Speaker 1: I'll stay tuned for X minus one on NBC. Come
down for.
Speaker 2: Blast off X minus five four three two X minus
one Fire.
Speaker 3: From the far horizons of the Unknown. Come transcribe tales
of new dimensions in time and space. These are stories
of the future adventures in which you'll live in a million,
could be years, on a thousand, maybe worlds. The National
Broadcasting Company, in cooperation with Lexy Science Fiction Magazine, presents
HE minus one.
Speaker 4: One Tonight Project masterdon by Clifford D. Simak, Mister Secretary,
and I present mister Hudson of Masterdonia, Mascedonia. Mister Hudson,
this is the Secretary of State, honored sir now as
Chief of Protocol for the Department.
Speaker 5: I've all right, mister Kingston, I have much time. I'm
due at a meeting of a standate Foreign Relations Committee
of two. If you've passed mister Hudson in, I'll assume
everything is quite proper. Now, then, mister Hudson, I understand
you've been here several times seeking recognition for your country.
Speaker 1: Well, that's right. I had a hard time making your
staff believe I was in earnest, are you, mister Hudson,
Oh very much so you are an American, mister Hudson,
I assume you are acting as a representative for Macecedonia
rather than as a principle in the matter. Oh no, no, no,
I claim dual citizenship, Sir, I am a Mascedonian.
Speaker 5: You pardon me, but I've never heard of your country. Well,
it's a new nation, but quite legitimate.
Speaker 1: We have a constitution, a democratic form of government, July
elected officials, and a code of laws. We are a free,
peace loving people, and we are possessed of a vast
amount of natural resources.
Speaker 5: And please tell me, mister Hudson, just where are you located.
I gathered it was somewhere in Asia. Oh no, no,
technically you are our nearest neighbor.
Speaker 1: That's ridiculous. Now look here, Hudson, you can't. If you'll
give me just a moment, mister secretary, I have considerable evidence.
I'll have to ask you to leave.
Speaker 5: I'm sorry, sir, I had Mister Hudson, you've submitted a
document signed by a certain Wesley Animal.
Speaker 1: He's our first president. You see, we'd like to established
diplomatic relations. After all, we are a sister republic. We'd
like to negotiate a trade agreement, and of course we'd
be grateful for assistance under the foreign A program.
Speaker 5: Naturally, who wouldn't, mister Secretary? All right, Kingston, we're.
Speaker 1: Prepared to offer something in return for one thing, sanctuary. Sanctuary.
I understand that in the present state of international tensions,
a fool proof sanctuary is not something to be sneezed at.
Speaker 5: All Right, Kingston, I think we've had enough. Show mister
Hudson out.
Speaker 1: All right, let's have the story again. Look, mister, I
don't want any trouble.
Speaker 6: Just tell the story again. You want to cooperate with
the FBI, don't you sure?
Speaker 1: Sure I do, sure, But I just don't want any trouble,
all right. Start of you found the briefcase in the booth. Yeah, yeah,
that's right. I brought my beer over from the bay,
you know, and this fellow just went out a minute before,
so I figured he must have left it. I run
after him. You didn't see him, though, no, So.
Speaker 4: I just kind of looked in the briefcase, you know,
I mean to identify it, that's all.
Speaker 1: I don't steal. Then you came to us, Yeah, yeah,
that's right. I mean, after all, when I saw that stuff,
I just figured I was way over my head.
Speaker 6: You know, all right, don't say anything about this. Do
you understand we'd rather you just forgot the whole thing?
Speaker 3: Oh sure, shoe listen some things I don't want to remember,
you know.
Speaker 6: Hello, is this doctor Harrison of the Paleontology Department. This
is mister Jenkins at the Federal Bureau of Investigation. We
have some movie we'd like you to look over.
Speaker 1: Mmm. Oh we acquired it.
Speaker 6: Big shaggy elephants and tigers with teeth down to their neck. No, no,
it's not fakes. Our labs are sure of that whatever
is on those films is real.
Speaker 1: Mhm No, we don't know. That's why we called you.
Speaker 6: We haven't the slightest idea where those pictures were shot.
We can't even guess what's the matter.
Speaker 1: I was flying epodermics. This is a fine, healthy but
Mosquita is as big as hummingbirds. Oh careful, sun, you're
knocking the climate of the capital city of Macedonia. Some
capital city, One palm tree and a boy scout puff
tent wes. This's the wildest thing we ever did. What
if Chuck can't get back Chuck Hudson is a man
of many parts have faith? Supposen't they putting him in jail?
Or or something might happen to the Time Unit or
the helicopter we should have gone along. Do you think
they'll do it? Cooper? Oh? Why the United States? Do
you think they'll recognize us? Not if they know that
Macedonia is the United States fifty thousand years ago. Well,
we have to get legal recognition first, otherwise it wouldn't
be safe. Well, there goes that mestodon again. Good old Buster,
where is he? Weren't there over the groves? Ah, he's lonely.
What it probably is? It must have been run out
of the herd by some younger boom, so he hangs
around like some homeless dog. One thing worries me, Wes,
I know you dreamed up the time unit and we
all chipped in for the helicopter, But can you just
claim territory on your own like we did? Why not
we found it? It's ours? Hey, Buster's coming this way,
give me the right. No wait, wait, wait, maybe he's
only bluffing that Master don comes through here. He'll stop
everything flat. I'll get him three steps more. Would be
such a shame to plaster him a nice old monster
one more step than he gets it. Hey, let's chuck.
He's back. I wish he could fly that helicopter better.
You might reckon well anyway, he scared Buster off. Both
does fires up? Wes. You don't want to saber tooth
Watson through here, do you? And better a stockade up
some night? I heard of mastodon. I'll come busting in here,
and they ever hit the helicopter, we be dead ducks.
We never get back. We'll be stuck back here in
the Plaistocene age. I won't feel safe. Do we get
another helicopters? Mastodons carry a lot of ivory, and the
mammoth's up north. Oh sure, sure, and get shocked in
the jug for smuggling ivory. The only way to cash
in on the time unit is to get diplomatic recognition
for Mascedonia. We've got a good case, you said so yourself.
Saber tooth time by the grove. I don't like that.
Sounds closer they poke up that fire, will you coop?
Speaker 4: Oh?
Speaker 1: Well that's blustered. Here he is. He's tangling with a
saber tooth. Lay three to five on Buster Cat's drawn blood.
I'll take five dollars of it. Come on, Buster, roll
on him. Cat's on his head.
Speaker 7: Now, hey, hey he's coming this look out west, turn
him shoot eat that.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Tiger's gone. You won't get fired either, will wait?
Oh no, no, good old busting. Trust him to drop
dead right across the helicopter. Oh we can fix it.
Caw we We probably won't even be able to roll
Buster off of it. And the rotor blades are twisted
in the frame. Is a mess, A total mess, gentlemen,
We are in trouble. Hmmm, Mastdonia faces a crisis.
Speaker 2: Herb, Herb, you're the key and the administration.
Speaker 1: You swing a big stick on the hill. You can't
give up on Project Mastodon now.
Speaker 5: Less, it's been ten years. If they were coming back,
they'd be here by now.
Speaker 2: Look, I've been working on this ever since we got
those films. I traced their lives from the time they
were born till the time they disappeared.
Speaker 1: Adams was the brains.
Speaker 2: The other two were quite capable of helping him carry
it out. Hudson new all the angle.
Speaker 5: Less, I've sneak your appropriation through four times.
Speaker 1: Now there's a limit, but I've got the proof.
Speaker 2: We've had every palaeontologist in the country, go over those films.
Speaker 1: They couldn't be faked. Who would know to put linx
tassels on the years of saber tooth tigers? Who would
know that young masterdens were black? And the location we
tracked down Adams Farm, just from landmarks in the prehistoric
landscape in those films. We've got to contact them. Look less.
Speaker 5: Even assuming it's all true, a planet has only a
grand total of resources. If we get Adams a device
time machine, if we exploit resources of prehistoric America, won't
we be rubbing ourselves of our own heritage?
Speaker 2: Look herb, I've been over all that with the AEC.
There's a lot of lead in southwestern Wisconsin. If we
go back far enough, we can catch it when it's uranium.
Speaker 5: The whole research project hasn't turned up a lead on
Adams machine.
Speaker 2: If it exists, we've got to keep watching that farm.
They might return. We've got to keep looking for them,
no matter how long it takes.
Speaker 1: Listen West, we can't stay around here much longer. Oh,
Butter's getting a little too strong. Yeah, well, I'll have
the time unit clear of the helicopter in a few minutes.
Then we'll just have to move camp up wind. Look
at him, some mean two days since he dropped dead.
Bless his heart. Ready, those vultures are half into him.
I have him picked clean inside of we Oh, give
me the hexs men twenty wes?
Speaker 8: Is it?
Speaker 1: Is it all right? The time unit? Well, we won't
do until we try and coop, and then of course
it's too late. Either does or doesn't. The problem is,
how are we gonna use it without the copter? Couldn't
we take a chance on using it on the ground. No,
we have to get up in the air. You don't
want to take a chance of arriving in the twentieth
century about six feet underground. Wait a minute, West, it's
gotta be higher here than in the twentieth century. Look,
these hills have stood here since the Jurassic era. They
gotta be weathered down.
Speaker 8: You know.
Speaker 1: The only safe way is to build a platform about
twelve feet high. Let should be enough to clears. I
suppose we come out in the other end two feet
higher when we fall, which would you rather do? Take
a chance on the broken leg or stage? Okay, okay, now,
why don't we build a platform out of here? You
are Wes.
Speaker 8: All right, I got it.
Speaker 1: Chuck comes the next stone.
Speaker 7: Wait a minute, Hey, look, ond you want a whole pilot?
Speaker 1: Come down. I'm sorry, Okay, Wes handed up, give me.
Speaker 7: Yeah, that's about twelve feet, isn't it what it took
us ten.
Speaker 1: Days to pile it up? Oh god, I'm coming down.
All right, don't start an avalanche. Well, pretty soon we'll
be able to turn it all over again if the
unit work. Now, that isn't all. We don't have any
proof we've been back here. We'll be stone broke another helicopter.
It costs thirty thousand dollars. Can walk into a bank
and borrow thirty grand if I go a short trip
to the stone age, Wes. Where do you figure we are?
I mean on a farm. I think we're clear of
the barn and the silo. I hope, so the way
I figured, we're a straddle at barbed wire fence at
the south end of the orchard. Wow, we might as
well give it a try. All right, don't get the unit.
You two climb up on top of the pyramid. You ready,
they gonna work? West, I don't know who got pretty
well bang up when Buster hit the copter I haven't
got the equipment to check the waveforms. All right, stand
around close then, Jeanne's a little might be quite a drock.
Go ahead and push the button. Okay, one, two, three,
Nothing doesn't work. Well, that's that we're stuck. I'm sorry, Less.
There's nothing you can do, herb you've been out of
government for five years.
Speaker 5: If there's anything I can do, the board of Directors instructed.
Speaker 1: Me to offer you no, thank you? What are you
going to do? I mean, now that you're retired, I
bought a farm in Wisconsin. You haven't given up. I'm
the only one.
Speaker 2: They closed Project Mastered on down three years ago, and
they've been hinting ever since that I'd.
Speaker 1: Be happier retired, old Bowers.
Speaker 2: He's the crackpot from Project Masterdon.
Speaker 5: I'm sorry, Les, but it has been twenty years.
Speaker 1: Yes, yes it has.
Speaker 2: But think of it from a military point of view,
hidden bases in enemy territory itself, centuries removed in time,
yet only seconds away. If we had bases like that.
Speaker 5: And shelters, relax Less, it's all over.
Speaker 1: You're sure it's all over, Ah, Mess, You should be
more careful. We've only been stuck a month now. Someday
we'll run out of AMMO and then it's bows and arrow.
It's cool. I'll be snow sowed, Cooper. I'm worried about Wes.
He takes it pretty hard. As long as he's tinkering
on the time unit, he's happy. Oh, he isn't going
to repair the unit. He hasn't got a chance back
in the workshop the tools. Maybe well, anyway, the hunting's great,
and maybe we better start saving bullets for a big game.
We won't be lords of creation around here long without
our guns. Yeah, and if one of us gets sick
or breaks a light, well, nobody lives forever. Wes is
a lucky one. He's got that time unit to tinker with.
Come on, we better get back to camp. Hey, Hey, what,
come on? What wet? There's no sign of him. Wait,
there's a note on the door with never mind. Listen here, guys,
I don't want to get your hopes up again and
have you disappointed. But I think I may have found
the trouble. I'm going to try it out. If it works,
I'll be back to get you. Wes. What a fool.
A unit can't work? He must be off his rocker. Wait,
a minute, coop, Look that pyramid. It took us ten
days to pilo stones up. It's gone.
Speaker 8: The pyramid of rocks, it's gone.
Speaker 1: What the I've all the confounded? Now what's going on
out there?
Speaker 4: Rocks?
Speaker 1: Who dumped those rocks? My car? Who's out there?
Speaker 8: It's all right?
Speaker 2: Don't you move, mister? I got a forty five pointed
at je. Well you better there was a brand new
car where you dump that?
Speaker 1: Lord of rocks? Who the devil are you? My name
is Wesley Adams. Adams man. Where have you been all
these years?
Speaker 8: Well?
Speaker 1: I don't suppose you believe me, but the fact is
I've been waiting for you for twenty five years. The
others all gave up. I'm sorry about your car. Never mind,
I'll be right down and now. Don't touch a thing,
don't go anywhere. But it can't be twenty five years.
It's only been a few months Macedonian time. Twenty five years, man,
it's been a long way to the unit. It's been
badly calibrated. You see. It is acurate for more than
fifty thousand years at a jump. If the setting has.
Speaker 2: Moved, well we better call Washington. I imagine you'll want
the same terms before terms recognition, economic aid from Mascedonia
defense pack. I listen, Adams, you've got those SAPs over
a barrel.
Speaker 1: You can get anything you want now, Unit. I'll have
to calibrate to the day to go back for them.
Or don't worry about it.
Speaker 2: You can have every scientist in the country working on
it now. You got them right where you want them. Hello,
a long distance. This is Major General Leslie Bowers, retired.
I want to put a call to the President of
the United States White House, Washington. You can tell them
I'm placing the call for the president of the Republic
of Mascedonia.
Speaker 1: Come on, o, son of fire, put another log on.
It's cold. It's good cold story. It's for the first boy.
When West gets back, we'll be millionaires. Furs jin singh
rude ivory. If he gets back, it's been five years.
I'll come back. I feel it in my bones. Well,
he better find it before we get too old to
enjoy anything. Unfortunately, there's no social security in master Doom.
Don't you worry. West is working on it right now.
I can feel it.
Speaker 6: Hello, Charlie, some just came through on a ticker. I
want you to get a background story on it, and
we just recognized Master Dony.
Speaker 1: What how should I know her?
Speaker 6: Look it up in the encyclopedia.
Speaker 1: Humh.
Speaker 6: Now the item says formal recognition was delayed five years
until communication could be established certain technical difficulties. What I
don't know wherever it is. I don't see what difficulties
could hold up five years. It stands the reason. Wherever
the place is, you could walk there in five years. Nah, No,
it's not important. You know these postage stamp countries, Monica, Luxembourg,
They're all alike. What's so different about Master DONI.
Speaker 4: You have just heard X minus one, presented by the
National Broadcasting Company in cooperation with Galaxy Science fiction magazine,
which this month features the Theodore Sturgeon novelette The Skills
of Xanadu. When a malignant world and dangers another, surgery
is the usual answer, but perhaps there's another solution. To
kill it with kindness. Galaxy Magazine on your newsstand today.
Speaker 1: Tonight.
Speaker 4: By transcription, X minus one has brought you Project Masterdon,
a story from the pages of Galaxy, written by Clifford D.
Simak and adapted for radio by Ernest Canoy. Featured in
the cast were Floyd Mack, Dick Hamilton, Charles Penman, Raymond
Edward Johnson, Frank Maxwell, Robert Hastings, John Larkin, and Joseph Julian.
Your announcer is Jerry Damon. X minus one was directed
by Daniel Sutter and is an NBC Radio Network production.
Speaker 1: Listen next week for the Murryland Yester's story If You
Was a Motlin, a tale in which the child like
natives of a strange planet pull a real switch on
a red headed female witch and everyone doubles in brass.
That's next week on X minus one.