The War of the Worlds Page #4

significance of the British Isles.

The people of Britain met the invaders

magnificently, but it was unavailing.

As the Martians swept toward London,

the British Cabinet stayed in session,

coordinating every item of

information that could be gathered,

passing it on to the UN in New York,

and from there to Washington,

the only remaining

unassailed strategic point.

It's vital to prevent the Martian

machines from linking up.

Once they do, they adopt

an extraordinary military tactic.

They form a crescent,

anchor it at one end

and sweep on

until they've cleared a quadrant.

Then they anchor the opposite end

and reverse direction.

They slash across country, wiping out

everything that's trying to evade them.

That's why communications are cut

once they begin moving.

- Montreal's blacked out. Nothing.

- Same thing as on the Pacific coast.

- Anything from them yet?

- Still nothing from San Francisco.

- Here's that Los Angeles picture, sir.

- This is a sonic radar picture.

It shows details of the Martian nest

outside Los Angeles.

Their machines appear as round blobs.

Newly fallen cylinders are elongated.

There are three cylinders to each

group, three machines to each cylinder.

All right, I've seen enough.

Only one thing will stop them. We've

held back because of the radiation.

Now there's no choice. Washington will

confirm an order to use the atom bomb.

Our first target will be

the initial landing place outside L.A.

Have Pacific Tech monitor the drop.

I'll have the area cleared all around.

We can still hit them before dark.

We'll blast them all over the world.

- We've been looking all over for you.

- We walked half-way from Corona.

This is Miss Van Buren. Dr Grotzman,

Dr Pryor, James, Bilderbeck.

- What's this about the A-bomb?

- We're going in right after it.

- What's that?

- An electronic eye.

They modelled it after their own eye.

They use it the way we use a periscope.

- It'll tell us about their metals.

- We can find out about their optics.

- Very interesting.

- And this... the blood of a Martian.

I don't remember ever seeing

blood crystals as anaemic as these.

They may be mental giants,

but by our standards, physically,

they must be very primitive.

Everything about them

seems to be in threes.

Their eyes have three lenses,

three pupils. Strong light shocks them.

Sunlight on Mars is approximately

half as strong as we get it.

Add their clouds and dust,

it amounts to no more than our twilight.

Now, if you'll step over here, please.

We've rigged the epidiascope to reflect

whatever the Martian lens picks up.

Move in a little. Thank you.

There's how the Martians see us.

Evidently there's a shift

in their spectrum.

Their colour absorption

must be different from ours.

Let's see why they were so curious

about you, Miss Van Buren.

- Time we got started, gentlemen.

- Let's go.

- Let's make an analysis of their blood.

- It might give us something.

You can get all the Martian blood you

want after the plane drops the bomb.

The Flying Wing is going to carry it.

Tower, this is Flying Wing,

ready for take-off.

Flying Wing, this is the tower.

Clear for take-off.

Wish us luck.

The target is the nest of

Martian machines in the Puente Hills,

where more cylinders came down

last evening.

A plane will pinpoint the target

from six miles up.

This bomb is ten times more powerful

than anything previously used.

It's the latest thing in nuclear fission.

Nothing like it has ever been exploded

before. We're going to be pretty close,

but there are observers in a forward

bunker who will be a lot nearer than us.

The whole world is waiting.

This will decide the fate of civilisation.

Whether we live or die

may depend on what happens here.

Attention! Four minutes to bomb time.

There must be a couple of million

people behind us in the hills,

waiting to find out

whether they can go home again.

All around the world, people

have been driven from their homes.

Direct cable communication

is being maintained with Washington,

but there's no radio at all. Not even

with the bomber that's coming over.

All radio is dead,

which means that these recordings

are for the sake of future history, if any.

Future history, he said.

Yes, if any.

Bilderbeck's calculated how long

we have until they take over the world.

If the A-bomb fails, the Martians

can conquer Earth in six days.

The same number of days

it took to create it.

Attention! Two minutes to bomb time.

Prepare to take shelter.

If you have no goggles, turn away.

Remember, the heat flash and

concussion that follow are dangerous.

50 seconds.

There's the plane.

40 seconds.

We've sighted the plane, sir.

- 30 seconds.

- Look. Look!

They're using

those protective blisters again.

Attention! Stand by.

15 seconds.

...5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Hello? What can you see?

There's something moving!

They haven't even been touched!

It didn't stop them. Guns, tanks, bombs,

they're like toys against them!

Itll end only one way.

We're beaten.

No... Not yet.

Washington ordered all cities in danger

of attack evacuated if the bomb fails.

They'll be moving on Los Angeles now.

We'll fight them back to the mountains.

Our best hope lies in what you people

can develop to help us.

Six days, you said. Six days...

They'll stamp the city flat.

We'll establish a base laboratory

in the Rocky Mountains.

- We'll search out their weaknesses.

- A forlorn hope.

- But there is a chance.

- We may get a lead from the blood.

- By some biological approach?

- We can't beat their machines.

We've got to beat them.

Everybody listen carefully!

The Martians are coming this way.

We must evacuate.

Take food, water and extra clothing.

All highways have been marked to

lead you to welfare centres in the hills.

Keep them rolling!

Come on!

- Gratzman, did you get those biotics?

- No, I thought you had them.

I'll get them. You get in the school bus.

Sylvia will drive you.

Let me up. I'll give you $500

for your place. I'll make it $1,000.

Money's no good anymore!

Here comes another truck!

Throw that guy off there!

Stop, you fools!

You fools!

- Quick, we've got to stop them!

- The law's no good here now.

- The thieves stayed behind.

- It's like this all over.

They must be stopped.

The instruments!

Hold it a minute!

We've got to have those instruments.

They're our only chance!

Did they grab the trucks ahead of me?

Did you see the Pacific Tech people?

I don't know. There's fighting all over.

- Did they get the school bus?

- If they saw it, they took it.

You can't buy a ride for love or money!

(DISTANT EXPLOSIONS)

Gratzman! Bilderbeck!

Sylvia!

- Hey, you better get out of here!

- I'm looking for Pacific Tech people.

- There's nobody left around here now.

- We could have stopped them.

The mob stole the trucks and smashed

everything. They cut their own throats!

He's nuts...

Come on, jump in.

Hurry up. Jump in!

There was a girl with them.

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