Sarah Jane made the phone calls, showered, got dressed for the day, and then tried to reach Rani on her mobile. "Come on, Rani, pick up," she worried when all of the calls went to voicemail.
One hour later while Clyde, Sky, and Gita searched for Rani, Sarah Jane conversed with Haresh in the Chandras kitchen.
"Haresh, when was the last time you saw her?" Sarah Jane inquired.
"Last night before bedtime, I went to check on her before going to bed and she was already sleeping," he paused before continuing. "Gita woke up early this morning from a bad dream, and she rushed to Rani's bedroom to check on her and found her bed empty. She checked the entire house and also called out for me."
"Was there any sign of a struggle in her bedroom or anywhere in the house?" Sarah Jane asked.
He shook his head. "There was nothing, and that's what makes no sense. Nothing is out of place, and nothing is broken. If she had gone to the market she would have been home long before now," he said as he picked up the house phone to call the police. "If anyone has hurt her…"
"They haven't," Sarah Jane assured him and while he made his phone call she went outside to investigate but didn't find any clues. Thus, she returned to her house and to her attic and bellowed. "Mr. Smith, I need you."
Her super alien computer activated with his usual fanfare. "How can I help you, Sarah Jane?"
"I need you scan all the CCTV cameras on Bannerman Road from last night and this morning," she ordered.
He performed the task and then displayed the footage. Sarah Jane watched but the only thing displayed were a few stray cats roaming the neighborhood the night before, a jogger passing by during the morning, and the morning newspapers being delivered.
"No there has to be something she couldn't have just vanished," Sarah Jane's worry increased. "Mr. Smith, scan all the CCTV cameras in London, scan as far as you're able to scan."
The Xylok did so and then spoke. "I'm sorry, Sarah Jane, there's no trace of Rani anywhere in the city or the surrounding towns. I scanned all the footage from last night, this morning, and up to current time."
"No, there is a trace we just haven't found it yet," Sarah Jane scoffed. "We just need to look harder." She walked out of there and then drove over to the Alston home. She got out of her car and sprinted to the front door. Sarah Jane pounded on the door and also rang the doorbell several times.
She was soon joined by two police officers.
"Elaine Alston," one of them called out.
Sarah Jane turned around to face them. "No, I'm Sarah Jane Smith, what are you doing here?"
"Haresh Chandra called us, apparently his daughter has gone missing and he listed Lisa Alston as one of his daughter's enemies. He also told us what had gone on in Danemouth. Is anyone answering the door?" the police officer inquired.
"No, if I were to break in right now could you look the other way? Rani's a very good friend of mine, and I'm very worried about her right now," Sarah Jane stressed.
"Stand aside we'll do it. It's legal for us when there's suspicion of abduction," the other police officer said. He waited for Sarah Jane to step out of the way before he kicked the door in. After he kicked it in all three of them walked into the house and found it completely empty.
"No," Sarah Jane uttered as she realized that she had hit another brick wall. All the furniture that she had seen in the house the night before was gone. Also gone were the paintings from the walls and the knick knacks that had been displayed in the living room and dining room. She walked into the kitchen and found it empty as well.
One of the police officers joined her there. "It looks like they had to move in a big hurry. This is very odd seeing that Elaine Alston has a very good job in the city and that she and her daughter just moved here," he said. "However, it's not a crime to move away in the middle of the night or to leave a brand new job behind if that's what she's done."
"What?" Sarah Jane was aghast. "They most likely have taken Rani."
"We don't have proof of that. We will investigate further but we can't arrest her if we find her and Rani isn't with her or her daughter," the police officer replied.
Sarah Jane shook her head and proceeded to search the house on her own, and when she was finished looking for clues she searched outside. Tears welled in her eyes when she didn't find any clues outside either. "I will find you; I promise I'll find you," she said out loud even though Rani wasn't around to hear her.
Luke had arrived from Oxford one hour later and joined in the search. Several hours later the sun had set with no sign of Rani, Lisa, or Lisa's Mum.
Clyde stopped by his house and walked inside.
"Hi, baby, any sign of her?" Carla asked.
"No," Clyde answered sounding like he was going to start crying any second.
Carla's face clouded over as she walked over to her son and hugged him. He wound up crying in her arms. "We're going to find her, Clyde, we will."
Clyde tried to talk but couldn't as his tears fell harder while he feared the worst. When he had first been told by Sarah Jane that Rani was missing he had been very optimistic thinking that they would find her right away that she just didn't want to wait for anyone to walk with her to the store earlier that morning, but with each hour that had passed his optimism had begun to fade. Several moments later he had found his voice again.
"If anything has happened to her; if anyone has hurt her…" He said through his tears.
Carla hugged him tighter and closer. "No one has hurt her, baby; we're going to find her unharmed."
He continued to lean on his mum so he could be strong for Rani's parents, Sky, Luke, and Sarah Jane while they continued to search for Rani.
Gita Chandra watched as the police officers inside her house monitored the call tracking equipment and wished more than anything that they didn't need to be there. She wished she had been awake that morning to protect her daughter from what ever had taken place between the time she had fallen asleep that night and after she had woken that morning and discovered that her daughter was gone. She also listened as her husband talked to some of the police officers and wondered how he was managing to hold it together. His eyes met hers at that point and when she had seen the same pain, worry, and fear that she had been feeling all day she knew that he was barely holding it together.
She walked over to him and leaned into his embrace as he held her in his arms.
Haresh held her tight and close and once he was done talking to the police officers he kissed her as tears began to fall from his eyes.
"We're going to find her, love, I promise you that," Haresh said. "And if anyone has taken her from us I'll make bloody well sure that they face justice."
Gita's tears began to fall and she kissed him back. "I know you will, and I want to believe as well that she's going to walk through that door any minute now. But we both know that she was taken. She would never go this long without calling us. I just pray to God that whoever took her doesn't hurt her or kill her. Haresh I couldn't bear it if…"
"I couldn't either," he hugged her closer as his tears fell harder.
"Mr. Smith, are you sure that you haven't missed anything?" Luke asked. "It's too much of a coincidence that Rani has gone missing so soon after Lisa and her mum has moved here."
"Luke, I have told you, Sky, and your mum everything that I have been able to find out about Elaine and Lisa Alston. And again there is no sign of them being aliens," the supercomputer stated.
"Keep looking," Luke commanded. "Please."
"I will Luke," he said and continued to search for information on the Alston women.
Luke then heard the printer activate as it printed out several fliers with the most recent photo of Rani on them, her statistical information, and contact information. The fliers also had the last time she had been seen printed on them. Also printed on the fliers was a very generous reward for any information leading to her return. His little sister Sky had put it together and printed it out while their Mum was still out searching for Rani.
"What do you think?" Sky showed one of the fliers to her big brother. "Is it enough information to help find her?"
"Of course it is, Sky," Luke said as his eyes welled with tears. "You did a great job putting it together."
Sky looked into his eyes and saw the impending tears that had been about to fall. "Luke, we're going to find her. Lisa and her mum took her I know they did and they won't get away with it," she said and hugged him while tears of worry welled in her own eyes.
He hugged her back as they wound up crying in each other's arms.
While her children were inside comforting each other Sarah Jane parked her car in the driveway and just sat there in the driver's seat for a bit before she ventured inside. She must have shown Rani's picture to every shop manager or owner in all of London that day, and to what she felt like were millions of other people but no one had seen her young friend. I should have kept her here last night. What was I thinking letting her go home? She would have been safer here. She could've slept in the attic where Mr. Smith could have kept an eye on her. Her tears fell as she went over things she wished she had done differently, and as she feared that they would never see Rani again. Oh I don't think so Sarah Jane Smith; you will not drown in your own sorrows and regrets. You will get out of this car and seek help in finding Rani. She wiped some tears from her eyes, stepped out of her car, and walked into the house.
Sky showed her one of the fliers once she walked in. "We're going to start handing them out first thing in the morning. What do you think, mum?"
Sarah Jane hugged her after she looked the flier over. "They're brilliant and so are you," she kissed her. "And it's time I called in for reinforcements." She hugged Luke as well before she walked over to Mr. Smith. "Mr. Smith, I need you to contact Torchwood. I also need you to contact the Brigadier, Mickey Smith, and Dr. Martha Jones from UNIT," she ordered. "Finally, I need you to contact the Doctor and all the friendly aliens we have helped in the past."
"Yes, Sarah Jane," Mr. Smith got busy with making the calls, and not long after he made contact with Torchwood and her UNIT friends. He hadn't of been able to reach the Doctor or the other aliens yet.
"Hello, Sarah Jane, Mamn," Captain Jack Harkness saluted. "It's good to see you again to what do I owe the pleasure? And may I also say you're looking lovely this evening," he flirted.
"Jack, not now," Sarah Jane chided.
He observed her closer. "What's wrong?" he asked concerned.
"Why have you summoned us?" Mickey asked as he sat at his home computer with his wife Dr. Martha Jones.
"Rani's missing, and we think aliens might have taken her. Aliens that Mr. Smith and I couldn't detect," Sarah Jane answered. "I really need your help on this one."
"And you'll have that help," the Brigadier assured her.
"Thank you, Sir Alistair," she wiped an escaping tear from her eyes. She thanked all of them and then all of the adults got down to business.
"Luke, Sky," Martha called out to them.
"Yeah," they both answered at the same time.
"Get in touch with Maria Jackson and her Dad and see what they can uncover from the DC division of UNIT and from the rest of their resources in America," Martha suggested. "The rest of us will work on contacting the Doctor, and once we reach him he can help us make contact with Eve, the Skullions, and with every friendly alien that all of you and the rest of us have encountered."
The kids nodded and used Sarah Jane's desktop computer to make contact with the Jacksons. K-9 and Mr. Smith combined powers with Torchwood's network and UNIT's network to get in touch with the Doctor.
Several Moments later the Eleventh Doctor's face appeared on Mr. Smith's monitor, Torchwood's computer monitor, the Brigadier's computer monitor, and also Mickey and Martha's computer monitor. Everyone had already seen his latest incarnation.
"Hello," the Doctor smiled and pointed everyone out saying how brilliant it was to see them again. "And that must be young Sky. Glad to meet you, Sky."
Sky waved over from where she and Luke were trying to reach the Jackson's.
The Doctor then got a better look at everyone. "Okay, why have you summoned me? What's happened?"
"Rani's gone missing, Doctor," Sarah Jane told him.
"What, are you sure she didn't runaway or something?" he inquired. "Maybe she had a fight with her parents."
Sarah Jane shook her head. "Even if she had she wouldn't leave like this she would've stayed home, argued, and slammed doors. No one has seen her since last night and it's not like her not to call and let us know that she's all right," she then explained what they knew so far which was next to nothing.
"Your alien detector watch and Mr. Smith didn't detect a thing?" the Doctor sounded worried as he mulled that over. "Okay I'll be there as quick as I can and I'll help contact the others," he said about the friendly aliens. I'll run a scan of my own once I get there until then, Captain, Mickey, Martha, Brigadier, please get your own scanning equipment there and see what you can find out."
"I'll get right on it," Jack saluted the Doctor and then signed out as he got himself ready for the trip to Ealing.
The next morning the Alston home and Chandra home were scanned for alien activity by all of them when they were sure that the police hadn't of been looking. The Doctor approached Sarah Jane in her attic and knew that she would take it hard.
She approached him as he walked into the attic.
"Did you find out which alien took her?" Sarah Jane asked. "What type of Aliens are Lisa and her mum?"
The Doctor sighed and gently told her. "Sarah Jane, I'm sorry, none of us were able to detect any alien activity."
"What? No!" Sarah Jane protested as she began to lose her composure. "Doctor, we have to find out. The longer she's missing the less chance we have of finding her alive," she continued to rant and rave as tears streamed down her face.
He held her and had done everything he could to comfort her.
-to be continued