My War of the Worlds Sequel- WoTW: Aftermath.

[Commandingtripod]

So thrilling!
Can't wait for the next installment. ;D

[wotwfan48]

Tension is building up, this is a good very good story, Keep it up.
tks. Chantale. ;D

[EvilNerfherder]

THE WAR OF THE WORLDS: AFTERMATH.


29. Life and Death.



It has never been never discovered who started the battle with that fateful cry. The military analysts who have studied the more technical aspects of the carnage are, to a man, of the mind that it little mattered. Conflict was unavoidable and one single creature, be it Man or Martian, was all it took to begin the fight.
As it was, our forces were first to begin firing from their position in the middle of a closing circle of enemy creatures and deadly projectiles headed with lightning speed towards their targets.
The weapons used were of the harpoon type, small, wickedly barbed metal arrows fired, by pressurised air, from a specially adapted type of rifle.
Some of these projectiles bounced harmlessly off the Martians helmets, doing little more than knocking the recipients back a little. Others, however, found their mark and the creature hit would thrash about wildly as their lifeblood billowed out into the water around them like dark smoke.
Almost as one, the Martians raised their own weapons and, with the twitch of their tentacles, fired. Many of our men fell back screaming and bleeding as the enemy harpoons pierced their suits.
The human Fighting Machines hurriedly took position amongst the panicked soldiers and brought their own weapons to bear. They too were armed with harpoon weapons and soon the water was filled with deadly metal death.
Churchill screamed into his radio for the men to fall back toward the submersible but most were too engrossed in trying to save their own lives to take any notice.
The carnage continued.
The remote walkers came forward from the Martian ranks and began to target the Fighting Machines. Trails of bubbles marked the progress of the projectiles these machines released.
I saw a horrified driver frantically pulling levers in the hood of his machine as he tried to get out of the way of this onslaught. He had no time to scream as the missile ruptured the glass in front of him letting in the freezing water.
The machine staggered around drunkenly for a moment then its legs splayed out in three different directions. As its body hit the floor, it suddenly exploded in a huge cloud of bubbles, almost knocking another nearby machine over and ripping a small group of unlucky soldiers around it asunder.
Another machine targeted the walker and fired a hail of harpoons at it. Most of these missiles were easily deflected by the hard metal, but one tore right through its thin neck, decapitating it. It ran crazily away like a headless chicken, knocking the Martians in its path this way and that.
There were many losses on both sides now as the struggle continued. Bodies of man and Martian alike drifted everywhere in the current.
The Martians had the sheer force of numbers on their side. It was obvious that, unless something was done, the Martians would be triumphant and the whole mission would have been in vain.

On the bridge of the Nautilus, another, quite different, struggle had begun.
‘Cavendish,’ I shouted pointing and accusing finger. ‘Did you know there would be this many of them?’
‘How could I?’ the rotund man replied. ‘I can assure you I had no idea this would happen’.
‘Either way, you have shown no regard for the life of your fellow man. All you wish for is the Martian machines to use for your own ends. You would happily let those men out there die for that.’
‘For the good of the country, Smith,’ Cavendish said soothingly. ‘How much better a world will we have with what we can learn from them?’
‘All the Martian machines have brought is misery and death. We must help those men out there and if we have to destroy the Cylinder to do it, so be it!’
‘I rather think it is too late for them,’ Cavendish answered levelly.

The battle raged on and the Martians slowly pushed the remnant of our force closer together. Soon only a fraction of our men were left and they were, it was revealed in their frantic radio calls, running dangerously low on ammunition.
Churchill, frustrated and purple with anger, slammed a hand down on his console.
‘Fall back!’ he screamed uselessly into the radio. ‘For god’s sake get back to the ship!’
Suddenly deflated, he sank back into his chair and fell into a shocked silence.

Outside, all that remained of the force was a small knot of men huddled together.
All they could do now was fire the occasional shot to keep the circling Martians at bay.
The human machines were all standing still or destroyed, bodies of men littered the sea floor.
Many Martians had also paid with their lives or lay twitching in the sand. Of the remote walkers, only a few remained and they stood watching silently as the Martians slowly advanced.
Finally, the human weapons were useless as the ammunition ran out and the Martians moved in and led them away.
On the bridge, the Captain stepped forward.
‘This has gone far enough. I will end this once and for all.’
We turned to see him picking up a device and his voice was projected around the vessel.
‘Now hear this. This is your Captain speaking. Abandon ship. I repeat, abandon ship.’
‘What are you d-?’ Cavendish began to ask, but was silenced by the sight of the revolver that the Captain now held in an unwavering hand. It was aimed right between Cavendish’s eyes.

[Anim8tr]

Fantastic description with the battle, Nerf! Really visual in style. And what a cliffhanger of an end!

[Commandingtripod]

Who will win?

[richardburton]

Just read the last two installments - loved the conflict, both inside and outside the nautilus. Good stuff!

[Luperis]

Wow! Great tension and conflict there! Interesting to see where it will lead...
Love the battle scene too - very well described.

[EvilNerfherder]

THE WAR OF THE WORLDS: AFTERMATH


30. Desperation.



Cavendish stared at the Captain, his face pale. His mouth flapped like that of a fish drowning in the air.
I stepped forward carefully and spoke as soothingly as my ragged nerves would allow. ‘Captain, what is this? We can still destroy the cylinder even if the men are lost.’
‘Look through the window, Smith,’ the Captain replied quietly. ‘See them come.’
There were Martian machines, accompanied by scores of the Martians in their helmets, cautiously approaching the Submersible.
‘It’s time to end this and end it now,’ the Captain said.
‘But-‘ Cavendish began, eyes never wavering from the barrel of the gun levelled at him.
‘You will all leave this vessel now,’ the Captain said finally.
Cavendish and I started to back away but suddenly Churchill darted forward and grabbed at the Captain. A struggle ensued and the two men wrestled for the control of the revolver. A shot rang out and a bullet embedded itself in the sonar console, sparks and smoke emitting from the damaged device. I started forward but the Captain gave a great roar and threw Churchill away from him and to the floor. Churchill made to get up but was stopped by the sight of the revolver being pointed directly at him.
‘No, Lieutenant,’ the Captain said breathing heavily. ‘If you wish to take your chance with the others, you may do so. But try to stop me again and I will shoot you like a dog.’
‘What do you plan to do?’ I asked.
‘Finish the task my Brother failed to complete. Now go.’ The Captain said no more but just waved us away with the revolver.
Grabbing Cavendish by the arm I backed away toward the bridge door. As we reached it, I saw that the Martians were getting closer.

It seemed that the sailors had done immediately as they were ordered and the Nautilus was almost deserted.
‘What do we do?’ I asked Churchill.
‘We leave the vessel,’ The Lieutenant answered. ‘Quickly, I think. I have an idea what the Captain has planned.’
We hurried through corridors and eventually reached a large room that was lined with many cabinets. Churchill opened one and I saw that it contained an underwater suit. I groaned.
I had to open a few cabinets before I found a suit, it seemed many had already been taken. As I started to put the heavy suit on, I saw Cavendish move as if in a trance to another Cabinet in the corner and open it with a small key on a ring he held.
The suit inside was more suited to Cavendish’s girth and had obviously been tailored for him. He picked the suit up then dropped it suddenly. He hurried out of the room.
‘Cavendish! Where are you going?’ I shouted. I made to follow him but a thought occurred to me and I instead resolved to let Cavendish chase his errands if he must. I had remembered his callous lack of regard for human life and was finished with him.
Churchill and I helped each other into our suits as quickly as we were able and I was fastening Churchill’s brass helmet when Cavendish reappeared clutching a box. It was the box that contained the Crystal Egg.
Cavendish smiled nervously. ‘We can’t go without this now, can we?’

Despite the revulsion for Cavendish that Churchill and I shared, we helped him squeeze into his suit and we were soon all ready.
Suddenly, there was a muffled bang and the vessel shook a little. With renewed urgency, we hurried through another door to be faced with a wall. There was a sign that had been placed there, by human hands I assumed, that said simply ‘Air Lock’.
Churchill pushed at a sunken switch and a door that I could not see before appeared and started to slide back with a slight hissing sound.
Churchill clicked a switch on his suit and motioned for me to do the same. The Lieutenants gruff voice rang around my helmet. ‘Are you ready?’
I took a deep breath then answered. ‘Yes.’
Churchill nodded slightly. ‘Then let’s go.’
We steeped through the door into a small chamber with another door at the other side. Cavendish followed meekly behind clutching his box like a child clutches its favourite toy.
The door slid behind us and there was a loud hissing. The hissing died down and then I heard a whine and the chamber began to fill with water.
There was another muffled bang and the rising water rippled violently.
As the water rose to neck level, it took a supreme effort for me not to panic. Breathing as evenly as I could, I attempted to imagine that being underwater was perfectly natural. Each time I took a breath, a deep hiss sounded in my ears and despite my thick suit, the water felt very cold. The air that the breathing apparatus provided for me smelled vaguely of rubber.
When the chamber was full of water, the door in the hull opened and the three of us shuffled out into the darkness.

[wotwfan48]

hi nerphy, very good, with tension,action, tks for sharing that with us. good work. Chantale. ;D

[richardburton]

Very good indeed, matey! Blaze of glory time for the Captain!

[Poyks]

The concept for the story gains more justification and strength as it continues! Leaving the Nautilus leaves a chilling feeling. Wonderful stuff!!

[Anim8tr]

Looks as though the tables are about to turn. And in spectacular
fashion as well!

Another great chapter, Nerf!

[Commandingtripod]

Nice stuff Nerfy.
Can't wait to read more. ;D

[Luperis]

Very good.
There are some great descriptions and vivid imagery there, and the narrator's feeling of unease towards the suit technology is a nice touch. Well done.

[jeffwaynefan]

Excellant stuff Nerfy

[EvilNerfherder]

THE WAR OF THE WORLDS: AFTERMATH.


31. The Captain’s War.


My eyes, spoilt by the eerie light inside the Nautilus, took a short while to acclimatise to the darkness.
As I stood squinting in the gloom, a shape with a bright light attached to the end appeared before me.
I couldn’t, at first, make out what it was but I then realised with horror than it was a human arm. The hand, still clenched, held a portable electric lamp. It floated gracefully toward my face, then a current caught it and it swirled crazily away again like some grotesque Catherine Wheel.
Panic set in and I started to take quick, panting breaths. Churchill grabbed my arm and steadied me.
‘Easy, Smith,’ his tinny voice echoed around my head. ‘We must move on.’
We started to move cautiously away from the huge vessel. Cavendish stood and stared straight ahead as if in a trance until Churchill grabbed his arm and shook him roughly. The man blinked then followed close behind us. I saw the last of the sailors from the Nautilus stride off to either side.
Then, there was a disturbance in the water behind us and a cloud of bubbles pushed at me, I turned to look and I saw that the Nautilus was now lifting herself slowly and gracefully from the seabed. I tapped Churchill’s shoulder and he swivelled around to look with me. Cavendish walked along unsteadily a short way then, noticing we were not with him, turned and staggered back.
‘What is he going to do?’ I wondered aloud.
‘I have an idea,’ said Churchill, but said no more.

By now the Martians and their machines were at the vessel and some of the creatures sprang lightly at the hull. One or two of the remote walkers fired off missiles that exploded at the behemoths skin. There appeared to be little, if any, damage.
A few Martians grasped and hung on to the ship as it lifted then began to move toward the Cylinder.
One of the things groped with its tentacles at an airlock door but a sailor turned from behind me and loosed off a harpoon. The Martians tentacles splayed out around its body as if in surprise as it was hit. It pirouetted away as it was caught and buffeted by the submersibles gathering wake.
The Nautilus slowly turned her great head straight toward the Cylinder and the water ahead of her rippled. The Captain must have used the sound weapon.
‘Take that!’ I heard in my ears. The Captain must have left the radio channel open!
‘Captain!’ I shouted. ‘Stop this madness! I know we must destroy the cylinder but you need us! We can help you!’
There was silence for a moment apart from the hissing of my breathing apparatus.
‘This is something I must do alone,’ the Captain said finally.
I turned to look at Cavendish. His small eyes were red and his mouth flapped with frustration.
So, the sound weapon had been unleashed. Yet, the cylinder still stood.
The Nautilus fired off more weapons, great missiles that resembled enormous black sharks. They exited tubes at the nose of our former home and travelled at an amazing speed toward the Martian Cylinder.
As they approached, the remote walkers fired at them but all missed.
We watched with baited breath for the explosions. When they came, I let out a small whoop of delight. Perhaps now, our task had been completed and we could go home. A huge bubble obscured the view for a moment then I saw, to my dismay, that the base had barely been scratched. The Martians gathered nearby it that hadn’t been obliterated in the explosions, danced crazily around on the tips of their tentacles.
‘Blast it!’ the Captain’s angry voice rang around my head.
‘You have to come back and pick us up,’ I said into my device. ‘We can regroup and-‘
‘No!’ the Captain howled. ‘It ends now! They want their damn vessel back, they shall have it!’
Cavendish’s eyes widened at this and Churchill looked grimmer than ever before.
The Nautilus hung for a moment in the dark water then there was another cloud of furious bubbles from behind her.
‘We have to get as far away as we can!’ Churchill shouted. I caught his meaning now and knew what the Captain intended to do. We began to run as fast as we could against the water.
The Nautilus sped forward. Martians and wreckage alike in her path were knocked spinning out of the way. Nearer and nearer to the Cylinder she went, faster and faster.
I saw Martians near the huge Martian machine scatter, panicking, as they understood what was happening. Again, a few remote walkers fired their weapons uselessly at the vessel.
We reached a rocky part of the seabed and crouched down behind it. I peered over the top just as the huge speeding bulk of the Nautilus rammed the Cylinder squarely on its side. A short, mad laugh from the Captain rang around the inside of my helmet that was abruptly cut off as the Nautilus exploded.

[wotwfan48]

whow very nice, scary, a lot of action, very good work, keep it up.
Chantale. ;D

[richardburton]

Excellent stuff, Nerfy! Blaze of glory for the Captain! Come on! Loved the arm bit at the beginning - very atmospheric.

[Commandingtripod]

Great stuff Nerfy. ;D

[Poyks]

Great mental imagery again, excellent!