Jerry and Joan have just watched one of the most terrifying demonstrations they have ever seen. Down in the underwater city of Euclidia, where the ceilings of the giant caverns are over 400 feet below the surface of the sea, and the caves themselves are from one mile to nearly two miles in diameter, the two younger members of the Gregory party have learned something which sends them running back to their quarters to report their experience. Waiting for them are Captain Bradford, Mrs. Gregory, and the Euclidean Girl Submarine Commander, who has been robbed for Euclidean honors and sent to spend her time in confinement with the Gregory party. But Tex, I, I don't feel quite so sure about it. Oh, take it easy Pat. Those kids are all right. I believe the captain is correct, Mrs. Gregory. Jerry Hall and your daughter are quite capable of taking care of themselves. Right, Elaine. Those two can get out of anything they get themselves into. But Tex, there are so many things in Euclidia we don't understand, things we know nothing of, and Jerry is inclined to talk far too much and too loud. I'm always worried for fear he'll make one of the Euclideans angry. I think you need have no further worries along those lines, Mrs. Gregory. The Euclideans will treat Jerry kindly, regardless of his actions, until such time as they have secured the captain's formula. Well, then they'll wait a while. I'm not ready to let them have it just yet, and when I do, they won't enjoy receiving it. Tex, have you decided exactly how you're going to use the formula when the time comes? Just about. At least I know exactly where I'll use it. Oh, there's the 12 o'clock signal. And Jerry and Jonah not here for lunch. That won't hurt anything but their feelings. Those two are well fed. Missing a meal won't do them any great harm. The captain is right, Mrs. Gregory. I know he is. He's always right. But there are so many terrible things all around us, and we've lived so long in uncertainty and fear that I don't like to see our party separated. We'll probably have to separate plenty of times before we manage our escape from this place. Hi, everybody. Hi. Jerry, please do not make so much noise. I'm not making any noise. Well, Pat? They're in perfect health. Hey, Mrs. Gregory, Joan's afraid of a little noise. No, Mother, not a little noise. Where have you two been? Oh, wait'll we tell you. Hey, but let's have lunch first. The table is not rising through the floor. Perhaps luncheon has been delayed. Well, they don't delay things for fun around this place. I'll bet they're mad at us and we don't get any lunch. Have you been doing something to get yourself in bad? No, Captain, but we have watched a very wonderful experiment. Oh, tell us about it, Joan. Oh, we will. But let's eat first, huh? As you have observed, it will be rather difficult to eat without food. What has happened? Well, we don't know, dear. The luncheon signal sounded just before you and Jerry came in, but the table isn't making its usual startling entrance. Well, Jiminy Jim cracks. Well, will you look at that? What? That little steel pole sticking up through the floor. Where did that come from? Obviously, it has been raised from the lower level much as the table is elevated. Yes, I can see that, but we were looking for a table full of lunch. That thing won't help us, Annie. I have seen this happen many times, Captain Bradford. I believe you will find that our noonday meal is there for us. A meal on top of that thing? Are you serious, Elaine? Hey, hold it, everybody. I'm beginning to get the idea and I don't like it. I think I know, Jerry. More of those pills. The concentrated Euclidean food pellets. Yeah, that's it. Well, I think I can do without mine. Me too. I'm not as hungry as I thought I was. It would be very foolish to refuse food. We will find that this concentrated meal is an indication of an emergency within the city, and if we do not eat now, it may be some time before we will be offered another meal, and certainly some time before another meal of worldly food is sent to us. Will you please bring the pellets, Jerry? Oh, yeah, sure. If this is all we're going to get for a while, we better eat it. Yep, here they are. Five little pills for us to get fat on. Well, I can't give you any choice. They're all alike, so help yourselves. Thank you, Jerry. You do not seem to enjoy the prospect, Mrs. Gregory. Well, none of us are crazy about it, but it's the best thing we have offered right now. Thanks, Jerry. This is very nice, thank you. What's nice about it? When you are offered food on Euclidia, it will be well for you to remember that anything you receive deserves your gratitude. Oh, hey, forget it, Elaine. Why, I am sorry. We understand, my dear. You have been a Euclidean so long that it's not easy for you to break away from it. Hmm, did sound startling, though. You hear the voice of that submarine commander suddenly pop out at it. I will be more careful in the future. No one could want to forget Euclidia more quickly than myself. Well, dinner's all over. I don't feel any too fat. Now, Jerry, you are perfectly aware that the food you have eaten is entirely sufficient for your needs. Oh, sure, sure, but I can't taste it. What did you and Jonesy that kept you so long, Jerry? Oh, well, when we went over to... Pardon me just a moment, Jerry, but I think that's the sort of second-order business. I'd like to hear something more from Elaine about this emergency she spoke of. I cannot tell what it is, as I have no way of securing information now, but something is happening. Something which the Euclideans feel important enough to warrant calling the staff from the food chambers to active duty. Oh, all hands in the cook on deck, huh? Must be that, son. But what could be happening? Many things. Perhaps an attack from the outer world. I think not. With the exception of yourselves, no one from the outer world even suspects the existence of this underwater colony. That's true, so far as we know. Well, what makes you so sure anything's gone wrong? Emergency rations in the form of this concentrated food invariably means that everyone in Euclidia has been called to their emergency stations. And the most natural emergency is an attack. Not necessarily. The Euclideans live in constant fear of the ocean. A fear that these caverns may not withstand the pressure and allow the water to flood the city? I felt that we were in danger from that. No, not that, I think. These caverns are natural, and even though the scientists do not like to admit it, their artificial structures fall far short of nature's wonders. I knew it. Golly whiskers, I knew it. Those guys aren't as good as they claim to be. Now, don't go too fast along those lines, Jerry. G-47 is the greatest scientist in the world, perhaps the greatest of all time, and he's merely showing his intelligence when he fails to trust something he's built against all the laws of nature. I agree with you on that, Tex. G-47 isn't going to make any mistake as serious as the mistake of overestimating his power. I think that is quite correct. Okay, okay, he's smart then, but so are we. Let's go and find out what he's doing. I will go with you, Jerry. No, Joan, dear. But Mother! Not this time, Joan. You don't know any more about this underwater city than we do, and you and Jerry have done enough touring for one day. Now, I think your mother, Elaine, and myself will go out presently and have a look around. But before we do, it might help to know what you and Jerry saw on this last trip. Well, we saw plenty, and it wasn't good news for our world either. What was it, Jerry? Well, you remember those musical notes to blame the wreck the submarine we stole. We are not likely to forget that quickly, the horrible tremors that passed through the steel shell of that huge boat as the musical note struck it. Are they working on those things again? They are indeed, Captain Bradford. Jerry and I saw Octavo perform an amazing experiment. He's working in the airship testing cavern, is he not? He sure is, and he's got Thales working with him too. Thales is operating the radio control from the tower, and Octavo is testing his musical Robert-controlled plane flown within the chamber. Within the chamber? Yes, Mother. You mean one of those undersea caverns is large enough to fly airplanes in? Boy, I'll say it's large enough. The plane we saw in use was a very small one of the type ordinarily used in your world for observation, yet the results would be the same with a large plane. What happened? Well, the first couple of times old Octavo hit a note, the plane just shivered a little and kept on going, but the third bunch of music he turned loose, the motor stopped, and the plane started to fall to pieces. The plane was breaking up in the air? Indeed it was. Then Octavo has accomplished something he has worked on for more than 10 years, and what will be the effect of this on flying if we can't stop these activities? Well, if we can't keep this guy Octavo from getting loose in our world, well, there just won't be any flying unless the Euclideans do it. Exactly, and what you've just seen is one more reason for our plans to take this place over. Captain Bradford, may I ask a question? Why certainly, Elaine. Will you trust me? Trust you. What do you mean, Elaine? Trust me completely. Allow me to participate in your plans for escape and the capture of Euclidia? Oh, sure we will. Well, I've known ever since I first saw you that you were going to be a friend of ours. And I too feel that the commander, oh, I'm sorry, that Elaine is to be trusted. Of course, you're one of us now, Elaine, and you have no more reason to love the Euclideans than we have. What caused you to ask that question? It would appear to me that the time has come for us to make some well-organized and rapid movement. If we hope to leave Euclidia in safety. And what do you suggest? Nothing for the moment, but if you will allow me to enter into all of your discussions, I am sure that my services will prove of value to you. Oh, sure they will. That would seem reasonable to me. If you wish, I will go over the situation with Jerry and Joe, while the captain and yourself learn what you can of the present emergency. Very well. Come on, Pat. Let's go out and look around. Are you ready to leave at once? Yes, I just thought of something. Isn't there anything we could be doing? Do what Elaine suggested. Get all of our ideas on our position here. We'll go with them when we're together again. We'll return as soon as possible. And while we're gone, you three remain in these quarters. Whatever happens, don't leave here until you see us again. Oh, but Captain Bradford, what if we... Tex, what's the matter with you? I've got an idea. Well, it must have been a sudden one. Well, it was, and I wanted to get you out of there where I could tell you before my face gave me away. What is it, Tex? Something you didn't want the others to find out? Something I didn't want that girl's submarine commander to find out. Tex, what has happened? Nothing yet. And I think as long as we keep an eye on that girl, nothing will continue to happen. We'll let her out of our sight after she knows our plans, and G-47 will have them just quick as she can get to it. Oh, you're mistaken. Oh, I wish I was. Something tells me that girl is not what she pretends to be. Why, that's out of the question, Tex. It isn't reasonable. That girl has helped us a number of times. Yeah, true. But if you remember, she never helped us into any very permanent security. But she's an outcast from Euclidia. Even Thales and Keops told you that, Tex. It would be to their advantage to tell me that, wouldn't it? Tex, I'm sorry. Something very definite has happened. What is it? That girl asking us if we'd trust her. That sounds too much like a criminal who gets his alibi ready before anyone accuses him of the crime. You're worried about nothing at all, Tex. That girl is a friend of ours, and I'll trust her with our lives. Well, I won't. I think she's hiding something from us. And that's that. We won't discuss our plans with her. Tex, I'm sorry to have to say this, but you've invited it. I'm in charge of our party. What? Just that. After all, this entire expedition is mine. We came on my boat. The responsibility for all of you rests with me, and from now on, I'll assume active command. But, Pat, no. I'm sorry, Tex, but I don't see it your way. And you'll be good enough to take orders from me. That girl remains a member of our party, and I expect you to treat her as such.
