CHARACTERS

HISTORION

LIEUTENANT IOTA

GREAT AND MIGHTY THINK-TANK

SERGEANT OoP

APPRENTICE NOODLE

CAPTAIN OMEGA

[scene:-1]

HISTORIAN: : Good afternoon. Welcome to our Museum of Ancient

History, and to my department - curiosities of the good old, far-off twentieth century. The twentieth century was often called the Era of the Book. In those days, there were books about everything, from anteaters to Zulus. Books taught people how to, and when to, and where to, and why to. They illustrated. educated, punctuated, and even decorated. But thestrangest thing a book ever did was to save the Earth You haven't heard about the Martian invasion of 20402 Tsk tsk. What do they teach children nowadays? Well. you know, the Invasion never really happened, because a single book stopped it. What was the book, you ask A noble encyclopedia? A tome about rockets and missiles? A secret file from outer space? No. it was none of those. It was but here, let me turn on the historiscope and show you what happened many centuries ago, in 2040. (She turns on projector and points i left. Spotlight on Historian goes out and comes up douin left on Think Tank, who is seated on a raised box arms folded. He has a huge, egg shaped head, aid he wears a long robe decorated with stars and circles. Apprentice Noodle stands beside hun at elaborate switchboard. A sign on an easel reads:

MARS SPACE CONTROL

GREAT AND MIGHTY THINK-TANK, COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF

(Bow low before entering)

NOODLE : (bowing) O Great and Mighty Think Tank, most powerful and Intelligent creature in the whole universe, what are your orders?

THINK-TANK :(peevishly) You left out part of my salutation.Apprentice Noodle. Go over the whole thing again.

NOODLE : It shall be done, sir. (in a singsong) O Great and Mighty Think Tank, Ruler of Mars and her two moons, most powerful and intelligent creature in the whole universe - (out of breath) what-are-your-orders?

THINK-TANK :That's better, Noodle. I wish to be placed in communication with our manned space probe to that ridiculous little planet we are going to put under our generous rulership. What do they call it again?

NOODLE : Earth, your Intelligence.

THINK-TANK : Earth of course. You see how insignificant the place is? But first, something important. My mirror, I wish to consult my mirror.

NOODLE :It shall be done, sir. [he hands Think- Tank a mirror.]

THINK-TANK : Mirror, mirror. In my hand. Who is the most fantastically Intellectually gifted being in the Land?

MIRROR:(after a pause) You. sir.

THINK-TANK: [smacking mirror ] Quicker Answer quicker next time I hate a slow mirror. (He admires himself in the MIRROR). Ah there I am. Are we Martians not a handsome race? So much more attractive than those ugly Earthlings with their tiny heads. Noodle, your keep on exercising your mind, and someday you'll have a balloon brain just like mine.

NOODLE : Oh. I hope so, Mighty Think Tank. I hope so.

THINK-TANK : Now. contact the space probe. I want to invade that primitive ball of mud called Earth before lunch.

THINK-TANK: IT shall be done, sir. (He adjusts levers on suitchboarel Electronic buzzes and beeps are heard as the curtains open.)

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