Disclaimer: Falling Skies owned by someone cool. War of the Worlds owned by another cool person. I'm not either. Awwww.
A/N: Because aliens just aren't fun unless they're ruining your life. And also because alien invasions just aren't fun without the badass chick.
Better The Devil You Know
Karen Nadler
It might be the end of time, but no one told Karen Nadler… from invasion day to a puppet of the aliens, this is the story of how Karen went from Winthrop High's only survivor to narrator of the end of the world…
…
Part 1:
Of War and Peace
"…Wells knew that to heighten our fear he had to threaten us on two levels: to scare our species and as ourselves. So he made it clear from the very beginning that the Martians possess an infallible intelligence and technology," Derek Price paused as a student in the back row yawned loudly. A few laughed but the English teacher quickly turned on them with a cold look on her face. The class fell quiet. "Uh, anyway…" Derek shuffled his notes nervously before he continued. "Essentially we needed to know that whatever we could come up with to counterattack, they had already dreamed up and eliminated. Their power has only one certainty: We are going to lose. To struggle is futile. No noble self-sacrifice, no human pluck, no God-inspired underdog story can save us. This is no proverb. Goliath is stomping all over David. We soon realise – we are going to suffer personally. We each have to say to ourselves that our flesh is going to melt, our bones are going to break, we are going to have unimaginable pain and then we will die."
The blonde in the back row raised her hand slowly. "Ms. Henderson. In the current environment, what with that shiny big black thing hanging over town," she motioned up to the alien ship. "Do you really think this is the best topic of conversation? I mean, I'm all for HG Wells and some big metal machines, I've seen the Spielberg movie, Dakota Fanning is adorable, but… really?" She cleared her throat to continue as Derek Price turned a beetroot shade of embarrassed red. "And all this about 'we are going to lose'? Now, I'm not sure I remember everything, but in the end don't humanity survive? Don't we prevail? Because those suckers," she motioned to the book in Derek's hand though she was tempted to point at the alien ship outside again. "Overestimate themselves. Underestimate the little things that humanity takes for granted – love, illness and the unwavering need to wake up tomorrow." She shrugged. "And that message is what you need to talk about in this book report Price. How each person in that story, even the mentally unstable curate and the nutty artilleryman, were desperate to change what the Martians had accepted as fact." She glanced at the rest of her class. "And let me tell you now – if those bastards up there came down here to ruin things, I'd kick their ass, no question."
There came a snort from the other side of the classroom. "Yeah right Karen. You?"
Karen stood. "I'll kick your ass right now Tyler…"
Ms. Henderson cut her off. "Sit down Miss Nadler." Karen sat, glaring daggers at Tyler Crompton. "And though I am impressed you read the novel, I would appreciate if you didn't tell your classmates how to do their book reports." Karen shrugged and leaned back in her chair. "Would you like to continue Derek?"
Derek gave a shaky smile. "Uh… sure. So, the message of…"
…
"I can't believe you actually read it." Amie Reynolds dropped her sandwich down on top of Karen's copy of the English required reading for the week – War of the Worlds. Ms. Henderson had been so inspired by Derek's book report and Karen's outburst that she'd allocated it the reading for the week. Karen didn't mind – she'd already read it twice. "No, hold that – I can't believe you actually read." Amie sat down, grinning across the lunch table as Karen raised an eyebrow with a smile. "Bet I can find a talking book on iTunes."
"I'm just gonna watch the movie. Anything where Tom Cruise owns some crappy aliens is good enough for me." Craig, Amie's boyfriend, muttered as he joined them. "Though if those bastards up there do come down," he motioned wayward towards the direction of the alien ship hanging over Boston, "I hope they're more like the aliens in Signs, they were creepy."
"Yeah." Amie agreed with the laugh. "Then that Phoenix dude and Mel Gibson can come save us all." She grinned. "He'll beat those suckers down like he's drunk-driving through a gathering of Jews." Karen glanced across at her friend, Amie's own father Jewish. "What? I hate that anti-Semite piece of crap."
"Anyway, issue at hand – read the damn book." Karen finally spoke up. "It's pretty good actually. Scary. Not M. Night 'try-too-hard' who just confuses you until you think you're scared but really you're just lost… real scary. Like 'omg, humanity is screwed like Porky Pig at a fat guy convention'."
"You know the good thing about fat guy conventions? Everyone's too fat and lazy to get up and chase Porky." Craig waved his hand with a laugh. "He'll be fine!"
Amie laughed. "Hey, speaking of reading, cause apparently this lunch table just became the nerd table," Amie held her fingers up to her eyes in circles like glasses. Karen cast her eyes skyward. "Mayor of Penn said in the papers today that the aliens had clearly taken a wrong turn somewhere and accidentally landed over Boston." She laughed. "Guy's just pissed cause the last time anything happened in Philly it involved some minority getting beaten up."
Karen shook her head. "Wow, you are in a mood today." She pushed Amie's sandwich off her book and back at her. "Eat that and listen for once." Amie grinned and opened the sandwich. "This shit in class today about the aliens got me thinking – has anyone been up there and had a closer look yet? I mean, Obama came on TV last night, some massive broadcast on all channels, mom made me watch it, but he said the aliens were either not able to or had no intention of, communicating with Washington."
"So no 'take me to your leader?'" Craig said with a grin.
Karen chucked a cherry tomato from her salad at his head and hit. He glared at her as he wiped tomato juice from his face. "No you moron," she paused. "Well, yes, but my point is – what are they doing up there? Taking in the scenery? Don't know about you but if I rock up like 10,000,000+ miles from my home planet, I'm not gonna kip in Boston."
"Right. I'm rolling down to Aca-fuckin'-Pulco yo. Gonna chill on the beach, sweet talk some Mexican chicks – wanna see how I probe baby?" He coughed as Amie whacked him right across the chest. "Jeez Ames."
"1st: stop talking like you're 'tight dawg', 2nd: Karen has a point – why the hell are they here? They've been here two weeks now, doing what? Sitting up there scratches their butts going 'kay, Boston mapped, where to next?' Seriously, it's creepy as hell. My mom hates it. We have a northeast-facing kitchen – she pulled all the blinds down and keeps them down so she doesn't have to look at it. It's freakin' weird." She shuddered a little then glanced back at Karen. "So, what you saying? We stand underneath it and yell 'beam me up Scotty'?"
Karen shook her head. "The old water tower on Flynn St. I'm gonna break in there and climb it, right after lunch; you coming with?"
Amie groaned. "Can it wait 'til like, 4? I miss one more Cal class and old 'no-hope Harper' is gonna kick me out of the school." She smiled a little. "Again."
Craig just shook his head. "I hate heights." They both frowned at him as he glanced up. "What? I'm man enough to admit it – plunging to my death from a water tower is not my idea of a well-spent Tuesday afternoon."
"You're both losers. I'm going alone then." She put her hand flat on the table. "Give me your iPhone."
Amie frowned. "Why?"
"Because," Karen pulled out her cell phone. "My crappy old Nokia takes worse pictures than the first camera ever invented." She pushed her phone at Amie and slowly her friend took out her iPhone. Karen snatched it out of her hand with a smile. "Youtube – say hello Boston's sexy aliens." She held the phone up to her face as she pressed record on the camera. "This is Karen Nadler reporting from Winthrop High and I'm gonna bring you the best close-up footage of Boston's alien dudes ever. Alone," she turned the camera on Craig and Amie. "Because these two wimps are scared to break rules and climb water towers." She pointed the camera back to herself. "But I am just bad ass enough to do it. So hold tight people of Youtube land – I bring you… Martians."
