"Invaders From Mars II..."
Summary: David's dream was a premotion but the actual story went a bit differently...
Intro: For those not familiar with the original "Invaders from Mars" a quick summary...
Awakened during a thunderstorm, young David MacLean sees a brightly lit descend into a large sand pit some ways behind his home. When his father investigates, he returns a changed man, cold and hostile. Soon after David sees through his telescope his father leading his mother to the pit, where she disappears, later a young neighbor girl playing in the pit disappears as he watches. When his mother, then the young girl, and others, return, they act coldly and lie about their disappearances. Fleeing his home, and running to the police for help, David's panicked story is heard by Dr. Pat Blake, a health department doctor who on seeing the icy manner of David's parents on coming to claim him at the station, takes him under her care, claiming he's been exposed to polio, and eventually brings him to her friend, Dr. Stuart Kelston. David soon convinces Kelston, who comes to believe that this is an invading force from Mars, launched while Mars was in close orbital proximity, possibly attacking out of fear of the atomic rocket research going on nearby. Meanwhile the little girl, daughter of a scientist working on the project, and, among others, David's parents, attempt acts of sabotage affecting the government rocket research facility. The little girl dies mysteriously of a cerebral hemorrhage and others follow, on their capture. Dr. Blake determines the girl was controlled by an alien device implanted in her brain, deliberately destroyed, resulting in her death, when she was caught attempting sabotage of the work of her father, a scientist at the rocket plant. The astronomer persuades the army to investigate, and after the base commander and the local police chief, after attempting sabotage and resisting capture, are also killed by the same devices implanted in their brains, enough evidence is established to cause the subordinate commander, Colonel Fielding, to get the Pentagon's permission to send troops into the landing site area. However, while watching the troops from a distance Dr. Blake and David are sucked down into the pit and captured by slit-eyed green humanoid aliens. They're brought via tunnels to the actual buried saucer and inside, before the Martian commander, a large headed creature with tiny body and tentacles, contained in a transparent ball-like container on a pedestal, from which it appears to control both the humanoids and various kidnapped humans. A mind-controlled army officer interrogates them for the Martian leader and Dr. Blake is then anesthetized by a light ray and placed to have the control device implanted in her brain. Meanwhile the Colonel's troops blast an entrance to the tunnels and begin an attack but are held back for a time by the humanoids defending the tunnels using a powerful ray weapon similar to a laser. After they finally fight their way to the saucer, Dr. Kelston rescues Pat and David just in time and the army troops plant explosive devices as the Martians retreat and prepare to take off. After the troops and the civilians evaculate, the ship is fired upon by artillery and destroyed by the planted explosives. However, after being assured his parents have been captured alive and are being operated on safely to remove the devices, then taken home and put to bed by Drs. Kelston and Blake, David suddenly awakens to find it was all a dream. As he goes to the window of his bedroom he suddenly sees the same saucer land in the same way again and is shocked to find it all happening again, from the beginning.
However, this time...
...
Part I...
The control chamber of the Martian saucer ship, where David and his friend/mentor Dr. Pat Blake are being held. Dr. Blake, a brilliant and quite lovely public health services doctor in her thirties has been rendered unconscious and placed by the green slit-eyed humanoid creatures serving the Martian commander/central intelligence in its transparent habitat, on the slab of the device used for implanting control devices. David, held by one of the humanoids watches in horror as a tube-like device is lowered, approaching the back of her neck. However, given his memory of his dream of these events, he hopes things will repeat as before and they will be rescued in time. Sergeant Rinaldi, a husky, fortyish, Army non-com officer, captured by the Martians previously and implanted with a control device, acts as interpreter for the Martian commander and had been questioning the two as what they knew of the attacking Earth military's plans. He has informed David that the commander or Prime Intelligence, of the saucer is aware that he has been interfering in the Martians' plans to prevent Earth from sending vessels to Mars, particularly the atomic-powered ships being designed at the nearby rocket research plant. Previous scouting missions had detected the efforts to test such ships and fearing Earth's plans to study Mars, the Martians plan to first prevent the development of deep space rockets by Earth and next to control Earth's leaders and top scientists to discourage further efforts. Despite David's anxious insistence that Earth people have no designs on Mars, Rinaldi, speaking for the Prime Intelligence, insists the knowledge Mars has of human history suggests otherwise. Mars, its surviving life, and the society that has endured terrible environmental disasters there, are too fragile to risk trusting in the good nature of humans. But to secure more information, Dr. Blake will now be placed under control using an advanced version of the crystalline device that Rinaldi carries implanted in his brain...It, Rinaldi assures David, will not be so easily defied as the earlier prototypes, though he promises David the Intelligence is willing to spare him from use of the controller if he answers all questions truthfully. The Intelligence, Rinaldi notes, has developed an admiration for David's resourcefulness and intelligence...More important, it is aware of his dream premonition of the arrival of the ship, a sign that David may possess certain mental gifts of interest to the Martians. Therefore they would like to avoid risking killing him as his youth, knowledge of the controller, and his unique abilities, might make him resist too strongly. David is now uncomfortably aware that events are not proceeding exactly as in his dream.
"Then let Dr. Blake go and I'll answer your questions!" David pleads.
"The Prime feels..." Sgt. Rinaldi notes quietly... "That you will be more cooperative when Dr. Blake is controlled. And she will provide useful information. If you both cooperate, she will survive." He moves slightly as if trying to resist.
"As you can see this version of our controller is better able to curb resistance." He notes, calming. "We will proceed..."
"Wait!" David cries, waving arms and trying to break free of the guard's grip on him, to no avail. "If you let her go, I'll ask the Colonel not to continue the attack, for now. Maybe we can negotiate, you know, like we do at the UN?" He eyes the Prime Intelligence which returns his stare impassively.
"Your people are attacking this vessel and the Prime..." Rinaldi, calmly. "You are a child and will not be able to persuade the soldiers to stop. At this time, we will not...Negotiate."
An explosion rocks the vessel...
"You see..." Rinaldi quietly. "Your people mean to destroy us."
"You attacked us first." David notes. "They're just trying to save us. Let me and Dr. Blake go and we'll talk to them."
The controller implant device had almost reached the back of Dr. Blake's neck...David struggling, remembering his dream...
I broke free and then Colonel Fielding's men broke into the saucer's tunnel...
"The man Rinaldi is known to the human commander..." Rinaldi noted. "He will go and demand the humans withdraw. The woman is more useful controlled. She will speak for us to you." Rinaldi suddenly stopped, turning and hurrying off, out of the ship, accompanied by two humanoids.
"No!" David, suddenly in his anxiety, striking out with his mind and body. The humanoid holding him suddenly trembling and releasing him. In its chamber tank, the Prime Intelligence eyed the boy with what appeared to be a degree of surprise...David running to the ball-like chamber and climbing a step or two on its support pedestal, banging at the creature within on the surface. It coolly eyeing him.
Two humanoids quickly grabbed him and pulled him back.
Another explosion in the distance...The Prime Intelligence eyeing David as the control device reached Dr. Blake's neck. David crying out in the grip of the humanoids. "NO!"
Dr. Blake suddenly sitting up, turning to eye him. "David. It's all right. I'm fine."
"No! This isn't how it happened before!" he cried. "They didn't take you..."
"In your dream? But that was a dream, David." She smiled rather surprisingly warmly at him. "You made it come out as you wanted it to. But in real life, things aren't always that way." She turned to face the Prime Intelligence. As she turned, David sadly noted the mark on the back of her neck.
I let her down this time, I didn't save her.
"Yes, it's probably too late to stop the humans from attacking." She nodded calmly to the Prime. "We'll need to withdraw you to one of the early sites." She turned back to smile at David. "David? You wanted to save me? And to negotiate, with us? You can do both and keep your parents safe."
"They're all right, the doctors are taking those things out." He eyed her.
"They're still at risk...We can destroy the implants yet." Quiet stare... "Not to mention, I'm also at risk. Though as the Sergeant told you, my controller is a more developed version. Not so easy to oppose, though if you force me to try and resist, say by trying to help you now, I might have to be sacrificed. Meaning, David...My life is in your hands." Smile. "Cooperate and I and your parents and you are safe."
"What if Rinaldi gets the soldiers to stop?"
"A temporary solution...Your people will continue their attack as soon as they feel..." Another explosion rocked the chamber. David was knocked to the ground.
"David? Are you all right?" Dr. Blake asked, stepping to him.
"I'm ok." He rose, she offering a hand which he took, raising him to her side.
"Good. It's important to us that you remain well. But come, we need to hurry, Sergeant Rinaldi has failed to persuade his Colonel to stop his men. They can be held back for a time but there are too many of these primitives to stop them for long. We must save the Prime Intelligence!" she grabbed his hand, pulling him to her. "Listen. From now on, if you wish your friend and your parents to be safe, do exactly as I tell you, David." She insisted, a cool tone, followed by smile. "Just be a good boy and everything will be fine." She pulled him, squirming along.
"David? I've no time to waste." She eyed him, glancing to two of the humanoids who went to the closest wall of the saucer, pressing on parts of the wall which lit up. The pedestal on which the Prime Intelligence's ball-chamber was mounted, lowered, and they moved to it, then one removed the chamber, holding it in its hands.
"The chamber needs to be covered so that we can transport it. That will do." She pointed at a large black mass of which seemed to be and quickly was revealed to be, a bag of some sort of fabric. The humanoids gently placed the chamber within the bag and wrapped the excess material around it.
"Yes, I can pass it off as something of mine. A sack of...Important materials." She noted, glancing carefully at the bag. She eyed one humanoid who came to the bag and lifted It, apparently awaiting her orders.
"Now, David." She turned to him. "Do all I tell you and you, your friend, and your parents will be safe. Hurry along now, we've not much time." She adjusted her open dress collar and rebuttoned it, smoothing her dress, then lightly adjusting her hair.
"There...Lets go."
"Where are we going?" He asked. "They're gonna blow this place up, I saw before."
She eyed him. "Remarkable. We hardly expected such abilities to have developed among your kind at this stage. You'll see where we're going soon enough. The Prime Intelligence must be secured. Hurry!" she urged.
Frowning at him as he hesitated. "Don't dawdle David!" she eyed him a bit coolly now. "Don't make me force you to move, you know it would hurt me to have to harm you. It could even kill me." She gave him a sad, even wistful expression.
"All right..." he agreed. "Just don't hurt Dr. Blake."
"All right then." She nodded. Another explosion, closer now, rocked the chamber, knocking them to the ground, though the humanoids remained standing. Blake rose... "Are you all right, David?" she asked as he rose from the floor. "Yeah." He nodded.
She turned to the humanoid holding the sack with the Prime Intelligence's chamber and it moved to follow after her. Come, she waved David to follow as well, pausing by the ship's nearest inner hull section to press the wall, causing a large section of the hull to divide and open.
"Is the Sergeant all right?" he asked her as they walked. "In my dream..."
"The Sergeant is dead. He attempted to stop the soldiers by shooting Colonel Fielding but they shot him." She noted calmly, unruffled.
David looking horrified.
"Did he survive in your dream? We...Sense he didn't." she asked, matter of factly.
"No...But..."
"As I told you, that was dream, this reality. Nothing can change what's happened and we did not kill him. Come along now."
"You should have let him go, all of them."
"They were needed. The deaths are regrettable but most died either by your own hands or attempting to resist us." She noted. "The improved prototypes should reduce such incidents." Pausing... "If we're ever forced to do this again." Warm smile.
He shook head.
She paused to eye his stricken face. "My people...Yes, I am speaking directly to you, David...Have faced death as a people, first, from an uncaring universe and now, from you...Your people."
"We didn't attack Mars." David noted.
"But you were coming. Invaders with a long history of primitive violence. But let this wait, time is of the essence." She frowned.
"What are you doing?" he asked. "Why don't you...It...Just take off."
"Your people have our vessel targeted by their primitive weapons and...Explosive?...Yes, explosive...Charges have been laid, according to the sergeant before he died. We cannot be lost to our people, the knowledge we bear is critical." She urged him on.
"So, you can be hurt by our stuff." He noted.
"And a bear can kill a man, even with weapons." She shrugged. "Consider that we could have brought far more dangerous weapons here but did not."
"But you're killing people any way." He eyed her.
"Am I, David?" she regarded him.
"You know who I mean." He frowned.
"As I said, most died at the hands of your own kind, a few resisted us foolishly. If it helps, we regret the deaths but there's no more time for this. Cooperate and we will take no further action with your parents or Dr. Blake. Come now, David." She reached out a hand which he reluctantly took.
"Where are we going?"
"Somewhere safe." She replied, pulling him out, the humanoid following them bearing the sack.
...
"Wow." David looked around. They'd just barely passed through the opening but were now on the surface, beyond the sand pit.
"A method of transit we use. Quite a bit faster than conventional transport but rather energy costly." She noted. Reaching for the sack from the humanoid which she took while firmly retaining David's hand in hers. She then waved the humanoid back and it disappeared into the opening.
"Now I'd take my car but Dr. Kelton and the others know it and would search for it and us..." She pondered. "There are other cars but...Oh, yes. Even better." Nod. "The train station is just down four blocks that way." She pointed. "David? Have you ever taken a train out of this town?"
"Twice, with Mom and Dad. To see my grandpa."
"Well, we'll be going on a long trip, to a town..." she paused. "Outside Iowa City, Iowa state."
He stared at her calm look. "Why?"
"Because your grandparents are there and you and I are going to see them." She smiled.
...
"Lady, I'm sorry." The ticket official shrugged. "I can only take cash, not checks."
"Oh, dear...I only have forty in cash." Dr. Blake sighed, recounting. "My son here is so anxious to see his grandparents, aren't you David?" eyeing him.
"Yeah." He sighed.
"Are you sure you couldn't take a check. I'd happily make it out for a hundred dollars and you can keep the change." She smiled.
"Sorry, ma'am. Cash only." The agent shook head.
"Isn't there anything I could do to persuade you?" she smiled at him, just a bit coquettishly.
"Sorry, lady. There's a train at ten tomorrow, after the bank opens."
"All right. Thank you." She nodded, stepping away, and pulling David back with her.
"This is a bit of a problem." She sighed to David, leading him to a bench.
"Why don't you just, you know? Zap asleep everyone in here and get on board?" David eyed her.
"Not that easy nor very safe. And I don't have the device you're considering." She shrugged. But...She regarded him. "There are other ways. David, you don't have money with you?"
"No, just a couple of quarters...Only my dad carries that much money."
"I see. Well, Dr. Blake will have to steal or otherwise obtain it." she noted. "We need to get on that train. Quickly." Looking about the train station.
Hmmn...She'd caught sight of a fortyish man in suit and overcoat, no hat, eyeing her. Putting on a wide smile, she went over to him, pulling David along.
"Hi there." She greeted the man pleasantly.
"Hello, gorgeous. What, no overcoat on a raw night like this?" the man smiled.
"Well, my son and I had to leave in a hurry." She noted.
"Oh? Family crisis?"
"In a way." Sigh, mournful look. "You see my husband's a very...Well, he was drunk, worse than ever, and threatening to harm us both. I had to take David and run." She sighed, eyes tearing a bit.
"That so...?" the man eyed her, then David.
"My poor boy is so shaken by what happened he can't speak." She noted, carefully draping an arm about David, then pulling him close.
"He...My husband...Has never been so angry and abusive."
"That's a shame. So you're both runaways?"
"Yes, I'm afraid so..." wan smile. "But I'm afraid we left in such a hurry..."
"You ran out without any dough and could you borrow a bit?" the man eyed her.
"Yes...I know it sounds..." she began.
Cool grin..."Sister, I wasn't born yesterday. That scam's old as the hills."
"Please, I don't know what you..."
"I mean do you want me to call a cop?" steady look.
"No, please don't." she eyed him back. "I'd be so grateful if you wouldn't. Not that my story isn't true but my boy here and..."
"Uh-huh. What is he deaf and starving?"
"No. Just hungry." She regarded him. "Aren't you, David?"
"Yeah...Yes..." at her look.
"Well..." the man leered. "Maybe I could try to help you out of your jam..." He glanced to the restrooms recessed in the wall in front of them.
"That would be...Very kind." She smiled. "David?" she turned to him. "You can wait here for me, for a moment while our friend and I talk? You'll be a good boy, won't you, and stay right here." Slight steel in her tone.
He frowned at her and the man leering now beside her... "You heard your mom, eh, kid? Just wait here and we'll handle things."
"I don't want you to go with him." David, firmly.
"Listen, sonny." The man eyed him coldly.
"It's all right." Dr. Blake put a hand on the man's arm, gently. "I'll handle it. Come here, David." She offering a hand, then seizing his reluctant one. "Over here. We'll be right back." She told the man.
Pulling David to a corner...Eyeing him coldly.
"David. Don't interfere."
"I don't want you to go with that guy." He insisted.
"What are you afraid of? I promise you, he can't harm me. I'll just persuade him to loan us some money and promise to pay him back."
"Why would he give you money?" stare.
"I can be very persuasive. I persuaded your parents, to let me keep you at the station, remember?" Smile.
"I don't like that man." David shook head.
"David, I've no time for nonsense. If you don't cooperate with us, Dr. Blake is useless to us. So are you and your parents. Now, you can believe your parents are safe in the hospital, but you know I'm not, and neither are you." Grim hiss.
"Hey, what's the holdup?" the man called.
"Just one moment..." she smiled over.
"Well?" she eyed David. "Must we kill Dr. Blake and you? And your parents? It would be a pointless waste."
"Don't let her be hurt." He eyed her.
"I'll be fine." She noted, nodding calmly. "Now sit down here and don't move from this bench..." she indicated the empty station bench.
"All right." He sighed, taking seat.
"I'm trusting you, David. Don't betray that trust or others will suffer." She eyed him grimly.
"I said all right." He eyed her.
"Good." She leaned over to kiss his forehead. "Mom will be right back, honey." She turned and walked over to the restroom area, entering. The man following a moment later.
David looking down, shaking head. After only about five minutes, she emerged, adjusting her hair and smiling at him.
"We're all set now, dear. Come along, we've a train to catch. We'll try to get something to eat when we get on board."
He regarded her and looked over to the restroom area.
"Where's that man?"
"He'll be fine. We made use of Dr. Blake's knowledge of the human nervous system. She's quite intelligent for such a primitive. Now, lets hurry. Your military may soon try to stop transport in and out of this area, once they realize we've fled."
In the near empty men's room, the man, dumped in a stall, breathing but unconscious.
"He's...Alive?" David asked.
"And will wake up in a few minutes, so we'd best hurry. I didn't kill him, David. You'll have to believe me on that. Come. Come now or..." she eyed him coolly.
"Fine." She regarded his anxious face. "It's probably best we establish trust. Go in and look, but hurry. I'll wait here. And you know what will happen if you try to run or contact anyone."
"Ok." He nodded and hurried to the restroom area door, entering. She watching after him, carefully.
He emerged a moment later, and she rose and met him.
"You see?" she noted in whisper. "Quite alive. Are you satisfied?"
"You robbed him." He noted.
"He can try to call the police on me later. He's alive and he intended me harm, you know that. Now, we've kept our word..." she regarded him.
"Ok." He nodded.
"There's a good boy." She smiled, taking his hand and leading him to the ticket booth across the way.
...
"Alton, Iowa?" David regarded Dr. Blake as they walked down the corridor of the train, toward the dining car.
Dr. Blake is quite hungry and I'm sure you are as well, she'd noted.
"Why are we going to Alton?"
"We have friends...And family, of sorts...There. Your grandparents, I took you." She smiled.
"What? My grandparents...?"
"For the time being, they will be..." she eyed him. "You understand me, David, I know that."
"I guess..." sigh. "What if they stop us? Colonel Fielding may tell 'em to stop all trains and that man might call the police..."
"I don't know. We'll...Cross that bridge...Interesting expression..." she nodded. "When we come to it. But the man won't want to risk my accusing him. I left him a brief note explaining that I have his address and I'll pay him back, with interest, but will contact his wife as well as charge him with attempting to assault me if he calls the police in. But, as for the Colonel, we can only hope he'd not had the time to make such arrangements. For now, let us worry about that. You and I should eat."
...