

Well, that makes three then.

Three?

Here, the stuff you saw yesterday,

and Andy's.

Andy?

His wife found him at the corral last night,

dead.

He'd been... Like the cattle and sheep.

There was a couple of gallons of this liquid

beside him.

I wish you'd give me a hand with this yarn,

Doc.

Stuff here I can't handle.

MATT:
Maybe there's stuff here

none of us can.

If I were you, Joe,

I'd write this as a straight accident.

If you print anything as vague

as what we've got...

you'll scare half the state to death.

BURCH:
News is news, Doc.

MATT:
Guess and a half-truth aren't news.

Why don't you hold off

till we nail this down tight?

Maybe then you'll have the biggest story

of your life.

- What have you got, Matt?

- I don't know.

But we've got to keep our minds open

and our mouths shut till we do know.

Here you are, Doc.

Thanks.

Well?

I'm not sure.

It's impossible at this stage

to give you a positive answer.

But it's related to insect venom.

- Insect venom?

- Come off it, Matt.

I know. But it checks.

Acidic content, the whole works.

I'm not sure what kind of insect venom it is,

but...

Look, Matt, I'm willing

to play ball with you...

but there's a limit to what I'll swallow.

Check it yourself, Joe. I'll show you how.

You're having nightmares, Doc.

There's not an insect in the world

with that much venom.

All right, don't take my word for it.

Get someone else to analyse it.

- Who?

- Prof. Deemer.

Hey, that's a good idea.

I'll make a date with him. Take the stuff out.

Okay?

Okay.

- This time don't you forget to let me know.

- I won't, Joe.

Insect venom in the large economy size.

I've heard everything.

Give me Prof. Deemer will you, Josh?

Hello?

Hello, Matt.

No, I can talk. He's upstairs.

STEVE:
I was hoping you'd call. There's...

Matt, I've got to talk to you.

Well, he's sick, Matt, terribly sick.

It's his face and his hands.

Yes. Well, I did.

I asked him to see a doctor,

but he won't do any...

Steve? Steve!

She hung up, Doc.

You want me to try to get her back?

Hurry, Matt!

- Are you all right?

- Something's happened.

He can hardly breathe!

Steve, get me some water, will you?

Don't you think we ought to get him

to a hospital?

There isn't anything they can do for him

we can't do right here.

Give him some water, Steve.

There's nothing you can do, Doctor.

- Don't say that.

- Nothing anyone can do.

Start with Jacobs, Professor.

He was the beginning.

Eric and I spent every waking hour

on this ever since our...

days at Oakridge.

But he was an impatient old man.

He was convinced that...

an occasional failure with the animals...

didn't necessarily mean...

that the nutrient would fail with humans.

Then...

one day when I was in town...

he and Paul...

injected themselves.

When did Jacobs inject himself, sir?

Four days before he died.

Acromegalia developed in four days.

The isotope triggered our nutrient

into a nightmare.

Then...

Paul went crazy and attacked me.

While I was unconscious,

he made sure that I wouldn't survive.

But I...

continued the experiment...

hoping that in the short time...

left to me, I'd be able...

to prove the...

nutrient...

would work.

You should have seen them.

You should have seen them.

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