My War of the Worlds Sequel- WoTW: Aftermath.

[richardburton]

I certainly would too. What a trilogy that would make!

[wotwfan48]

Hi Evilnerfherder. I am so glad I found your work today.
I am a member since a few days, and I dind'nt see everything of that site, yet of course. And this morning, Whow I saw your work. Very very good, and keep the good work. very facinating. DONT STOP PLEASE. haha.
see you soon on the forum.thanks. ;D

[EvilNerfherder]

Thanks all, I can't promise a book containing my story and HG's, but I will look into the possibility of getting this published when it is finished. It will need a lot more work, but who knows, eh?
I must say, the reaction has somewhat surprised me (as my mate Richie B will tell you) and I'm glad it's pleasing some of you guys. As a Wells fan of long standing, I'm having a great time writing it.

[Luperis]

Sounds like, as with most great authors/artists you are your own worst critic, Nerfy... but your work is amazing and in my oppinion will make a fantastic novel when it's done. I for one would definately buy it.

Your description of the clunky human-built fighting machine, and Cavendish's almost over-confidence in it, is great - it seems to me to be very reflective of humans as a species (of rushing into things; and of our determination to succeed and optimism). I got some great mental images from this chapter.

[wotwfan48]

When I sent my last message concerning your work, I didn't have time to read all of it. And the chapter 6 was one I didn't read yet. The only thing come into my mind. Was Whow!!!!!!!!!!! especially at the end of the chapter 6. Whow again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[EvilNerfherder]

THE WAR OF THE WORLDS: AFTERMATH.


17. What really happened at Kensington.


Preparations had begun for the mission to the North Sea in earnest. Weaponry and other equipment was already on the way to our sea base, although I knew not where it was apart from the fact that it was somewhere on the West coast of Scotland.
A tall, dark haired man with an aquiline nose was introduced to me, one day, as the consulting detective that Cavendish had previously spoken of. I found him rather snobbish and full of his own importance, but Cavendish was quite obviously in awe of him.
This detective was accompanied by a short man who followed him around like some faithful hound and made copious notes in a small black book. It transpired that the sidekick was publishing the great detective’s adventures on a regular basis and they were extremely popular with the masses. Indeed, I believe I may have caught one or two of these accounts myself. A little overrated with somewhat fantastical plots, in my opinion, but readable enough.
I doubted that the finer details of this particular adventure would be recounted to the man’s adoring public.
Apparently, the detective was here only to impart final intelligence and to wish us ‘Bon Voyage’. Cavendish seemed very disappointed that this man would not be with us for the duration.

I asked Cavendish, over dinner that night, what had become of the Martian in the holding cell.
‘Martians,’ he said grimly.
‘What ever do you mean?’ I asked.
‘It’s the strangest thing,’ Cavendish said. ‘The thing reproduced! More of the blighters popped off it like peas out of a pod! The scientists call it ‘budding’. Apparently, the young ones just grow out of the parent. An extraordinary sight!’
‘How many?’ I asked incredulous.
‘We now have 5 of them in there. Quite a handful they are. We have had to put them in separate cells as they were causing our guards a lot of trouble. They grow very quickly.’
‘I can imagine,’ I shivered, not entirely comfortable with the thought of having that many of the creatures in close proximity.
It later appeared that I was right to be worried.

Two days later, I was with Cavendish watching the last of the supplies being loaded ready for transport.
A soldier ran up to us.
‘Sir, we have to leave,’ the man said, trying to catch his breath.
‘Why? What is it?’ Cavendish asked, visibly confused.
‘They have found us.’
Cavendish’s ruddy face paled as a horn began to bellow out a hoarse warning.
‘I was afraid of this,’ he said. He hurried to his office with me in tow and began to gather up papers and documents.
‘Cavendish,’ I shouted, as the rumbling of an explosion sounded. ‘Leave those!’
The man looked at me blankly for a moment, dropped the papers and grabbed the box that contained the Crystal Egg.
‘We cannot leave this!’ he exclaimed. I grabbed his sleeve and dragged him away clutching his precious cargo.
We were hurried out in a small group, just in time to see five of the remote walkers stalk into the testing area, Heat-rays blasting everything, and everyone, in sight.
‘Get out of here!’ someone shouted, somewhat needlessly.
The machines steadily progressed through the base leaving wreckage in their wake. We came upon a dirt-streaked soldier as we entered the lift to the surface and he informed us that the walkers had freed the captive Martians.
‘Cavendish,’ I said, dismayed, as the lift rose to the surface. ‘How did they find us?’
‘I do not know,’ Cavendish replied. ‘I suppose it was a matter of time. Luckily, we have moved much of our machinery to other laboratories and to the sea base. They cannot do much harm here.’
A terrifying though occurred to me. ‘Do you think they are following me?’
It suddenly seemed to make sense. How many times had disaster and carnage happened when I was present?
‘I do not think so,’ Cavendish brushed some dust off the shoulder of his jacket. ‘Make no mistake, they do seem to be able to communicate with you in some way but you are not alone. Take heart from that fact. If I thought you were a danger to our mission, I should never have asked you along.’
Still, I was unsure and the thought echoed around my head.

We reached the underground train just in time to see the machines stalk quickly out into the tunnel. Explosions boomed deep in the bowls of the earth and smoke poured out of rents in the wall. The liberated Martians clung on to the machines with their tentacles like nightmarishly deformed new world cowboys. The glittering machines, seemingly unencumbered by their joyously hooting riders, gathered speed and we soon lost them from sight.
As we left the train at the station there was another tremendous explosion and a huge fireball came at us at a tremendous pace down the dark tunnel.
‘Run!’ I shouted.
As we made the street, just in time, the glass blew out of the windows of the station showering passers-by outside. There were more deep booms and the ground heaved. The station building and some of those around it began to crumble and dust clouds flew into the air.
Pedestrians screamed and ran as there was one last terrific report, a rippling of the pavement and some of the buildings finally, slowly toppled over.
As the dust cleared, we stood dazed in the sunlight, staring at the great pile of rubble that had been caused by the end of the underground laboratory at Kensington.

[Commandingtripod]

Nice, very very nice.

The walkers have recovered the Martians - not good.
Seems like things are heating up......

[richardburton]

Heating up indeed! Loved the way you described the detective, without actually naming him - more subtlety and class - well done. The story continues to build nicely.

[wotwfan48]

Hi Nerfherder, it is getting better and better keep the good work. There is a lot of talented people, and you are one of them. tks chantale.

[RustiSwordz]

dammit dammit DAMMIT! im at the end after reading the lot.

blinding nerfy blinding.

;D

[EvilNerfherder]

THE WAR OF THE WORLDS: AFTERMATH.


18. Jealousy Abroad.



We did not linger long in Kensington. We found a large group of soldiers had been waiting for us, very much on edge, outside the station. It turned out they were barracked in one of the buildings nearby as a precautionary measure in case of just such an attack as befell the laboratory. They had not seen the remote walkers enter, a captain told us, but the machines had been spotted racing away toward the Thames as the soldiers arrived to investigate the explosions coming from the Station area. Some of the men had apparently given chase but despondently joined us a short while later, having finally lost the attackers somewhere along the embankment.
When a roll call had been taken of people who had escaped the attack, we found that somewhere around thirty souls has been lost. Cavendish took comfort in the fact that the toll could have been larger, had not operations already been largely transferred elsewhere, but I was appalled and was eager for the off. Any basic thoughts of empathy with these creatures I may once have had were draining away at each new outrage. Where once I had pondered over our right to exterminate them, I now wished only for retribution.
The injured were taken away to hospital and our group, in a motley convoy of carts and motorcars, made our way to the railway station. We only had a short wait until the train arrived.
The train was unlike any I had seen before. It was armoured like an ironclad and had bristled with turrets. It looked like some great metal fortress on wheels.
‘Are those Heat-rays?’ I asked Cavendish, pointing at the turrets.
‘Of a sort,’ he replied. ‘ I admit that they are not quite as effective as the Martian Heat-ray, yet, but much more so than conventional weaponry. We have all sorts of toys we have developed. Quite extraordinary in such a short space of time, would you agree?’
This man’s pride in the minor successes with this wholly alien technology was quite unflappable. I would believe how well these things worked when I saw it for myself.
‘Just think of the applications for atomic power,’ Cavendish continued. ‘We have made great leaps in that field thanks to the Martians. We have a lot to thank them for in actuality. They have unwittingly given us the means to not only fight them, but also to improve ourselves.’
I had my doubts. Would the usage of this new technology drive us forward to enlightenment or would it change us in an altogether more unpleasant fashion?
‘Other governments still wish to get their hands on this stuff, you know,’ Cavendish said. ‘We have managed to keep them from infiltrating so far through strict border controls and the like. We will not share until we are ready. You heard that there have been warlike rumblings on the continent, of course.’
I had. It seemed that some of our European neighbours were getting impatient and their jealousy was getting the better of them. France and Germany, in particular, were openly demanding in public that Britain share the findings in regard to the technology we were discovering. There were public demonstrations in these countries, which were spreading to others, and some of our less reputable newspapers had already taken to using jingoistic rhetoric in their defence of the governments stand. I wondered how much worse matters would be if it were generally known how far Cavendish and his scientists had advanced. It was only a matter of time before we would find out.


Despite the fearsome outward appearance of the train, it was very comfortable inside and we settled into our seats for the long journey to Scotland. We had a carriage to ourselves but the whole thing was spoiled somewhat by the fact that there were only slits for windows. The air soon became warm and, with Cavendish puffing on his pipe, somewhat smoky. I tried to engross myself in a newspaper but the reports of unrest abroad and began to depress me and I tried to stare out at what countryside I could see through the narrow window.
Soon, it became dark and even this diversion became impossible.
I retired to a sleeper car and tried to sleep.

At some unearthly time before dawn, the train screeched to a halt. A great tree trunk had fallen across the track and men got out to move it.
As this task was being completed, a shout went up and the men ran back to the train. I gathered, from the excited chatter of others on board, that remote walkers had been spotted moving across a clearing in a nearby wood and I strained to see, without success, what was happening. There was a thrumming and a whoosh from above my head as a Heat-ray turret spoke and some trees in the wood burst into flame. I think I might have heard that odd, strangled ‘Ulla’ cry of a walker, but I cannot be sure.
The train moved off without further incident.

[EvilNerfherder]

THE WAR OF THE WORLDS: AFTERMATH.


19. Holy Loch

The base at Holy Loch had it’s own railway station not too far away. The armoured train was unloaded quickly and efficiently and we soon found ourselves at the gates of the complex.
The defences here were quite impressive. Huge metal gates topped with spikes and barbed wire, the fences themselves were electrified and any interloper would, if they passed these, have to cross a mined no-man’s land only to face tall, smooth walls of plastered brick. At intervals along the fence and either side of the gates, stood tall towers with Heat-rays mounted on them.
The base itself was full of people dashing this way and that at various tasks. In the compound I saw some Human Fighting Machines standing in a row like metal soldiers on parade. Technicians in coveralls swarmed over one machine that had smoke pouring out of it’s hood, another machine was twitching fitfully like a sleeping dog and I wondered if Cavendish’s faith that these clumsy-looking machines would be an effective defence against the Martians was entirely misplaced.
We were shown to our quarters and left to unpack. My room was small but very comfortable. Gleaming brass trim framed everything and I felt as if I were in the first class cabin of a steamer.
There was a knock on the door and Cavendish appeared.
‘Would you like to see our transport for the mission, old man? She’s just coming back from testing at sea.’
‘Very much,’ I said throwing some clothes in a drawer. ‘I’m ready.’

I found myself, a short while later, in a cavernous building. This was an enormous boatshed and there was a large docking area in the middle. I looked carefully over the edge of the decking into the water and it seemed very deep. My undulating reflection looked back curiously at me from the dark, cold water.
‘Ah, this must be her,’ Cavendish said and I looked up.
A klaxon sounded and a voice boomed out from somewhere.
‘All land crews prepare for docking.’
The water in the huge bay was churning now as bubbles rose to the surface. Then the water suddenly parted as a tall black tower began to rise up and out. More and more of the black shape became visible and I began to get an idea of the sheer size of this thing. Now, the deck cast off water and rose up. A minute later, I could see the whole thing. It was easily wider than any vessel I had ever seen before and was certainly longer. The smooth black surface contained no visible joins and few features, much like the Flying Machine. I realised that this thing could not be human!
‘Smith,’ said Cavendish grandly. ‘Meet ‘Nautilus’!’

Cavendish confirmed what I thought about this new machine.
‘Yes, she is a Martian vessel,’ he said. ‘ We found her adrift off the South coast, all her crew dead. We took her and adapted her for our needs. It was decided that she was, by nature, so fantastic that she should have a name to suit.’
‘Most fitting,’ I agreed.
‘She possesses enormous power, Smith. I believe that, we can defeat the Martians utterly with this machine and the weapons we have developed.’
‘I hope you are right,’ I said. ‘Can I go aboard?’
‘Later. First I think I shall introduce you to the people we will be sailing with.’


The barracks were not quite as opulent as my cabin, but seemed clean and functional.
Five men lay around on bunks reading or chatting amongst themselves. They stopped talking and looked up as Cavendish and I entered. Before Cavendish could say anything, another door opened and another man entered.
‘Squad, shun!’ one of the men said. The other men stood to attention.
‘Ah, Lieutenant Churchill,’ Cavendish said to the newcomer. ‘This is Smith, would you be so kind as to introduce the men?’
The newcomer nodded.
‘Of course, sir. This is Corporals Jameson and Glenn, these gentlemen are Thomas, Dawson and Wayne.’ The soldiers tipped their heads as they were introduced.
‘Is this it? I asked disbelievingly. The men by the bunks looked at me resentfully.
‘No,’ said Cavendish. ‘These men are the best His Majesties Forces have to offer, specially trained to do a particular job. There will be another fifty men going with us.’
‘I apologise,’ I said sheepishly to the men. ‘I meant no slight to anyone.’
‘Don’t worry about it, old man,’ Cavendish said. ‘Churchill, could you outline the plan for Smith?’
Churchill, a gruff looking man somewhere in his thirties, looked at me doubtfully.
‘Smith is along for the mission as my guest,’ Cavendish prompted. ‘He can be trusted completely.’
Churchill nodded and told me what they had planned.

[Commandingtripod]

What have they planned?

Great stuff we've got here.
Waiting for the next installment.

[Luperis]

Nice
Still as gripping as ever. I can't wait to find out what happens next.
I love the addition of the Martian Submarine. Great stuff ;D

[Poyks]

I find the idea of the ‘Nautilus’ absolutely facinating! It's really caught my imagination. Good work again Nerf!

[jeffwaynefan]

Coming along nicely. Interesting stuff Nerfy.

[Leatherhead]

I had expected the Ship to be named Thunderchild II.

[EvilNerfherder]

I had thought of it, but I figured in the end that, whilst the Thunderchild is an important part of the story to us, to the Government at this stage in the WoTW mythos that I'm tinkering with, she was probably not much more than one of many casualties of the war. Also, as you have demonstrated, it's the name people would expect.
'Nautilus' was the first name that came to mind because of the size and complexity of the vessel and our characters are no doubt familiar with Verne.
It's not impossible that I might name a ship that some other time, though.

[Anim8tr]

The introduction of the 'Nautilus' to the story should make for some exciting chapters to come. I look foward to reading what's next!

[wotwfan48]

Hi Nefherder, I just red your 2 last chapter, As usual, it is very good, It fills very good, to be able to read a sequel of the first book, the story doesn't finish with the 1st book and I like it a lot. Keep the good work.
chantale ;D