In The Realms of the Unreal

Chapter 10

Standing trapped in the storeroom, everything seemed hopeless. All the group could do was hopelessly stare at the pod waiting for the ineveitable moment when it would burst open and infect them with it's spores. Finally Jerry couldn't take it anymore

"We gotta destroy it!" he shrieked "Or we're all doomed!" With that, Jerry grabbed a crowbar lying in a nearby toolbox and lunged at the pod.

"Stop him!" the Doctor yelled

Quick as a flash, Mclane grabbed Jerry and attempted to restrain him

"Get offa me!" he yelled "I'm trying to save our lives!"

"Are you fucking stupid!?" Mcclane fired back "You break that thing open, it'll scatter the spores all over the fucking room!"

"Don't talk like that!" Jerry snapped "Do you wanna end up like Mulder and Scully?"

"No!" Mcclane replied "Why the hell do you think I'm trying to stop you!"

At that, Jerry attempted to get free only for Mcclane to shove him into the door

As Jerry recovered he scowled at Mcclane

"Don't get in my way John! Or else..."

"Or else what?"

Jerry hesitated "I'll have to cut you down!"

Jerry then launched himself at Mcclane who grabbed him. Pretty soon, the two of them were tussling away. Emma then leaped in in an attempt to break it up

"Stop it!" she yelled "This is getting us nowhere!" Unfortunetly, Jerry and Mcclane were so engrossed in their fight that Emma's pleas fell on deaf ears and pretty soon, she was brawling with them in a desperate attempt to restore order while the Doctor could only watch.

This continued for several seconds until Jerry was slammed against the wall. Then Marlowe's voice cried out "Will you shut up and just accept your fate!"

"That's easy for you to say!" Jerry yelled back "You try facing the fact that you're about to be reduced to a mindless drone!"

"Don't talk like that about the glorious new order!" Marlowe replied with a strong hint of anger in his voice "It's the greatest thing any living being can become and to suggest otherwise is blasphemy!"

This gave Mcclane an idea "Oh yeah? Why don't you come in here and make us take it back? Or are you just a load of hot air!?"

At that, the door opened and Marlowe stormed in, brandishing a pistol. Before he could begin the torture against those who'd commited blasphemy against the glorious pod people race, Emma tackled him with an old Judo move she'd learned long ago. Marlowe however quickly recovered and pointed his gun directly in Emma's direction. Moments before he could pull the trigger, Emma grabbed his hand and managed to stop him from shooting her.

For a few seconds, the group were paralyssed with shock watching the two of them fight. Then just when it looked like Marlowe would get the better of Emma, she shoved him backwards and he collided with a fusebox on the wall.

Immediately the box exploded in a terrific display of light causing Marlowe to scream. He then dropped to the floor motionless.

For a few seconds, the group just stared. Then the Doctor crept over to Marlowe's body and felt his forehead. He then hesitated.

"I think...he's alive!" Marlowe then let out a cough and groaned

"Jeez. What was I drinking last night?"

Marlowe sat up and saw the group surrounding him. He looked around confused

"Where the heck am I? What's going on?"