Picked up another follow so thank you to that person!


CHAPTER THREE

Astrid woke up the next morning to the feel of soft sheets, with John lying next to her. He had propped himself up on one elbow to watch her sleep and smiled when he saw her eyes were open. "Good morning."

"Morning,"she replied with a slight smile.

"You sleep well? 'Cos we got the best room in the city here."

Astrid sighed. "John, one day you're actually going to treat me to a proper night in a hotel instead of sneaking us in."

"Well, hey, it's either this or my cot at the Refuge. Unless your dad agrees to me staying over…"

"That is a conversation that I am not going to be having any time soon. I'm having a hard enough time convincing him that hanging around with you Tomorrow People isn't going to result in any more drive by shootings."

"I get why that would have put him off us. So, you fancy some breakfast?"

Astrid looked at him in bemusement. "You can't exactly call for room service."

"No, I was going to teleport down to the kitchen and help myself."

Astrid rolled her eyes. "We have got to teach you to give up these Artful Dodger tendencies."

John looked at her in mock hurt. "I always thought it was part of my charm."

"Charm wore off about the fifth time you tried to pull a runner."

John sighed. "So what do you want to do then?"

"Well, if we do want breakfast, I think we need to get dressed and head to the Lair."

"I can't believe Cara renamed the café that."

"Guess she wanted to feel at home."

Astrid moved to get out of the bed but John caught her wrist. "You really feel like getting up yet?" He pulled her closer and kissed her.

"Maybe…another…fifteen…minutes,"Astrid suggested between kisses.


The Lair was bustling with the morning rush but Cara was standing firm at the centre of it. She had, after all, led a group of underground rebels in a secret war against a ruthless conglomerate. Running a café shouldn't be a problem. "Piper, table three,"she snapped, handing over a tray. "Lucy, takes the orders in the first row. And remember to use a different sheet for each one. We don't want any mix-ups. Has anyone seen Andrew today?"

"He was taking his sister to school,"Piper answered. "He said he'd be in later."

"Typical. Who gave him permission to have a life?"

What was shaping up to be a promising diatribe was halted when Cara suddenly heard Tim's voice in her head. "Cara, you are needed in the Refuge immediately."

Cara looked round cautiously for a moment. Being caught talking to herself would be a surefire way to arouse suspicion. When she replied, it was telepathically. "What's so urgent, Tim?"

"I have been monitoring the sap telecommunications and I have found something unusual."

Cara spoke out loud, knowing the Tomorrow People present would have heard Tim's message. "Piper, can you keep an eye on this place for a while? I'll try to send help as soon as possible."

Anyone who'd heard the comment would have been a bit confused by the fact Cara headed into the kitchen. But they'd probably have been even more confused if they'd seen her teleport out.


By the time Cara arrived at the office, John, Stephen, Russell, Astrid and Irene were already assembled. Stephen gave a nod of greeting to her before turning his attention to the computer that had summoned them. "So what's the problem, Tim?"

Tim displayed a graphic that seemed to consist of a black screen with a splodge in the middle. Down the side of the image scrolled a series of words and figures that didn't seem to make much sense. "This is a live feed from a geostationary satellite. It has detected something somewhat unexpected."

Irene gave a gasp that sounded oddly like delight. "Oh my gosh! Have you any idea what this is?"

"I think I speak for all of us when I say 'No',"Russell replied.

"They're scanning this object and…it's got propulsion! It's manufactured! But what it's manufactured from…its mass and density and chemical composition…it's like nothing on Earth! And, in case you're not following, I mean that literally."

John gave her a sharp look. "You're not serious."

"Oh, I'm very serious. We could be witnessing a historic turning point in the history of the human race."

"Orders have been given for it to be shot down,"Tim reported.

Irene sagged. "Okay, that figures."

"Should we maybe do something to stop it?"Russell asked.

"Like what?"John asked. "Sabotage the missile systems?"

"That's way outside what we can get away with,"Cara noted. "Especially when there's still some in the senate that know what Jedikiah was up to."

"So, what, we're just going to stand here and watch the first form of intelligent non-terrestrial life we've come across get blasted out of existence?"Irene demanded.

"Watching it's about all we can do at the moment,"Stephen replied.

"Is it me or did it just disappear?"Astrid asked, drawing everyone's attention back to the screen.

"You are correct,"Tim confirmed. "It appears to be operating some sort of cloaking device. However, analysis suggests the vessel is damaged. It is attempting to enter Earth's atmosphere."

"It's crashing?"Stephen asked.

"Where?"John added. "I mean, if you can tell."

"It has now reappeared on sensors,"Tim replied. "Its trajectory will take it into the Pacific."

"But it's going to be shot down?"Russell checked.

"No. It is not in international airspace. It has entered the territory of an island nation who have refused to respond to requests to assist in the craft's destruction."

The graphic showed the craft crash into one of the Pacific islands. "Well, whatever it is, it's down,"John noted.

"I don't want to be the one to say this,"Astrid interjected,"but…are we saying this thing's alien?"

The words she'd spoken the previous night sprung to Cara's mind, with a sudden different meaning. "We are not alone."