The corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street may seem like a strange place to meet one of the scientists from the magic island of Euclidia. But an even stranger place to meet a Euclidian is in your own home. That's apparently the situation which confronts Mrs. Gregory, her daughter Joan, and Jerry Hall. When Jerry and Joan started out to see a matinee at one of the moving picture houses, they met the Euclidian electrical wizard Thales disguised as a beggar. Now they are locked in the radio room at Mrs. Gregory's home. And Mrs. Gregory has been talking over the phone with Captain Bradford at the harbor, where he went with Johnston to investigate the Euclidian submarine. A faint odor fills the room. The house is on fire. But Mrs. Gregory refuses to let Jerry or Joan leave the room. I don't doubt what you say, Mrs. Gregory. If this room is fireproof, it's fireproof. But I don't understand why it's smart to stay locked up in here and let the rest of your home burn. Jerry, Captain Bradford said we were not to leave this room until he or Johnston arrived to let us out. But Mother, your home is so beautiful. And though I have little understanding of the value of money in your world, it must be a very valuable home also. It is valuable, Joan, and some of my art treasures are almost priceless. But there is no price as high as that of human life. Gee, Mrs. Gregory, are you sure it's that serious? I believe it might be just as serious if we attempted to open the door and leave this room. This is indeed a pretty room. Bradford to Gregory Room. It's Tex calling from his car. Quiet while I answer him. Gregory Radio Room to Bradford. Go ahead, Tex. Remain in that room. Do not leave until Johnston or I arrive to let you out. We understand. No move is being made. Where are you, Tex? Sorry, but for obvious reasons I can't tell you that. Are you in the car? No, that is all. Well, Tex is on his way here in the car. But he said he wasn't. Obviously to deceive someone, Jerry. It would not be very clever of the captain to admit that he might be caught on the streets with his car. Yeah, that's right. The only thing we have to worry about is how long it will take Tex to get here and just how great our danger is. Well, I'd say it was plenty great. This is getting on my nerves. Guys running all over the place, starting fires, rooms we can't get out of, and radio messages from cars that aren't supposed to be on the streets. The only thing we can do is to remain in this room and do exactly as Tex ordered, no matter what our danger. He knows more about it than we do. But how could the captain have known of our danger while he is miles away at the harbor? You mean while he was miles away? I'll bet he's burning up the road getting here. Yes, he should be here any minute now. Mother, why do you refuse to answer my question? How could the captain have known of our danger? I'm sorry, Joan dear, but that's just one of the things you'll have to trust me about. There you are, Joan. Now what did I tell you? Your mother and Captain Bradford are just as mysterious as any of those scientists of G-47s. They seem to be. However, I shall not question their actions again. Mystery is not objectionable when it accomplishes a purpose. Thank you, my dear. Oh, all right, all right then. Let's forget it. But I'm worried about that smoke. The smell is getting stronger all the time. We might feel the wall and determine how near this room the fire is. That would do very little, if any good, Joan. Unless the heat were terrific, the soundproofing and fireproofing of these walls would resist rises in temperature. Fine thing this is. Right in the middle of a fire and we can't even see it. I think that is very fortunate. If we must be in the middle of a fire, it is best that we cannot see it or feel it. Yeah, I know, but we're missing all the fun. Well, it might not be very funny, Jerry, out in that hall with fire all around you. Well, I didn't mean to be funny. Jerry, why do you say so many things you do not mean? Oh, I don't know. Jerry has a habit of talking to keep up the spirits of the meeting. It's not a bad habit at all. Mother, the green signal light. Did you see one of them go on? Yes, it flashed on and off very quickly. Which one, Joan? I did not turn my head quickly enough to locate the flash, but I'm sure I saw it. Then we must all watch the board carefully. There it is again. Yes, on the extreme left end of the central row of light. I saw it. That's the rear service door. Isn't that the same door the fellow went out after he started the fire? Yes, why, Jerry? Oh, he must be coming back to finish the job. Perhaps the fire was purely local, designed to hold us in this room so that he might make a search of the rest of the house. Nice going, Joan. That is possible, but I doubt it. Oh, there's the next light. He's starting up the stairs, the service stairs. Mother, is it not possible that this might be the captain? Golly whiskers, Joan. You're right. It's techs coming to get us out. Come on, let's open the door. Jerry, don't open that door. Oh, I'm sorry, Mrs. Gregory, but, oh, I thought maybe... I know what you thought, Jerry, but you're wrong. That isn't Captain Bradford, nor is it Johnson. Well, if he's planning to go into that study and steal something now, he must know that the fire can't get to him. And if it can't get to him, it can't be all over the house. That's logical, Jerry, and under ordinary conditions, I'd say that we should try to find out what's going on. But when we're sure that the city contains one or more enemies, our best move is to make no move. I believe Mother is right, Jerry. Well, maybe she is, but that guy is getting closer to the study all the time. Now look at those green lights flash now. Mother, was that not the large central alarm light, the one for the study? Yes, Joan, it was. Then the study's being worked on right now. At least the door was tried and probably... no, look. The next leg, down this way, isn't it? Yes. What room is that, Mother? Just a large closet, nothing of value, really just a space on this side of the study. Any more rooms between us and the study? No, only a rather long hall. I think the person setting off those alarms is coming to this room. I'll bet he is, too. But the fire... Well, if he stars it, maybe he knows how to put it out. Oh, it's not easy to put out fires that have been burning as long as this one has. Is it possible to open this door from the outside? Only with keys which Johnson and Tex have. Then we're safe as long as that door holds. Say, he's trying this door. Well, sit still, he can't get in. Now the light for this room has gone out. Oh, boy. Well, he gave up easy. Maybe the smoke out there in the hall was too much for him. If we watch the lights, we'll soon know where he's going. Mother, the door. Huh? Door? The smoke is coming in around us. He's getting the door open. Eddie in there. Tex! Captain Bradford! It did sound like his voice. Come on, everything's all right. It is, Tex. Oh, I can only see smoke. I'm inside the smoke. Come out in the hall and we'll get a window open here. What happened, Tex? Where's the fire? Right in that smoke pot on the floor. Here, give me your hand to raise this window, Jerry. Aye, aye, sir. Now, we can all have a little place here. Oh, Tex, what in the world has happened? Well, several things. I'll go over them just as quickly as I can. I think we'd better stay right here in this window. I want to watch for Johnson. There is something strange about this smoke, Captain Bradford. I was wondering which of you would notice it first. No, I don't notice it yet. It's smoke and it's just as smoky as any smoke I've ever smelled. But it does not injure your eyes, Jerry. Huh? No, it doesn't. And it doesn't hurt your throat. Why? Our Euclidean friends at work again. That smoke is one of their little tricks. Probably designed to create fright and give the impression of a fire without causing any injury or discomfort. Well, where would that get them? Wasn't someone in here? Of course, and we traced them to the study. Right, and the plan was to work in the study without interruption as this smoke drove you out of the house the quickest way, which meant this window. But we were in a room that was practically airtight and the smoke did not penetrate enough to disturb us. Right again, and our friend got discouraged and left. How would anyone be so sure which room we were in? For some time you've been using the radio and a person clever enough to have a diagram of this whole house and know the shortest route to the study would naturally know where the radio room was. Why, yes, I should have thought of that. These Euclideans work so fast they leave a lot of things around we should have thought of. And are you certain, Captain Bradford, that a Euclidean was our visitor? Positive. Thales was a man. Well, that isn't very surprising. We've known for a long time that Thales was in Los Angeles. But is he alone? I think not, Joan. Did other Euclideans come ashore from the submarine which pursued us here? Not much doubt of it. Did anyone see them? Not leaving the submarine. Both these boats are gone, back to Euclidia, I suppose. That would be correct, Captain. Then how do you know any more of those signs that landed? I can't prove it, but here's what happened. Just after a Coast Guard flier reported he'd seen two strange-looking submarines in the water, subs disappeared. But they must have landed men before that. Not so fast, Pat. I think they landed after that. After the submarines disappeared? Sure. Jerry, have you forgotten how easily we landed from a submerged vessel? Oh, yeah. Sorry. Well, not long after the subs were reported, a smart newspaper reporter and a cameraman hired a water taxi and tore off out into the channel. They found four men, feebly swimming around the water and calling for help. Naturally, they dragged them aboard and tried to question them. But the four rescued men suddenly came to life and tossed a surprise news boys and the owner of the boat overboard. Then they headed for Long Beach, and that's the last scene of them. What about the water taxi? It was found abandoned at one of the landings. Did the three men who were thrown in the water describe the four men who threw them overboard? That's the sad part of it. Those boys were picked up a few minutes later because the water was black with boats by that time. But all they could say about the four men from the sub was that their faces were covered with black, as if they'd been through a fire or explosion. Gee, maybe the submarine blew up with them. Jerry, I am ashamed of you. Well, what's wrong with that? Boats have blown up. Not Euclidean boats. But in this case, it was only a quickly adopted disguise. That's exactly what it was. Well, didn't they learn anything from the voices? I should think that peculiar high-pitched monotone of the Euclideans would have caught their attention. The four men never spoke. After those first faint cries for help, and a cry for help even in a foreign language, sounds very much like any other cry for help. Then you think we've got four more of those Euclideans on shore to worry about? I'm sure of it, Jerry. Have you a plan, Captain? I've got several. We may have to try them all before we get away. Get away? Tex, you're not going to run away from this, are you? You bet I am, and I'm going to run straight to that island again. But what can we do that we didn't do before? We're working on that now. Johnson's rounding up a fleet of fast yachts and several other things, including a large amount of the chemicals necessary to compound my formula. You're determined to go back and attempt to take over Euclidea? Certainly. We haven't any choice, Pat. With at least five Euclideans in Los Angeles, and probably more, we're just as safe on the high seas or on Euclidea as we are here. Oh, boy. We're going back to the Magic Island. Oh, no, Jerry. You're not going. But, Mother... I'm sorry, Joan, but I've explained that to you carefully. You and Jerry will remain here in school where you'll be safe. Yeah. We'll be safe with a town full of Euclideans. But, Jerry... Looks like you're going to have to give in, Pat. Tex, you don't mean that... I think it's best to take the youngsters along. Did you hear that, Joan? We will be going back to Euclidea. But, Tex, the danger of it... The danger would be greater for Jerry and Joan if they stayed here without us. All those Euclideans would have to do to be kidnapped either one of them. And our plans would have to go overboard while we rushed back here and tried to rescue them. Sure. The captain's right, Mrs. Gregory. And Joan and I can help you a lot, too. To be sure, we can, and we will. Oh, I don't doubt that, but... Now, Pat, you might as well forget it. None of us can make any plans to need a normal life in this world until we break up that colony of G-47s. And the sooner we get started, the better. We're going back to Euclidea.
