Day 12 – Saturday – The 1897 War of the Worlds

Mk1 Gas Mask

12-Jun 00:01 – Saturday

In London, once again Toni’s diary has only a few entries for the day, but they are important ones – documenting decisions to make sure they remain safe, research on the black smoke, and the frightening sounds made by the Martians during their patrols.

Morant’s guests, Marie and Pierre Curie, become fixated (according to Morant) on the idea that the Martians are unable to digest arsenic.

Commander Carver, now behind enemy lines with a small scratch group of 25 (Marines, Horse Guards, and misc. stragglers) prepares to march on Woking to destroy the radio mask erected by the Martians.

12-Jun 08:00 #Wells#Sheen

It is now Wells and the curate’s 4th day imprisoned in the house in Sheen. Sheen (or more accurately East Sheen) is situated next to Richmond Park and was formerly a manor before being given over to house and apartment builders.

12-Jun 08:05 @BreakerMorant #DoMartiansOnlyEatHumans

At breakfast handover, one of the scavengers reported seeing a Martian capture a refugee and almost immediately release them. Apparently, the individual was hammered, and could barely stand. Pierre Curie immediately demanded we find this person.

12-Jun 09:00 @BreakerMorant #DoMartiansOnlyEatSomeHumans

The Curries have disregarded my direction to make me a weapon we can use against the Martians. Instead, they have been talking to the refugees about how the Martians reject some people they’ve taken for food.

They believe it important that they rejected people who had eaten rats, cats, dogs or foxes and were showing symptoms of arsenic poisoning. I’m sure this is fascinating, but it doesn’t kill Martians.

12-Jun 09:06 @ToniWantsToVote

Saw a #Martian out the window this morning. Ducked down but felt no fear. #amitootiredtofear?

12-Jun 10:45 @ToniWantsToVote

#stench

12-Jun 11:06 @ToniWantsToVote

#needtogetmyselftogether

12-Jun 13:00 @LtJRDullanty #PersonalDiary

Still haven’t heard anything more regarding the flying machine we sighted on the 10^th, following the sinking of HMS Thunder Child, so queried it again with HQ and got a ‘WAIT OUT’ in response.

Against this we received detailed instructions on how to construct the new Gas Mask Mk 1. No-one who saw the first model we built expressed any confidence that it would actually work, myself included, despite it having been designed by my father.

With no choice, however, we persisted with their assembly until we had enough to equip everyone.

12-Jun 21:00 @LtJRDullanty #PersonalDiary

Sergeant Hugh and the 1^st Platoon returned. According to the Sergeant the army arranged an ‘extra’ consisting of a single carriage and locomotive to pick up the body and the platoon and transferred them via Shenfield to Peterborough on the Great Eastern Railways Line.

At Peterborough the carriage was transferred onto the Great Northern Railway’s connection to Aberdeen and then onwards to Balmoral, and my father’s laboratories at #RotchWood.

They were then left to arrange their own arrangements for their return. Sometimes, I have doubts regarding whether the army could organise a piss-up in a brewery.

12-Jun 13:20 @LtCarver

From the personal log of Lt. Roger Carver, #RoyalMarines HMS Thunder Child, 12 June 1897, 13:20 GMT:

After Lieutenant Mann ordered his Sergeant to locate mounts for us all, Lieutenant Mann and I spent some time this morning discussing the best route to Woking. Both of us agree we must avoid London at all costs, but north or south?

The route south is shorter and has the advantage of avoiding the front-line. Sergeant Howard is confident of finding some means for us to cross at Tilbury, but without the ferry we will have to leave our mounts behind.

12-Jun 15:01 @ToniWantsToVote

#haventhadagoodday

12-Jun 17:10 #HiramMaxim

From the personal journal of Hiram Maxim:

I have retired to my establishment and workshop near Ripley, just inside the exclusion zone. I have taken over an abandoned manor house with a large barn. I am very careful. I light no fires which would betray my presence with smoke.

I cook with an electric stove and provide myself electrical illumination, both powered by an ingenuous chemical battery of my own design. My windows are blacked out with dark paper so to preserve the illusion of abandonment to the passerby. But inside, my work continues.

I keep the Martian tower and pit under close observation by stroke of sheer luck. The previous occupants of the house had left behind a large telescope in the attic, which is of sufficient strength to keep the Martians under watch.

I monitor the Martian tower with my own wireless. Until several days ago, the interference was intermittent, and I could occasionally receive signals from the government in Birmingham. Now, interference is so strong, it can only be broached by the most powerful transmitter.

I am using these observations to develop a theory about the true nature of the Martian tower. Meanwhile, I draw up my plans. The key factor is time; and I fear humanity may have very little of it left.