Alien Invaders from Beyond the Stars

by George Ivanoff

  You scan the room. There’s a small hatch in the wall. You open it to see a chute leading into darkness.

  The voices and footsteps are coming closer. You don’t have much time.

  If you want to jump through the hatch, go here.

  But if you think you should get the woman to come with you, go here.

  You climb back into the cryogenic casket and shut the door behind you.

  You hear the hiss as mist starts to build, then feel the cold seeping into your bones before darkness claims you.

  Seconds later – or is it years? – your eyes flutter open.

  A frightened-looking reptilian face is staring in at you through the window. The alien opens the door and you fall out.

  ‘Quickly,’ he says, ‘you must get up. We are being invaded.’

  What?

  ‘Your Earth resistance has called in the Fla-harve. They are our mortal enemies. They feed on us. And they are on board this ship!’

  Well, that sounds pretty good to you. Seems like the resistance succeeded in their plans.

  ‘You do not understand,’ says the alien, as he goes to the next cryogenic casket and opens the door. ‘They will feed on you too. You must try to escape.’

  Fuelled by panic, you force yourself to your feet. You thank the alien and stumble out of the room, straight into a large gelatinous mass.

  ‘It’s the Fla-harve!’ shouts the alien. ‘It’s too late.’

  You stare at the creature in front of you. It’s a gloopy, greeny-brown blob, like a giant pile of snot … you can’t think of any other description.

  You back away. It oozes forward.

  You turn, but it surges onwards, over your foot.

  You’re stuck. You can’t pull away.

  You watch in horror as the blob oozes up your leg. Your thoughts begin to drain away, like the Fla-harve is sucking them out of you. You fall, and as the giant snot-creature oozes over your body, you wish you had a large box of tissues.

  You decide to stick with the plant.

  You pick up Prince Ficus and he directs you to a nearby room with a communications console.

  You flick some switches, as indicated by Prince Ficus, and then the plant makes some wispy trilling sounds into the microphone. Similar noises come back in response.

  ‘My people are coming to rescue me,’ says the prince. ‘They will use matter transmission to take me away. Do you wish to come?’

  You are not certain.

  ‘We have been working on an ultimate weapon to defeat the reptiles,’ explains the prince. ‘It has not yet been tested, so my people will not use it unless you come and make the request.’

  An untested ultimate weapon? Is it worth taking the chance? Or would it be better to warn Earth about the reptile invaders?

  If you want to go with Prince Ficus, go here.

  If you would rather leave him and make your way off the ship, go here.

  You tell Oky that you have to go and warn people about the invasion.

  ‘Sure thing, dude,’ he says. ‘I totally get where you’re coming from.’

  He shows you the way off the spaceship and back to the national park.

  Go here.

  You take Oky back to the guesthouse, sneaking him past the weird guy sleeping on the lawn, and to your room. Your parents have been woken by the explosion, so you introduce them to Oky and begin to tell them of your adventures.

  But your parents freak out! They yell at Oky to leave. They just can’t cope with all this talk about aliens and invasions.

  As you try to calm your parents down, Oky slips out of the room and the guesthouse. When you realise that he’s gone, you want to chase after him. But your parents insist that you stay, that it’s too dangerous.

  Do you ignore your parents and follow Oky? Go here.

  But if you decide to stay with your parents, go here.

  You sneak Oky into the guesthouse, past that weird guy sleeping on the lawn, and hide him in the empty room next to yours.

  You go to see your parents, who have been woken by the explosion. After your parents have gone back to bed, you return to Oky.

  ‘I need to contact one of the fleet before they get out of range,’ he says. Oky sees your worried expression and continues, ‘No need to worry, dude. I’ll tell them that this planet has a secret weapon and it’s not worth the risk of invading.’

  Oky then explains that he needs electronic equipment to construct a communications device.

  You wonder if your devices would be enough. Or you could take him to the shops in town tomorrow.

  If you want to give Oky your devices, go here.

  If you want to take him to an electronics store, go here.

  You tell the brain that there are thousands of different video games on Earth, and that plenty can be played over the internet.

  ‘Initiating internet access,’ gurgles the brain.

  A stream of images flashes across the screen as the brain plays game after game at super speed. And then the screen goes blank.

  ‘War!’ gurgles the brain. ‘So many of these games are battle simulations. They are not boring. Conclusion: War is fun!’

  What?

  ‘Congratulations, Earth creature. You have changed our plans. Rather than simply invading your planet by destroying all military installations in a swift surprise attack, we will initiate a full-scale war. It will be much less boring.’

  What?

  ‘Access battle computer,’ says the brain.

  Glowing green letters type across the screen: WOULD YOU LIKE TO PLAY A GAME?

  ‘Yes,’ answers the brain. Its eyestalks turn to stare at you. ‘You may leave. Go and warn the humans. This war will be far more entertaining if your people are prepared and thus more equally matched.’

  Should you go? If you deliver the warning, at least Earth might stand a chance. Or perhaps there’s something you could do here to prevent war?

  If you think it’s best to warn everyone else, go here.

  If you want to attack the brain, go here.

  You tell the brain that there are lots more holiday photos on your phone.

  The brain flicks through your photos, going past images of rafting, hiking and abseiling, all without even pausing. It streaks past amazing scenery – sweeping mountain vistas and dramatic sunsets. And then it stops. It stops on a picture of you holding up a bowling ball.

  ‘What is this?’ it demands.

  You try to explain ten-pin bowling, as it slowly looks through the rest of your bowling images.

  ‘Is this a common pastime on your otherwise insignificant and tedious little planet?’

  You nod.

  ‘Initiating internet access.’ More text, images and videos about bowling flash across the screen. ‘Fascinating!’ Its eye-stalks swivel to look at Oky. ‘Why have you not brought this to our attention?’

  Oky shrugs.

  ‘The Earth creature is dismissed,’ says the brain. ‘It may have just saved its planet from invasion. Give it a prize.’

  A prize?

  A pincer on a tendril drops a silver sphere into your hand.

  ‘Go now, before I change my mind.’

  Oky quickly ushers you out of the room. ‘You gotta move fast,’ he says. ‘It’s a brain in a jar, so changing its mind is kind of an occupational hazard to others.’ He leads you out of the spaceship.

  ‘It’s been fun,’ says Oky, raising a hand into the air. ‘High five!’

  You slap his hand with yours and head out of the ship.

  ‘Oh,’ he calls after you, ‘best not to mention this to anyone.’

  Mention it? Who would believe you? And the brain didn’t give your phone back, so there are no photos for proof.

  You stand back and watch the saucer rise up and zoom off into the night sky.

  You wander back to the guesthouse, avoiding the guy still sleeping on the lawn. You have no idea what the silver sphere is, but you figure it’ll make a nice souvenir of your adventure. You stick it
into your backpack … and forget about it.

  Three months later, when you get home from school, you hear a whining sound from your backpack. You upend it and the sphere rolls out onto the floor, pulsating with light.

  Is it a bomb? Is it a homing device? Is it a brain probe?

  If you want to pick it up to inspect, go here.

  If you leave it and wait to see what it does, go here.

  You can’t leave without the hippie FISH woman.

  You race over and try to stop her, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards the hatch.

  ‘No,’ she yells, pushing you aside. ‘Not finished!’

  Lifting the crystal high above her head, she brings it down onto the control panel – this time with all her might.

  The crystal shatters. The panel explodes, spewing sparks and smoke. You and the woman are thrown to the floor.

  Seconds later, lizard men are racing into the room. You and the woman are picked up and carried out.

  ‘You will be executed for this,’ says the lead guard.

  The whole ship lurches and rumbles.

  ‘I think it might be a little late for that,’ says the woman, breaking into uncontrollable manic laughter. ‘FISH rules!’

  The lizard men begin to panic. And the woman continues laughing as the spaceship erupts into flames around you!

  You head off on your own, racing through corridor after corridor. You’re not sure which is the way out, but you keep running, hoping you’re going in the right direction.

  Finally, you make it to the hatch and back into the national park.

  Go here.

  You fall into a cold, dreamless sleep.

  You drift in darkness.

  Time passes.

  A point of light appears.

  You feel warmth seeping into your body.

  The door opens and you fall out.

  ‘Get up,’ a voice commands.

  But your legs feel like jelly. You’re not sure you can get up. You look around.

  You’re in some sort of huge storage area. Row upon row of metal caskets with windows line the space.

  A group of people are gathered around you – humans.

  A woman with short grey hair and cold blue eyes stares down at you.

  ‘Listen up,’ she says in a clipped, no-nonsense voice. ‘You’ve been in cryogenic storage up here on the alien spaceship for five years. I am part of the resistance movement. We have freed you and some of the others. We have discovered that these aliens have an enemy and we intend to call for their help. Do you have any idea where the communications are kept on this ship?’

  You shake your head groggily.

  The woman sighs loudly.

  ‘Right then, you’re not much use. We have to do this ourselves. Feel free to come along if you like.’

  She and the others stride out of the room.

  You grasp your cryogenic casket and pull yourself shakily to your feet.

  Now what?

  Should you follow them and try to help? Explore the ship on your own? Or maybe, if you go back into the cryogenic casket, you can sleep until the aliens have been defeated?

  If you want to join the resistance, go here.

  If you want to go off on your own, go here.

  If you want to go back into cryogenic sleep, go here.

  You decide to go with the alien plant prince.

  A few minutes later, your surroundings melt away and reform. You are now in a clearing within a forest … at least, that’s what it looks like. You are actually on the plant people’s spaceship.

  You gaze around at the flowers. They are walking towards the prince. That’s right – walking! They’re using their roots as if they were feet.

  The plants bow their stalks before the prince. Wafts of pollen puff from the flowers. As the yellow dust hits the prince’s pot, it shatters.

  ‘Free!’ he trills, dancing about on his roots. Then he stops to look at you. ‘Make your request.’

  You ask the plants for their help. You ask them to use their ultimate weapon on Earth’s invaders.

  They agree.

  A nearby tree bends, holding up a giant leaf in front of you. An image appears on the leaf, showing Earth and the alien spaceships gathered around the moon, ready to attack. You watch as a giant seed-pod approaches.

  ‘That is the weapon,’ explains Prince Ficus.

  Then the giant seed-pod begins to vibrate.

  POP!

  The pod bursts, sending seeds out in all directions. But these seeds look a lot like missiles. One by one, the alien spaceships disintegrate as they are struck.

  After the last ship is destroyed, you realise that there are still more missile-seeds streaking through space. Seconds later, hundreds of them strike the moon, causing it to disintegrate!

  Your eyes widen with horror as you realise even more seeds are heading for Earth.

  ‘Whoops!’ says Prince Ficus. ‘I did say the weapon was untested.’

  And then Earth disintegrates!

  Your home is gone. You are now the last of your kind. A human stranded in a world of plants.

  You wonder how they’ll feel about your favourite food being salad sandwiches.

  With a deep breath, you pick up the sphere, cupping it in your hands.

  The whining stops and a beam of light streams from it, forming into an image of …

  Oky!

  ‘Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.’

  Huh?

  ‘Just kidding around, Earth dude,’ he says, all green scales and sharp teeth. He’s not wearing his spray-on human disguise. ‘Thought you might like a little status update.’

  You nod.

  ‘Not only did you save your little planet from invasion, but you are responsible for interstellar harmony.’

  What?

  ‘The Big B and his brainy buddies have taken Earth bowling to the stars and formed the Intergalactic Bowling League. Bowling has replaced war as a way of solving disputes. Coolness!’

  You wonder how a brain in a jar could possibly bowl. Oky shows you …

  His image dissolves to be replaced by a bowling tournament. Reptilian people in silver jumpsuits are bowling with oversized balls. But there’s something weird about the balls, other than the size.

  The image zooms in on one of them and you see that it’s transparent. It’s filled with a viscous green-tinged liquid. And bobbing around inside it is … a brain. It’s the brain you met on the flying saucer.

  ‘Boredom has been eradicated,’ the brain gurgles.

  And then it’s spinning down the alley towards the pins.

  STRIKE!

  You stay with your parents and calm them down, telling them about how Oky saved your life, helped you escape and stop the alien invasion. They apologise and you go out to find Oky.

  But it’s too late – he’s gone.

  You and your parents search, but you never find him.

  Go here.

  You run after Oky, your parents shouting at you to come back.

  You catch up with him at the edge of the national park and convince him to return.

  But when you and Oky arrive at the guesthouse, you find someone else in your room with your parents. It’s that guy who was sleeping in the chair out on the lawn.

  ‘He heard all the shouting,’ explains your dad, ‘and came to investigate.’

  ‘The name’s Fox. Special Agent Hunter Fox,’ he says, flashing his identity card. ‘I work for a secret government department no one’s ever heard of.’ He glares at Oky. ‘Nobody believed me when I said there were aliens here. They all laughed. Well, I’m the one laughing now.’ Fox laughs.

  He seems just a little bit unhinged.

  ‘We have a lot of questions for you.’ He circles around Oky. ‘There’s a lot we want to find out. Like, what makes you tick? And what makes you tock?’

  Oky begins to back out of the room, but two more men in black suits arrive. They each take one of Oky’s arms and lead him away. You
try to follow, but Fox blocks your path.

  ‘You are hereby sworn to secrecy,’ he says. ‘Nothing happened! No one was ever here.’ He pokes you in the chest. ‘Tell anyone, and you and your family might disappear like that alien that was never here. Got it?’

  ‘Got it!’ says your dad.

  You mum nods frantically.

  With a final glare at you, Special Agent Hunter Fox is gone. You never see him or Oky again.

  You stumble out into the corridor. The resistance people are up ahead, but you choose to go in the opposite direction.

  You come to a door without a handle. There’s a panel set into the wall beside it. You touch it, the door opens and you enter.

  Inside, standing beside a workbench, is a reptile alien wearing a silver jumpsuit. He turns to face you.

  ‘Hey there, Earth dude,’ he says, waving a green scaly hand. ‘I’m Okdel. But you can call me Oky for short.’

  Your legs turn to jelly again and you fall over.

  Oky helps you onto a stool and asks you what happened. You explain.

  ‘Ah,’ says Oky, ‘I guess I should call security and turn you in.’

  You beg him not to.

  ‘Relax, dude,’ he says. ‘I should, but I won’t. This whole invasion thing’s a bit of a downer. How about I take you to the transporter room and get you back to Earth?’

  You nod enthusiastically.

  Oky leads you down numerous corridors and into a room with metal discs on the floor.

  ‘It’s all voice-activated,’ explains Oky. ‘Just hop onto a disc and tell it where you want to go. I’ll stand guard out here.’ He raises his hand. ‘High five.’

  You slap his hand with yours. The door slides shut and you’re alone.