[ WP ] One if by land . Two if by sea . Three if by air . Four if by ...

space. Four lanterns hang in the Old North Church. The alien invaders were dropping right onto them. The Colonists had feared the British, but this was something far far worse. The locals had thought they were shooting stars falling to Earth first, but Paul Revere knew better. 
 
 When the three legged metal stools emerged from the craters, he knew how to defeat them. There were reasons he became a silversmith, after all. But, these were not the creatures faced by his forefathers centuries ago. Those beings would never be back, and, after his warning ride, Revere went to face the metal milking stools. It was a sight for any observer, but, when the silversmith burst into flames, courage turned into panic. Those small towns of New England fled south away from the milking stools. 
 
 But, more fell from the sky, and there was no stopping them. Those foreign creatures laid waste to Boston and New York, but they encountered something they did n't expect in Philadelphia: Benjamin Franklin. 
 
 The city had 8 electric cannons covered in lightning rods. The energy had been stored for months. Dozens of the machines moved toward the city. The machines expected nothing. They moved boldly toward Philadelphia. The cannons fired at the alien attackers. Three tripods fell immediately, and the rest of the tripods pulled back. Ben had another surprise for the tripods. He fired at them over a mile away and dropped two more. The machines pulled back and moved south toward Virginia and Ben Franklin gave chase to the machines for he had one more surprise for them. 
 
 At Monticello, Thomas Jefferson waited for the machines. He was afraid, truly, but, if they could defeat the machines, the British were nothing. His flying machines could deliver an explosive payload on top of the metal milking stools, but he had experimented with electromagnetism extensively. It was this tool he would use to stop them using his flying machines. Jefferson's gliders hit the milking stools with electomagnetic pulses, but only a few machines were destroyed. Most of the gliders went down in the effort. 
 
 The machines continued to advance, and Jefferson took cover as his home was destroyed by the machines. Just when all hope was lost, an army led by Generals Washington and Cornwallis emerged and attacked the machines with a vim and vigor that the world had not seen before. While Jefferson survived the ordeal, Washington and Cornwallis did not nor did much of their army. But, two dozen machines were now 8. Humanity appeared to have a chance. 
 
 The machines continued north until they ran into the small armor of Benjamin Franklin leading a small group of steam powered vehicles that Franklin referred to as tanks. The machines were surprised but not defenseless against the tanks. The battle was bloody, and Franklin did not survive it. Only 4 machines remained after this battle. The aliens were running out of steam. That was, until more cylinders fell from the sky. 
 
 The world appeared to be doomed, and the aliens tore the New World to pieces until one day the machines stopped entirely. The rampage ended. People thought it was a trap and why should n't they? But, it was not a trap. The aliens died. No one knew why. When the beings were examined, some remarked that it looked like they had gotten small pox. Others were not sure, but the menace appeared to be gone... for now. 
 
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 I have more writing at r/nickkuvaas.
