The Angry Red Planet Page #4

and sticking your neck out.

Colonel, sir, I,

for one, know it--

now.

Was that thing

really trying to kill Iris?

It wasn't just a

friendly embrace.

But why weren't we

attacked before?

We all passed that--that

plant creature.

What are you driving

at, Professor?

Well, I can't help feeling that

we're being watched.

That there is some

purpose behind it all.

What's the matter, Professor?

Your ears twitch, too?

Obviously, there is

animal life here,

probably intelligent

life as well.

And yet, we haven't seen any.

Now, this quiet,

this lack of motion...

Oh, you still think it's

intentional, controlled.

I--I don't know.

But why?

Perhaps, in a way, we're

being controlled, too,

through the actions of

these lower life forms,

kept harmless, so to speak.

What could control

all life here?

It could be some

super-intelligent

community mind, I suppose.

Community mind?

Yes.

Like the inexplicable,

mysterious control

which keeps a colony of ants

functioning in perfect

unity back on earth.

I got news for you, Professor.

I'll take the ants any day.

Well, we have 4 days

left to find out.

Isn't your earth contact

a little late, Sammy?

Yeah, it is.

Over an hour late.

Try your equipment.

It's not equipment failure.

I get nothin' but dead air.

Keep your line open

and try transmitting.

This is MR-1 and this is

a test transmission.

It's no use.

Our signal keeps

bouncing back at us.

I can't get through.

There must be some ionized layer

in the martian atmosphere,

keeping those radio waves

from going through.

Yeah, and keeping

earth's reports

from reaching us.

I never heard of anything

that'd stop the

frequencies I'm using.

Well, you're hearing

about it now.

Keep taping our reports, Sammy.

We're going to stay here

the full 5 days,

even if it means

no contact with earth.

Jumpy, Irish?

Afraid so, a little.

See anything?

Nothing.

Everything seems to

be dead out there.

It's like a nightmare

of unending silence.

I know.

We all feel it.

Then it isn't just me,

because I'm a woman?

Women don't have any

monopoly on fear.

Men are more afraid of

being called cowards.

Cowardice is one thing I guess

we can never forgive ourselves.

Look, the sun's rising.

Yeah.

Looks sort of

angry.

All right, everybody,

come and get it!

Breakfast's ready!

Hot coffee, hard tack

and vitamin pills!

We'll head off in

that direction.

Now, remember, stay together.

Come on, Irish.

Well, this certainly

looks different.

Look! Those trees over there!

They look different, too.

Yeah, like nothing we've seen.

Hey, let's take a

closer look at them.

Okay.

Sam and Gettell, you stay here.

Keep Cleo handy.

I'll go with you.

Doesn't look like bark.

Let me have your machete, Tom.

Here.

Oh, it's alive!

Look out, Professor!

Look out, Professor!

Colonel!

I'm givin' her all she's got.

She won't move her!

Cleo isn't budging her!

Stay here.

Aim for the eyes, Sam! Blind it!

Get it!

Are you all right?

Yes, give me a moment.

Are you hurt?

No, no, Iris. I'll be all right.

No bones broken.

Just bruised a bit.

Boy, some playmate.

King Kong's big brother.

Even Cleo only gave

it a slight chill.

Must be about 40 feet high.

Come on,

let's get back to the ship.

Oh, no, no, no. Wait, Iris.

We don't have much time

for exploring as it is.

We mustn't lose any more

of it on account of me.

It's too important.

I'll be fine.

I've been curious as to what's

on the other side of that ridge.

Let's go.

Now there it is,

a martian lake.

It has that same

feeling of deadness.

No, wait a minute, Iris.

It's all right.

No abnormal radiation.

So there's water

on Mars after all.

Besides the polar

icecaps, I mean.

If it is water.

Well, it feels kind of oily.

Seems--

seems heavier than

ordinary water.

Well, it probably

has an entirely

different mineral content.

I'm sure it couldn't

sustain life,

at least not life

as we know it.

I wonder what's

on the other side?

Well, tomorrow

we'll bring the boat.

The lake isn't so wide.

We'll have a look.

It's getting late.

We meet any more creatures

like that last one,

I'd hate to have to

fight 'em in the dark.

Come on.

Some baby, that rat-bat-spider

nightmare, huh?

Walked away from

Cleo and even after

Cleo turned on all

her charms, too.

At least she scared it away.

Yeah,

good girl, that Cleo, huh?

Hey, you know the only

thing that bothers me?

Someday, maybe she'll

meet a monster

that'll ignore her.

Break her heart.

Mine, too.

Irish,

Sam,

the Professor and I

have come to a decision.

Yes.

In view of everything,

we've decided not to

stay the full 5 days.

Huh?

We're gonna take off tonight.

Tonight?

Mm-hmm.

Sam, prepare the panel

for take off, will you?

Yes, sir. But why?

Well,

Iris, it's probably

mostly because of me.

You see,

I can't seem to get

it out of my head

that there is an even

greater danger here

than we realize.

The controlling force?

Yes.

My orders from

General Treegar were

to take no unnecessary chances.

We've fulfilled our mission.

We've landed on Mars.

And we've collected a

lot of information,

plenty to prepare for

the next expedition.

Now prepare for blastoff.

Strap in.

Gettell, close the ports.

Right.

Instrument lights.

Minus 15 seconds. Mark!

Main firing switches,

on.

Minus 10, 9,

8, 7, 6, 5,

4, 3,

2, 1. Fire!

What is it, Tom?

We can save our fuel.

We're not going anywhere.

Look, every pin is

glued to the top.

We're in some sort

of a force field,

tremendously powerful,

holding us right here.

The control.

Whoever they are,

they don't want us to leave.

Why don't they come

out in the open,

whoever they are?

This waiting,

uncertainty,

not knowing--

why are they keeping us here?

What do they want with us?

What are we?

Guinea pigs?

Take it easy, Irish, easy.

Now, think a minute.

They can't really

want to harm us.

If they did, they

could've destroyed us

a long time ago.

They must have another reason

for keeping us here.

Tom,

I've run a few tests.

Now, we're being held

by a gravitational

pull so strong

that it would take 100 times

the thrust power we

have to break free.

I wonder.

Will we ever get

back to earth again?

Well, we're not gonna wait.

Sam, break out the boat.

We'll see what's

across that lake.

Didn't we calculate

that the other shore

was just over the horizon?

We did.

Well then, we should

see it quite soon.

I don't like this place.

I'm with you.

Why?

It's so dead.

Well, it's better than that

walkin' forest we just ran into.

Tom,

take a look at this.

What do you make of it?

Now we're getting somewhere.

Those buildings

didn't just grow.

They were made.

Let's get closer.

Yeah,

I want to get

one of those martian girls.

We thought we had it made.

How tall are those buildings?

Why, at least half

a mile, I'd say.

Oh, look at that!

Iris, Gettell, get

back to the ship.

Sam, try Cleo again.

Yeah, right.

Iris.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes