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CHAPTER TWELVE

John, Stephen, Astrid and Irene teleported into existence on the hillside overlooking the airfield. "Two groups,"Stephen announced.

John shot him a sceptical sideways look. "Yeah, because that worked so well before."

"Astrid and Irene,"Stephen continued, ignoring the interruption,"head to the hangar where we found the ship. Look it over, see if there's anything Papa Minn's using and put it out of action."

"Not sure I'm up for identifying the components of an alien spaceship,"Irene mused. "But I'll give it a shot."

"What about us?"John asked.

"We'll look for Cara, Luca and Sophie,"Stephen replied.

"Where do you think we should start?"

"The main building?"


Astrid and Irene teleported into the hangar. Irene stared up at the craft in front of her agog. "What do you make of it?"Astrid asked.

Irene was still gaping. "It's beautiful."

"Not exactly what I meant."

Irene shook her head, trying to focus. "They're taking it apart. The Malosans, I assume. Trying to figure out how it works, I suppose. Or maybe taking what's useful to them."

"Is there anything here that the Malosans would be interested in?"

"I don't think so. They seem to have removed everything they were bothered about."

"So should we leave?"

Irene shook her head. "No. I want to look this over properly."


Papa Minn looked over the report his aide was bringing him. "Good. Good. Soon the warplanes of the Malosan air force will be the mightiest force ever to fly through this planet's skies. Have we heard anything from Solopus or Foroa?"

The aide looked uncomfortable. "No, sir."

Papa Minn smiled with the joy of anticipation. "Then they shall see the power we command."

At that moment, John and Stephen teleported in. Seeing the aide going for his gun, John stunned him. Stephen stared hard at the person facing them. "Papa Minn?"

Papa Minn raised his hands slowly. "Are you with the aliens?"

"What do you know about the aliens?"John asked.

"Only what they've told me."

"Why are you working for them?"

Papa Minn smirked. "You know nothing. They work for me. Yet that was an impressive trick you just pulled. Who exactly are you?"

"We're the Tomorrow People,"Stephen replied.

"Tomorrow People? Tomorrow People?" Papa Minn laughed. "If you are tomorrow people, then you are my people! Tomorrow belongs to me! I am the man of tomorrow!"

John shot Stephen an amused look. "Is this guy for real?" Stephen shrugged.

Papa Minn stopped his laughter and looked at them closely. "You remind me of that girl, Cara. Oh, what spirit she would show if she was ever fortunate enough to have a gun pointed at me."

"You know Cara?"Stephen asked. "Where is she?"

"With the aliens."

Stephen looked at John. "Let's find her."

They turned to go. Papa Minn pulled a grenade from his belt and made to remove the pin…and John teleported next to him and grabbed hold of his hand, holding the pin in place. "See if he's got any more," he told Stephen.

Furious, Papa Minn drew his gun but Stephen knocked it from his hand telekinetically. The dictator looked shocked for the first time. "What are you?"

"A form of life that's going to replace you,"John replied.

Stephen finished a brief search and took out three more grenades. "I think that's the lot."

John nodded. "Let's go."


Malosan guards entered the hangar. "Stand back from the-"began one of them.

Cara, standing next to the door, kicked him in the stomach. Sophie, Luca and a large group of Thargons jumped the second guard. Cara delivered a blow to her opponent's back, then kicked the restrained second guard in the head, leaving them both unconscious. She snatched up the two rifles and threw one to Jarrel. "This'll be more use to you than me, I can't use them. Not on a live target anyway."

The group hurried out of the hangar onto the airstrip. "What now?"Sophie asked.

"You lot get to the hangar where the Thargons' ship is."

"What about you?"Luca asked.

"I'll join you in a minute." Cara recalled that John and Stephen had been checking out the hangars in that direction. If the two of them hadn't lost their powers at that distance, then sending the Thargons in that direction should restore her own powers. She waited until the Thargons were some distance away then quietly called "Stephen? John?"


Stephen and John were elsewhere on the airstrip when they heard her voice. Both stopped and smiled. "You were right,"John noted.

"Cara?"Stephen called. "Where are you?"

"We've been locked up with a group of aliens called Thargons,"Cara explained. "We can't use our powers around them but it's not their fault, they can't help it. Papa Minn's been keeping them here. We're trying to get them to the hangar where they've kept their ship."

"That's where Astrid and Irene are,"Stephen told her.

"Okay, I'll try and warn them. But there's something else. Papa Minn's taken all the weapons from the ship. Some of them aren't in use yet but there's two weapons platforms at either end of the control towers. If he uses them, he can shoot the Thargon ship down."

"We'll take care of it,"John promised. He and Stephen looked up and picked out the two mounted guns. They held up two grenades each.

"You take left, I'll take right?"Stephen suggested.

They teleported to a mounted gun each, pulled the pins out of the grenade, placed them at the bottom and teleported out again. Moments later, both guns had exploded.


Cara smiled at the devastation but her joy was interrupted as a hail of bullets was fired in her direction, accompanied by a shout of "There she is!" from the soldier that had fired it. Cara focused, gathered her energy…and teleported, ending up in the hangar where the spaceship was. She smiled. "I've missed doing that."

It was then that she realised Astrid and Irene were standing in front of her. "You really are still alive then?"Irene asked nonchalantly.

"Looks like it,"Cara confirmed. "Stephen said I'd find you here."

"Where's Luca and Sophie?"Astrid asked.

"On their way here, hopefully. On foot. They've got a group of aliens with them. The Thargons. They're friendly. Can you get this ship working again?"

Irene took a moment to realise the question was directed at her. "Yeah, maybe if I had a few weeks to research it."

"We haven't got that long."

It was at that moment that Sophie, Luca and the Thargons came rushing in. Luca raised a hand at the sight of his two friends. "Hey there."

"Who are these?"Jarrel asked suspiciously.

"They're friends of ours,"Sophie explained. "Astrid and Irene."

Irene sighed, recognising her role in things. "Consider me your new scientific adviser."


Several hundred miles away, in the island state of Foroa, another state leader was about to receive an unexpected visit. Umar Baptiste wore a uniform similar to Papa Minn's but less elaborate. He was in consultation with an aide. "How long until Papa Minn's deadline expires?"

"Not long,"the aide admitted.

Baptiste considered this. "We cannot submit to him. Yet the western air forces were despatched by him with ease. Can we do better?"

"All military forces are on full stand by, leader."

At that moment, Russell, Mike and Charlotte teleported in. The aide went for his weapon and Mike shot him with a stun gun. Charlotte noticed Baptiste's shocked expression. "Don't worry,"she said soothingly. "He'll be all right."

Baptiste looked at them all, his manner controlled. "Who are you?"

Russell took a step forward. "We're here to help." He paused, looking awkward. "Actually, we're here to ask for help."

"From me?"Baptiste asked sceptically. "You're Americans, aren't you? Americans asking for help never goes well."

"We're not like other people,"Mike replied.

"You've seen that,"Russell agreed. "And we're not alone. We have friends like us."

"And where are they now?"Baptiste asked.

"Malosa,"Charlotte interjected. "They're trying to stop Papa Minn."

"Well, if they do, I'll be grateful but…"

"There's more,"Russell replied. "They're going to need you to attack Papa Minn's air strip. You and the Solopusians. So we're asking you to do that." He looked at Baptiste's stony expression, hoping for some encouragement. "Please."