The Monster That Challenged the World

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[Narrator]

THIS IS THE SALTON SEA

IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.

A STRANGE PHENOMENON,

IN WHICH NATURE:

HAS PLACED:

400 SQUARE MILES

OF SALT WATER:

IN THE MIDDLE OF

AN ARID DESERT.

IN THE DESERT,

NEAR THE SHORE OF THE SEA,

THE GOVERNMENT:

HAS ESTABLISHED:

ONE OF ITS MOST IMPORTANT

NAVAL RESEARCH BASES.

AT THE LABORATORY

ON THE SECLUDED:

SOUTH TIP OF THE BASE,

TOP-SECRET

ATOMIC EXPERIMENTS

ARE CARRIED OUT UNDER

RIGID SECURITY CONTROL.

AT THE AIRFIELD,

UNDER THE DIRECTION

OF THE:

PARACHUTE TEST UNIT,

PLANES LEAVE:

ON DAILY MISSIONS

FOR THE JUMP AREA

OVER THE SALTON SEA,

WHERE NAVY MEN:

DIVE IN THE GOVERNMENT'S

CONTINUOUS RESEARCHING

OF PARACHUTES,

TO MEET THE:

EVER-INCREASING DEMANDS

OF MODERN FLIGHT.

ON MAY 17,

IN THE EARLY AFTERNOON,

AN EARTHQUAKE OCCURRED

IN THE DESERT AREA.

ITS FORCE WAS:

STRONG ENOUGH TO BE FELT

AT THE RESEARCH BASE,

EVEN THOUGH ITS EPICENTER

WAS 10 MILES AWAY

IN THE WILD ROCK

FORMATIONS 350 FEET

BELOW THE SURFACE

OF THE SALTON SEA.

HOWEVER,

LESS THAN 2 HOURS

AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE,

THE BASE WAS BACK TO

NORMAL OPERATING PROCEDURE.

LT. HOLLISTER,

OF THE PARACHUTE TEST UNIT,

WAS PREPARING TO MAKE

THE LAST-SCHEDULED

JUMP OF THE DAY.

HOLLISTER WAS A VETERAN

OF OVER 300 TEST FLIGHTS.

FOR HIM, THIS WAS TO BE

ONE MORE ROUTINE JUMP.

MEANWHILE,

ON THE SALTON SEA,

CREWMEN JOHNSON:

AND SANDERS:

WERE HEADED OUT:

TO MEET LT. HOLLISTER.

AND FOR THEM,

THIS WAS TO BE:

ONE MORE ROUTINE PICKUP.

THIS IS FLUTTERBOY 2-4-2

CALLING NAVY 8-7.

YOU ARE NOW:

IN SIGHT. OVER.

[Pilot]

HOLLISTER NOW:

PREPARING TO JUMP.

OVER AND OUT.

HE'S DOWN.

NAVY 8-7,

THIS IS FLUTTERBOY

2-4-2. OVER.

[Pilot]

THIS IS NAVY 8-7. OVER.

HE'S IN SIGHT.

YOU'RE CLEAR TO RETURN

TO THE BASE. OVER.

ROGER. LEAVING FOR HOME.

OVER AND OUT.

FLUTTERBOY 2-4-2 CALLING

LAND RADIO 4. OVER.

LAND RADIO 4. COME IN.

[Sanders]

JUMPER LANDED SAFELY.

HE'S DOWN ABOUT

2-MILES IN,

OFF THE SOUTHEAST TIP.

THAT'S PRETTY FAR OUT.

HOPE THIS DOESN'T

TAKE ALL NIGHT.

YEAH,

I'LL CALL YOU BACK.

WHERE IS HE?

I DON'T KNOW.

HE'S GOTTA BE HERE.

I SAW HIM HIT.

HEY, LIEUTENANT!

I'M GOING DOWN

FOR HIM.

YOU SEE HIM?

NO. I'LL TRY

THE OTHER SIDE.

JOHNSON?

[Sanders]

JOHNSON!

JOHNSON!

JOHNSON!

UH.

AH!

AH!

THIS IS LAND RADIO 4

CALLING:

FLUTTERBOY 2-4-2.

COME IN, PLEASE.

LAND RADIO 4

CALLING FLUTTERBOY 2-4-2.

COME IN.

COME IN,

FLUTTERBOY 2-4-2.

EL CENTRO BASE.

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE,

PLEASE.

[Telephone rings]

CMDR. TWILLINGER'S

OFFICE.

HE'S ON THE OTHER LINE.

OKAY, I'LL PUT YOU ON HOLD.

LIEUTENANT,

I APPRECIATE:

YOUR CALLING,

BUT THERE'S

NOTHING I CAN DO.

HE WENT AWOL,

IT DOESN'T MATTER

WHAT THE:

CIRCUMSTANCES WERE.

I'LL HAVE TO

REFER THE CASE.

WAIT A MINUTE!

IN THE 1 WEEK

THAT I'VE BEEN HERE,

I'VE HAD A DOZEN

DIFFERENT CASES COME UP.

I DON'T DECIDE

THESE THINGS.

I'M AN INVESTIGATING OFFICER,

NOT A JUDGE.

ALL RIGHT,

I'LL SEND YOU NOTIFICATION.

I KNOW THIS GUY.

HE'S ALL RIGHT.

HE MADE A MISTAKE,

BUT--

HE SURE DID!

COMMANDER,

WYATT ON 3.

WYATT?

HE'S OUR RADIOMAN

AT THE SALTON SEA PIER.

TWILLINGER.

YES, WYATT.

HOW LONG AGO?

45 MINUTES.

NO, I'VE LOST

RADIO CONTACT.

IT'S NOT A MECHANICAL FAILURE

AT THIS END.

HAVE A BOAT STANDING BY.

I'LL BE THERE IN 5 MINUTES.

TROUBLE?

THE LAST PICKUP CREW

HASN'T REPORTED IN.

WE'LL HAVE TO GO OUT.

SALLY, WAIT UNTIL I CALL YOU.

YES, SIR.

STILL THERE, MOM?

LOOKS LIKE:

IRONHEART'S

GONNA WORK LATE:

AGAIN TONIGHT.

THAT'S RIGHT.

SHOVE OFF.

I DON'T SEE WHY

THEY WEREN'T COVERED

FOR SOMETHING:

LIKE THIS.

THEY JUMP CLOSE:

TO 20 MEN EVERY DAY.

IT'S A GOOD SYSTEM,

NOTHING GOES WRONG.

SOMETHING WENT WRONG

THIS TIME.

A BOAT OFF:

THE PORT BOW, SIR.

SHE LOOKS DESERTED.

HEAD UP ALONGSIDE.

AYE.

IT'S SANDERS.

CHECK THE WATER:

FOR THE OTHER MEN.

YES, SIR.

SAM.

LOOK AT THIS.

WHAT IS IT?

I DON'T KNOW.

YOU BETTER TAKE A SAMPLE.

HAVE THE LAB:

RUN A TEST.

COMMANDER,

THERE'S SOMETHING

SURFACING:

ON THE PORTSIDE.

IT'S HOLLISTER.

LIKE I TOLD YOU,

HE SAID HE'D

CALL ME BACK LATER

AND THAT WAS ALL.

THAT'S WHEN

YOU LOST CONTACT?

YES,

AND I CALLED THE BASE.

WHEN YOU TALKED LAST,

WAS EVERYTHING NORMAL?

YES. WE WAS JUST KIDDIN',

YOU KNOW HOW YOU GET

ON THE PHONE.

THAT'S AGAINST

REGULATIONS.

YES, SIR.

HAVE A REPORT IN MY

OFFICE IN THE MORNING.

YES, SIR.

MAY I HAVE THAT SAMPLE

WE TOOK OFF THE BOAT?

RIGHT HERE.

HOW LONG'S

THAT AUTOPSY ON HOLLISTER

GONNA TAKE?

WE'LL HAVE IT

EARLY TOMORROW.

I'LL COVER IT FOR YOU.

TAKE SOME:

DIVERS:

AND GO AFTER JOHNSON

IN THE MORNING.

IT'S TOO LATE

TO DIVE NOW.

OKAY.

I WANT TO TAKE THIS

TO THE LAB.

IT'S RIGHT THERE.

GO THROUGH THE MAIN DOOR

AND TURN TO YOUR RIGHT.

I'VE ALREADY SPOKEN

TO DR. ROGERS.

GOOD.

WE WON'T NEED YOU

ANYMORE, WYATT.

THANK YOU, SIR.

THAT YOUR NEW BOSS?

YEAH.

SURE IS:

AN EAGER BEAVER, SIR.

YEAH,

THAT HE IS.

YOU MIGHT KNOW I'D BE

MAKING EIGHT CARBONS.

I SAID I'M ALWAYS

MAKING EIGHT CARBONS

WHEN MY FINGERS GO TO...

HELLO.

IS THIS:

DR. ROGERS' OFFICE?

YES.

I'M CMDR. TWILLINGER.

I'LL TELL HIM.

I THINK YOU WERE NOTIFIED

THAT I WAS COMING.

I WAS SORRY TO HEAR

ABOUT THE ACCIDENT.

YOUNG LADY,

YOU'RE NOT TO

DISCUSS THAT:

WITH ANYONE.

DO YOU UNDERSTAND?

NO, OF COURSE NOT.

I'M DR. ROGERS,

COMMANDER.

TWILLINGER.

LT. CLEMENS

SAID YOU HAVE:

A SUBSTANCE:

TO BE ANALYZED.

I DO.

IT'S IN HERE.

COME ON,

LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT IT.

WHERE DID YOU:

FIND THIS?

ON THE BOAT,

NEAR THE BODY.

LT. CLEMENS TOLD ME

WHAT HAPPENED.

I'M TERRIBLY SORRY.

WE LOST 3 MEN,

SO FAR.

AT LEAST,

WE THINK IT'S 3.

WE'VE ONLY RECOVERED

2 BODIES.

HE SAID THERE WAS

SOMETHING UNNATURAL

ABOUT THE CONDITION

OF ONE OF THE BODIES.

THERE WAS.

IT WAS SHRIVELED.

SHRIVELED?

SOMETIMES:

SEAWATER:

DOES STRANGE THINGS

TO HUMAN FLESH.

IN THIS CASE,

I DON'T THINK SO.

WOULD YOU SAY:

THAT THE WATER:

IN THE SEA:

COULD BE RADIOACTIVE?

COMMANDER, LET ME ANSWER

YOU IN THIS WAY.

MY 2 ASSISTANTS

DO A LOT:

OF DIVING:

RELATED TO OUR WORK.

I KNOW THAT.

WE DON'T TAKE ANY CHANCES

WITH RADIOACTIVITY.

OUR SEA EXPERIMENTS

HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH

WHAT HAPPENED:

TO YOUR MEN:

OR THE CONDITION

OF THAT BODY.

YOU MIGHT BE WRONG.

I'VE FOUND

THAT PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS

JUMPING TO:

WILD CONCLUSIONS

CONCERNING:

ATOMIC REACTION.

SCIENCE FACT AND

SCIENCE FICTION:

ARE NOT THE SAME.

NOT IN THE LEAST.

JUST TAKE A FEW MINUTES.

CAN YOU MAKE IT:

AS FAST AS POSSIBLE?

IT'LL ONLY TAKE

A LITTLE WHILE,

AS LONG AS I'M

NOT INTERRUPTED.

I'LL BE OUTSIDE.

GAIL, I'M RETURNING

YOUR CHILD IN THE SAME

CONDITION AS:

WHEN I GOT HER. I THINK.

HI, SWEETIE.

HI, MOMMY.

EXCUSE ME.

IT'S ALL RIGHT.

MAY I GO LOOK:

AT THE RABBITS?

NOT TODAY, SWEETIE.

PLEASE.

HM-MMM.

MOMMY, OF ALL THOSE RABBITS,

I LIKE GRACE THE BEST.

[Gail]

YOU CAN'T SEE HER TODAY.

[Sandy]

THAT'S OKAY,

I'VE GOT A LADYBUG

TO KEEP ME COMPANY.

GAIL, WHEN WILL THE

BOYS BE FINISHED?

THEY GOT TIED UP

BECAUSE OF THE EARTHQUAKE

AND HAD TO:

RESET ALL THE TESTS.

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