War of the Worlds.My version.:)

The scene was picturesque.It was a small fishing village,set comfortably by a large river,which eventually led to the coast.Under normal circumstances,there wouldn't be many people here,as it was always regarded as a scenic beauty spot. Now however,the current scene in the village,was anything but scenic.There were hundreds of people here,and not one of them was here for a holiday.Instead,everybody here had only one intention,and that was to escape. Everybody was well aware of the invading aliens,in their indestructible,and highly lethal tripod machines.These tripods were all over the place,and they were destroying everything,and killing everybody in their way.Despite the military's best efforts,nothing could stop them,and this increased the desperation to flee. However,no matter what people did,there was no escape.The aliens were ruthlessly exterminating scores of human beings,and to make matters worse,there was nowhere to hide. This was the dominating thought crossing every single person,now here in the fishing village.As expected,all of them were praying to get out to sea,where the tripod machines refused to enter.It seemed a faint chance,but nonetheless,a chance. There was a strong military presence in the village,and the soldiers had wasted no time,in setting up a defensive perimeter.Their firepower was impressive.Six pieces of heavy artillery,were placed at different points around the village.Machine gun posts had also been prepared,with each soldier carrying an anti-tank weapon.Added to this,they also carried satchel charges,as well as their own personal weapons.However,every one of the soldiers here,had seen how ineffective their weapons were,and they held a grim expectation of this upcoming fight. Even so,they were all determined to evacuate as many people as possible from here.Their intelligence reports still indicated no alien threat out at sea,so there was a good chance they could save a lot of lives here. Amongst the soldiers were two men.They were simply known as Jennings and Montgomery.Both of them were well liked and respected.In battle,they both fought fiercely,and they were always asked to do special missions,and they had a high success rate.This wasn't just due to their strong,physical appearance,as both men not only fought superbly,but they also used their heads.Jennings and Montgomery had done so many times previously. With this hostile alien invasion going on,both Jennings and Montgomery had studied intently the tripod machines,scanning for any weakness.A lot of people had helped them,as they too,studied previous battle footage against the aliens.For a long time,they found nothing that could penetrate the aliens shields,but finally,there was a breakthrough. Firepower of course,could not inflict any damage on the tripods,but during their mission briefs,it had been revealed to them,that it was possible to get onto the tripod's surface.This however,was easier said than done,as the machines were nearly always on the move.The target needed to be stationary,and getting to them unseen,was no easy matter either.Every one of the tripods had massive,blinding searchlights,that swept all around them.It would need a miracle,to reach them unmolested. However,Jennings and Montgomery were both determined to give it a go.It was sickening them,seeing so many innocent people ruthlessly killed,and they badly needed some good luck to get back against the alien invaders. At the present moment,they were dug into a foxhole they'd prepared earlier.and were tensely waiting for the alien machines to arrive here.The intelligence reports fully indicated this,and like the rest of their comrades,were scanning intently the area around the fishing village.As yet,there was no sign of the alien enemy,but they all knew they'd be here. Still scanning the area through his binoculars,Jennings' gaze settled on the huge hordes of people,now waiting in unbelievably long queues,to get on board the waiting ships,now docked in the harbours.There were a lot of vessels here.Some were big,like the two huge ferries,that were packed with people,yet still taking more and more on.Both men could see these ships,were dangerously overloaded. There were many other smaller boats,that were also taking on the fleeing refugees,which was precisely what these people were.They all kept glancing anxiously back at the village's outskirts,desperately hoping not to see a dreaded,deadly tripod bearing down on them. As Jennings kept watching the evacuation,he suddenly spotted two pretty girls,who were helping people through the military checkpoint.Jennings liked the look of them.They both appeared calm and collected,and no doubt this was helping the rest of the people staying the same way.How long the calm would last,Jennings had no idea,but he sincerely hoped they'd get everybody away from here,including those two girls. He and Montgomery had gone down earlier to assist them,and the girls were glad to receive their help.Both Jennings and Montgomery were very strong,muscular men in appearance.This had helped to calm down the hysterical,and panicky cases. The two girls were known as Louise and Lucy.They were part of the military too,dressed in the white shirts,dark blue skirts of the Royal Navy.Both girls were indeed,very pretty.Louise had dark brown hair,just falling past her shoulders,with warm brown eyes.Her figure was very impressive,whilst her friend Lucy,was of Chinese origin.Like Louise,Lucy was British,and very proud of it.She was just a little bit smaller in height than Louise,and her raven black hair touched her own shoulders.The two girls were doing a good job,safely helping everybody on board a waiting ship.As soon as the captain of that vessel declared that was it,the boat instantly cast off,and headed towards the open sea. Indeed,at that moment,one of the ferries now cast off,and was now slowly beginning to maneuver its way through the river.Everybody still ashore,watched the boat now departing.They could see the boat was so over crowded,and its progress was slow due to this. Also watching the ferry leaving,Jennings was very concerned,seeing how many people were on it.He could see it was just a disaster waiting to happen. 'I hope they make it,Monty.'Jennings spoke to his friend,very concerned. Montgomery too,was hoping the same.He was shaking his head however,seeing the potential for disaster. 'The captain's taking a big risk there.'He responded. 'We all are.'Jennings nodded.'Credit to him,I guess.He's helping a lot of people there.' 'I wonder.'Montgomery of course,knew that.Yet he and Jennings knew,that the captain was also taking a stupid risk,carrying that many people on board his ship.All they could do,was watch and pray they'd make it safely out of here. Fortunately,the ferry did.It was a slow,laborious process,but it was a relief,seeing they'd helped more people escape.If they just had more time and resources,they might be able to get everybody out of here alive. 'We'll keep an eye on Louise and Lucy,Monty.'Jennings was still making frequent checks on the two girls.They were still okay,but he was determined to protect them.He'd seen the alien tripods capturing women,with long,snake like tentacles,before shooting upwards,taking their newly acquired catch with them.Jennings never forgot hearing their terror stricken shrieks,and he realised he hadn't been able to help any of them.It was a bad feeling,not knowing what was in store for those taken girls,but Jennings knew it wouldn't be good. Suddenly,their commander's voice came in over their radio headsets. 'Stand ready.'The voice was sharp.'Enemy approaching.' Jennings and Montgomery watched their comrades in arms stand to.They had also mentally prepared themselves for the upcoming fight,but neither man had forgotten about Louise and Lucy,who were now running towards them.Their faces were panicky,just like a lot of others,now desperately seeking cover.Others just ran for it,whilst some threw themselves into the water,hoping to escape by swimming. Jennings and Montgomery had immediately raced out to help Louise and Lucy,and quickly took the two girls into their foxhole.Both girls were clinging to them fearfully,as they suddenly heard an ear shattering howl.The ground seemed to heave,and peering out,Jennings then spotted the tripod machines,now advancing menacingly towards them. They towered over the village as they came forward.Everybody defending the place,clearly recognised the tripod's weapons.A twin set of laser cannons,set either side of the huge machine.These dealt death ruthlessly,instantly vaporizing anybody they targeted.It was a horrible death,and so many had fallen victim to it. As Jennings and Montgomery watched the tripods advance,they then heard their commander order the artillery to fire.Each gun did so,as shells began to explode around the tripods.This made each machine stop in its tracks,as the human gun crews frantically kept up their barrage,hoping to do some damage. Explosions blew up all around each tripod.Some shells actually hit their targets,but again,the aliens shields held comfortably. Watching all this,Jennings and Montgomery made sure Louise and Lucy were well protected,but they both had teeth clenched,seeing how ineffective their weapons were. Jennings glanced back down at his personal weapon kit.He had a bazooka with plenty of projectiles.These weapons were designed as anti-armour,but Jennings had fired these before at the alien machines,and with the same fruitless result. However,this time,Jennings had an idea.It had been agreed earlier,that they'd all target one of the tripods with everything they had.The artillery barrage,was a delaying action.Air support was incoming,and they were all hoping to strike a first success against the alien invaders. Once the air support arrived,they would all target one of the tripods,concentrating their fire.It was hoped they'd manage to weaken their target,or better yet,floor it.Then,they'd have a better chance to destroy one of the alien machines,at least they hoped so. With the artillery guns still bombarding the alien tripods,Jennings' attention was now diverted to the river.There,he could see the second ferry,also heavily loaded,now making a run for it.As he watched the boat move slowly away from it's moorings,Jennings then heard the sound of aircraft overhead.This made him glance quickly at his watch,before he nodded to Montgomery,who was still protecting Lucy.Jennings had never taken his eyes off Louise either.Both girls were visibly trembling with fear. Suddenly,one of the tripods moved forward towards the shore.The artillery shells were still exploding all over it,but there was no damage done to it. Quickly,the machine levelled its twin weapons at the river,aimed at its target,and unleashed a deadly burst.It hit its target dead on,striking the second ferry.The huge vessel instantly burst into a fireball.Screams of agony reached the shore,as burning bodies crashed into the river.The fire took ruthless control of the ship,and several soldiers raced forward to help the pitiful few survivors,still screaming for help in the water. Jennings and Montgomery were appalled and also infuriated,seeing yet another carnage inflicted.Their faces hardened even more,as they both hoped their plan would work. It was then,that Montgomery received a message from their command post. 'Air strike ready.'He had to yell above the ear piercing screams. 'Tell them to aim at those bastards,who've just destroyed the ferry.'Jennings instructed,before he then picked up the bazooka.Montgomery did the same,as he then relayed the request.It was confirmed quickly,and already they could hear the aircraft coming in. Jennings then covered Louise with his own body,and Montgomery did the same with Lucy. 'Cover your ears!'Jennings yelled,as they then watched two Tornado fighter jets swoop in.Their armament was already being unleashed,as the two planes fired their cannons into the chosen tripod.Cannon shells hit their target,and the Tornadoes released bombs,again,hitting their mark.Jennings and Montgomery didn't hesitate,as they both levelled their bazookas,and aimed it at the same tripod. They both fired their weapons simultaneously.Each projectile struck their target,as so did many others,fired by all their fellow soldiers.At first,the tripod's shields seemed to hold the huge onslaught.Flames surrounded the huge machine,but more and more fire was directed at it.The Tornadoes came back,with another highly accurate,deadly strike.Jennings and Montgomery fired their bazookas again,aiming at the tripod's legs.This time,they got lucky. The tripod seemed to stagger,as one of it's legs suddenly broke,causing the tripod to crash forward.It exploded on impact,into its own brilliant fireball. There were cheers suddenly heard from some of the soldiers,but Jennings and Montgomery didn't join in.Instead,they now watched the remaining tripods move forward,firing their own weapons.This time,Jennings knew they had no chance.It was better to run. As if to confirm this,they all heard the command over the radio. 'All available units,withdraw to-' The voice on the radio suddenly screamed in agony,before it went dead.Jennings didn't have to guess what had happened. Quickly,Jennings grabbed Louise's hand. 'Let's go!' He climbed out of the foxhole,still keeping a tight grip on her hand,whilst Montgomery did the same with Lucy.They then made a desperate bid to escape,as they ran for it. Jennings and Montgomery made sure they stayed out of the tripods sight.The towering machines were still killing scores of people,now that they'd overwhelmed te defences.Indeed,the four of them hardly heard any more gunfire or artillery,only the screams of the terrified,and the dying. Grimly,Jennings kept going.If he could have helped somebody,he would have done so unhesitatingly,but the screams of the dying were fading,and the bodies kept increasing.He clearly noticed the tripods systematically slaughtering the fleeing people,but he also saw one of the Tripods seizing people too,with snake like tentacles.From the cries he heard,Jennings knew a woman had been taken alive. He and Montgomery had witnessed this many times.The women taken,were never seen alive again,but they'd both seen some kind of cage,attached to the back of the tripod.What purpose was in store for any human female captive,nobody knew,but Jennings and Montgomery were determined to protect as many people as they could,including Louise and Lucy. They continued to run from the tripod machines.Jennings led Louise towards a wooded area.If they could get in there,there would at least,be some cover.He just prayed the aliens wouldn't set the wood on fire. They reached the wood unseen,and quickly,they all ducked behind a thick tree.This perfectly camoflagued Jennings and Montgomery,as they wore the standard army khaki patterned clothing. However,it was a different story for Louise and Lucy.Both girls stuck out like sore thumbs,with their white Royal Navy shirts,so Jennings and Montgomery made sure they kept their eyes peeled. The four of them could only watch helplessly,as the alien machines finished of any visible survivors.They heard no more screams after that. Still keeping a sharp eye on the tripods,Jennings hoped they'd move away,giving them a chance to move.Unfortunately,this didn't happen the way he wanted. The remaining tripods moved alright,but instead of moving away,they now advanced towards the wood.Their blinding,powerful searchlights lit up every area they selected.Seeing this,Jennings glanced worriedly at his friend,as Louise clung to him. 'They're looking for us.'he stated simply. Montgomery nodded,making sure he kept Lucy out of sight,from the intimidating searchlights. 'Stay down then.'He responded quietly.'Best to stay where we are.' He made sure he kept his hold on Lucy,as he comforted her too.Jennings did the same with Louise. Time passed slowly,and the four of them never took their eyes off the alien machines.The tripods moved their lights slowly over the sections they were scanning.It appeared the aliens were never going to give up their search,but Jennings and Montgomery were equally determined not to show themselves. Just then,the tripods suddenly switched their powerful lights off,and everything was plunged into darkness.However,neither machine moved away,as they remained motionless. Seeing this,Montgomery gazed over at Jennings. 'Now what?'he asked.'Do we make a run for it?' 'No.'Jennings shook his head,knowing what was happening.The aliens wanted to lure them out of hiding,but he wasn't falling for that. Even so,Jennings knew they couldn't stay here forever,so he had to think of something,and quick.They needed shelter and food,and Jennings then remembered something. 'There's a farm not to far off from here.'he whispered back.'If we can set up a diversion,we'll have a chance.' 'Like what?' Jennings looked back at their previous position.He saw so many dead bodies,but he also saw a lot of ammunition.He just had to choose correctly,if he made it there unseen. In the end,it was a quick decision,as Jennings glanced down at Louise.The girl's face was full of fear,as she still held onto him tightly.She also knew what he was thinking. 'Don't you dare leave me,Jennings.'Louise's voice was also scared stiff,and her eyes were imploring at him not to leave. 'I'll be back,Louise.I promise.'Jennings tried to reassure her,clearly seeing he wasn't,but there was no other alternative.'Just stay here with Monty and Lucy,but don't move,okay? If you move,you're dead.' He peered out carefully at the still motionless tripods,and very slowly,he picked up a broken branch.He wanted to try something. Quickly,he then threw the branch as far as he could.The branch fell some distance away from him,and Jennings looked back at the tripods,watching their reaction. They didn't move. For a moment,Jennings felt a brief ray of hope,but dismissed this.He still needed a miracle here,so he and his friends could get away. Very carefully,Jennings made himself prone,and started to make his way back to his previous position. Montgomery,Lucy and especially Louise,never took their eyes off him,whilst also anxiously watching the alien tripods. It took ages,as Jennings made certain to camoflague his movements.He was praying the aliens never had any thermal scanners,but as he inched forward,the tripods remained perfectly still. Even so,Jennings didn't push his luck.He kept as low as possible,and kept watching the lethal enemy.It was crossing his mind the aliens could be watching him right now,just toying with him before they struck him down,just as he was about to reach his objective. Fortunately,this never happened.Jennings did make it,and he then scanned for suitable weapons.He picked up plenty of grenades,and he also looked for satchel charges.He found plenty of these,and still keeping low,he then took a couple of these charges,before he began to crawl back. As he did so,Jennings suddenly came across a Samurai sword,lying on the ground.What it was doing here,he had no idea.He guessed it must have belonged to one of the refugees attempting to flee,but he picked it up anyway,carefully placing the shoulder strap,and putting the sword on his back. With that done,Jennings made sure his movements were still unseen,before he then made his way back to the treeline.It was really bothering him,that he saw no movement at all from the alien machines,but he didn't have time to dwell on it.He had to get back to his friends. Fortunately,he did.Louise and Lucy couldn't help,but embrace him warmly.He returned both their hugs,whilst Montgomery punched his friend playfully on the shoulder. 'Glad you made it back,John.'Montgomery's voice indicated that.'I knew you would.' 'Yeah.'Jennings' voice was full of relief.'We'd better get out of here,before they decide to set fire to the trees.They're up to something alright.' He then turned to Louise and Lucy. 'Keep your heads down,ladies,and stay calm.You do that,and we'll make it.Got that?' He was pleased to see the two girls nod in agreement,before Jennings then crouched,and after checking on the tripods once more,he silently gestured for them to follow him.Louise and Lucy did,whilst Montgomery covered the rear. It was tense,as they moved through the woods.Jennings,leading the way,made sure they moved from cover to cover.He strictly avoided any open spaces,knowing they were sitting ducks there. However,no threat emerged,and after a while,Jennings finally saw the farm building up ahead. He motioned to Montgomery to watch over the girls,indicating he would check the farm out.It didn't take him long,and as he expected,the place was deserted.Jennings then motioned for his friends to enter the building.Now perhaps,they could get something to eat and drink,and get some much needed rest. They did find food,and fortunately,it was edible.There was also fresh drinking water too,and gratefully,the four of them ate and drank. As they did so,Louise looked concerned at Jennings. 'Will we get out of here alive?' This made Jennings and Montgomery pause in their eating,and they both glanced at each other,before Jennings decided to reply. 'Yes,we will,Louise.Trust me.' Louise made no reply of her own to that,as she kept on eating.The meal was ate in silence after that,before sleep caught Louise and Lucy.They both curled up on one of the long couches,whilst Jennings and Montgomery kept watch. 'You watch the girls.'Montgomery told his best friend.'I'll make sure we don't have any unwanted visitors.' 'Got it.'Jennings nodded,before he called back at Montgomery.'Be careful,Monty.' Montgomery also nodded,giving Jennings a faint grin,before he moved away to his sentry position. Once he'd gone,Jennings settled back into a chair,and tensely waited.He sincerely hoped he would keep protecting the girls,and get out of here alive.He was still thinking of how many people had been slaughtered by the aliens,but he was determined to stay one step ahead of them. He knew he had to sleep,as he was exhausted.Gradually,Jennings closed his eyes,and fell asleep.

Montgomery made sure he never took his eyes off the still standing tripods.He wasn't sure what they were up to,but was convinced the aliens were still after them.

They'd remained motionless,since they'd wiped out hundreds of people,back at the now fiercely burning fishing village.In their attempt to escape,Montgomery had heard the screams of women,and had seen them being captured.His teeth clenched at that memory,knowing he couldn't do anything to help those women.He knew Jennings felt the same.

He still felt exhausted,and his body was craving for sleep,but Montgomery knew if he did fall asleep here,he was dead,and so would his friends be.

That's not going to happen.Montgomery thought determinedly.

Suddenly,he saw one of the alien tripods move,and he ducked further back.The massive machine then began to move into the trees,and as it did so,the powerful searchlights flicked back on,lighting up everything in its path.There wasn't a hope of escaping that.

Grimly,Montgomery observed the tripod's advance into the wood.The lights were methodically searching the place,and he knew it was just a matter of time,before they found this place.

Quickly,he hurried back inside to where his friends were still sleeping.He noticed the two girls had never left Jennings,and he quickly shook his friend's shoulder.Jennings instantly awoke,looking concerned.

'John,we've got to get out of here.'Montgomery whispered urgently.'They're coming.'

Jennings didn't hesitate,as he quickly woke up Louise,then Lucy.Both girls were alarmed,seeing his face,knowing he had bad news.

Jennings was just about to tell them this,when suddenly,they all heard a massive thump outside.Quickly,the four of them moved deeper into the farm,desperately seeking some good cover.

The two men finally pulled the girls in behind some rubble,and quickly held Louise and Lucy close to them.It was then,that they all saw a shadow,slowly moving in.Their eyes widened,seeing it as some kind of camera device.It even looked like some kind of giant snake.Jennings thought.Bastards.He could see the aliens were using maximum intimidation on them,hoping to scare them out,and he then heard Louise start to whimper.

Gently,he closed his hand over her mouth,and Jennings squeezed her hand,reassuring her.He noticed Montgomery had done the same with Lucy,and like Louise,her eyes were wide with fear.

They watched the nightmare now begin its search for them.It snaked all over,but by keeping a sharp eye on it,Jennings could check its movement,and was ready to move,just in case.

There was a close call,when the aliens camera suddenly came close to Jennings and Louise's hiding position.It stayed like that,barely inches away from them,and Jennings made sure he kept Louise close to him.He didn't see the girl's eyes,literally bulging at the aliens device.The last thing he wanted,was her to break free from him.

Neither of them moved,as the alien device remained where it was.It looked as if it was sensing its prey close by,and wasn't going to budge,but neither was Jennings.

Finally,the alien camera moved slowly away,and continued to probe the rest of the interior,and then,much to their relief,the nightmare withdrew.

However,Jennings and Montgomery weren't fooled.They knew the aliens were still there,not hearing the tripod machine leaving.

'What now?'Montgomery whispered over.

'We're going to have to run for it.'Jennings whispered back,fully expecting the aliens to burn this place to the ground.

He still had his hand over Louise's mouth,and whispered to her:'You okay?'

Seeing Louise's nod,he released his hand,but still held her,as he then made his move.He'd done a check on this place,examining for all possible exits,and had found one.

He'd seen an entrance in the floor earlier,and after checking out,found that it led back into the forest.Jennings knew they'd have a headstart on the aliens,and he was determined to exploit it.

Grimly,he led the way,not seeing the aliens camera watching them.

Jennings finally found the way out,and he then slowly lifted the covering,making a cautious check.

He could still see the tripod,now standing outside the farm building.It's blinding searchlights,lighting up the whole place.Jennings checked again for any more of the alien machines,but couldn't see any.

Suddenly,the tripod activated its weapons,turning the farm into a blazing inferno,and Jennings knew he had to move.

Quickly,he pulled himself out,and after helping Louise and Lucy out too,he made sure he didn't abandon Montgomery.

As soon as they were out,all raced into cover,still praying for a miracle they could escape.

Jennings led the way,sneaking from one hiding place to another,leading the way down towards the river.He knew they all had to get out of the forest,sensing the aliens would flush them out anyway,by making the whole place on fire.

He scanned the river,looking for a suitable boat that would aid them,and his eyes found one.It was small,and there was no engine attached to it,but Jennings wasn't interested in that.They had to be quiet.Activating a power boat,would only alert the enemy to their presence.

Jennings turned to look back at his friends,and gestured at the boat with his hand.They all nodded,and Jennings made his move,creeping towards it.His three friends followed right behind him.

By some unexpected miracle,they all reached the boat unharmed and unseen.The two men didn't stop to count their luck,as they helped the girls on board,before Jennings cast off the boat.He was still anxiously watching the tripod by their former hiding place.It was now moving,and towards the river.Its lights still beaming on,sweeping the water's surface.

Jennings clenched his teeth,now wishing he'd chosen the speedier option,but it was too late.They were all committed,and just had to hope for the best.

Both Jennings and Montgomery had found paddles,and were now skillfully using them.They worked well together,avoiding the tripod's intimidating lights,and just for a moment,both Louise and Lucy felt a ray of hope,that they could escape.

This hope was shattered next instant,as the tripod's lights finally had them.Both girls screamed in fear at this,seeing the tripod now moving towards them.

'Jump!'Jennings shouted.There was a hint of desperation in his shout,as he grabbed Louise,and he jumped into the river with her.Montgomery had done the same with Lucy.

Under the surface,Jennings indicated to them all,to swim underwater,and surface at a particular point.They all did so,but all four could still see the beaming lights on top.

They managed to reach the designated point,and all surfaced,hungrily gasping for air.Jennings was first out of the water,and helped the girls out,before Montgomery followed suit.

They then began to run,but then disaster struck.Another tripod slowly revealed itself,right in front of them,blocking their escape.

'Damn it!'Jennings swore,furious,and also knowing the aliens had been merely toying with them.They never had any chance of escape,had they? Jennings thought that.The bastards probably had their eyes on them all the time.

The four of them huddled closely,waiting for death,as they were all brilliantly lit up.Jennings felt Louise cling tightly to him,and she was whimpering in utter terror.He tried to comfort her,pulling her in behind him,as they then saw the dreaded,snake like tentacles move towards them.

The tentacles surrounded them,and Jennings could see smaller lights from them.He guessed they were cameras too.

One of the tentacles pushed him in the shoulder,but he refused to budge.He could see the thing was interested in Louise,who was still digging her hands into him.Jennings noticed too,the same was happening with Lucy,but Montgomery's powerful physique,wasn't having any of it,as he kept shielding Lucy.Quite evidently,they wanted the girls.

A couple of the tentacles made more attempts to dislodge the men,but Jennings and Montgomery,were now using their combat knifes on the alien tentacles.They even managed to strike several of the down,but more of them just took their place,and they were now acting more aggressively.

The two men kept trying to protect Louise and Lucy,but then,a tentacle each,suddenly lashed out,striking both of them,sending Jennings and Montgomery sprawling away.This made Louise and Lucy scream again,as they made to reach them,but it was too late.

One powerful tentacle seized them both,and lifted them off the ground,before both tentacles lifted their two new prisoners,well out of Jennings and Montgomery's despairing reach.The tripod then began to move off.

Enraged,both men couldn't help use their weapons on the alien machine,but as expected,they didn't do any damage whatsoever.

Just then,Jennings remembered something,as he raced to the river.

'What the hell are you doing?'Montgomery's voice was desperate,knowing every step the tripod took,the less chance of rescue the girls had.

Jennings didn't answer at first.He needed every breath,as he found what he wanted.A large spear weapon was lying by the riverbank,and he grabbed it.The thing was huge,but Jennings felt confident enough to use it,as he finally responded to his friend.

'Throw a grenade.'

'What?'

'Throw a bloody grenade!'

Montgomery did so.The explosion didn't do any damage again,but it did make the tripod stop,and turn back,which was precisely what Jennings wanted.

As the monster advanced on them,Jennings acted quickly,as he aimed the spear gun at the tripod.He was gambling here,as well as praying,before he fired.The spear struck the tripod,and much to Jennings' relief,the end held.He then used the rest of the cable,dangling from the spear end,to haul himself up to the tripod's surface.

As he reached there,Jennings suddenly heard women screaming,and also recognised Louise and Lucy's terrified cries.He glanced towards the source,and saw a large,metallic cage,built into the back of the tripod.He then saw Louise and Lucy,with another two girls.Like themselves,they too,were part of the military,and dressed in the same uniform as his friends.

Jennings noticed the two girls were very pretty too,but he had to concentrate on his job,as he pulled out a satchel charge.He activated the detonator,priming it to explode within five minutes,before he began to make his way to the cage.

As soon as he'd clamped the satchel charge onto the tripod,Jennings suddenly sensed the aliens were now aware of his presence.The tentacles now dangling from it,were now raising themselves,probing for him.

Remembering the Samurai sword he still carried,Jennings slashed any of the tentacles,that came too close to him.Within a minute,he'd eliminated that threat,as each tentacle was destroyed.

Grimly,Jennings pressed on,climbing closer to the cage.It was then,that all the girls spotted him.Like a flash,they raced over to him.Louise and Lucy grabbed a hand each.Their eyes flooding in relief.

'Stay calm,okay?'Jennings told them.He was somewhat amazed to hear himself saying that.The height he was precariously perched at,left little room for error.If he fell,it was certain death.

Grimly,Jennings told the girls to get back,as he attempted to prise away one of the cage bars.At first,the cage bars refused to budge,but Jennings held tremendous strength,and he also had something extra in him.He was determined to save his friends.

He kept his attempts up,and finally,he managed a breakthrough.

Just in time too.As Jennings squeezed himself into the cage,a sudden sound made all the girls yelp in fear.Jennings then noticed another tentacle,now leaping out from inside the tripod.It centred it's attention,on one of the new girls.

The girl tried to flee,but there was nowhere to run too.The tentacle wrapped itself around her waist,and frantically,the girl clung her hands to one of the cage's bars.

Unfortunately,the tentacle easily yanked her off from there,and began to take her away.Jennings flung himself on top of the girl,stopping the tentacle dragging its prize away.

Grimly,he pulled out a combat knife,and ruthlessly stabbed the blade into the tentacle.He kept stabbing,until the tentacle sharply withdrew its hold on the now,hysterical girl,before he helped her.

'How are we going to get out of here,John?'Louise asked him.She sounded almost hysterical too.

'The way I came in,Louise.'Jennings responded,as he checked his watch.The satchel charge was going to detonate within three minutes,and he'd better get a move on.

'This way.'Jennings gestured for the girls to follow him,as he led them out of the cage.He kept his eyes on the opening,where he'd seen the tentacle emerge from,but as yet,the aliens hadn't responded.

Quickly,Jennings managed to get the two new girls down safely,showing them how to use the spear cable.Fortunately,the girls military training,gave them the confidence to do so.In fact,Jennings now saw Montgomery race out towards the two girls,and he helped them into cover.

He managed to get Lucy back down,and had just turned to help Louise,when the aliens made their move.

The snake like tentacle shot out again,now choosing Louise.The tentacles wound itself tightly around her ankles,causing the girl to stumble and fall.

Louise screamed like mad,as she felt herself being seized this way,and she was already being carried away into the opening.

Jennings didn't hesitate,as he flung himself again on Louise's upper body,stopping the alien device carrying her off.

This time however,the aliens tried something.As Jennings brought out his knife once more,a second tentacle shot out,and thrust itself onto him.

Jennings however,had just seen it in time,and managed to deflect most of the blow away from him.He knew if he'd let go of Louise,she was dead meat.

He managed to stay on top of Louise,who was also helping his grip,as she clung to him.The second tentacle then made to strike him again,but this time,Jennings was ready for it.

Quickly,he used his Samurai sword on the thing,striking the tentacle in half.There was a shower of sparks as he did this,but he made sure Louise wasn't harmed by any of these.

He then freed her legs from the tentacle,and led her out of the cage,glancing again at his watch.There was less than a minute to go.

Somehow,Jennings managed to get Louise to the cable,and they both clung onto it,as Jennings started the descent.They reached the bottom quickly,and no sooner had they done so,he raced with Louise,taking her into cover.

Next moment,the satchel charge blew.There was a violent explosion,which ripped into the tripod.A huge fireball enveloped it,before the massive machine staggered on its three legs,before it crashed onto the ground.

Watching the tripod's destruction with satisfaction,Jennings then turned to Louise,who was now gaping at him.

'You okay,Louise?'

Somehow,she nodded back at him,before she then watched Jennings spot Montgomery.Both of them waved to each other,and joined up.There was a lot of gratitude,shown by all the girls they'd just rescued,and whilst both men deeply appreciated the hugs and kisses,they knew they still had to get out of here.They could still see more tripods.

They did so,leading the girls out of danger.As they did so,Jennings felt a new hope emerging.At last,they'd managed to destroy two of the,seemingly indestructible alien machines.With that memory firmly in place,Jennings felt more confident,of kicking these ruthless,cruel invaders off the Earth for good.

The End.

NB.No copyright infringement intended against any of the original owners.I just wrote this for fun.:)