Martian Invasion Read online

  “I’m so hungry, I could eat a feast right now,” Owen said, licking his lips at the thought of the feast that awaited successful warriors. Bunny the party girl was definitely going to cook up something amazing for them on their return. In fact, Owen thought he could smell smoke, and smoke usually meant one thing: cooking! “Any chance they knew we were coming and started cooking up something for us ahead of time?” he asked, pointing at the column of smoke that he now saw clearly rising above the treeline.

  Miles and Asher shrugged and quickened their steps, concerned that the smoke wasn’t from a cooking grill. Their village had burned once before, thanks to Asher’s mischief, and Miles wasn’t keen on rebuilding it a third time, with or without the help of his companions.

  A message appeared in front of them: “Martians are invading!”

  “It WAS a spaceship!” Owen said in a voice filled with panic. “What do we do?”

  “We run and help!” Miles replied, drawing his weapon and running at top speed through the trees toward the village.

  As the trio came into the clearing, they saw a fleet of alien ships hovering above the village square. Their friends were gathered at the top of the hill, back to back, weapons drawn and ready for the attack.

  “We’re here to help!” Asher shouted as they approached. As soon as Miles entered the village, the attack began.

  A saucer bobbed above Miles’s head and Autumn the mechanic threw her wrench at it to knock it away. “It’s about time. These saucers have been hovering for a while and threatening to attack as soon as you arrived. We’re just glad you’re here so we can get rid of them.”

  A storm of missiles rained down as the saucer bobbed and weaved around their heads. Aliens were dropping down to attack. The group was outnumbered and outclassed with weapons. The villagers were trying to stand their ground but their weapons were clearly no match for the alien attack.

  “Quick, everybody, get into a shelter,” Miles shouted, running for his house. “We’ll be safe from the saucer attack from here and we can get into formation.” The villagers and warriors followed Miles’s lead. He was glad he had expanded his house by several floors since he was spending more time at home.

  Asher looked around the house. It was clear he wasn’t impressed. “That’s it? That’s your plan, to hide out in your cozy little shack until the Martian invasion is over?”

  Miles laughed. “It’s funny you’d think that about me after everything we’ve been through.” He opened the basement door. “Follow me and have your ranged weapon ready.” Miles led Asher to his proudest achievement—a bunker underneath the house with everything he needed to launch a below-ground attack.

  Asher entered the bunker and smiled. “You built it into a cliff, you sly devil!”

  Owen followed behind. “If I had a house like this, I might just stay close to home too.”

  Danny the angler wandered in. “If I had a house like this, I’d stay too.”

  Miles smacked his forehead. “Danny! I haven’t forgotten about you, I promise. I’m sorry it’s taking me so long to build you a—”

  Danny jumped up and down with excitement. “Are you kidding me? I love it here! I’m not going anywhere. There are aliens invading! How cool is that?”

  Miles laughed. “I’m glad you like it here. Now get somewhere safe, out of the way, and I’ll come get you when the danger’s over.”

  “Sure thing!” Danny said, then wandered back upstairs. “I’m going to make you an aquarium while I wait.”

  Miles showed Asher and Owen to the edge of the cliff where he had built protective see-through barriers. “From down here, I can see anything coming at me from ground or sky.”

  As Danny went back upstairs, the other villagers swarmed in. Some suited up with armor and weapons, ready to head out into the battlefield while Jack the demolitionist, Hope the steampunker, and Cedric the wizard stayed on the front lines with the warriors. It was clear from the way they took their places in formation that this wasn’t the first invasion they had faced.

  “Everyone ready?” Miles called out.

  All the villagers responded as if with one voice. “Ready, Miles!”

  “Let’s do this!” Miles shouted. The armored villagers ran outside in formation, fanning out across the landscape in pairs. One partner provided shelter and protection with bricks or blocks while the other began to shoot at the enemies swarming in.

  Miles turned to Owen and Asher. “Get out your ranged weapons. Use anything that can shoot through glass or blocks. If you don’t have one, head to the far corner and shoot from behind a barrier. Keep backup weapons on hand, got it?”

  Asher and Owen snapped to attention. Miles was in charge and everyone was on board with his plan.

  Asher turned to Owen and whispered: “There might just be a chance we can win this with Miles in charge.”

  Chapter 11:

  SPACE INVADERS

  Miles aimed his Nettle Burst through the wall of glass, targeting the main alien ship. Owen unleashed the piranha from his gun at the nearest alien—a three-legged Martian walker that shot a constant stream of lasers. The piranha latched on to the walker, taking out each of its legs, then destroying the body before heading back to Owen’s gun for another launch. “Have I mentioned lately that I LOVE this weapon?” Owen shouted gleefully.

  Asher took cover behind a barrier at the far end of the bunker and released a barrage of ammunition from his Megashark, taking out a handful of green, gray, and red aliens. With each drop, more loot appeared on the ground. Miles knew without even looking that Asher was staring at the loot, thinking about how he could safely collect it before anyone else. “Leave the loot, Asher. You’ll get yourself killed if you head out there now.”

  Asher laughed. “Yeah, I know. But just look at it!”

  “Look out!” Miles shouted as a laser from the spaceship shot in the open space above Asher’s head.

  Asher’s hair smoked from a brush with the laser. His eyes were wide open in surprise. “That was way too close for comfort. I’m suiting up and heading outside where it’s safer!” He headed to the armory and grabbed some palladium armor, a shield, and two repeaters. “This should hold me.”

  “Wait, you need a buddy,” Miles said. “I’ll come with you.” He handed his Nettle Burst to Owen. “Owen, you stay here. You’re the most accurate shooter. Focus on the spaceship, then keep an eye on our team and target any alien that looks like it’s causing trouble for our friends.”

  “Got it, boss,” Owen said, putting down his Piranha Gun and shouldering the Nettle Burst.

  “Oh, one more thing,” Miles said. “The Tesla Turrets.”

  “The what?” Owen asked distractedly. He was already firing at the approaching hordes of aliens and had taken out three without blinking an eye.

  “The Tesla Turrets,” Miles repeated. “Super important. The Martian engineer will leave behind a machine that shoots off an electricity debuff. They drop them everywhere, and if you don’t take them out right away, we’re all doomed.”

  “Doomed?” Asher snorted. “Are you sure you’re not exaggerating?”

  “If you’re hit with it, you take damage every time you move. Every step,” Miles replied angrily. “In less than a dozen steps, it’ll take you out and you’ll end up back in your cozy little bed, far from your precious loot, so no, I’m not exaggerating.”

  “Man, you can get touchy in the heat of battle,” Asher said, heading up to the battleground. “Come on, let’s take some of that anger out on those little green men!”

  Miles suited up in his best armor, grabbed two repeaters and a shield, and followed Asher to the surface. A green ray gunner ran past them as they exited the shelter. He fired two laser blasts, just missing them, then retreated to another corner of the field. The alien ship was firing lasers rapid-fire, setting small fires across the land. It was amazing how a small village could turn into a flaming battleground so quickly.

  “I hate it when my village gets attacked,” M
iles said as he took out a nearby gray alien. “Rebuilding is such a pain, and the villagers have more requests each time.”

  “They should really start helping you build,” Asher suggested. “Hey, why does that one have a helmet?” he asked, pointing at a nearby alien.

  “Beats me,” Miles said, just before he got hit with its ray. He suddenly felt confused. He tried to turn to face Asher to see if he had gotten hit too, but he turned the wrong way. He took a step toward the house, but ended up walking away. “ho hU,” he said instead of Uh oh. He had been hit by a confused debuff. “desufnoC,” he tried to tell Asher, but it all came out backward.

  Miles knew it would only last a few moments, but moments were precious in the middle of the battle. He willed himself to do the opposite of what he wanted to do, lowering his gun instead of raising it and pointing it away from the helmeted brain scrambler alien. He unfired the gun and heard a pop signaling it was a perfect shot. Miles frowned, leaving a smile on his face. This backwards confused stuff was hard to master! Fortunately, his head cleared quickly. Just in time to see an alien headed toward them at top speed riding a green dinosaur-like beast.

  “Hey, that’s a Scutlix,” Asher said, pointing at the beast. “I knew a guy who kept one for a pet. Rode it everywhere.” He pointed his Megashark at the alien rider. “Best way to travel, he said.” He fired at the alien and missed. “Drat. Missed. I want to get one of those. Two or three, even, so we can all ride together.” He fired two more times. The first shot missed completely. The second hit the Scutlix, freeing the rider to run straight at them, firing his lasers. “Drat!” Asher said. “Missed again.”

  Miles took the approaching alien out quickly with his repeater. “Let’s not worry about the Scutlix, okay? We have bigger fish—or aliens—to fry!”

  A Martian engineer ran by them, dropping a machine in front of them that appeared to be sparking with electricity. “Tesla Turret!” Asher cried. “Owen, help!” Owen replied from inside with a blast that obliterated the Turret. “Thanks!” Asher called out and ran to help Katie and Isabella fend off a horde of aliens closing in on them.

  “Wait up!” Miles called, running after him. A Martian walker strode over him and filled up its charge. Miles dove and rolled out of the way, narrowly escaping its laser. Miles wheeled around and shot it with his laser. It was a direct hit, but the walker kept approaching. “How does this thing have no knockback?” he yelled in frustration. Fortunately, Owen had his back and obliterated the walker with a direct hit. Miles waved an arm in thanks, then ran to join Asher in helping the nurse and the dryad fend off their attackers.

  After an intense exchange of fire with the aliens, the crowd finally seemed to thin out. Isaac the Goblin tinkerer, Autumn the mechanic, and the rest of the villagers came over to focus their attack on the ship. One electrified alien strode into the group and zapped Bunny the party girl, shocking her with an electricity debuff. She landed on the ground, shaking. Hope ran over and took care of her. Asher blasted the zapper who hit Bunny. “You can’t hit our friend! Take that!”

  The rest of the villagers closed in and threw all the ammunition they had at the Martian saucer and the remaining aliens. With a huge explosion, the saucer was zapped out of existence. The villagers let out a whoop of excitement as Danny, Owen, and the rest of the group ran from the house to join the celebration.

  “We did it!” Autumn shouted. “We beat the Martian Invasion!”

  Hope and Isaac gently lifted Bunny from the ground. She was weak but her cheeks were regaining their color and she looked like she was already feeling better. “I’m going to throw one heck of a party to celebrate this victory!” she said.

  “I’ll help!” Danny called out. “I love parties!”

  While the villagers prepared for the party, Asher, Owen, and Miles cleaned up the battlefield. “There are enough Martian blocks here to make a whole house!” Asher said.

  “That’s great! I bet Danny would love a house built with Martian plates. They pulse in the dark, so it would even make a great night light!” Miles said, happily collecting the plates and putting them aside.

  “There’s a ton of useless costume junk here in case anyone wants to dress up like a Martian,” Owen observed, picking up the discarded alien clothing and throwing it in another pile.

  Miles picked up a gun and inspected it. “I think this is the brain scrambler that the alien used on me to make me confused.” He handed it to Asher. “I already have a Crystal Storm which does the same thing, so you take this one.”

  “Thanks,” Asher said. “Owen and I can share it. It’ll help us when we go back and battle those Lunatic Cultists.” Asher picked up a trophy and handed it to Miles. “You can keep this since you’re the one with a fancy house. We nomads don’t need decoration.”

  “Don’t give that to me!” Miles pushed it away. “It’s not for decoration. It’s to summon another Martian attack! Let’s destroy it!”

  “Let’s bury it instead,” Owen suggested. “You never know when you need to hitch a ride on a flying saucer!”

  As the trio collected the rest of the loot, including a Cosmic Car Key, some blasters and lasers, an Anti-Gravity Hook, a cannon, and a lot of healing potion, the rest of the crew were preparing a feast. Wonderful smells were coming from the house and they realized they hadn’t eaten a proper meal in a long time. They went indoors to discover disco lights, music, and decorations. Bunny met them at the door with party hats and a glass of something fizzy and sweet.

  “Now this is my kind of party!” Asher exclaimed, joining a conga line behind Roland the clothier. But before anyone could dig into the feast, Miles spotted something out of the corner of his eye. He looked out the window but didn’t see anything.

  Owen saw it too. He met Miles at the window. “That was another scout ship, wasn’t it?”

  Miles nodded. “It’s a probe, alright. Looks like it’s too soon for a celebration. Our party will have to wait. Again.”

  Chapter 12:

  THE NEXT WAVE

  Miles and Owen pulled Asher from the dance floor where he was trying to master the art of the electric slide dance. “Hey, I almost have it down. What gives?” Asher asked angrily.

  “Come with us. We need you to see something,” Miles said into Asher’s ear. He didn’t want to disrupt the villagers’ hard-earned fun with more bad news. Miles took Asher to the window where Owen was waiting.

  “The scout hasn’t detected us yet,” Owen said.

  “That’s good news,” Miles replied. “That gives us time to plan our next defense.”

  “I’d rather plan an attack than a defense,” Owen said thoughtfully. “Now that we know what to expect, we can take proper advantage of the attack and get maximum drop with minimum damage.”

  “Excellent point, Owen!” Miles said proudly. He was glad Owen had learned how important advance planning can be in a battle.

  Asher had been following the conversation, looking back and forth between his two friends as they spoke as if watching a tennis match. “What exactly are you talking about?” he asked, finally.

  Owen pointed at the probe bobbing off in the distance. “It’s still green, which means it hasn’t spotted us yet.”

  Asher’s eyes lit up with excitement. “You mean we get another shot at these guys? Anyone know where we can find some water candles?”

  “You want to increase their spawn rate?” Miles asked. “We could barely keep up with them in the last wave.”

  “But you guys said we could plan our defense. Let’s try it. I want more loot!” Asher replied, rubbing his hands together greedily.

  Miles looked to Owen for support. “You agree this is crazy, right?”

  Owen shook his head. “Actually, no. This is a great opportunity for us to see what we can really do. We have the support of all of the villagers, we’re here on your home turf, and we actually have advance notice this time that an attack is on the way.”

  Miles considered what they had said. He had to admit t
heir points were strong. If the Martians were coming anyway, they might as well get the most out of the attack. He just had one thing left to do. Miles looked around for a platform to address his friends, but not finding one, he climbed up on a nearby table and held his hands up to get everyone’s attention. “Excuse me! I’d like to say something!”

  “Here’s where he’s going to thank us for our loyalty and congratulate us on a job well done,” Isaac whispered to Autumn, eagerly expecting the praise.

  “I want to thank you all for your bravery and support in this difficult Martian battle. We couldn’t have done this without every one of you,” Miles said. A cheer went up around the room. Isaac nudged Autumn who seemed impressed that he called it so perfectly. “Unfortunately, this was just the first wave.” The group broke out in a collective groan. “A probe was spotted nearby, and once it finds me, Owen, and Asher here in the village, the aliens will return.”

  Hope gasped. “I’m going to need a lot more honey and supplies,” she said to no one in particular.

  Jack the demolitionist checked his pockets to make sure they were full of weapons. “We can handle it,” he said.

  Katie checked her armor for holes or damage. “We’re ready for it when you are,” she shouted supportively.

  “I was going to ask if you guys were up for the challenge, but it seems we already have our answer,” Miles said to the crowd. They cheered in response. Isabella raised her hands at one edge of the group and shouted: “Here’s to the next wave! Let’s start a wave!” In response, the villagers each raised their hands one at a time and cheered, showing a wave of support. It went around the group twice before Miles held up his own hands to stop them. “I’m glad you’re all in! But here’s the thing, we want to plan ahead. The attack won’t start if we’re not in the village, so we actually have time to prepare for this.”

  Hope the steampunker raised her clockwork assault rifle in support. “I’m with you, Miles!” she shouted. Autumn raised her wrench and Bunny fired her confetti gun, showering the crowd with colorful confetti. “Let’s move this party out of town. I’m not going to put up with any party crashers! Anyone who’s with us, grab some party supplies and follow me!” Bunny shouted. She led the group outside of the party room in a conga line carrying a bowl of fruit on her head.