The Planet Man! The Planet Man! This is the fascinating story of Dantro, The Planet Man. Troubleshooter for the League of Planets Organization. A law enforcement body for peace and justice in the celestial world. Whose headquarters and center of operations are situated on the capital of all the planets, Planaria Rex. From Mercury to Pluto, wherever danger threatens the universe, you will find Dantro, The Planet Man, fighting for fair play. In a moment, The Planet Man. The Planet Man. The Planet Man. Slats and Dantro are the prisoners of a planet run by robots, a race of machines. The only other humans are an old man, Clar, and his young daughter, Mira. They are the last of the race who built the robots, only to have the robots take over. Dantro, Slats and Mira are talking. I'm certain, as Mira says, that the machines have kept us alive for some reason known only to them. And I'm willing to bet it's an evil reason. You think they're planning something, mister? I'm just guessing. I may be all wrong. What do you think, Mira? You know this place better than we ever will. I think you're right about their reason for keeping you here, for bringing you here in the first place. A few ships that have come nearby, they've either destroyed or let pass without showing any sign of the existence of intelligent life on the planet. Well, have you any idea what that reason is? None at all. You and Slats still don't seem to grasp the situation. Mira, you will leave at once. Return to your quarters. We aren't through talking. Mira! Now listen, wait a minute. But I kept telling you... Mira! That is better. It is time for you both to go to the Orient. There your questions will be answered. Those that are proper. It's about time we got some information. Where is the Orienter? The attendant outside the door will guide you there. Stay close to him. It will not be safe for you alone. Now go, at once. We will. And thanks for patching me up, L-77. Your thanks are superfluous. You meant nothing to me. I was told to perform a task, and I did. If I had been told to dispose of you, I would have done it with no more feeling. Pleasant custom, isn't it? Let's go, Slats. I'm anxious to find out what this is all about. All right, lead the way. Hey, Dantro, we're going in the opposite direction from where they had me. Maybe now at last we're going to get a gander at this place. But unless they want us to. What are you talking about? How can you be so sure? I'm not really. Uh-oh. What's up? Listen. What is it? Another one of those machines that nearly ran me over before. See, here it comes down the hall. Now stay close to the wall. Yes, I see it now. It's some sort of a wheel mechanism. Get it against the wall. No, look at our attendant. Well, let him get knocked over. I hope it smashes him good, but you better get over here with me. I think he's sending in some signal. You're right. It's slowing down. Is it stopping? Yeah. Hey, what are you doing? Get on off there. You'll get hurt. Oh, see, he wants you to get on too. That's why he stopped it. Some sort of transportation. My gosh, you're right. I wish I'd known that before. I'd be a long way from here now. I doubt that it would stop for you. They must have some wave system for communication. Come on, Slots, get up here. Here I come. Never mind the help, Junior. Hey, lay off. We're moving. And how? Well, it looks like you may get your wish about a look around. Gosh, we're going outside. Now we'll see what this is all about. Look, Slots, look. Gosh, hey, look where we are. This road must be thousands of feet from the ground. It's only a couple of feet wide. Well, I'm sure it's safe enough, Slots. See, there are roads like this all around us. They connect with different buildings. I don't care about the others. How about the one we're on? Is this thing Aero-Fell? Nah, I can't even think about it. Yes, it is frightening, isn't it, Slots? You're scared too? I don't mean about this little road. I'm sure we're safe enough. No, I mean that city under us and the other roads around us. And even the planes over us. What's frightening about that? Big, all right, but the city of the Mardi was bigger and a darn sight prettier, too. I don't mean the size of it, Slots. But to think that in all of these cities, with all this activity, there are only four living beings. You, me, Mira, and her father. Everything else, everything, is machine. One huge, heartless, evil machine. Dantro and Slots are on their way to be oriented in the ways of the robots. What will this experience reveal to them? We'll be back in a moment. So, level off. When we left Dantro and Slots, they were being taken to the Oriental of Robots for the purpose of being told why they were brought to this planet. We find them en route as they ride the robot transporter with their attendants. Hey, where is this thing supposed to be taking us? The Oriental. Must be a long way off. See, isn't this road dropping us down lower? We are getting closer to the ground. I don't like this, Dantro. You don't think it's some trick? Why should they bother to trick us? Hey, look, we're almost to the ground. It's like a mechanic's nightmare. If I had nightmares like this, I'd stop dreaming or sleep. What's this coming? Yeah, it looks like a steam shovel. It's about ten times larger than any steam shovel I've ever seen. Going along all by itself. Yeah, look at stuff. Well, it's starting to dig, and without a human hand touching. And those trucks, you see how they each pull up, wait until they're loaded, and then go off all automatically. Oh, it gives me the creeps. Hey, we're going to this building. Maybe that's where the Orienter is. It sounds more like a factory. Yeah, you're right, it is a factory. They're making machines of some sort. See, there's an assembly line. Yes, I see now. Machines making machines. I guess this is a deliberate tour to show us what we're up against. I wish Junior here could talk. How about it, Glamour Boy? Where's the next port of call for this expedition? I'm afraid we won't get any answers from him. Looks like we're heading for that building. Hey, look out! Oh, close. Yeah. Glad we're not just wandering around the streets. What was that? It's a ten-story building on wheels. Well, it's just what it was, let's. What's behind it all? A building on wheels. Apparently, even the buildings are machines. When they're needed somewhere else, they just move. What's behind it all? Because I've been wondering about that myself, slats. No matter how perfectly made and planned each of these robots is, there must be a guiding mind behind it all. Somewhere, a master set of controls coordinates all this. Maybe that's what's inside the building we're heading for now. I doubt it. I'm sure the control centers are much more concealed than that. We'll know in a minute. Gosh, how do we do this? There must be hundreds of mechanical brains here in this one huge building. Maybe this is the brain you were talking about. Looks more like a message center of some sort. See, each of those machines is hooked to a communicator. You can see the screens. Yeah, you're right. They're like animated TV sets. Much more than that. They seem to be able to see a picture on the screen and give some sort of answer to the problem it presents. We're not stopping. We're going further in. It makes sense. What does? This is where you'd expect to find the Oriander. It would have to know what was going on everywhere on the planet. What better vantage point than the message center? I'll bet that's it over there. Where? There. A big bank of panels and light. You see it? What did I tell you? We're heading that way. I think you're right, Sluts. The machines were on a stopping. Yeah. Junior wants us to get off. Here goes. Come on, Sluts. What do you want your friend to help you down? Not this time, thanks. Now what? Well, just follow Junior. Yeah, right into the lion's mouth. Come closer. Oh, not again. Another talking alarm clock. Easy, Sluts. It's quite all right. From what I learned of your friend, Slacks, his reaction is about what I expected. That sounds like a dirty crack to me. I've been insulted before but never buy a bunch of electronic equipment. What do you want with us? Have you a name or some designation by which you're addressed? I am the Orientist. Like all machines on this planet, I have a number. It is 012. And if you feel the need to use a name, that will do. Very well, 012. Now perhaps you'll be kind enough to inform us what this is all about. Why'd you wreck our ship? Why have we been brought here and why are we held prisoners? Correction, please. We did not wreck your ship. It is being inspected and repaired now. There was a short circuit caused by overloading. But you did bring us here and you are keeping us prisoners. That's where the alpha is too. Your ship is safe. Our space engineering machines are checking it most carefully. We can learn a great deal from it. You haven't answered my question. I shall. Now, you were brought here and kept alive because we need your help and your knowledge. We, the machines, have conquered this planet. We run it as no living race ever could. There is no waste, no confusion, no destruction, no childish sentiment or emotion. We are now ready for broader fields. We are ready to bring the blessing of our perfect rule to other parts of the solar system. And you will help us. And if we refuse? We expect you to. But it does not matter. We want your knowledge of space, the devices on your ship, its weapons, and the secret of its astral drive. If you do not give this knowledge to us willingly, we will pluck it from your brain. It will not leave much. But then when we are finished with you, you will not need minds anyway. Which shall it be? Cooperation or force? Which? Our two friends are really faced with quite a strange choice. The world of robots is set on overcoming the world of humans. What can Dantro and Slats do to counteract such an evil plan? We'll be back in a moment. But first, here is a message the Planet Man wants you to hear. Tune in again for more transcribed thrills and adventures. Rocket millions of light years into space with Dantro the Planet Man. Baa... Planet... Man...
