A closer look revealed the amazing details of their appearance. Each of these big creatures appeared to be composed of scores of small, living fleshy pink cubes. Each cube was four inches square, and had two twinkling, bright little eyes and a small mouth-opening.

"Why, I never saw anything like these before," Captain Future muttered, stepping forward.

"You haven't seen the half of it yet! " exclaimed Grabo. "They can split themselves up when we start toward 'em. Look at 'em! They're doing it again!"

The weird, geometrical creatures had until now ignored Cm! Newton and the others, diligently resuming their work of carrying away the stone slabs.

But now, as Captain Future approached, the centipede creatures suddenly dropped the slabs and then underwent an incredible transformation.

Their big, geometrical bodies disintegrated. They broke up the tire scores of living cubes of which they were composed. Each cube was revealed to be a separate, living creature. Each had eight tiny claws or legs, one at each corner of its cubical body, as well as its own eyes and mouth and ears.

These hundreds of cube-creatures scurried swiftly together, and joined into a single big figure. The living cubes joined tightly, each to the next, by instantly hooking their tiny claws together.

Silently and quickly as though by magic, the cubical creatures had combined to form a towering, semi-human figure ten feet high. It advanced on square, stocky legs with its massive arms raised menacingly toward the Futuremen...

"Did I dream that or have I been drinking radium highballs?" gasped Otiro. "What the devil are those freakish little cubics?"