Weird Science #3

When Captain Harold Dexter and his crew aboard the Polaris-B encounter a planet where pets are the dominant species, they’re unprepared for the truth: the Gobl, an alien leader, is bonded to a dog, and the Knogs—his masters—see all animals as equals. With Hawkins’ dog refusing to be quiet and the crew struggling to adapt, the line between pet and protector blurs in ways no human could have predicted.

In the quiet aftermath of a planet-ending explosion, Larry—once a man chasing the sky—comes down to a world reduced to silence. His sister, the only soul left, stands amid the ruins, and the two must face what remains.

Ron Martin is smitten with his new secretary, Ellen Corwin—though he doesn’t know she’s an android. When his friend Cal Tennis suggests creating an android version of Ron to be with his wife Lita, Ron sees a way out of his marriage and into a life with Ellen. But as the plan unfolds, something far stranger than he imagined begins to take shape.

In "Chewed Out!", a well-meaning but simple-minded farmer’s ham radio call to the stars sets off a chain of absurd events when the military seizes his equipment and home, convinced alien visitors are imminent. Tensions rise as the troops prepare for first contact—only to be baffled when the sergeant, mid-bite into a hotdog, realizes the "alien ship" was just a microscopic craft preserved in sauerkraut brine. With Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein making cameo appearances, this quirky sci-fi tale delivers a laugh with a side of cosmic irony.

Dr. Lloyd Brewster has perfected a serum that can freeze life in suspended animation—just in time to escape his wife Grace’s demands for a divorce. With his assistant and lover Ellen, he plans to sleep through the centuries, waking only when Grace is gone. But five hundred years later, the world they return to is not the quiet future they imagined. Joe, a banker with his own secrets, may hold the key to what’s gone wrong—but no one’s sure what the real danger is yet.

In the year 2963, a lone explorer named Jerome Kraft arrives on a distant planet to study its life forms, bringing with him four years of supplies and a mission to document the unknown. As he uses his advanced knowledge to heal the sick and feed the hungry, the people of this primitive society begin to revere him as a divine savior—until the high priest declares his miracles heresy and demands he serve only the powerful. When Jerome refuses, he becomes a figure of faith, his name etched into the culture of a civilization that will endure for millennia. Decades later, a new arrival discovers a world transformed, where a mysterious symbol—once a stretch rack—has become a sacred relic of a man who walked among them.

In "Say Your Prayers," two intelligent preying mantises arrive on Earth to study humanity and prepare for an invasion—only to be terrified when they encounter a photo of pinned mantis specimens in a collector’s display. The sight of their own kind preserved and displayed sends them fleeing back to their home world, convinced Earth is overrun by monstrous predators.

In "There'll Be Some Changes Made!", a space crew lands on the alien world of Gastropodia, where the inhabitants live in shell-like igloos and move with a slow, deliberate grace. Commander Morrison finds himself drawn to the graceful Luwana, and as the others prepare to return to Earth, he makes the unexpected decision to stay—only to uncover a startling truth about the planet’s people and the nature of their identity.

In "Inside Story!", a baffling mystery unfolds when a string of high-profile criminals die mysteriously—without a single organ intact—while simultaneously, gravely ill patients miraculously recover. When the authorities enlist the enigmatic Smedley Throbbins, they learn he’s mastered the impossible: entering the fourth dimension to perform flawless, invisible surgery, transplanting vital organs without a single incision. But as the line between healer and criminal blurs, his final act leaves no trace—only the echo of a man who slipped beyond the reach of justice.

In the year 2152, a group of aliens abduct a man, steal his brain, and study his thoughts to plan Earth’s conquest—only to be misled by his delusions. Believing he’s Napoleon Bonaparte, the man’s wild imaginings convince the aliens that Earth is still in the early 19th century, ripe for invasion. When they launch their attack, Earth’s defense forces obliterate their ship with ease, revealing the truth behind the misunderstanding.

In "They Shall Inherit," a radiation leak at a nuclear facility triggers an unexpected evolution in the local rat population. As two scientists test a time machine, they witness a future where intelligent, human-like rats have risen to dominance—wearing clothes, speaking English, and having erased both humans and cats from the world.

In "The Martians!", a team of Earth explorers lands on a lifeless Mars, only to uncover the buried ruins of an ancient city. Inside, they encounter a mysterious hologram showing an Earthman battling a Martian—only to realize too late that they’re not the heroes, but the monsters in a film they’ve stumbled into.

In "Captivity," two mineralogists, Hank and Lou, find themselves stranded in a steamy prehistoric jungle after a generator explosion sends them through time. As they struggle to survive, they uncover a shocking truth: they’re part of a vast alien zoo where their ancestors are prey for ancient creatures.

Melvin Sputterly’s quiet life takes a bizarre turn when a mysterious package from the year 2952 arrives at his doorstep—unrequested, unexplained, and containing a De Lux Personal Harem Kit. Now, with five dehydrated harem girls on his hands and his neighbor Miss Winkleman growing increasingly curious, Melvin’s desperate wish for companionship is about to get a lot more complicated.

In "Bum Steer!", a group of humans finds themselves imprisoned on a bizarre alien world, forced to eat endlessly by horse-like creatures who treat them like livestock. When a cowboy among them warns his companions of their grim fate, they dismiss him—until the terrifying truth becomes undeniable as they’re herded into a sealed room.

In "Down to Earth," a scientist uncovers a shocking truth behind a string of inexplicable plane crashes that have led to a nationwide ban on air travel. As he pieces together the evidence, he realizes the cause lies not in mechanical failure, but in a hidden alien presence—intent on keeping humanity grounded. When the aliens learn of his discovery, they make their presence known in a terrifying, irreversible way.

In "Space-Borne!", newlyweds Lon and Enid embark on a honeymoon trip in a spaceship, only to find their journey cut short when Enid's health deteriorates on a distant planet. While Lon returns to Earth to fetch supplies, he encounters a strange alien being—and kills it—only to uncover a devastating truth about what it truly was.

Seymour Watkins, a man obsessed with wealth, faces a test of his priorities when his great-great grandson from 2046 arrives with a radical plan: travel back in time to alter the past and secure Seymour’s fortune. But as the scheme unfolds, the line between ambition and consequence begins to blur in ways no one could have predicted.

In a twist of absurd political satire, the American public, fed up with conventional candidates, elects "Allie"—the handpuppet from the popular children’s show *The Cuckoo, Fan, and Allie Show*—as president. What begins as a joke soon spirals into a terrifying reality when it’s revealed that Allie is no ordinary puppet, but a parasitic alligator creature using its puppeteer as a host, orchestrating a silent invasion of its kind across the nation.

In "Plucked!", a quiet suburban evening takes a bizarre turn when a young woman suddenly vanishes—only to be replaced by a strange, shimmering absence that leaves no trace. Every few centuries, unseen aliens descend to harvest Earth’s inhabitants, erasing their existence with a hypnotic pulse so complete that even memories of them fade.

In "The Long Years!", a group of Earthlings land on a desolate, war-ravaged Mars and stumble upon an aging scientist living in isolation with his young family. After the scientist dies suddenly, the visitors discover a hidden cemetery nearby—only to realize the truth behind the family he’d kept by his side all along.