Alien Invaders from Beyond the Stars Read online

  In order to stay on Earth, play dumb and go here.

  In order to meet the field marshal, pretend you have important information and go here.

  You tell the alien that you have important information about Earth’s defences.

  ‘Really?’ says the alien. He peers into your eyes. ‘I don’t believe you.’ The alien calls the guard over.

  The guard picks you up again and carries you to a cell. There is a metal wall and a bed at the far end, with a little shelf above it. Laser beams stretch from floor to ceiling, dividing your cell from the ones on either side.

  The alien dumps you on the floor and the laser beams act like prison bars, flickering into life and closing you in.

  You look around.

  In the cell on one side is a middle-aged woman wearing a purple hippie dress. She wears a bandanna around her head, dreadlocks cascading from it. She glances briefly at you, then stares into the distance, uninterested.

  In the other cell is a pot plant – a single green stalk with a closed yellow flower in a basketball-sized purple pot. You wonder why it’s there.

  You take a closer look at the laser beams. This is just like being in a sci-fi movie. And if this were a sci-fi movie, all you’d need to do is reflect one of the beams. Do you have anything reflective with you?

  There’s your mobile phone. The screen is glass – that might work.

  Or there’s your belt buckle. It’s shiny metal, but not completely flat.

  If you want to use your mobile phone, go here.

  If you’ d rather use your belt buckle, go here.

  Cautiously, you creep towards the flying saucer and up the ramp. You slip through the hatch.

  You are in a room with curved metal walls that glow, just like the outside of the saucer. There are two doorways. You hear voices coming from one of them, so you edge your way closer and peer through.

  At the end of a corridor, you see the silver-clad women turn a corner, one of them glancing back over her shoulder.

  You quickly check the other doorway. It’s another corridor. Empty!

  Which way should you go?

  If you follow the silver-clad figures, you might find out who they are and what they’re up to. Go here.

  But if you’ d rather explore on your own, go here.

  You scramble under the bed and stay hidden, listening to people heading outside. You hear voices and lots of activity well into the night, before you finally fall asleep.

  You wake just as the sun is rising. You go to the window and peer out.

  The alien spaceship is still hanging in the sky. A silver tent has been set up in the centre of the lawn, but you can’t see anyone. You head outside and look around. Still no one. You head for the national park.

  You are just at the edge of the trees when a voice calls out from behind.

  ‘Halt, Earth creature. Return for processing.’

  Do you obey?

  If you choose to turn back, go here.

  But if you’ d rather make a run for it, go here.

  You head outside with the other guests, to join more people walking out from the national park.

  People in silver jumpsuits magically appear before you, shimmering then becoming solid. They look human. They begin organising people into groups – men, women, children. You find yourself with a bunch of other kids.

  The aliens set up a little silver tent with a flag on top.

  You wait for ages as people are taken into the tent, one by one. Nobody comes out. How can so many people fit into such a small tent?

  Night falls, and still you wait … until all the adults have gone. Now they start taking the kids.

  Finally it’s your turn.

  You are led into the tent, where an alien sits behind a metallic silver desk. You express surprise at their human appearance.

  The female alien behind the desk gives a pursed-lip smile. ‘We are not human. We are from the planet Karn. We have made ourselves appear human to ease panic.’

  You wonder what these aliens from Karn really look like.

  ‘Please fill out this form.’

  She hands you a clipboard and pen. You look at the form. It is several pages long and full of questions about where you live, which school you go to and your family history.

  It takes you ages to fill out, but you finally hand it back to the alien. She stamps the form and adds it to one of the in-trays on the desk.

  ‘Place your left hand on the desk.’

  You want to know why.

  ‘You have been processed. Now you must be tagged.’

  You tentatively place your hand on the desk, palm down. The alien takes another stamp, inks it and brings it down firmly on the back of your hand. You stare at it. Then rub at it with your fingers.

  ‘It is permanent,’ says the alien. ‘And the special ink allows our computers to track you. Wherever you go, whatever you do, we will know about it … for the rest of your life. Please stand on the disc for transportation.’

  You look to where she is pointing – there is a metal disc on the ground, about one metre in diameter. You step onto it and your surroundings shimmer and dissolve.

  And you are standing in the living room of your home. Your parents are there. They are hugging you, relief on their faces.

  Earth has been invaded by aliens but life returns to normal. Sort of. Your parents go to work. You still go to school.

  Society seems to be in order. There is no crime, no poverty, no wars, no fighting. But …

  Whenever anyone breaks the rules, or complains, or does anything they’re not supposed to, they disappear, never to be seen again.

  Welcome to the rest of your life.

  You decide you can’t leave the saucer – you haven’t really discovered anything about it yet.

  You run down one of the corridors, looking for a place to hide. Up ahead you see a door. You race towards it.

  But there’s no handle or knob. How do you open it?

  On the wall beside it is a raised panel. You touch it and the door slides open.

  Inside, standing beside a workbench, is a figure wearing a silver jumpsuit. But this one doesn’t seem human. It looks reptilian, with a lizard face and black eyes. It opens its mouth, revealing sharp teeth.

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

  You jump back in horror. It’s an alien – a real, live, green-skinned, out-of-this-world ALIEN! You try to contain your fear.

  ‘Yo dude, don’t freak out,’ Okdel says. ‘It’s the whole reptile thing, isn’t it?’ Okdel quickly grabs a silver tube from the bench and advances towards you.

  Your heart is racing. Your legs feel weak. Your hands are shaking.

  Do you want to run away? Go here.

  Or are you brave enough to stick around? Go here.

  You stay silent, not responding to the alien major, certain that he will lock you up. But things don’t quite work out the way you hoped.

  ‘You’re hiding something,’ says the alien. ‘I think it best to bring you to the field marshal.’

  The guard picks you up again and follows the major to a room with metal discs on the floor. The three of you stand on a disc.

  Your surroundings shimmer and dissolve. And then solidify.

  You are in a larger version of the same room. It must be aboard the field marshal’s spaceship.

  You are taken to a small room, dropped into a metal chair and left there.

  After a short wait, another alien enters. This one is big – really BIG! He’s wearing a gold jumpsuit with lots of medals and ribbons.

  ‘I am Field Marshal Morka. I don’t have time to waste on human child-creatures. But the major thinks you might have useful information that will assist in the invasion of your little planet.’ He looks down at you and you can see yourself reflected in his large black eyes. ‘Speak!’

  You could tell him about Earth’s different governments. You could tell him about the military
base you and your family passed on the way to the guesthouse. You could tell him lots of things in exchange for your own safety. But will you?

  To cooperate with the field marshal, go here.

  But if you’ d rather not betray your own planet, go here.

  Despite your fear, you decide to stick around and find out more about this alien.

  Okdel gives the silver tube a vigorous shake and points it at his own face. A spray clouds his features, and when it clears, he looks human – light-brown skin, curly black hair, ordinary teeth and blue eyes.

  ‘Boy-in-a-can,’ he says with a chuckle, holding out the tube. ‘Better finish the job.’

  Okdel sprays his hands and the illusion is complete – he looks like a human teenager.

  Your head is spinning, trying to take in what just happened. It’s all so hard to believe … but you demand to know who he is and what he’s doing.

  ‘Like I said, my name’s Oky.’ He smiles and takes a bow. ‘And I’m an Admin Class research assistant from the planet Karn. Sounds boring, I know. But my job is to help monitor your electronic communications. And my specific focus is broadcast fiction.’ He smiles again. ‘Which basically means I get to watch TV all day. Everything from soap operas to old movies. I’ve gotta say, I quite like Neighbours.’

  You stare at him, wide-eyed.

  ‘But my favourites are the old alien invasion films: War of the Worlds, It Came From Outer Space, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Thing From Another World, Invasion of the Neptune Men, Plan 9 From Outer Space. There’s even one called Teenagers From Outer Space … truly scary. Some of them are just so ridiculous, though. Invaders From Mars – ah, really? Mars? I mean, have you been there recently? Not a very nice place. And no one’s ever home.’

  You wonder about Oky’s sanity. Maybe too much television has fried his alien brain. You notice that the alarm has stopped.

  ‘But my favourite is Creatures From Beyond the Stars. Beyond the stars? What does that actually mean? How can they come from beyond the stars? There’s NOTHING there!’ He laughs. ‘You guys come up with the weirdest stuff. Lots of fun to watch, though.’

  Oky sees that you’re not laughing and stops. You ask him why he and the other aliens are here.

  ‘Ah … well …’ He stammers and looks a bit nervous. ‘Yeah … you see … it’s like this – the planet of Karn has this thing about invading other planets … and … you’re next.’ He taps a little device attached to his wrist and checks the readout. ‘Scheduled for five pm tomorrow.’

  What? An alien invasion? For real? What are you going to do?

  If you want to run back to the guesthouse and tell your parents, go here.

  But if you think it might be better to get more information first, go here.

  You nod your head, agreeing to tell them everything you know about Earth’s governments and defences.

  You become a traitor to your own planet …

  But you are well rewarded for it.

  The aliens take over your schooling and teach you about their systems and the way they do things. After invading a planet, the aliens simply start a dictatorship – allow the planet to keep running as normal, but with them in charge.

  After a few years, their main force goes on to the next planet, leaving one spaceship and a few dozen aliens to keep things afloat, with the help of a human traitor.

  When you turn eighteen, you are made ruler of your country. You spend the rest of your life living in luxury while reporting to the aliens.

  Oh, and you make it legal to keep pet koalas, just so you can have one.

  You decide on using the mobile phone.

  You crouch down at the front of the cell. You place the phone on the floor beside the middle laser beam. You take a deep breath and slide it forward, breaking the beam.

  The beam is reflected back up to the ceiling. Sparks shower down as the beam cancels out.

  You pick up your phone. Not even a scratch.

  Now there’s just enough space between the lasers for you to slip out of your cell.

  The woman in the next cell steps forward.

  ‘Release me,’ she demands. ‘I am of the FISH and I know how to stop the invasion.’

  FISH?

  ‘The Fellowship of Irate and Surly Hippies.’

  ‘No,’ trills a voice from the other cell. ‘Release me.’

  You look over to see the flower has opened, revealing a face surrounded by petals.

  ‘I am Prince Ficus Pandorata. My floral brethren are the deadly enemies of the reptiles trying to invade your world. Release me and I shall summon them.’

  You wonder who to rescue.

  ‘Don’t trust another alien,’ says the FISH woman. ‘Especially not a plant! Trust me. Hippies know best!’

  ‘No, trust me!’ says the prince. ‘You can release me by touching the panel on the wall opposite my cell.’

  If you want to free the alien plant prince, go here.

  If you’ d rather free the FISH hippie, go here.

  Or maybe you should just escape on your own? Go here.

  You decide on using your belt buckle.

  You crouch down at the front of the cell. You place the buckle on the floor beside the middle laser beam. With a deep breath you slide the buckle forward, breaking the beam.

  The beam is reflected off the buckle … but at an angle. It zaps across the room outside the cell and hits the wall. Sparks explode and an alarm begins to blare.

  Panicked, you pull the buckle back and jump to your feet. The floor lurches beneath you and you stumble.

  You look down. The floor is sliding! It’s retracting into the wall, revealing darkness beneath. You look over the edge. There are blinking red lights. And ominous growling.

  But those aren’t lights … they’re eyes!

  ‘You’re in for it now,’ says the woman in the next cell. ‘The snargles are going to get you.’

  Snargles? What are they?! You’re not sure you want to find out.

  You jump onto the bed as the floor disappears. But then it’s the bed’s turn to retract into the wall.

  Soon, all that’s left is the shelf above the bed and you’re hanging on to it as the snargles growl.

  Your hands sweaty with fear, you wonder how long you can hold on …

  You take a deep breath and sprint for the trees.

  ‘Halt!’ The voice is now shouting at you.

  You continue running, hoping that the trees of the national park will give you cover.

  But luck is not on your side today.

  Through the canopy above, you see the alien spaceship descending. There’s a flash of light and the trees to your left erupt into flames. You put on an extra burst of speed. If you can just make it deeper into the forest, you might have a chance of escape.

  But there’s another flash of light. Your surroundings are ablaze. Your vision is filled with an intense glow and then …

  Nothing!

  You slowly turn around. Beside the tent is a person in a silver jumpsuit beckoning to you.

  You approach. She looks human. You ask her if she is an alien.

  ‘To me, you are the alien,’ she responds. ‘And I look nothing like you. We have merely taken human appearance to assist with the transition of taking over your planet. People panic less if their new rulers appear like them.’

  She holds up a device and scans you.

  ‘You are unprocessed and unauthorised. You will be put into storage.’

  Storage? You don’t like the sound of that.

  As she speaks into the device, you notice the silver tube hanging from her belt. You wonder if it’s a weapon. She turns away from you as she continues to speak.

  Now’s your chance. And probably your last. Do you grab the silver tube from her belt?

  If you want to take the silver tube, go here.

  If you think it will be safer to wait quietly, go here.

  You back out of the doorway.

  ‘Wait!’ calls Oky.


  But you run.

  You race along the corridor, out through the hatch and back into the trees.

  Go here.

  You get angry and demand that Oky tell you more.

  ‘Hey dude, don’t go all ballistic on me,’ he says, holding up his hands. ‘This whole invasion thing isn’t my idea. It’s way uncool. I’d rather watch television.’

  He smiles. You don’t smile back.

  ‘Look, it’s a hierarchy thing. Admin Class is the bottom rung in our society. It’s such a bummer. It’s the Warrior Class and the Brain Class that push this invasion thing.’

  You ask him to explain.

  ‘Well, the Warrior Class is all for invasion and fighting and stuff. They’re like us Admin guys, but bigger and tougher and meaner. The Brain Class makes the decisions. And well, they’re brains – literally. They used to be like the rest of us, but they outgrew their bodies and now they’re just … brains. And who knows why they do anything.’

  You ask if there’s anything you can do to stop the invasion.

  ‘Gosh! I dunno.’ He looks thoughtful. ‘I guess you could talk to one of the brains, though I don’t know if it’ll do any good. There’s one on each of the ships.’

  Ships? Plural?

  ‘Oh yeah,’ he says. ‘We’ve got a couple of hundred spaceships hiding behind your moon, ready to pounce at five pm tomorrow. This little thing –’ Oky gestures at the surroundings ‘– is just a scout ship.’

  If you want to talk to one of the brains, go here.

  But maybe you’ d be better off warning Earth about tomorrow’s invasion? Go here.