Jack drove the taxi to a small service garage in a nearby town. After a brief conversation with the mechanic, involving forced laughter, persuasion and much money, Jack walked across to Mike, who was leaning on the cab, hands in pockets.
"Mike, I'm taking the kids… Uhh, I mean aliens… For some food over there." Jack indicated a restaurant down the high street. A large sign swung over it, with the words Ray's Diner.
"You comin'?" Inquired the cabbie.
"Err no thanks, I've got some stuff I wanna attend to." Replied Mike.
"Please yourself. Right, let's go kids."
Jack, Seth and Sara made their way to the restaurant and went inside. While Eddie got to work on the car, Mike headed down the road to a telephone box. Casting a furtive look around, he went inside.
Leaning back on the wall of the cramped compartment, he dialled a number. On the third ring the phone was answered.
"Hullo?" It was a man at the other end. He spoke in a deep voice with a British accent.
"It's me, W." Mike introduced himself.
"W, hey, how's it going?"
"It's all good. I did what you asked – I doubt they'll be bothering you again sir."
"Good show! Y'know, you're always welcome to come over for a drink…"
"I'm grateful for the offer sir, but you know the rules. Just work."
"Fine, fine. Well I appreciate you taking the time to call."
"No problem sir. If you need anything else, you know where to reach me."
"Indeed. Cheerio then."
"Bye for now sir."
Mike replaced the receiver.
Another satisfied customer. Now, let's take a look at my kit.
He spent a few minutes checking through various pockets in his jacket. When he was satisfied everything was in order, he stepped out of the phone box and strode back to the garage. He immediately sensed something was wrong. There were six large black jeeps pulled up outside the restaurant across the street, and the place was swarming with soldiers who bore no insignia.
Goddamit, what now.
Keeping low he raced across the road, heading for the garage. On the way he spotted Jack, Seth and Sara on the roof of the restaurant, attempting to climb down onto a caravan parked beside the building.
The roof? Is nothing normal with these guys?
Mike reached the garage and jumped into the driver's seat, started the engine and reversed out onto the street. He hopped out and opened a rear door.
"Your carriage awaits mademoiselle." He said ironically, bowing low.
Sara jumped in, closely followed by Seth, who gave Mike a funny look on the way past. Mike closed the door and dramatically leapt over the bonnet of the taxi before swinging himself into the passenger seat.
Jack was the last one to reach the cab, slamming his foot on the accelerator almost before he had both legs in. The noise of the taxi alerted the soldiers to their presence, who immediately open fire, bullets pinging off the tarmac around the cab.
Sara somehow managed to blow up several jeeps as they drove past, buying them enough time to reach the relative safety of the main road. Suddenly, the cab ground to a halt.
"No, no, no, NO!" Jack cried in disbelief. "Not now, not now! Sara... Sara! Are you doing this? Sara, I said…"
Sara opened the rear door and in bounded a large dog.
"Oh, absolutely not! This… This Junkyard is not going with us!" The cabbie was really riled now. "I am done picking up stray passengers!"
Bullets started whistling past them so Jack was forced to drive off, Junkyard and all.
There was a period of silence, eventually broken by Seth addressing Jack. "It is vital that you take us to their base of operation."
"Ok, just hold on a sec. You want me to take you to the guys who are trying to kill you?! Let me explain to you how we do things here, on Earth. People who want you dead, you avoid. That way you stay alive. Make sense?" Replied the driver. He was not having a good day.
"No one on your planet will stay alive, if we do not return to our planet. In order to return, we need our ship. Those men who are trying to kill us have stolen our ship. Make sense?" Seth shot back, the same stony look as ever upon his features.
Wow, you must be great fun at parties.
As if reading his mind, Sara suppressed a smile.
Even if she could, that wouldn't be the strangest thing that's happened today.
I can.
Uhh… Hello? Who said that?
It's me, Sara.
You said that without moving your lips.
As I said, I can read minds.
Yeah well… Could you get out of my head?
As you wish.
Sara addressed everyone. "Where do you suggest we begin our search?"
"I don't suggest we begin searching at all. I do suggest we head back to Vegas, and drop you off right where you got on." Replied Jack, still sore from his argument with Seth.
"You too." He addressed Mike. Mike decided it would be best to let things blow over.
"It's just as I thought. No human is going to help us, Sara. Especially not this human." Said Seth loudly.
"Hey! Easy on the human bashing, okay? Some of my best friends just happen to be human. And even if I were to help you I wouldn't even know where to begin. I don't know anything about, about UFO's or aliens." Retorted the cabbie.
"Who is Dr. Alex Friedman?" Inquired Sara.
"She's… Actually somebody who can help." Replied Jack sheepishly. "And just for the record, she happens to be human."