I lied. This is part two of four, or possibly five. If you read, please review. All comments welcome. Still no Doctor, but have patience and he will appear....
"I think that's it," Sarah Jane said breathlessly as she took Clyde's proffered hand and rose to her feet. She and the kids had been crawling around the bowels of Mr Smith, attempting to carefully remove the alien crystal at the computer's heart.
As Sarah Jane had explained earlier, when she'd first acquired the mysterious rock from a geologist friend, she'd inadvertently allowed it to connect itself to her laptop, and it had been then that she'd realised the crystal's astonishing abilities. Not that these were surprising given that it had started life as a memory cell on an alien vessel. What had happened once could happen again, and they hoped that they'd be able to revive Mr Smith somewhat by repeating the earlier experience.
Carefully, Sarah Jane placed the glowing white crystal beside her computer, and they waited with baited breath. Sure enough, a moment later, reams of unfamiliar characters began to scroll across the screen ... and they watched as the computer proceeded to download an English dictionary and then the screen resolved itself into something they could read.
Sarah Jane exhaled a breath she hadn't realised she was holding. "It's worked," she breathed. "That's what I saw the first time I did this." Relief weakened her knees and she sat down hard.
"Wicked!" Clyde whooped, throwing his arms around Maria, and the two teenagers twirled about the attic for a moment before coming to a stop next to Sarah Jane.
"Are you going to feed in the data from the factory?" Maria asked from where she was leaning against the bookcase.
Sarah Jane ignored Clyde's frown. He was still annoyed at having missed their trip. "I am. I'm hoping that Mr Smith - or what's left of him - will be able to identify that alien trace. Remember?"
Maria nodded. "Yep. You said you could pick up us, Luke, Ashley, the Bane, and something else," she counted on her fingers. "And there was that other trace you mentioned, when we were in Luke's incubator thing."
"Incubator?" Clyde repeated incredulously.
"It's as accurate a term as any," Sarah Jane told him as she attached her watch's mini-usb port to her computer. "Now let's see." She pressed a key and Maria and Clyde came to stand on either side of her, all three of them intently focused on the monitor as the progress bar stained blue in its progression from zero to one hundred percent.
Sarah Jane forced herself to relax as the blue bar started moving past ninety. Let it complete, she begged silently. Let us find out what's going on .... "Oh, damn!" An error message appeared on screen, and she reached for her glasses, but Maria forestalled her.
"It says that there's 'insufficient resources to complete this task'. What does that mean?"
Sarah Jane groaned. "It means that Mr Smith is unable to fully analyse the data since the resources of this computer can't keep up. There's only so much he can do outside his own rig." She turned to look at her young friends and gave them a rueful smile. "I'm sorry, you two. It looks like we haven't got what we wanted after all."
Clyde and Maria looked as disappointed as she felt. "What do we do now?" Clyde asked.
She smiled again and rubbed her eyes, realising that the loss of the anticipation-fuelled adrenalin around her body had left her exhausted. A glance at the clock revealed the reason: it was nearly ten. "I think I'll need to sleep on that one, Clyde, and so should you two. Look at the time! I'm sure Carla and Alan are wondering what's keeping you."
"Aw, it's still early," Clyde protested, clearly trying to be nonchalant. "My mum knows I'm here. She won't worry."
Sarah Jane saw that Maria's dark eyes were fixed on her face. "Same here. I did all my homework before coming over this afternoon, and Dad lets me stay up til eleven on school nights now that I'm nearly fifteen."
She shook her head at them and put an arm around both of their shoulders. "I don't think so. You both have school tomorrow, and I know that when Luke -" her voice faltered and then strengthened "-when Luke was here, I wouldn't have been happy with him running around at this hour either."
"We don't want to leave you alone in this big house," Maria said wistfully.
Sarah Jane smiled at her as she pushed the children towards the attic stairs. "I'm a big girl, you know," she said mildly. "I lived alone for a long time before Luke came, and I can manage until we get him home again."
Clyde, halfway down the narrow stairs, turned. She could faintly see his beaming smile in the half-darkness. "You really think we can get him back?"
She pushed aside her fears and misgivings - they were for herself alone, and not for these children - and gave him smile for smile. "When have you ever known me to give up? Of course we'll get him back. Now, go! I'll see you both tomorrow!"
For once, they obeyed without further argument - Clyde with a friendly pat on the shoulder, and Maria with her usual hug. Sarah Jane stood at the top of the landing and watched them go, still chatting. They closed the front door behind them, and the heavy wood cut them off with stunning suddenness. She shivered in the newborn silence and wrapped her arms around herself, even though the house was warm. Loneliness hovered chill at her shoulder, as it had done for many long years ... She shook herself and turned resolutely back up the stairs towards the attic. She'd told the computer to print out what it could, and she could go and read for a while. She could do that much at least.
Sarah Jane opened her eyes, her heart thumping in her chest so hard that it hurt. Nor was it the only thing, she realised as she tried to move. She'd fallen asleep in her red velvet chaise longue, her glasses slipping down her nose and papers scattered everywhere. Every muscle ached and she was still confused: something had wakened her, but she wasn't sure -
Bang. Thump. Faintly heard voices - angry voices! She smoothed her hair and removed her glasses, and then stood, wincing as her body complained. The banging continued, and she forced herself to move faster, to get down the stairs.
"We know you're in there, you old bitch!" someone screamed through her letterbox. "Let us in or we're calling the police!"
Frowning, Sarah Jane ran (she'd loosened up a bit) down the remaining stairs and checked the peephole, but she could not make out faces in the rapid movements behind the distorted glass. The door rattled.
"Open up!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming," she muttered, undoing the snip but keeping the chain on. Cautiously, she opened the door slightly and her heart sank. It was Luke's new 'parents' - and she'd thought he was safe...
She only had enough time to say their names when Mr Stafford launched his full weight against the door. The chain was new - it had been replaced after the Bane - but it wasn't strong enough to stand against nearly fourteen stone of enraged man, and Sarah Jane stepped out of the way just in time as the door flew open.
She gasped and took an involuntary step back as the Staffords burst into her home.
"Where is he?" Mrs Stafford screamed into her face, spittle going into Sarah Jane's eyes. She blinked and found herself wishing she'd kept her glasses on. "What have you done with him? You got him back didn't you..."
"I'm sorry," she began, trying to keep her voice firm and even whilst a cry of Luke, Luke, Luke, screamed in her head. "Perhaps if you calm down-"
"Calm down? CALM DOWN?! I'll show you calm down when you've stolen my son again!" Mrs Stafford threw herself onto the shorter woman and Sarah Jane, taken by surprise, found herself trying to protect her face, trying to hunch herself up as the other woman punched and pulled and kicked... I should have paid more attention to those Venusian Aikido lessons, she thought dimly.
"Stop it!" someone screamed after what felt like hours but was probably only a matter of minutes or even seconds. The shouting became quieter. Male voices talked. They sounded a long way away.
A hand touched her shoulder and she flinched. "Sarah Jane?"
She realised that the hand was small and gentle. "Sarah Jane, it's me. Maria."
Gradually, Sarah Jane uncurled herself and opened her eyes to look into the worried face of her neighbour and friend. "Maria," she tried.
"Are you OK? Do I need to phone an ambulance?"
"I'll be fine," she managed. "It's just a few bruises."
Maria looked dubious. "Are you sure? I mean -"
"I said I'll be fine!" There, that sounded stronger. "You could help me up, though." She was more grateful than she could say for the young arms that supported her as she got to her feet and began to move towards the front porch. Maria halted, obviously realising Sarah Jane's intent.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to talk to them," Sarah Jane said.
"But-"
"Maria. They're distraught. She didn't know what she was doing." She swallowed. "Something's happened to Luke. I need to find out what." The girl whitened a little, but she made no further protest except to grip Sarah Jane's arm a little harder.
"..he's not here," Alan Jackson was saying firmly to Mr Stafford. Sarah Jane was glad to see that Stafford had a good hold on his wife.
"Has something happened to Lu - Ashley?" she asked, cutting across the men's argument.
They swung to face her. "Your ... friend.... here says you haven't seen my son since we took him last week," Mr Stafford said. He had better control than his wife, but Sarah Jane could see how his hands trembled on the woman's shoulders. "That had better be the truth. If I find you've been hiding him..." He dropped his hands from Mrs Stafford and took a step forward. Alan Jackson intercepted him.
"She's telling the truth," he said evenly. "I suggest you leave now before I call the police and have you charged with assault."
"Where is Luke?" Maria demanded.
"Ashley is gone," Mrs Stafford flung back at her, her voice shredded from screaming and crying. "We woke up this morning and he was just gone..."
"Couldn't he have gone to school early?" Alan suggested. Sarah Jane had never seen his brown eyes look so cold.
"Like, Breakfast Club, maybe?" Maria supplied with a touch of sarcasm.
Mr Stafford glared at her. "Hammersmith Comp doesn't do that anymore, Little Miss Know-It-All," he spat between clenched teeth.
Sarah Jane took a deep, careful breath, steeling herself to leave the shelter of Maria's willing support. "Did he leave a note?" Luke, her careful, considerate Luke, would never deliberately or knowingly hurt or worry others.
The eyes of both Staffords fixed themselves on her, and Sarah Jane was ... relieved ... to see that they both looked a little shamefaced as she approached them. "No," Mrs Stafford admitted, refusing to meet her eyes.
She moved closer still, even though the effort made her entire body tense. "I'm a freelance journalist. If you'll permit it, I'd like to investigate Ashley's disappearance."
The Staffords appeared doubtful, and Sarah Jane was preparing for their refusal - not that it would matter in the long run, really - when Maria stepped forward, triumph in her eyes and a piece of paper she'd evidently had in her pocket, judging from its scrunched appearance. "I'd let her, if I were you. Luke - Ashley - isn't the only one to go missing. One of my cousins goes to Hammersmith Comp, and she says that other kids, bright kids, kids like Ashley - have disappeared. Sarah Jane has experience at this sort of stuff. If anyone can find your son, it's her."
Heaping coals of fire with a vengeance, Sarah Jane thought whilst she hid her surprise and alarm at the girl's words. "I'd really like your permission. I'll be investigating these other disappearances anyway, but this way I'd keep you in the loop, as it were."
"You'd tell us if you find anything?" Mrs Stafford sounded rather pathetic, and Sarah Jane felt a wave of genuine pity wash over her. This woman had lost her son, seemingly found him again after six months of hell, only to lose him once more... No wonder she appeared slightly unhinged.
"Yes. Leave me your details and I'll let you know anything relevant I uncover."
Husband and wife exchanged a glance. "All right. But we expect to be kept informed," Mr Stafford said.
Sarah Jane wondered if she was the only one to hear the silent threat, but she nodded. Stafford whipped his wallet out of his trouser back pocket, extracted a business card, and handed it over. She inclined her head in the only kind of acknowledgement she could bring herself to offer. Without a further word, the two turned and walked away.
Alan Jackson looked at her. "I'm still prepared to phone the police," he said grimly, his eyes travelling down her body. "Do you need a doctor?"
Sarah smiled, hoping it was reassuring. "Thanks, Alan, but no. I'll be fine. I've had worse."
"If you're sure."
"I'm sure." She looked at Maria. "Aren't you going to be late?"
The girl rolled her eyes while her father relaxed and grinned. "If you really think I'm going to school now, Sarah Jane..."
"Oh, you couldn't miss a day because of me. I won't let you."
"You'll have to," Maria said bluntly, "because I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying with you all day and you can't stop me!"
Sarah Jane raised her eyebrows at Alan, and he shrugged. "Will of iron, this one. Once she's made up her mind there's no changing it. Besides, I can't help thinking she's right. You've had a bit of a beating, and if you won't call a doctor or go to A&E, you shouldn't be alone. I can't stay - I've to leave at half past nine to go to a meeting. It won't hurt her to miss a day for once."
Maria came to thread her arm through the older woman's, with due care for bruises. "Come on. You might as well make the best of it. Let's go and have a drink."
"Strictly tea or coffee for you, young lady," her father said. "However, a nip of something stronger would probably be a good idea for Sarah Jane. Go on; I'll be over in a minute."
"Such a fuss," Sarah Jane muttered under her breath as her young friend gently but firmly led her into her living room, and then near enough pushed her onto the sofa. "It's only a few cuts and bruises," she called as Maria vanished into the kitchen.
She was faintly amused by how very at home the girl was in her house, and she couldn't help being touched by the concern of both Jacksons. Between her uncomfortable night and the morning's events, she was feeling shaky enough that their genuine care was rather unnerving. She'd gotten so used to patching herself up that having someone else there to pick up the pieces was ... nice. She leaned back against the soft cushions and closed her eyes.
The sound of rattling crockery made her open them. Maria had placed a cup of strong, hot, sweet tea on the table at her elbow. "I found the whiskey," she whispered. "Don't tell Dad. I put a nip in your cup."
"And yours too, I imagine?" Sarah Jane lifted the tea and took a sip. She raised her eyebrows. "Hey, this is good!"
"You don't need to sound so surprised!" Maria returned in mock indignation, taking some of her own. "What next?"
"Oh, so you and your father don't intend treating me like an invalid for the rest of the day?"
"Being an invalid isn't you," Maria said. "Besides, I bet you're itching to find out more about those kids, and get them back."
Sarah Jane smiled. "When did you get to know me so well? All right then. Chuck us over that email you were waving about and I'll have a look."
The girl obeyed with an alacrity that told Sarah Jane that the email had worried her more than she'd admitted. She squinted at the small print. "Most of the time I don't mind getting older," she complained, "but it's a real pain when I can't read."
"Do you want me to read it to you?" Maria asked, grinning.
"Go ahead," Sarah Jane told her with a wave, sinking back.
Maria took the battered piece of paper back. "Okey doke... where are we. Ah, got it. Yup. '...you're dead right about Ashley. Geeky as they come, but kind of cool. He knows everything in Physics - he even argued with the teacher about Einstein's Theory of Relativity!' - whoops. Luke strikes again."
"Did he ever do that at Park Vale?" Sarah Jane asked.
"No. Well, not that I know of, but you'd be better asking Clyde."
"H'mm. All right; carry on."
"'But what's really weird is that the others, the people who were here before, say that it's as if he's come back a completely different person. The other kids say that Ashley was clever, but not super brainy like he is now. Ashley liked sport and he loved footy and skateboarding, and now... he's just not interested.'"
"Clyde would find that amusing, I think," Sarah Jane said.
"Wouldn't he? I'll show him this later. Anyway, 'That's not the only weird thing around here. Kids have been disappearing, and nobody even seems to know they're gone! Nobody but me and my mate, and we were both new this term. We're in the top stream for quite a few subjects, see, and the numbers are never the same two lessons in a row. For example, on Monday we have History last double, and it's a small class - only sixteen of us. But sometimes, we have fourteen, and other times we have nineteen or twenty ... but the teacher never says anything about the extra names, or names missing when she calls the register! And when we ask about those people, everyone looks at us as if we're mad. How weird is that?'"
Sarah Jane sat up, curiosity reviving her more than the spiked tea did. "Now that is interesting." She stared out of the window, deep in thought. "A perception filter could do that."
"A what?"
Sarah Jane flashed a smile. "It's difficult to describe. It's usually a piece of technology that projects a shield over something so that you see - or don't see - only what the projector wants you to see. Clear?"
"As mud," Maria muttered.
Sarah Jane laughed, feeling better by the minute. "You were bound to run into one eventually, and you'll understand perfectly when you do. As I said, it's difficult to describe."
"OK. So what do we do?" Maria's eyes were bright. "Break into the school?"
"I'm not sure I should be letting my daughter hang around with you if you're turning her into a criminal," Alan Jackson said with a grin as he strolled into the living room.
Sarah Jane looked up at him. "Oh, she has plenty of criminal instincts without me," she said sweetly.
"Oi! Sitting right here!"
"So I see. How are you feeling, Sarah Jane?"
"Back to normal now, Alan. Thanks for asking. Off to your meeting?"
"Yup. Don't know what time I'll be back, Maria, but it should be before five. If I'm late is it OK for her to stay here?"
"She's always welcome here," Sarah Jane said warmly.
"Good. Stay out of trouble, the pair of you!" He sauntered out, whistling something Sarah Jane felt that she should know and didn't. Maria followed him out and the older woman heard them exchange goodbyes and the front door close.
"We're not, are we?" Maria asked as she came back into the living room.
"We're not what?"
"Going to stay out of trouble?"
Sarah Jane grinned and rose carefully. She wasn't as completely fine as she'd given Alan and Maria to understand, but there was nothing broken or that wouldn't keep. "Do I look like the kind of girl to stay out of trouble when it's screaming 'here I come, ready or not'?"
"That's what I thought." They exchanged conpiratorial looks before going upstairs to talk to the souped up Mr Smith.
TBC.
