The Monolith Monsters Page #5

They're pulling the water

out of the sand like sponges.

Well,

the rain's stopped, anyhow.

Yeah, without a continuing rainfall,

at least the growth's been retarded.

It looks like it's taken about

Still too fast.

Professor, the way I figure

it, we got seven or eight hours

and San Angelo's gonna look more

like a petrified forest than a town.

Yeah.

Dave, I know this is

an unnecessary question,

but are you positive that you wrote down all

the ingredients in Dr. Hendricks' formula?

Absolutely.

You mean none of them work? That's about it.

Our one chance is

that maybe a combination

of all the ingredients.

Yeah, yeah. Pairs, three at

a time, maybe all at once.

Well, let's try a mixture of

silicic acid and Glucose DB.

Don't be too discouraged, Dave.

Your theory's sound. I'm sure of it.

Cathy!

What're you doing here?

Well, that's a fine greeting. I

thought you'd be glad to see me.

Of course I am.

You look tired, honey.

Did you get any sleep?

Oh, don't worry about me.

Ginny's all right.

Oh, great.

She's sleeping mostly,

from exhaustion.

And I wanted

to be with you.

Well, I'm delighted you came,

Miss Barrett. We can use some help.

We sure can.

We'd better get that lung in here.

All right.

You're the husband?

Yes.

You can relax now.

We were on time.

It'd be simpler if we could just find a way

to keep the water

from getting to them.

See? The activity's

almost stopped.

Maybe this'll stop it

for good.

It doesn't make sense.

Something in that formula worked for

Hendricks. Why won't it work for us?

It has me stumped. I thought, surely if

we grouped all four ingredients together

like Dr. Hendricks did for the little

girl, we'd get a positive reaction.

So did I.

Wait a minute.

We didn't duplicate Hendricks'

formula, not completely.

You mean the saline solution?

Why not?

We've tried everything else.

But I thought you said that

was nothing but a salt solution

to hold the ingredients together.

Yeah, that's what I said.

Then it couldn't possibly

have any effect, could it?

You're absolutely right.

It's ridiculous.

But that's what they said about the

wheel when someone first thought of it.

Dave, it works.

More water.

We got to be sure.

If we had that extra day the

Weather Bureau promised us,

I'm sure we could figure a way

to stop the monoliths for good.

We're not that lucky.

But I think we can cut them

off here before they reach town.

That'd be like trying to stop a

forest fire with a traffic signal.

All right, Chief. How do

you fight a forest fire?

With a firebreak, right?

Yeah.

Well, how about

a salt break? Look here.

The natural slope of the valley floor

is bringing them right down here.

Now, if we could lay a

swath of salt right here,

making it as wide

as the monoliths are tall,

then, when they fell and

shattered, they'd just pile up,

keeping them inside

the canyon.

This'd give us

the time we need.

Theoretically,

you're right, David,

but to cover an area that

great in the time that we have,

why, I doubt if

could move that salt

over there fast enough.

I've thought about that,

Professor, but we've got to try.

Will you gain enough time

to make it worthwhile?

If we had to have

a misplaced ocean,

why couldn't it have dried

up and left its salt here

where we need it, in the first

place? Even if it were there,

it couldn't keep the monoliths from

breaking out of the valley eventually.

Why?

The dry salt in either case will

only act as a temporary barrier.

When they pile up sufficiently, some

of them are bound to go around it.

Why, they'll go crashing through that

irrigation dam like it wasn't there.

And with the flood waters

to feed them,

they'll march right on

through the reservoir canyon

and out into

the citrus area.

And once they break through to

the other side of the mountains,

there'll be

no stopping them ever.

Chief, you lived here, didn't you,

before that irrigation project was built?

Yeah, sure.

Did the water

that flowed down the wash

reach this end of the valley

before the dam was put up?

When it rained.

What're you driving at?

We're gonna

beat them to the punch.

If the monoliths get to the water

behind the dam, they'll feed on it.

But if we could drain that reservoir

first, that same water will stop them.

After it floods through the

dry lake, it'll be salt water,

which will deactivate

them completely.

Dave, I don't think the flood gates

will release the water fast enough.

How about the discharge pipes?

The discharge pipes are on

the other side of the mountain.

The dam was built by the

citrus growers over there.

Then we'll dynamite the dam.

Blow it up?

You can't do that.

It's privately owned.

Dave, you can't take on

this responsibility alone.

She's right. Besides, that's a

$6 million irrigation project...

There's no price you can put on the

destruction those things will cause

if they're not stopped here.

Get in touch with the Governor. He

might order it in the public interest.

Dave, where are you going?

We've only got

a few hours left, Dan.

Those charges have got to be set

exactly right to move all that concrete.

And we only get one chance.

The Salt Reclaiming Company

uses a lot of dynamite.

You'll find everything

you need there.

Thanks.

And what do you think, Professor?

Will it stop the monoliths?

Well, it's like another

laboratory experiment, Cathy.

In science there are no guarantees.

Hey, you can

see them from here!

Mr. Miller, there's still some men down

at the salt plant moving equipment out.

I'm supposed to warn them

before we set her off.

You better make your call now,

just to be safe.

Then keep your phone open and

stand by. I'll tell you when.

P1 calling P2.

Come in, P2.

Dave, is everything all right? So far.

One word on that car radio,

and 6 million bucks worth

of dam goes sky high.

David, from

our calculations,

we know it takes at

least a 3/ salt solution

to be effective

against monoliths.

So I did some fast figuring,

rough estimates

based on what Mr. Cochrane remembers

about the volume of water behind the dam,

and the amount of salt

that'll be in its path. And?

What are the odds?

We're going to have to be lucky. Very lucky.

Dave, the Governor is supposed to fly here

to get a firsthand look at the disaster area.

But, so far, we haven't

been able to locate him.

When he sees

what's happening here,

he's sure to give

permission to blow up the dam.

The important thing

right now

is to get out to the edge of

town where we can see something.

Chief, will you have the

patrol car stick close to us?

We'll need that radio.

Right, Dave.

Professor,

can you figure how long it'll take the

water to reach the wash after it's released?

I'll have to know

how far away it is.

Two and seven-tenths miles

from dam to city limits.

If it's dull or statistical,

I've written about it.

David, roughly three minutes

after they dynamite the dam,

the water will flood the wash.

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