by Lee Homer

Disclaimer:

All rights reserved. Captain Scarlet and The War of the Worlds belong to the respected properties of ITV and Anderson Entertainment and The Wells estate.

Earth: 2070 A.D.

No one would have believed in the last years of the 21st Century, that mankind would face an even dangerous threat from an intelligence that is greater than our own. The war of nerves with the Mysterons had ended yet we were still being observed like creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water. We knew that there was life out there on other planets. In fact, we often encountered them more times than we cared to think. Some races were peaceful and others were hostile but were easily dealt with. Then the Mysterons came and waged a war of nerves so great that they eventually terrorized the entire human race. The Earth's special organization, Spectrum fought valiantly to repel the Mysterons from Mars. The death count was high, the financial repercussions were devastating, but the war finally ended with a truce.

As mankind recovered from its ordeal with the Mysterons, they were blissfully aware that an even stronger presence was preparing to wage a war of their own. A war that would put the whole Human race on the edge of extinction. As we continued to live our lives and function as we always did, they drew their plans against us. My name is Paul Metcalfe, designated codename "Captain Scarlet." This is the story of that war.

 

One

 

On the night of the Twelfth of August, tracking stations across the English coast began to home in on a wave of unexplained signals that echoed from the surface of Mars. After a few days, they began to alarm the scientists who were observing them. This led to an emergency meeting with The World President, who in turn put both The World Space patrol and Spectrum into the picture. The next few nights were spent debating the notion that The Mysterons were planning a second attack. Not everybody had been convinced by our truce with them and felt that another assault could happen at any time, but the President believed that we were in no danger and so the people of Earth continued to go about its business, completely unprepared for the events that were about to unfold.

A week had passed when I had been called up to the Colonel's desk with Captain Blue. We had both returned from furlough when we were presented with a very concerning report. The Colonel sat there at his desk in a somewhat irritated state. His eyes met with mine as he gestured for us to sit down.

"Ah, Captain Scarlet, Captain Blue. Thank you for coming here so swiftly. I'm sorry that your vacation was cut short, but Spectrum Headquarters in New York has sent a very alarming incident to my attention."

"We heard the report from Lieutenant Green." Captain Blue replied. "What's happened exactly?"

"For the past Twelve hours, the World Space Patrol has been intercepting a series of unidentified objects that have appeared from the surface of Mars. Unable to determine their exact point of origin, they sent a small fleet of ships to take them out before they could enter the atmosphere. So far, they have lost contact with their fleet."

"Do they have any description of the objects themselves?" I asked.

"Visual contact had been made just seconds before Space City lost them." The Colonel spun round to face the giant monitor behind him. "The pilots said that they were metallic, cylindrical in shape and were traveling at a high rate of speed, spewing a trail of green smoke behind them. These satellite pictures were sent to us by Spectrum HQ."

My eyes widened as a slide show of images flashed before me. The quality was poor and hard to determine exactly what they looked like, but they sure made my stomach muscles tighten. While my body reacted, the Colonel continued.

"So far, scientists have confirmed that the flight path of these objects matches the same signals that were detected from Mars just a week before. This indicates that they have been given a set of coordinates to follow."

"What are our orders?" I asked as I swallowed my feelings that were unfamiliar to me.

"We do nothing except standby. Cloudbase will remain on red alert until we can track one of these objects as they enter the atmosphere. We predict that the first one will arrive in three days time. Until then, I want everyone to rest up and wait for orders. If this the work of the Mysterons, then we'll want to know why."

"And if it's not the Mysterons sir?" I replied.

"Then only time will tell." The Colonel frowned. "All right. Dismissed."

As I left the control room and headed for my cabin, I couldn't shake the feeling that our old foe was not responsible for the objects. The next three days would only reinforce my theory as I eagerly awaited the arrival of the first object. I didn't sleep as well as I usually would. However, everything continued as normal. The Angels performed Arial drills, The other Captains spent their time on the shooting range and those off duty would try and relax in recreational rooms. Time quickly passed by until the Fifteenth day.

Beginning his spell of duty, Lieutenant Green reacted to a call from the tracking room. Captain Magenta had picked up the first object on his scanner. It had now entered the atmosphere. I hurried to the control room with Captain Blue once the news had broke. As we entered the room, we saw the Colonel slumped over the Lieutenant's desk as they watched the information pile out of his console.

"What is it's heading and rate of decent, Lieutenant?"

"It's currently burning up at Seventy miles per hour. It'll pass Cloudbase fairly close to us." The Lieutenant replied as he read the readout. "It's heading for the United Kingdom."

"You better inform Spectrum Headquarters in London, Lieutenant," I suggested. "They'll need to prepare for an impact."

"Delay that order. We'll inform them once we determine a crash trajectory. We'll deploy as soon as it lands, Captain Scarlet."

"Yes, sir."

As we stood there in anticipation, I couldn't help but wonder. If something or someone was inside one of those objects, how could they survive such an impact? My train of thought was broken when Lieutenant Green barked out the results.

"I have a confirmed hit, sir. Tracking stations have reported that the object has crashed in South Eastern England."

Suddenly, The Colonel dished out his orders. "Right. Get onto HQ and have their ground forces evacuate the area around the crash site. We'll hold a meeting in a few hours once we learn more."

"S.I.G."

I just wanted to get down there and investigate. Something inside my head kept on telling me that this was something else. It felt like a warning, Like and instinct to take a jet down there check it out for myself. Soon, all of our officers had gathered in the conference room. The Colonel sat down at his seat with a folder of reports that had been sent to him just prior. Captain's Ochre and Grey conversed with each other, unaware of what we had just witnessed earlier. The girls just wanted to get out there and fly. I shared their optimism but not their eagerness. To be perfectly honest, I didn't really know what to feel. It just didn't seem relevant to the situation. It never does.

The Colonel began the meeting. "Members of Spectrum. At approximately Six Hundred hours this morning, the first of the unidentified objects crashed in the county of Surrey in England. Spectrum Headquarters, London has since confirmed that it is lying idle in an area of woodland known as Horsell Common in the town of Woking. Their ground forces have managed to evacuate most of the public, but it's said a small crowd has made it's way to the common. We must keep this under control at all costs. Captain Magenta, you will assist in crowd control and the press. Captain Scarlet and Captain Blue will investigate the object and report their findings. The Angels will patrol the perimeter and roadblocks have been placed at all roads outside of town. I need not remind you all of the possibility that this could be the work of the Mysterons, so keep a vigilant watch. Good luck and dismissed."

This was it. We were being deployed. Everybody scrambled to the hanger deck. Our Spectrum jets took off one after. The Angel interceptors took off ahead of us. We touched down in London around about lunchtime. All felt calm and normal as if the world outside the crash area was completely oblivious to the situation. The media crews had not gotten wind of the story which came at a huge advantage to us. After requisitioning one of our saloon cars, we set off for Woking. The roads had been cleared for our arrival as soon as we cleared the roadblock checkpoints. A huge plume of black smoke appeared over the tree line as we entered Woking. The streets were deserted, allowing us to access the backstreets as shortcuts. To my knowledge, Woking was a town that was used to the simple life. It was home to many industrial companies that manufactured computers and other components for big corporations. Nothing exciting ever happened there. This was a first for its people. As soon as we arrived at the common, we were greeted by a rather stressed Captain Magenta. He had gotten there ahead of us to help control the curious public. A task that was easier said than done.

"Is everything all right, Captain?" Captain Blue asked with a concerned look. "What's going on?"

"We've had to make a few arrests in the past few minutes." He explained briefly. "Some people have climbed into the crater to get a better look at this thing but claimed it was far too hot to get a close look. We were able to get them out of there, but as we did... well..."

"Go on, Captain. Let's have it?"

"Well that's just it... we heard something moving inside. Only problem was we couldn't tell what it was." Magenta continued. "We were able to keep the back way clear for you."

"S.I.G. Just keep them back as far as you can." I acknowledged as I turned to my colleague. "All right, Captain Blue. Let's go and take a look for ourselves."

Pulling up outside, we left our car and followed the narrow trail. We followed it into the isolated area. The Common itself sported a very sinister vibe. It was enough to make your hairs stand on end, but in my case, something was playing havoc with my senses. My head started to throb. The heavy sensation brought impaired my ability to think properly. I hadn't experienced the sensation since our last battle with the Mysterons only this time, it really hurt my head. My instincts kicked in and took over, leading us towards the direction of the smoke. We eventually came to a clearing ahead. Kneeling down behind an under-brush, we were able to appreciate the full details of the object.

A huge, metallic cylinder sat there in an upright position. It was thirty yards across, pure metal in composition and it was glowing hot. The crater in which it sat in was still on fire. Even at a safe distance, we could feel the intense heat of this thing touch our faces. How could anybody survive such an impact let alone the fierce temperatures? Captain Blue raised his scientific instrument and checked the object over.

"Incredible." He said as the readings flashed before him. "The entire object is in one piece and without a dangerous level of radiation. If it wasn't for the heat, I'd say it would be safe enough to go down there."

My friend was a brave man, but sometimes foolish. There was no way I was going to let him go down there. "I wouldn't risk it. You'd be burnt alive. We'll sit here and observe it for a while. So far I don't see any signs of movement."

Amazingly on cue, just as I had said that the sound of movement came from inside the cylinder. It sounded like somebody was trying to get out. Then suddenly, the top began moving, rotating, unscrewing, but it did this at such a slow pace. If someone or something was trying to get out, they were going to have a hard time doing it. I radioed into Captain Magenta at the checkpoint, updating him on the situation. There was nothing more we could do except wait. The question on everyone's mind was, what were we waiting for?

As hours rolled on, the afternoon sun hung over the town. I remained on watch while Captain Blue returned to the checkpoint to gather supplies. Cloudbase had sent in equipment and food deliveries to all our ground forces. I could hear the Angles whiz around the area at regular intervals. I just sat there and watched the object, hypnotized by the unscrewing of the cylinder. One by one, two feet of shining screw projected out of the top, crashing into the crater alongside. Captain Blue swiftly returned in time to witness this development. We stood there in complete silence when suddenly... the lid fell off. A cloud of dust billowed out of the cylinder accompanied by the sound of movement within. It sounded wet, slippery almost as if something was struggling to climb to the surface.

Two luminous disc-like eyes appeared above the rim. A set of slimy tentacles quickly followed. They fumbled about the rim of the cylinder as if to latch onto something. As soon as they did, a huge, rounded bulk, larger than a bear, rose up slowly, glistening like wet leather. Its lipless mouth quivered and slavered as it slithered and pulsated towards the ground. We watched on in silence as it explored the crater. It moved in a somewhat clumsy manner almost as if it was taken aback by our planet's atmosphere. A second creature then appeared. It was calling out to the first one, recalling it to the cylinder. The first creature latched onto the rim of the object and slowly pulled itself back inside. A few moments later, both had disappeared from view and all movement activity ceased.

"Now what do we do?" Captain Blue whispered as he fumbled about with his Mysteron detector. "What are those things?"

I couldn't rationalize it myself. As hard as I tried to, the reality was inescapable. They were not Mysterons, but beings from another world which had taken an interest in ours. Our attention was swiftly diverted to the far side of the crater where a small crowd returned to see what was going on. This time, Captain Magenta and the other Spectrum agents were not with them.

"This is getting out of control," I said. "We need to get those people out of there. This is very wrong."

"I'll radio, Cloudbase for instructions," Blue replied. "Then we'll go and look for Magenta."

Captain Blue left me once again for the safety of the roadblock. As I sat there, the creatures menacing appearance lingered in my head. I could hear them. Somehow. It felt like I had stumbled into a plot of theirs. A plot that mankind could never be prepared for. I just didn't know how right I was going to be, for what happened next would be truly devastating.

 

Two

The ever curious crowd remained at the crater's edge, refusing to move at the site of Cylinder. Additional agents arrived to control them, but their attempts had failed. There was no point in keeping this a secret. The whole of Woking was sure to have known about it by now. As I sat there awaiting the visitors' next move, my cap microphone swung down in front of my lips. The Colonel's voice crackled over the small reliever. We were about to make the next move.

"Captain Scarlet, I have instructed a Spectrum Helicopter to overfly the area and drop a lens flare into the Cylinder." He said. "Hopefully, the flares will provide us with a detailed looked at the Martians."

I don't know why, but I was opposed to this idea. Something had told me that this wasn't going to be a friendly visit. I could hear the sounds of mechanical hammering coming from the pit. The creatures appeared to be building something.

"Sir, I would advise against it," I replied as I reported the situation. "I can hear some sort of construction work coming from inside the cylinder. Dropping flares might provoke them."

As always, the Colonel barked at me. "I understand the risk, Captain, but it is imperative that we try to communicate with them! We must know what we're dealing with! We must know if they are hostile! Report to me as soon as the helicopter has passed over."

Before I could try and reason with him again, the Colonel finished his transmission. I had no concept of time. No knowledge of when the helicopter would get here. The bushes rustled behind me, catching me off guard. I began to move for my pistol when Captain's Blue and Magenta appeared from within the foliage. Captain Magenta had gotten into a scuffle by the looks of things. His lip had swollen and his left eye was black.

"What happened?" I asked, examining his face.

"I'm sorry, Captain." He replied in a defeatist tone. "I screwed up. The crowd overpowered us."

"Well, it doesn't matter now. Any moment now, a helicopter is going to come over and drop flares into that thing."

"They're crazy!" Blue shouted. "If they do that, they could retaliate! I've got to stop that chopper."

"The Colonel issued the order," I replied, grabbing his arm. "There's no sense in arguing about it now. Here it comes."

Our eyes looked up at the sky in time to see the Spectrum Helicopter appear over the trees. It came to a hover position over the cylinder, dropped a series of red illuminated flares and then cleared the area all within a matter of seconds. It didn't take long for the creatures to react to the flares. The sounds of hammering stopped. An eerie silence descended over the common. We stood there waiting for their response. We got it.

A huge object rose up from the cylinder. It resembled the shape of a large camera that had been mounted to a tripod. It spun around, facing the direction of the crowd. Panicked by the sight of this thing, the crowd began to run just as this thing fired an unearthly ray of heat at them. It canvassed the whole area, leaping from person to person as it went. We watched on in horror as each man and woman was instantly turned into fire. This was their response and we had to stop it while we still could. I called up to the awaiting Angels.

"Captain Scarlet to Destiny Angel. Lock onto to the Cylinder and attack." I said as I gave the order. "Seek and destroy!"

"S.I.G," Destiny replied.

"We better get out of here ourselves," Blue said as we pulled us both away from the crater's edge. "That thing can come after us and I don't fancy our chances."

The shock had already hit Captain Magenta. "Did you see what they did? All those people... gone... just gone."

"Come on, we've got to get out of here," I said calmly as I rallied my fellow agent. "Pull yourself together, Captain."

The mysterious heat ray lingered above the rim, surveying the area. The three Angel fighters appeared over the area. After a few passes, Destiny, Rhapsody, and Melody prepared their attack runs. I could hear the three of them conversing over my radio receiver. They had no doubt rehearsed for this scenario. The first voice was that of Destiny.

"Okay girls, you know what to do. Follow my lead and aim for their weapon. Once it is taken out, aim for the inside of the object."

"S.I.G. Destiny," Rhapsody said. "Good luck and do be careful. I'll cover your right."

"I'll be right behind you," Melody added. "Let's go."

We watched in suspense as the three Angel fighters closed in on the Cylinder. Destiny opened fire and pulled up just in time. A small detonation rocked the heat ray, but it still stood. In swung the camera upwards towards and fired its mysterious death ray at them. The blistering ray of fire, scraped the wings of Destiny's craft, melting it away. Before she could recover her trajectory, the heat ray fired again. This time, it hit her engine, forcing her to peel away from the crater. Rhapsody and Melody weren't going to let it scare them off. The two fired shots in tandem with one another, in an attempt to keep the alien busy. Perhaps they thought that the heat ray would collapse in on itself that way. It was an old trick in the book but sadly a futile one at best. The two fighters dodged and weaved the heat ray beam for as long as their engines could allow them. They were dancing with the devil up there and we were powerless on the ground with no way to help them. Melody took one final shot at the interior of the cylinder. The missiles hit their target with an ineffective result. I could hear their frustrated voices over the receiver. They had tried their best.

"Angel Two to Angel leader. Destiny, did you get clear?"

"Just about made it, Rhapsody. Are you both okay?"

"It's no use. We fired everything we got at it and it did even get a scratch. That weapon of theirs is too powerful."

"It looks like we have no choice, girls. Return to base."

"I agree," I said as I entered their conversation. "All Angels return to base. There's nothing more we can do here."

Suddenly, the heat ray began to rotate once again. This time, it was aimed at us. I grabbed my two friends and hurled them to the ground. I wasn't going to let this mysterious death strike us down so soon. I was convinced this thing could even incinerate me despite my powers of retro-metabolism. The heat ray fired in our direction. The whole area around us erupted into flames. The luscious green vegetation had been burned into a cinder. We had one chance to get out of there. On the count of three, we picked ourselves up and bolted towards the street where our car awaited. As our hearts raced, we felt that we were being toyed with. This mysterious death could easily pick us off before we reached safety. When we arrived at the roadblock, we took comfort in knowing that we were now out of range of the heat ray despite the reality that it wouldn't be for long. We piled into the car just as the evacuation sirens started.

Heading out of town towards the road, a large red glow lingered over the trees where the common once sat. Woking would soon be within the range of their weapon. It was only a matter of time. Captain Blue assessed the three of us for any burns, breakages or contusions. Apart from delayed shock, we were all physically sound. We quickly drove into a frantic queue of traffic on the edge of town. We watched on as the World Army rolled in its artillery. The order had been sounded to form a cordon around the common. I didn't want to think of their chances.

"We better get back to Cloudbase." Blue piped up. "We need to know what's going on up there. Do you think the airports will still be open?"

"If they received the word in time, then they would have closed their doors and evacuated everybody. However, that won't stop us." I replied as I tried to wrap my brain around a question. "How could a race so primitive in technology compared to the Mysterons, be so much more deadly? It just doesn't make any sense!"

"Well, we should know more once we return to base," Blue replied as he wiped the sweat and blood from his face. "This has to be a dream."

"I wish it were," I said.

I recognized the unfamiliar feeling of fear that had buried itself in my friend's heart. Captain Blue was always known for his sheer defiance and bravery. Nothing could scare him or deter him away from the situation at hand. He always had a reputation for letting nothing stand in his way. Today seemed to have changed everything. How could you stop a force that you couldn't begin to understand? I often asked this about the Mysterons, yet we somehow defeated them in most cases. I felt angry at our retreat and had the urge to spin this car around and return to the scene of the calamity. It felt wrong to run. Arriving at the airport gates, I stepped on the accelerator. We crashed through the gates and sped towards our awaiting jet. We climbed aboard and made sure that the area was free of obstructions. Seizing our moment, we took off and made a hasty return to Cloudbase. Another Cylinder glided across the sky ahead of us. It was quickly followed by another and another until a green glow lit up the horizon.

After what felt like an eternity, we touched down on the hangar deck. It was so calm and tranquil. Everything had continued to operate as it did for countless years. The Angels sat there in the hangar. All three of them were charred and damaged, but not completely beyond repair. We walked through the decks of the base, taking in the invitingly calm environment around us. I always believed that Cloudbase was untouchable. I hoped that it still would be.

In the conference room, Colonel White had summoned an emergency meeting with various other Spectrum and World Forces commanders. Captain Ochre sat there in the corner nursing a bandaged arm. Doctor Fawn was attending to his wounds. He had seen some action of his own. The Colonel called us over and briefed us on the situation.

"Gentlemen. Thank heavens you are okay." He said as he introduced us to the fellow officers. "We have been analyzing the reports since they developed. Similar incidents of unidentified attacks have surfaced all over the worlds. At Fifteen Hundred Hours today, a second cylinder touched down outside of Glasgow, Scotland. Following reports say that further Cylinders have touched down outside Liverpool, Belfast, and Manchester."

"They're coming in droves." I gasped as I studied the reports. "Just take a look at these reports. "New York has three of them. Two crashed near Tokyo Bay. One has just landed near the Russian - Ukrainian border. We couldn't even hope to send our forces there."

"We've been in contact with the Russian Government." Replied one of the Generals. "They are taking care of it. We've been keeping in contact with Space City. They report that a Cylinder has crashed not far from their base. It took out three XL crafts as it landed and the personnel at Glenn Field has been evacuated after a Cylinder crashed into the main control tower. However, there is one reoccurring problem that happens. As soon as a Cylinder touches down, no more news comes out of that area."

I took a deep breath and asked. "The Heat Ray?"

"That's all the information that we have so far." The Colonel continued, as he glazed over my question. "For added security precautions, Cloudbase will travel to a position over the Himalayan mountains. We hope to avoid any collisions with the Cylinders. We will use this base as the center of operations. All recreational rooms will be used as makeshift medical wings and all aircraft approaching the base within a five-mile radius will be shot down. Constant communication will be in full effect with both the World Space Patrol and the World Aquanaut Security Patrol. This is fast becoming a crisis on an international scale, so we must be alert at all times."

As true to the reputation that he had, Captain Blue stepped forward. "Colonel, I'd like permission to return to Woking and take charge of the fighting there?"

"I admire your devotion to duty, Captain, but I need you here." The Colonel denied. "Until we know of a plan to stop the alien's advance, there isn't much more than we can do. The evacuations of densely populated areas are in full effect."

"Sir, with all due respect, we've got to do something?"

"There is something you can do, Captain. Report to the sick room and get those wounds attended to. Captain Scarlet, I want you to relieve Lieutenant Green and monitor the channels. As soon as a call comes in from Vulcan Laboratories, let me know. "

"S.I.G."

That evening, I sat alone in a quiet control room. The vibrations caused by the base's powerful engines rocked my chair. I had turned my ears into a constant flurry of reports that came in from across the globe. It didn't take me long to notice how each report appeared to unravel the events of the alien's mission. They were now moving out of their cylinders in machines that couldn't be identified properly. The blood-curdling screams told me that people were being burnt to ashes. There was something I could have done to help yet I sat there helplessly listening to their cries. Suddenly, a distinctive call caught my attention. A gruff yet distinguished voice repeatedly called out using a code signal.

"This is General Autumn reporting from Vulcan Labs. Are you reading me, Spectrum? If you can hear my voice...We need your help urgently!"

I bolted from my seat, instantly buzzing the Colonel. Somebody had found a way to destroy the Martians. I knew that if anybody was going to go down there and help then it would be me. I was the obvious choice.

As soon as the Colonel made contact with General Autumn, he got to work on issuing my next assignment. Captain Blue and I knew what was coming.

"Gentlemen, General Autumn reports that a Doctor Matthew Pal has studied one of the creatures since they arrived on Earth. He claims that when the Army captured it outside of its Cylinder in Kent. He was able to take a few blood samples. However, when he went to his office to grab his equipment, he was reported missing."

"What are our orders?" I asked.

"The pair of you will try and make it towards his last location. Should you find him, bring him to the top-secret testing facility in Essex. His notes could hold the key to stopping the attackers. Once you overfly the area, eject and move in via parachutes. Hopefully, the Martians won't detect you. Are there any questions?"

"No, sir. We'll leave right away."

We eventually took off, leaving the safety and comfort of our base behind. With the sun rising over the horizon, we headed towards the chaos and bloodshed that was now ravaging the British Isles.

 

Three

 

There was nothing left of Britain except for a sea of fire and destruction. Her iconic landmarks had been destroyed, reduced to rubble to dust. As we passed over the countryside, our eyes could make out various shapes which were crawling about the surface. It was hard to describe them as they moved about in the thick smog. Attempting to find a safe drop zone, Captain Blue kept his eyes open for a clearing. There was an open field which sat by a country lane. It had been scorched but the flames had already died out. It was the perfect place to land which would hopefully be close to some sort of transport. Once we lowered our height, we both threw the ejector switches. We hurled through the air as we watched our jet spiral out of control, resulting in a fireball in the neighboring field.

The wind carried us towards our desired target. The cylinders kept on falling, striking the now dead horizon with a loud boom. We gently touched down in the field and unfastened our chutes. The air smelt of blood and fire. I always imagined that this was how hell smells like. What nightmarish world did we stumble into? While I took in these horrid surrounding, Captain Blue went on ahead with his digital compass.

"There is a service station about three miles up the road." He said. "It's one of ours. If we're lucky, it should still have an SPV inside."

"Let's get moving," I replied as my senses started to creep up on me. "We are not safe here."

Captain Blue raised an eyebrow. "I can't see or hear anything? The whole place is deserted."

"Looks can be deceiving, Adam. I feel as if something is coming this way. Only I can't tell where. Where are we exactly?"

"According to this, We've landed approximately Ten Miles away from Ashford. I have a strong fix on the Doctor's location. I guess that's where we're going."

Following the road, we came to the small service station in question. It remained in one piece. The glass box was shattered. Its attendant was missing, possibly killed by the Martians. Amongst the debris, I discovered the activation controls for the SPV. Thankfully, they remained intact. The power still worked and with the flip of the switch, the garage doors flung open. The SPV inside still remained intact. We approached the vehicle when a loud, foreign whale prevented me from entering. A few seconds later, the sound came again. This time it grew closer with a sound that roared liked thunder.

ULLAA!

A huge metallic Tri-Pod appeared over the horizon. It's three enormous treads flattened the tree line in front of it. It made it's way across the field towards us at an impressive rate of speed. We kept absolutely still as to not draw it's attention as it approached the derelict station. I got a good look at the hood of this thing through the SPV's TV monitor. An Alien sat inside the hood which appeared to be designed for his shape. Two metallic baskets sat underneath the main body accompanied by a series of metallic flowing tentacles that ripped the vegetation apart as it moved. The ghostly heat ray had been mounted on the left side of the body. It scanned the area looking for targets to fire on. A foot smashed the ground right in front of us and then raised again, narrowly missing the station. Luckily for us, it didn't spot us. We watched it stride away until it vanished within the smoke and fog.

"What was that thing? And where was it going?"

"I don't know, but there could well be more of them," I replied. "We better get moving."

We hit the open road and found ourselves all alone again. We repeatedly heard the Alien's war cry, but couldn't see anything. The SPV barged its way through smoldering debris like a juggernaut. Eventually, we approached the slip road into Ashford where the silhouette of tripods danced across the horizon. Their heat rays lit up the sky like summer lightning. The streets were deserted. Fires ravaged office blocks and shop fronts. The trouble came from the center of town. A huge riot had engulfed the town center. People climbed on top of each other, risking their lives over the last morsels of food, water and other perishables that the town had left to offer. Looters and rioters took to the streets with bricks and glass bottles, destroying and pillaging anything they could lay their hands on. Unfortunately for us, they had blocked access to the laboratories where the Doctor was hiding. Doctor Pal had hidden behind an upturned desk, shielding himself from the ravaged horde of survivors. We had to get him out of there and fast.

"We must draw the crowd away from the Labs," I said as I activated the SPV's cannon. "A small discharge to the right should scare them off."

"So this is what mankind resorts too when they feel that all hope is lost. Look at them. It's like stepping into a Zombie apocalypse." Captain Blue added.

"I know what you mean. The amount of noise that they are making is bound to attract unwanted attention. We better make this quick."

Aiming the SPV's cannon, I fired a shot at the neighboring building. The crowd scurried away at the sound of the explosion. Captain Blue covered me while I left the vehicle to retrieve the doctor. I pulled out my sidearm and shot the glass to pieces. Doctor Pal sat there in a fetal position. He looked up at me with his red fatigued eyes as I gestured to help him stand.

I greeted him calmly with an impromptu handshake. "Doctor Matthew Pal?"

"Y-Yes?" He stuttered.

"I'm Captain Scarlet from Spectrum. We've come to get you out of here. Can you come with me please?"

Grabbing his briefcase, I hurried the Doctor into the SPV. We had just reached it to the door when suddenly, that almighty roar returned.

ULLAA!

We threw the SPV in reverse and caught a glimpse of a tripod smashing its way towards us. Another raised its body behind it. Quickly bearing down on our position, the first tripod fired its heat ray. It's beam of fire, obliterated the Laboratories. We had no choice but to run. Sped out of there, narrowly avoiding the ray's destruction. It carved up the road around us we made our escape. When we approached the exit for the motorway, it seemed that luck was on our side.

"Look!" Blue shouted. "Up there! It's the Angels!"

The Angels zipped across the blood-red sky, aiming their sights straight at the hoods of the death machines. The first to go in was Symphony Angel. The Tripods focused their heat rays on the incoming targets, but their lack of mobility was no match for the supersonic fighters. Symphony made her attack run. Her missiles bounced off the Alien's invisible force field. Pulling away to a safe distance, she made a quick assessment of the situation. Rhapsody and Harmony both decided to aim for the legs. Harmony made the first past, severing the legs of a tripod in two. It crashed into the ground with a growl which somehow provoked the other one. It spun around and fired its heat ray at Harmony's aircraft. She pulled up a second too late. Her engine exploded, forcing the fighter to go into a nose dive. The Tripod locked it's heat ray onto her for the kill shot when it was taken off guard from behind. Rhapsody flew in and fired her missiles straight at what looked like an exhaust port. Multiple explosions rocked the hood of the fighting machine from the inside out Smoke poured out of the hood as it came crashing down right on top of a suburb.

Harmony couldn't pull out of the dive. She was able to eject just moments before her fighter collided with the ground. Rhapsody radioed in that she would land and attend to Harmony while we focus on getting the Doctor to safety. Soon, we were heading back towards London, stopping at nothing. Doctor Pal gathered his wits together in the passenger seat.

"Are you hurt, Doctor?" I asked him.

"No. I'm fine. Thank you, Captain." He replied as he opened his briefcase. "Fortunately, all my research is intact. As soon as we get to the emergency powers bunker in London, the better."

"What exactly did you discover, Doctor?" I asked. "General Autumn said that you examined a dead alien once the army had killed it. How?"

"I had special clearance to examine it." The Doctor explained. "I was sent to Kent by the World Government to get a look at where these creatures come from. I spent the past few hours examining the blood and tissue cell samples which I took from it. So far I'm convinced that these creatures are the original Martian species that ruled the planet before The Mysterons."

"That's a hell of a statement, Doctor," Blue replied. "How can you be sure?"

The Doctor delved deeper into his theories and beliefs. "They exhibit the basic functions one would need to survive on the Martian surface. It's my belief that they were once chased off their planet when The Mysterons colonized it. Then, once they figured out how to take their planet back, then sort out The Mysterons as sport, eradicating them off the face of the planet. My guess is that they studied our war with them and learned of our weaknesses before launching an attack of their own. Only I've discovered a way to beat them. We just need the technology and the time to make this miracle happen."

That word pricked my conscience. "A miracle?"

"Captain, the Martian died from microscopic bacteria. The Army thought that they had shot it to pieces, but in fact, it was already on the verge of death before it left the Cylinder. I found traces of our influenza and flu viruses in its bloodstream. They built these tripod machines to filter out the bacteria and keep them alive. We need to find a way to pierce the hoods of those contraptions, bringing them down once and for all."

"We'll get you there as fast as we can, Doctor," I assured him. "This SPV is the safest place to be at this moment. Should we stop, do not under any circumstances, leave the vehicle."

Doctor Pal agreed with my request. "I won't move a muscle, Captain. Don't worry."

As we continued onwards, something appeared in the corner of my eye. A wave of Tripods strode across the countryside heading towards the coast. Something appeared to be luring them there. A feeling sat in my gut, urging me on to follow them.

"Turn this vehicle around," I said, acting on my instincts. "We've got to follow those tripods."

Captain Blue jerked his head towards me. "What!? Are you crazy!?"

"Maybe," I replied. "But I feel like we're about to turn our backs on people who need our help. At least stop the SPV and I'll go. You get the Doctor to the bunker."

Captain Blue took a few seconds to think it over all the while the Tripods continued their advance.

"S.I.R, Paul. If you're going, then we all are. I'll get you there."

We spun around and headed back the way we came. We kept the Tripods within visual range as we sped down the motorway towards the ruins of Folkestone. My gut instincts had done it once again. The Martians were heading for Dover. As we sped into the town and down towards the port, we were met with the panic-stricken crowds of people that all swept towards the port. There were no countermeasures put in place to save their souls. Families battled families, the rich rubbed elbows with the poor, animals snarled and growled and the remains of incarcerated bodies covered the streets. It seemed as if the Martians were rounding these people up like how a herder rounds up his flock. Three WASP battleships appeared in the channel but were instantly destroyed by the Martians menacing Heat ray. They didn't stand a chance. Then a squadron of WASP Spearhead jets arrived on the scene in an attempt to ward them off. Unlike the Angel's however, the Heat Rays made short work of them too. The people below battled to board the three passenger ships that were leaving for the channel. They were all sitting ducks down there. I had to help them somehow. I had to find a way.

 

Four

 

The port of Dover was no more. The Martians cordoned it off with their Tripods and the only chance of escape was by Ferry boat. Two boats remained at the doc. Their crews piled as many people as they could on board. So many people felt that fleeing to Europe would give them a fighting chance for survival. Our SPV rolled to a stop outside one of the boarding tubes. I left the vehicle, issuing my final instructions to Captain Blue.

"Right, I want you both to get to the bunker straight away. Do not stop for anyone or anything. I'll see what I can do to help here."

"We will be seeing you at the bunker, right?" The Doctor replied.

Doctor Pal, Captain Scarlet has a constant ace up his sleeve." Captain Blue replied assuringly. "He has the power of retro-metabolism, a power given to him from The Mysterons. This makes him virtually indestructible. He'll make it."

I always admired my colleague's appreciation of my so-called abilities. "Get going and good luck."

"S.I.G. You too."

I waited there to see the SPV disappear into the crowds before directing my attention at the port authorities. I spotted two WASP security men who were struggling to control the flow of frightened civilians. The both looked at me with faces of sweat and frustration.

"Captain Scarlet, Spectrum. I've come to help. Is there anything I can do?" I asked as I showed them my identification badge.

One of the officers gave me a quick rundown of the situation.

"One of our ships has reported a Tripod in the channel. It's destroying any ship the crosses into France. Our latest update is that it is heading straight for the port. It'll block these two ships only route out of here."

"I see," I replied as I studied my options. "Is there any Arial support coming?"

"We sent for air support over an hour ago." The officer answered. "Our guess is that they were blown out of the sky."

"Leave it to me," I said as I silently decided on a course of action. "I think I can divert the Tripod out of the channel but you'll need to keep the other two at bay."

"And how on Earth are you going to do that!? That Tripod will rip you to pieces out there no matter what ship you take!?"

"There's no time to explain. Just leave it to me." I said as I sped off towards the harbor. "Just keep the other two distracted and I'll do the rest."

"Good luck, Captain!"

The Martians roared behind me as I hurried along the harbor wall. I knew of a small warehouse on the end which we used to store a Spectrum Combat Hovercraft. It was designed to combat any threats made out at sea. This would be the first time I'd ever get to use it. I saw the two Tripods approach the port. Missile explosions knocked them both off balance. A silhouette appeared out on the misty horizon. It was the Tripod in question. I remembered the security code to the Warehouse and hurried inside. The hovercraft sat there, intact and looking immaculate. She had only seen sea tests but this would be her maiden mission. After familiarising myself with the controls, I was determined to use her full weapons armament against the Martian. The hangar doors swung open just as I switched on the hovercraft motors. I gently eased the throttle, taking myself out to the water.

Bringing the hovercraft up to full speed, I headed for the Tripod straight on. It just sat there, focussing its attention on the advancing ferries. It had trained its Heat ray on them. My plan was to put myself between the Ferries and the awaiting heat ray. At full speed, I hissed passed the Tripod at a fairly close range. It remained there, unaware at my efforts to distract it. At at a safe distance, I spun around and tried again. This time, I activated the hovercraft's onboard weapon systems. A rocket cannon rose up from the main compartment, stopping at full elevation. I targeted the Tripod's hood, keeping it my targeting scope for the essential few seconds. I launched a rocket at the flick of a switch. The explosion bounced off the Tripod's protective shield, eventually attracting its attention.

It spun round in a clockwise direction, aiming its heat ray at me. It fired, boiling the surface of the water around me. I could feel the heat bounce off the hull, causing me to avert my eyes for just a few seconds. I fired again during a third pass, hitting its legs. It swayed around for just a few seconds before it continued wading after me. It's metallic tentacles lashed the side of the hovercraft with full force. I pushed this thing to its full potential. The plan was working like a dream. I could see the two Ferries approaching the end of the port, gently sailing past the lighthouse. The Martian didn't even stop to check. It was too busy trying to finish me off. I noted that I had inflicted sufficient damage to the Tripod's legs, just like the one we had destroyed in Ashford. It seemed that the Martians had found no way of protecting them. At least not yet. It was the only spot that made them partially vulnerable. I lined myself up for a fourth and final pass, confident that it would be the finishing move.

Somehow, the Martian inside the hood anticipated my move. It aimed its heat ray at me and fired directly and the engine compartment. The alarms sounded throughout the cabin. Instruments sparked, smoke filled the room, obscuring my vision and the deck-plate began to heat up indicating a fire down below. The hovercraft's engine had been melted by the heat ray. It was completely finished. All I could do was try my best to steer the now smoldering wreck towards the shoreline. It was funny because it felt like the Martian sat there, watching me sail towards my impending destruction. It didn't come after me to finish the job. Despite all of this, my plan had succeeded. Amongst the smoke and sparks, I caught a last glimpse of the two Ferries as they disappeared into the hazy horizon on their journey towards uncertain safety.

Rapidly approaching the shoreline, I took my chance to eject. The hatchway opened, venting the smoke but feeding the flames at the same time. My seat propelled me upwards towards temporary safety with just seconds to spare. The hovercraft exploded on contact with the rocks. The shock wave from the blast caught by surprise. It knocked me off course, sending me careening back towards the boiling ocean. I immediately burn on contact. The pain was excruciating. My powers had given me a high threshold to pain, but as I swam towards the shoreline, I knew that it wasn't going to do me any favors. It seemed completely inconceivable to me that the Heat Ray could turn the channel into a gigantic frying pot. Yet as I crawled onto the sand, the damage had instantly taken its toll. My body had suffered multiple burns. My clothes were torn and smoking, My face had swollen and my limbs throbbed violently. I tried to muster the strength to get back on my feet. Acting on sheer willpower, I staggered away from the port and into the murdered countryside. When I arrived at the White Cliffs, my weary, reddened eyes locked onto yet another despairing sight. Two Tripods walked along the shoreline ahead of me. A dozen more Cylinder twinkled above them. This was the second wave. The final fleet that would secure this planet and bring humanity to its knees.

My heart ached with every beat. I found it hard to breathe as my inflamed chest struggled to take in the air. Everything smelt so stale. My vision began to fade on me. Feeling disorientated I quickly fell to my knees. I spotted a small wooden boat by an entrance to a river. I took the initiative to climb into it, hoping that something so small could not be detected by the Martians. I threw my battered body into the boat, my weight pushed it out into the water. I lay there silently, watching green flare after green flare whiz over me. My limbs collapsed under the pain. The was the most helpless I had ever been. I lay there thinking of all my friends. The Angels, Cloudbase, Adam. Were they all still alive? I had no way of contacting them. No way of calling for help. It was the end of the world. The Cylinders kept falling, the Tripods kept rising and there was no man or machine to fight them. It was the massacre of Mankind. From the few short days since their arrival, the Earth now belonged to the Martians.

 

Five Hours Later

I awoke in a somewhat pleasant environment. A quiet filled the air accompanied by a harsh breeze. I no longer ached, my burns had disappeared completely. It seemed that my body healed completely during my impromptu slumber. I found that my boat had been washed upstream and had embedded itself on a small shoreline. Climbing out of the boat, I picked up my feet and attempted to find a road or some sort of sight to help me get my bearings. I found the road just outside the remains of a farm. I couldn't work out which direction to take, but something shimmered in the distance which caught my eye. The entire landscape was red, brought on by a plant substance which the Martians had brought with them to Earth. Hungry and footsore, I walked along the deserted lane alone with my thoughts. It was obvious to me now that just as man had succumbed to the Martians, the Earth succumbed to the red weed. This plant amazed me. It had engulfed every tree, plant, and building with it's bloody, slimy roots clasped onto anything it touched. As for the Martians themselves, I could hear the faint sounds of their machines in the distance, but I felt as if they had finished with this area and wouldn't see a reason to return.

I came to a small village and decided to have a look around in the chance I would find some food. The Red Weed was everywhere. It had dried up the town's water feature and even entered buildings. I scoured the remains of a shop which had been raided by looters. All I found was a tin of peaches. That was all the food I could find. I sat up against the wall with my tin and used my pistol to shoot the lid off it. As I began to eat, I heard the sound of static coming from a small security post across the way. Curious, I walked towards it hoping that I could hear a voice. The transmitter had been left on and didn't appear to be damaged. Taking a chance, I attempted to put out a call to Cloudbase.

"This is Captain Scarlet, calling on all Spectrum and public wavelengths. Can anybody hear me?"

A few seconds of silence followed when suddenly,

"This is...fffzt... Cloudbase...fffzt...under attack...drawing back Martian... fffzt..."

"Come in, Cloudbase. Are you receiving me? Come in!? Damn it!"

It was no used. If Cloudbase was still up there, she was putting up a hell of a fight. With a sigh, I left the post and returned to my tin. I could hear the Martians working away in the background. Their screams filled the air. It no longer felt as if I was on Earth anymore. The whole country felt so alien to me. I continued eating when the clouds above me began to rumble. A huge flash of green light, lit up the sky shortly followed by yet another cylinder. It was hardly surprising by this point. I followed it's trajectory closely as it skidded across the ground and came to rest in a neighboring town. My body tensed up. I put down my empty tin and rose up with this new found anger and hatred. I felt compelled to march over to that cylinder and face the Martians head on. I was Indestructible. There was a fighting chance I could withstand their heat ray and survive. I ignored all the nagging thoughts that told me to withdraw as marched towards the newly formed crater.

As I arrived there, however, I was caught off guard by an amazing site. A small church sat on the very edge of the crater. It had suffered minor damage, but it still stood on its foundations. The cylinder sat a few short feet away from it. As I made my way down the embankment towards the church, I could hear screaming coming from within. A young vicar emerged from inside. He was in distress, stained in blood and dirt. I made my way to him and tried to calm him down.

"They devils! They came from the sky and killed her!" He cried as I shook him by the shoulders.

"Take it easy. It's alright." I said calmly. "I'm an agent of Spectrum. Calm down."

The Vicar looked me in the eye. "They took her. The devil has finally taken his revenge on God's children. What have we done to deserve this? What have done to earn this eternal damnation?"

"Vicar, listen to me. This isn't the work of Satan. They are Martians. Beings from another world. You must understand. We can't stay here."

"They took her away from me." He sobbed. "They took my darling wife. She didn't stand a chance."

"Where is she?"

"In the main chapel. Buried under the rubble. I couldn't move her."

I didn't know how to comfort him. "I'm sorry for your loss. We must hurry before the Martians begin moving around."

"I won't leave her." The Vicar growled. "I won't let those demons take her body away!"

"You don't understand. They'll kill you too! She would want you to keep safe. Come with me while you still can!"

Suddenly, the cylinder in the pit started to unscrew. We were running out of time. I begged for the Vicar to come with me, but the distraught man of god would not budge. I should have just left him but I couldn't. I grabbed the Vicar and rushed him inside the church. I saw the body of his wife buried under a mountain of rubble. There was nothing I could do. The Vicar continued to scream and pray at the top of his voice. I grew concerned at the fact that he would draw the Martians towards us. I dragged him to the ground and told him to keep quiet. The lid of the cylinder fell off. We hid behind the windows using the shadows to hide our appearance. A Martian emerged from within the cylinder. As it scoured around the pit, I felt it's evil eyes burn into my soul. I had a feeling that they knew we were there. The question was, would they find us?

 

Five

 

We continued to hide in the derelict church, sharing a loaf of bread between us. The Vicar sat there in a distraught state, constantly praying away to his lord and saviour. At times he would yell prompting me to silence him as it wouldn't be difficult for the Martians to locate us. He had become a liability, easily sacrificing our lives for the sake of his grief and yet, I pitied him. He searched through the rubble of the chapel and dug out a tin flask of water which he had kept on his person the whole time. We both swigged from it, carefully rationing it out. Outside, the Martians had built a new machine. I watched on through the window as a metallic spider-like object emerged from the cylinder. It still had tentacles but also had an additional feature. Two grabbing claws extended outwards from the body, as it crawled across the pit. A Martian sat in the hood of this handling machine. Two metal cages hung from the back of this machine with two long tubes that appeared to have needles on the end of them. It scurried out of my line of sight until we were left with the ambient mechanical sounds of the cylinder.

The Vicar hadn't eaten in some time. I grew concerned for his well-being. He sat there, rocking back and forth and nothing would seem to break him out of it. I pulled on his arm, thrusting a slice of bread into his hand. The Vicar's eyes remained closed. He simply refused to see the world which was crumbling all around him. Was this young man deliberately trying to die on me? His wife wouldn't have wanted that. Then again how would I know?

"Look, you must eat," I said as I attempted to get his attention. "You can't keep this up, Vicar. As soon as the Martians have cleared out, we're making a break for it."

"How can I eat when the devil is feasting off my soul?" The Vicar muttered. "Why can't you see that this is his handy work? Our people, the Lord's children, turned to me. They trusted me. Yet I was powerless to save them when Satan's creatures stripped them of their lives. Those still alive would surely envy the dead that's for sure."

"Not me," I replied. "I actually believe in the spirit of mankind. I believe that we will prevail to win against the Martians. It takes a lot of courage to keep that spirit alive. Especially if men like you are there to lead them."

"If our Lord made me a leader of men, then why did I fail?"

"You didn't fail. You just haven't found your inner strength back. See, it's men like me who just uphold everything to keep this world safe, but it's men like you that keep the will to survive. You encourage people who are seeking that motivation. You are a valuable person and important. You just don't know it yet."

It seemed for a short moment that I had gotten through to him. He lifted his weary head from his hands and stood up to face the window. I had somehow managed to feed him the words that he needed to hear. Then suddenly, the Martian handling machine returned. I pulled the Vicar down behind the window just seconds before it crossed our line of sight again. This time it had captured some survivors. A woman cried and screamed for her life. A man sat there next to her in the other cage. He appeared to be unconscious and unaware of what was about to happen to him. One of the needle objects descended from the body. It entered one of the cages and struck its dagger-like needle straight into the woman's chest. Her blood-curdling screams slowly faded into dust as the Martian sucked the life out of her. She had completely been drained of her blood. The second needle then made its way towards the man. He didn't put up much of a fight. I looked over at the Vicar who had watched the whole horrific event. His face had frozen in terror. His reaction to this encounter summed up everything I had trained to repress.

Dropping the corpses, the Martian scuttled away, disappearing inside the cylinder. I sat back up against the wall and rubbed my dirt stricken face. An eerie moment of silence enveloped us. It was as if we were being lured into a false sense of security. I knew that if we would make a run for it at that moment, we would be spotted, rounded up and have the life drained from us. All this waiting had started to test my patience and I knew it had taken the Vicar's sanity. All of sudden, he screamed as loud as his lungs would allow him.

"This is madness! Utter madness! How could be blind to this! I must smite out these... these... VAMPIRES! With my holy cross! The weapon of the lord!"

"Are you crazy!? You'll be killed! Don't be a fool!" I growled as I tried to talk him out of it.

He didn't listen. I couldn't talk him out of it anymore, but be damned, I was going to save him. I could see something stir out of the corner of my eye. The ambient green light had cast the silhouette of a Martian, wriggling its way towards the edge. It had heard the Vicar's cries. Oblivious to this, the Vicar continued to melt down in front of me.

"I shall go out there and rid this evil single-handedly. Nothing shall stop me as long as I have the lords protection! I shall cast them out! I shall send them back! I shall..."

SMACK! I threw a punch at the Vicar. His body went limp and hit the rocks with a crashing sound. Grabbing him by the legs, I began to drag him behind a large section of a wall. As I rounded the corner, I heard the sound of cracking coming from behind me. I spun around and realized that a Martian had entered the building. It fumbled around the room, searching for the source of the screaming. I dropped the Vicar and climbed into a dressing table that had been left intact, I climbed in, leaving the door ajar. I sat there silently, feeling helpless and guilty and my failed attempt to save the young man of God.

Holding my breath, I watched as the Martian latched onto the Vicar's leg and dragged him away. I rested my head for a few moments and closed my eyes. I assumed that it was over believing that the Martian had left the house, but the familiar shuffling sound returned. I peered through the crack in the door. The Martian has returned, it's slimy tentacles felt around the section of wall that was keeping it away from me. It obviously knew that I was in here. I grabbed my pistol as I heard it wrap it's tentacle around the latch to my hiding place. It then let go and started to leave the vicinity of the room. I peeked through the crack in the door and saw it the Martian scuttle away.

I didn't leave that confined space for another few hours. I sat there in a daze as my thoughts swirled around before my eyes. I had this sense that every decision I'd make from here on out would be a gamble. Would there be a London left to arrive to? Would my friends and fellow officers still be alive? Would I ever get to tell Rhapsody Angel exactly how I felt about her? So much flashed through my mind that I completely ignored the silent surrounding around me. I gathered my wits together and peered outside the door. All was silent only this time, the eerie foreboding feeling had gone. I climbed out and made my way back towards the door. The Martians had gone. The crater was deserted leaving the remains of the slightly rusted cylinder. The sun cast its warm comforting rays on my face. A fresh breeze blew through my hair and the air... oh the air... it tasted so sweet.

I began dragging my mangled body back towards the main road. The Red Weed surrounding me had taken on a different appearance. It would crumble up in my hand the second I'd touch it. It was dying! As I wandered alone, I couldn't get over how this day felt like any other spring day. I could hear birdsong in the trees around me. A sound that I thought I would never hear again. What had happened here during my incarceration? Did mother nature return to claim her land? My mind replayed the sound of Tripods, making believe that they were still walking around, but I was all alone. Apart from the flutter of birds, there wasn't a single sign of life around for miles.

I eventually arrived at a town which had a few houses standing. One of them had a garage with the slight chance that it had a vehicle inside. I shot the lock with my pistol and flung the door upwards. To my relief, a black sedan sat there. As I made my way over towards the car, I saw a body lying there behind it. It was the body of a man who had a transparent plastic bag fastened over his head. He had simply taken his life in the wake of the Martians by suffocating himself. I climbed on inside the car and hot-wired it. The journey to London would be the longest one I'd ever take. I just hoped that there was a city there waiting for me.

The hours slipped by as I drove through mangled towns and red stained countryside. When I finally approached London, my hope to see survivors faded into dust. London was dead. She had been swept off of her foundations and had been obliterated. I drove across London Bridge, expecting to see the Martians waiting for me in their machines, but I was still alone. I carried on driving along one street after the other. Everything landmark which once gave London her unique identity had been reduced to flames. Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, St Paul's Cathedral and Buckingham Palace had all be consumed by the inferno which the Martians had inflicted. By the time I reached Hyde Park, I realized that there was no point in being here. It was clear that nobody survived the onslaught. There were no telling as to where the Martians had gone, but I was going to use this isolation to myself and get out of there. My only instinct left was to locate an airfield so I headed out of the city center. That's when a familiar cry rang out through the air.

UUUUUULAAAAAAAAA!

That sound conveyed a message. The Martians had returned. I figured that they had been searching for me. I wasn't going to run anymore. What was the point? It was obvious that they had taken over the entire planet by now. If they were really going to kill me, then I was going to save them the hassle. A sense of illogical thoughts hit me. I was going to give my life to the Martians here and now! I took off the for the direction of the sound, determined to get this over with. Indestructible or not, I wasn't going to be the last man on a world under their reign. As I raced towards Regents Park, the cry came again.

UUUUULAAAAAAAAAA!

It was coming from the northern side of the park. As I cut through the park, I skidded to a halt before a sight I thought I'd never see. A Tripod stood on top of Primrose Hill. It listed slightly as it's metallic body angled towards the ground. Blood trickled out of its eyes, it's tentacles flailed about in the wind and its heat ray hung here, immobilized by a mysterious force. Birds pecked and tore away at the flesh of a seemingly dead Martian. Its eyes had glazed over and its skin had begun to crust over. I climbed the mountain with a new found sense of hope. When I reached the top, the view before me displayed a wondrous result. A whole sea of tripods decomposed and immobile lay scattered across the remnants of the city. Birds feasted away on each and every one of them. Their cries eventually faded into melody in the distance. We had beaten him, but how? I then thought back to something that Doctor Pal had stated earlier on. Could it have been our germs? Earth's bacteria that had killed them? I sat down on the dead grass and pondered it. Could it have really been that easy?

My train of thought was broken at the sounds of a gun clicking behind me.

"Stand up slowly and keep your hands where I can see them."

I wasn't alone. There was another survivor after all. Only this one didn't seem happy at my presence. I gathered that I had wandered into a looter's territory. This was bound to drive people out of their minds. However, there was nothing I could do in this situation so I stood up and complied. When I turned to face my assailant, I was surprised to see a young Spectrum security guard. He had a face that had seen it all go down here. His arm shook as he struggled to keep his gun trained on me.

"I- I ought to take you in. You are trespassing on Spectrum territory." He said with a stutter.

I calmly tried to diffuse the situation. "It's alright. I'm not a trespasser. I'm Captain Scarlet of Spectrum. I'm here to find the emergency powers committee."

"Oh yeah?" The guard replied. "If you're really Captain Scarlet, then I want to see your identification?"

I couldn't believe it. I had lost my identification badge. I had clearly lost it during my ordeal with the Vicar.

"I'm afraid I've misplaced it. If you can take me to Captain Blue, I'm certain he will vouch for my identity."

"Sorry, without proof, I'm going to have to take you in for trespassing."

I admired this kid for carrying out his duty, but I had no time for simple misunderstandings. Fortunately, luck was still on my side. A familiar voice convinced the young security guard to holster his gun.

"Stand down, officer. He's one of us!"

My face lit up as Captain Blue climbed up the hill. He walked straight up to me with excitement in his voice.

"Paul! I thought I'd never see you again!"

"Adam! I thought you surely burned!"

Captain Blue smiled. "And I thought you surely drowned. I thought your powers couldn't save you this time, but it's so good to see you again!"

I must have had a billion questions for him as we took a leisurely stroll down the hill. An SPV sat at the bottom of the hill waiting for us. I could see Captain Ochre inside at the controls.

"What happened here?" I asked as we approached the vehicle. "What happened to the Martians? Did we win?"

"We are winning, but I'm afraid that it's far from over," Blue replied. "We better get to the bunker. General Autumn will fill you in on the details."

"The General is here? I trust the Doctor made it safely too?"

"We made it alright. As soon as we left Dover, we made our way here as fast as we could. By the time we entered the city limits, the Martians had already begun their attack. Dodging their heat rays was the hardest thing I had ever done. Fortunately for us, they had not located the bunker."

Climbing into the SPV, we took off towards the vicinity of Soho. The streets there were covered in a bizarre black substance. There were bodies coated in the mysterious stuff.

"They used a mysterious toxic substance which suffocated the air around the city. Those who made it into the emergency shelters survived, but most of them perished from suffocation." Blue explained. "We narrowly escaped it ourselves. Then they started to drop by flies. The Doctor concluded that it was our bacteria that had done the initial damage, but we couldn't be too sure at first. Captain Grey then located a dead Martian near the river and brought it in for an autopsy. It died from the common cold. We thought that was it until now. It turns out that Martians had a secondary task once they had established themselves on Earth."

"I don't understand. If they had a second task, then surely they would have researched a way to make themselves immune to our germs?"

"They did. Now, we're going to have to find a way to stop them from completing their mission. General Autumn has found a way to bring the fight to the Martians one and for all. It's us or them."

Everything began to fall into place like the missing pieces of a puzzle. I thought back to my time in the demolished chapel. They were harvesting people for their blood so they could use it to make an antibody. It seemed as if my victory was short-lived after all. The Martian war was far from over.

 

Six

 

We came to a Tube station located in the center of the city. Its gates had been pried open, revealing it's dark and foreboding tunnels which led deep within the ground. Captain Blue and Captain Ochre led the way, using their flashlights to navigate through the pitch black smog. It felt weird seeing this station. It just seemed preserved despite the odd traces of lingering Red Weed. Captain Ochre searched the halls to check that the coast was clear. To my knowledge, we were completely alone.

"This way." He whispered as he signaled us to move.

"As you can see Captain, we've had to move our operations underground." Captain Blue said as we crept down towards the northbound platform. "It was the only way we could coordinate our efforts without the Martians detecting us."

As much as I respected what they were doing in the name of security, I was getting annoyed with all this sneaking around. Why were we still hiding when our invaders were dying up top?

"Adam, the Martians are dying. Are you sure we need to be doing this?"

"That's for General Autumn to explain," Blue replied.

We arrived at a section of wall which appeared to be paler in color. Captain Ochre brushed his hand against it, pressing down on a mechanism. A door slid open before us, revealing a ray of bright light. Sick of this toxic environment, I eagerly followed them into the secret passage. As we headed for the next room, the floor was filled with survivors. They were wounded, tired, hungry and angry at their ordeal. Women cried for their losses, children ran up and down the halls, their innocence unscathed. These people were refugees in their own home. I hoped that they would be able to rebuild their lives eventually, one way or the other.

I eventually found myself in a control center which was operated frantically by a mixed unit of WASP, WSP and Spectrum Personnel. At the center of the room, studying a battle map of the city was General Autumn. He looked like a man who had stumbled onto something big. I recognized that pissed off expression his face. This invasion was far from over. Somehow, I had known that all along. He looked up at us and marched on over.

"Captain Scarlet! I thought we would never see you again!" He said as he forcibly grabbed and shook my hand. "Where the devil was you!?"

"It's a long story, General," I replied. "Captain Blue found me on Primrose Hill. What on Earth is going on down here?"

"Well can't you guess? We're winning. Over the past Twenty Four hours, the Martians started to react to the poisonous effects of our bacteria. At first, we thought they were merely searching for an entrance to dig underground considering that we had moved the survivors underground. The first Tripod came down and collapsed into Big Ben. It wasn't hard for our tanks to finish the job. However, we're not out of the woods yet. Gentlemen, follow me."

The General led us into another room which had a projector fastened to the ceiling. We took our seats behind it as Autumn revealed his knowledge of the Martian forces. A series of images appeared on the screen. They were aerial shots carried out by reconnaissance flights all over the worlds. The images contained bizarre metallic domed structures that a small fighting machine guarding it. The General explained to them in further detail.

"Our various intelligence sauces have revealed that the Martians have set up these beacon outposts all across the planet. There are a dozen in the United States, Russia and as far as Japan. Now from what we can tell, they have built smaller tripods to patrol and defend these beacons. How many Martians inhabit these beacons are anyone's guess, but I'd say that they have found a way to survive inside them. Now our forces across the world have already conducted a series of attacks on these beacons. We've destroyed most of them across the States and are currently engaging one in Tokyo. They have been placed strategically outside of every major city across the world. It's like we've feared, Gentlemen. A second wave is on its way."

"Have we destroyed any of the Martian beacons in the British Isles?" I asked.

"Yes. We were able to clear beacons in Scotland and Ireland. We are just waiting for the reports from the officers in charge. We've been ordered to deal with the beacons that infest England and Wales. As you can see on the map, the Martians have established three of these monstrosities outside of London, Nottingham, Cardiff, and Liverpool. We will divide our combined forces to take these beacons in one swoop. Captain Scarlet, Captain Blue, I did discuss a tactic with your Colonel before we lost radio contact. If it's okay with you both, I'd like you to accompany me on destroying the London beacon?"

"General with all due respect, this isn't the time to be fussy over which one to destroy. London is an important economic city to this country and she needs to be protected." I replied bluntly. "I shall accompany you."

"So will I," Blue added. "How do we do it?"

"We'll use two SPV's and a transporter truck to enter the Martian complex." Autumn continued. "Once we take down the small tripod machines, We'll enter the main beacon and set an explosive charge. The Martians won't be able to do a thing. I have a hunch that they'll be using chemicals to keep them alive and won't risk leaving them."

I felt somewhat disturbed by the General apparent knowledge. There was something he knew about these Martian beacons that he wasn't letting on. At that moment, I brushed my theories to one side as the alarms sounded. We were ready to deploy. Men and women officers rushed towards their designated posts. Each passing second meant that the ominous second wave was inching its way closer to Earth. It was a prospect that all of us couldn't afford to think about. A huge transporter truck with a turret mounted to it sat behind the entrance to the bunker. Two SPV's rolled out in front of it, forming an escort formation. Captain Ochre and Captain Magenta climbed into one while Captain Blue and myself commandeered the other one. Arming himself with an assault rifle, General Autumn climbed aboard the transporter with a small squadron on soldiers. The driver signaled us to lead the way. We took the lead and took a route which gradually led us towards the city limits. The beacon in question sat on the border between London and the county of Essex. Right in the heart of Epping forest.

This place reminded me of Woking and invoked a sense of Deja Vu. The shadows amongst the trees painted a picture of pure evil. There was dark energy here. A dark energy which the Martians had conjured up on their arrival. A striking, luminous green glow blinked through the trees. The light swept the forest like that of a warship searchlight. I wondered at the time if the Martians were anticipating our arrival. The fellow SPV pulled away from the road and entered the forest. We followed them in, keeping a steady distance behind them. The green light intensified as we got closer.

Hidden within the overpowering glow sat the Martian beacon. Its structure was that of something I had never seen before. It was the shape of a small spire with small dome-like structures which sat at the base. We then spotted the patrol tripods which moved about in the distance. One of them came into view, revealing it's more grotesque appearance. This thing was considerably smaller compared to the Tripods we were already accustomed to. It had three legs with a smaller body and two bulbous blue eyes. Its heat ray had been redesigned as well. It no longer resembled a camera like a device but more of a typical ray gun shape. It was faster and appeared to be more maneuverable than the larger machines. As we approached the complex, the other SPV veered off to divert the Martian machines. As soon as they disappeared around the corner, a flash of light followed almost immediately. The sound of the SPV's cannon fire rang out like thunder. That was the queue to advance. We sped on towards the central building, keeping our eyes peeled. So far, everything was going well. A little too well for our liking. Suddenly, we skidded to a halt at the sight of another tripod. It came bounding over towards us and aimed it's newly modified heat ray at us.

Captain Blue threw the gear in reverse to gain distance as the heat ray fired. It tore up the ground in front of us, narrowly missing our tires. This thing could only fire at a short distance. It was a poor error on their part. The Tripod started to advance on us again only this time, we took the next move. I lined it up in our targeting scope and fired a charge. The explosion instantly destroyed the Tripod into pieces. These things didn't stand a chance. Our apparent victory just didn't feel right to me. My instincts were telling me that we were wondering right into a trap. General Autumn eventually radioed in with the next phase in the operation. He seemed confident enough to go in.

"Okay boys, this is it. We're going to enter the Martian beacon. Once inside, keep all weapons trained on their technology. As soon as the detonator is set, we'll have Thirty seconds to haul our arses out of there! Captain Scarlet, Captain Blue. Could you boys lead us in?"

"S.I.G" Captain Blue huffed as he looked at me. "I know what you're thinking, Paul. I don't like the sound of this either. It's too easy. There's no way we should have been able to destroy their machines like that. Not without resistance."

All of this confirmed a theory of mine. "I've got this feeling that the Martians know more than they are letting on."

"Should we alert the General?"

"I don't see the point. If we delay this now, then the second wave will arrive to obliterate us. We've got no choice but to proceed. Just stick to the plan and we'll be alright."

With the way ahead now clear, we moved on towards the central building. A bright light filled our video monitors. The light danced and pulsated as if something was manipulating it from the inside. It wasn't there earlier when we encountered the Tripod. I realized that it had to be the entrance to the beacon. We armed ourselves with heavy assault rifles which were supplied by the survivors, but we didn't make a move until the General had caught up with us. The other SPV emerged from the shadows in front of us and rolled to a stop. Captain Magenta and Captain Ochre left their vehicles with their weapons drawn. The Transporter then crawled up behind us. The men inside hopped out from the trailer compartment, carrying the explosive charge. General Autumn approached us with his fully loaded rifle.

"Lead the way, Gentlemen." He said silently.

Stepping into the beam of light was a most indescribable experience. It was like hitting a wall of static electricity. I could feel it penetrate my body like it was scanning me over. It made my hairs stand on end. The light then began to fade with each passing step until I found myself inside what appeared to be a chamber, bathed in a bright green haze. The sound of a pulsating heart gave this room a life. It was like we had stepped into a beating organism. Tubes and computer optics ran from wall to wall, creating maze-like patterns. There were also bizarre markings etched into the wall. Was it the Martian language? How did we not discover these creatures before? Were they responsible for the destruction of the Mysterons? The rest of our party gathered in the chamber. General Autumn positioned his men all around the room while we guarded the soldier with the explosive device.

"Right, we'll set the charge in the main computer core. That should sever their communications center." Autumn said as he seemed engrossed by Martian technology. "You know, it's a real shame. We sure would have liked to study this stuff. Think of how beneficial this tech would have been to our world? The possibilities would be endless. Our defenses would be better, we could improve our life support systems in space and underground, we could build advanced spaceships that could take us anywhere we wanted to go! We could build communities underground in the event that we lost the surface to another alien threat. We've fought the Mysterons and now the Martians. Earth is bound to face another attack in the future. We should be saving this technology not destroy it!"

I grew frustrated. We were wasting valuable time. "General, we don't have time for this!"

Suddenly, another doorway opened behind us. The General's rant had attracted the attention of the Martians. Three of them crawled out from the shadows towards us. There were no machines behind them, no heat rays at their disposal. It was just us and them. They had come to check us out. All the while this was going on, the soldier behind us was setting up the bomb. Our hopes lay on the possibility that the Martians wouldn't spot him. We had to stop them here or we would certainly die trying.

 

Seven

 

The Martians analyzed us with their lifeless and beady eyes. They were anticipating our intentions just as we were anticipating theirs. They never advanced on us nor did they call out for back up. At one point, I could have even sworn that they were trying to communicate. Suddenly, one of the Martians slid across towards a control panel. It stretched it's tentacles about the room as it fumbled for a switch. A screen projection appeared behind him. I marveled at the spectacular images that appeared on it. There appeared to be a massive shift in their color spectrum though. All their video transmissions appeared to be doused in a Purplish, Green hue. The screen displayed footage of their entire journey across the gulf of space. After viewing footage of what showed their fleet drifting through space, the screen then projected the planet Mars. The Mysteron Complex appeared on the screen. Within seconds, the Martians incinerated it. The Mysterons had put up a hell of a fight, but the Martians were too fast for them. They had destroyed their regenerating beams, effectively ending their existence in the process. A third shift on the screen showed the Martians prepare their flight to Earth. They had used a chemical-fuelled device to propel their Cylinders towards Earth, using Mars as a staging platform. One question still remained unanswered. Were they the original Martians?

The Martians remained idle while we tried to analyze what was going on.

"What the hell did we just watch?" Growled Autumn.

"The best way to look at it is this. These are the original inhabitants of Mars." I replied. "When the Mysterons arrived, their technology had taken the Martians by surprise and forced them off the planet into deep space. Then as they waged their war of nerves against us, the Martians took the time to regroup and improve their technology."

Captain Blue knew where I was heading with this. "Of course! They were waiting for their moment!"

A now confused Autumn shot us a look "I don't follow?"

"General, don't you see? When The Mysterons were at war with us, the Martians observed." Blue surmised. "They had waited for the perfect opportunity to launch their attack and that happened to be when Earth was at it's most vulnerable. They wanted to study us. See what our technological capabilities were. They must have seen how we struggled against The Mysterons and came to the conclusion that we were no challenge at all."

I nodded along. "Exactly, so once the war was over, they came to Mars to eradicate the only race that would object to their presence, The Mysterons. They observed them too before destroying them."

Suddenly, the Martian shifted its position. The screen behind them vanished into the intense green light. The other two Martians then started to slither away. In the adjacent room which they were making for, I spotted the shimmering leg of a tripod. They were heading for their machines. Our time was running out.

"They're heading for their machines again. What's the status of the device?" I asked the General.

Autumn froze in disbelief. This mission had consumed him somehow. I rallied the rest of the men together and explained the situation to them. Our first priority was to get the General out of there. Captain Ochre grabbed him and ran for the entrance with a few soldiers following close behind. Captain Blue. Captain Magenta and I rushed towards the lone soldier who was still setting up the device. None of us knew what was taking him so long. The soldier was just a young lad who had never been under this amount of pressure before. He had just keyed in the final sequence when we made it over to him.

"Is it ready?" I asked him. "We'll have company any minute."

"I've keyed in the destruct sequence. We'll have Thirty seconds." He replied.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Blue growled.

The four of us bolted towards the exit. The environment around us changed drastically. The computerized timer from the device attracted the attention of the Martian machines. I could hear their metallic feet clank across the floor. Captain Blue was the first out followed closely by Magenta. Somehow in my adrenaline filled sprint, I had lost my footing and fell to the ground. I looked up to see a Martian walker baring down on me. Its tentacle gripped my leg and had started to drag me towards it. I grabbed my assault rifle and waited until I was within point blank range. I wanted to hit that Martian son of a bitch! The Martian inside the hood stared down at me unprepared for my next move. I raised my rifle and shot it through the head. It released it's grip on me almost immediately. My second attempt to escape was a successful one. With ten seconds left on the countdown, I had no choice but to dive for cover. I hurled my body into a ditch on the perimeter of the complex. The others had gotten well clear by now. As for me, my time had run out.

A huge explosion erupted from within the beacon. It set off a huge cataclysmic wave of green electrical energy which swept through the entire forest. I clung to the earth for dear life. My eyes burned with the rest of my body. My vision had been damaged by the blinding white light which seemed as bright as the sun. It all happened in a space of a few seconds, but those seconds felt like an eternity. That's when everything went dark. Was I dead?

A warm feeling set over me. One that felt as if I had been welcomed into a safe environment. All my sensations of pain, hunger, and fatigue had simply gone. My limbs were numb but it wasn't because of the pain that they had endured. Perhaps this was an outer body experience? I had died countless times from various shootings, explosions, and crashes, but this one felt... different. I felt happy. I felt as if I didn't want to wake up. I was willing to let myself float freely away into this inviting dream world, but I could hear a voice calling me back. A soft and gentle voice.

"Paul. Please wake up."

It was a voice I knew I had to follow. I had plenty of opportunities to die in the line of duty. This wasn't my time either.

I awoke to the sound of a heart monitor and an oxygen tank. As my eyes adjusted to the lighting in the room, I realized that I was no longer in that scene of hell. I was now comfortably lying in the sick room on... Cloudbase? How did I get here? How was the base still standing!? So many questions raced through my mind and I didn't care about a single one of them. I looked over to see Rhapsody Angel sitting there holding my hand. Colonel White and Captain Blue stood at the edge of my bed sharing a joyful yet reserved look.

"Rhapsody? Colonel White?" I spluttered. I had little energy to speak at that moment. "H-How did you find me?"

"That isn't important right now, Captain." The Colonel replied. "We are just so lucky to have you back with us."

"How long was I out for?"

"Three weeks," Rhapsody replied. "You gave us all quite a scare. We really thought that was it for you. We thought that you were no longer Indestructible."

I smiled slightly at her remark. "You know for a moment, I thought I was finished too. So much happened down there that I don't understand."

"Yes well, this isn't the place to speculate these things, Captain. Not in your condition." The Colonel interrupted. "As soon as Doctor Fawn signs you off as fit and ready for duty, report to me in the control room and I'll debrief you on the whole situation. As for now, I think it's best that we let you get the rest that you've been long overdue. Don't you think?"

"S.I.G." I smiled as my two comrades turned to leave. "And Colonel. It's really good to see you again."

The Colonel cracked a smile. Something which he rarely did. "Likewise."

I extended my hand and placed it on Rhapsody's. I didn't want her to leave just yet. This whole experience had put things into perspective for me. The Martians had nearly taken my life. If there was something that I was meant to do, then the opportunity had presented itself there and then.

"Don't go?" I asked her as she gently sat back down. "I just wanted to tell you something. Something that I should have told you a long time ago."

That night, we sat there in the serene calmness of the medical bay. I told her everything, forever appreciating the life that I fought so hard to cling onto. As we sat there and cherished each other's company, Cloudbase started to restore its operations. The Angels received repairs and upgrades, decks and computers had been refitted with the latest technology. The whole base was due for a major overhaul. In a world that had almost faced extinction, she was going to need them.

Mankind began to rebuild itself in rapid succession. Every man, woman, and child kept their heads held high as they reclaimed their properties and possessions. In the months that followed, the pulse of life would eventually beat again. The threat of another attack concerned the word security agencies. It was a fear that would be etched into the minds of everyone. Was our planet safe, or was this time of peace merely a reprieve? These meetings resulted in a new joint mission for both the World Space Patrol and Spectrum. All of our eyes and ears remained on Mars and the planets beyond. It may have been that, across the immensity of space, they had learned their lessons and were waiting for their opportunity to present itself. Perhaps the future doesn't belong to us, but to the Martians?

 

Epilogue

Three years later...

Space City ? 1800 hours

Captain Ochre mission report: My tour of duty at the World Space Patrol HQ is almost at an end. So far, we have detected unidentified signals coming from the far surface of Mars. So far, we've had nothing much to go on, only that these signals have been transmitting at regular intervals. We're continuing to monitor these signals via Fireball XL-2. So far, the crew has nothing to report.

"Commander, has there been any word with XL-2 yet? I must get this report back to Cloudbase?"

"I'm sorry, Captain. We've lost all contact with XL-2 Ten minutes ago. There seems to be some sort of interference."

"Are there any other ships in the area that can investigate?"

"Lieutenant Ninety is sending in Fireball's XL-3 and 7 to investigate. They are close to that area now."

"Alright. Let's hope we find some results and soon. Better put Space City under yellow alert."

2100 hours - To add to my report, it's been three hours now since Fireball XL-2 broke radio contact with control. The signals appear to be increasing in strength within each hour. Wait for a second... something else is happening. We appear to have lost contact with XL-3. We're trying to establish what's happened.

"Lieutenant, keep trying them!?"

"I have, Commander. They just won't answer!"

"Two Fireball craft lose radio contact in that same area. It just doesn't make any sense unless they were destroyed by something out there."

"Commander, I suggest we get onto our tracking stations. See if they know anything?"

"Okay, Captain. Lieutenant, Ninety, contact all of our tracking stations. We need to know what we're dealing with here?"

2300 hours - Captain Ochre mission report update. Colonel White, the situation here has intensified. Our scanners have picked up a series of flares coming from Mars. Our satellites have transmitted pictures of these objects. They are round, metallic and have some sort of green mist trailing behind it. We've been trying to reach all of our tracking stations but we're having no such luck.

"This is Space City calling all tracking stations. Can you hear me? Station 78 in Cuba, do you respond? Station 11 in Madrid, do you read me? What about you, Station 21? Can you hear me? Can anybody hear me? I'm sorry sir, something is jamming our communications. I can't reach any of them."

"Then there's nothing else that we can do. This is up to Spectrum and the World Government now."

0000 hours ? This is Captain Ochre, my final report from Space City, Florida to Spectrum Headquarters London. It's just as we feared. We've had confirmed reports of wreckage that has crashed in Northern parts of Russia and Canada. They have been identified as the remains of Fireball XL-1. Fireball's XL-3 and 7 have disappeared, presumed destroyed. All communications have been jammed from an unknown point in space. It is our conclusion that we are faced with another attack from the planet Mars. I urge that this report is taken to the World President at once. They have returned...

 

The End?