"Morning Asha." An exhausted Luke said. "Did you sleep at all last night Luke? You look awful." I asked. "He had a nightmare. That's all." Sarah Jane said, pouring water into the kettle. "But it seemed so real. She spoke to me. She said, 'Hello, Luke.'" Wow, he must be terrified. "Who's this she?" I asked. "Mrs. Wormwood. The woman who made Bubble Shock! and me." Luke said. "But it was just a dream." Sarah Jane insisted. "But I don't dream. Never have" Luke sighed. "Why not?" I asked. "The Bane didn't include it in my genetic make up." Luke answered. "Right. Lucky you. I hate my dreams." I said. Sarah Jane looked like she was about to say something, but someone had started banging on the door.
"Thank you for coming over, but I don't know what you can do." Haresh said, sitting down with Rani. Gita had disappeared over night from her shop where she was working on a special order. "What have the police said?" Sarah Jane asked. "Has anything like this happened before? Is she on medication? Did we have a row?" Haresh told us the questions that had been asked. "That doesn't sound like anything Gita would do." I said. "She doesn't seem like the type of person to run away from her problems." I explained when everyone looked at me questioningly. "Asha's right. Mum wouldn't just leave the shop. She didn't even take her van. " Rani said, tearfully. "Why was she there so late?" Luke asked. "She had a rush order." Rani explained. "And there were no signs of a struggle at the shop?" Sarah Jane asked. Father and daughter shared a look before Haresh answered. "There were flowers all over the floor." Was the answer we got, "I hope she comes back as soon as possible." I said, giving each Chandra a hug before leaving with Sarah Jane.
"I wish I could save you and your father all this worry. All I know is that people disappear all the time and then come back, safe and sound." Sarah Jane said, attempting to console Rani. "But we know the world isn't as safe as that." Rani exclaimed. "What if she's been taken by aliens?" I suggested. "There's no reason to think that." Sarah Jane said immediately. "What about what happened with Mr. Trueman? She walked off then." Rani deadpanned. "Rani, there's really no evidence." Sarah Jane said calmly. "We could go look round the shop. Look for anything to suggest alien interference. We never know, aliens might be behind it." I said logically. "And it would put Rani's mind at rest if we at least check." I whispered to Sarah Jane.
"I got the message. Gita's disappeared?" Clyde asked, running up to us as we entered the shop. "Rani must be going off her head. Is it aliens?" Clyde asked. "Calm down, Clyde. Yes, Rani's worried. Who knows, other than the person who took her. Now help look for clues." I said, already having walked in and started searching. "If there has been an alien here in here the last 24 hours, it would have left an energy trace." Sarah Jane said, her watch scanner buzzing. "Oh, no." She said. "Aliens?" Clyde asked. "Yes, but the trace is too weak to identify the species." She said, putting it away and looking under the desk. "It's the Bane." Luke said, looking at the cheque on the counter. "What?" Clyde asked. "The people that made you? I thought they died?" I asked. "How could you know that?" Sarah Jane asked, standing up. "Mrs. Wormwood." Luke said, showing her the slip of paper. They both looked terrified.
"Mr. Smith, I need you!" Sarah Jane called, dashing into the attic. The computer slid out of the wall as usual. "Yes, Sarah Jane? You appear to be in a hurry." Mr. Smith said. "Rani's mother has been kidnapped by the Bane. And I think Mrs. Wormwood left this for me to find." Sarah Jane said, showing him the cheque. Mr. Smith took in the paper to scan. "An intentional clue?" He asked. "Or maybe it's a red herring." Clyde suggested. "The Bane are not usually the perpetrators of intrigue. Their purpose in visiting a planet is rather more fundamental, to feed." Mr. Smith commented. "That's what worries me. Mrs. Wormwood set it up to get my attention. I'm betting that there's a clue on that cheque." Sarah Jane said, pointing in the general vicinity of where the cheque would be if it were visible. "The cheque is for the Mercian bank, but the sort code and account digits are not what they purport to be," Mr. Smith informed us. "So what are they? What's she trying to tell Sarah Jane?" I asked, wishing aliens were a little clearer. "The form a tetric biaxial numeric code. Deciphering now." Mr. Smith answered my questions. The words: Block-3. Lexington-Road. Industrial Estate came up on the screen. "No wonder it was so precise." I said, marveling at how someone could hide an address in a simple cheque. "It's an address." Clyde pointed out. "It's an invitation." Sarah Jane corrected. "So what are we waiting for? Let's get my mum." Rani said from the doorway. "Where did you come from?" I asked, shocked at how quiet she had been. "And how long have you been there?" Sarah Jane demanded. "Long enough." Rani said, slightly moodily. "I'm going alone. If Mrs. Wormwood has gone to all this trouble, it won't be just for my company." Sarah Jane objected. "But I love your company!" I exclaimed, being random to lighten up the tension. "Not the time Asha. She could be after you, Luke, and she can't have you." Sarah Jane said, turning to her son. "I can look after myself." He said with annoyance. "All the same. You're staying here. Asha, you make sure he does." Sarah Jane said, turning to me. "Sure." I said, nodding. "Did you get braces?" she asked. "Yep, Last night." I said. "This is my mum. No way are you leaving me behind!" Rani protested, crossing her arms and silently daring Sarah Jane to refuse. They had a small staring contest, which had no winner. "Alright, but this is dangerous. You do exactly as I say." Sarah Jane conceded, rushing towards the door and emphasizing on 'exactly'. "Laters!" I called.
"I'm bored." I declared, throwing my legs over Luke's. We were all sat in the living room, waiting for Sarah Jane and Rani to reappear. "Go and study the Bane… or something." Clyde said, giving me an odd look. "Brilliant idea! Apart from the fact that Mr. Smith's in the attic." I said, giving him a look which just said, 'do you really expect me to walk?' "So?" Luke asked, his face scrunching up in confusion. "I'm feeling lazy." I said in reply, huffing in boredom. "We could play 2 truths and 1 lie?" Clyde suggested. "I adore that game!" I squeal, sitting up. "Me first! Uh, my mum wanted to call me just Niko Yamamoto, like, no Asha. However, due to my birthday on Ash Wednesday, she called me Asha Niko Yamamoto. I prefer Kimpa to Sushi, despite being Japanese. Kimpa was the origin of sushi, but it's Korean. The alien I hate the most is the trickster, due to him enslaving the family I would have had." I said, knowing which was the lie. "But sushi's amazing! If you prefer something to sushi, then you're lying! Besides, you're Japanese." Clyde exclaimed, grinning at me as though he had me all worked out. "You see, I asked your mum about your name, as in why it wasn't all Japanese, and she told me that your dad's favorite girl's name was Asha. So the first fact was a lie." Luke said, sounding worried that he would get it wrong. "Luke's right. Asha was my dad's favorite name. I was always gonna be Asha." I said, grinning in Clyde's direction. "Alphabetical order!" Clyde yelled while thinking. "So, no one in my family actually knows what Aunt Sam's job is. 'Cept maybe uncle Sam." I laughed. "Aunt and Uncle Sam?" I asked. Clyde sighed. "Aunt Samantha and Uncle Samuel Luculent." He clarified. "Ah, cool." I said. "Yeah. My mum's spaghetti bolognaise is the best food she makes." His Adam's apple bobbed, that's his tell, meaning he's lying. "And the longest book I have ever read was the middle Harry Potter book." I sighed. "Order of the Phoenix?" I asked, knowing I was right. "Yeah, the one where Voldemort goes public." Clyde said, waving his hand dismissively. "That's not the middle book, that's book number five. The middle book is Goblet of Fire, number four." I said using my explaining to children voice. "What ever." Clyde snapped. "Anyways, I think that your mums spag bol is yuck." I said, guessing that I was right. "Same. You cook the spaghetti, not Carla." Luke said. "Wait a sec, you can believe that my mum's spag bol is yuck, and we don't know my aunt's job? How rubbish do you think my family is?" Clyde growled, putting his hands on his knees and leaning forwards on the sofa. "Well, you never mention your mums cooking." I said, hoping I didn't offend him. "And when I met your aunt, she completely avoided the topic of work." Luke backed me up. "None of that suggests why you believe that." Clyde argued, hoping that we would change our minds. "We're right though, aren't we?" I asked, laughing at him. "Damn it." Clyde said, knowing that we had won. "My go. Ummmm, I have part of Maria's DNA inside of me, the first word I ever read was Ladies, you know, on the bathroom sign. And the first book I ever read was the dictionary." His eye twitched on the last one. That's the lie. "You didn't read the dictionary first." I said decidedly. "You must have passed at least one danger sing before you arrived at the loo." Clyde contradicted me. "Asha's right. It was pride and Prejudice." Luke said, grinning at me. My heart skipped a beat at that. That was because I won, not because I… stop it Asha, he's just Luke. "I'm hungry." I announced, getting up and walking to the kitchen. "Me too!" Clyde called, the boys following me. "Tea?" Luke asked, boiling the kettle. "Hot chocolate for me please." I asked. "Tea's great." Clyde called, getting the ham out of the fridge. I began making myself a tomato sandwich while Luke made the drinks and Clyde made himself a ham sandwich with cheese. "Drinks are done." Luke said, passing me my mug. "Thanks." I said. My skin tingled where our fingers brushed. Stop it Asha. It is just Luke. He hasn't changed or anything. I chided myself, taking a sip of the drink to hide my red cheeks.
The doorbell went. "Mum's back!" Luke cried, heading towards the door. He opened the door and instead of Sarah Jane, it was this woman who looked very fishy. "Hello, Luke." Was the first thing out of her mouth. "Mum, what's she doing here?" Luke asked, getting anxious. Sarah Jane came up from behind her. "Luke, Mrs. Wormwood wants our help." She explained hurriedly to her terrified son. "That's Mrs. Wormwood? I thought you said she was an ugly, bug eyed squid thing?" Clyde demanded from the taller teen. "No one's ugly Clyde. Just because they may seem unattractive to one being, doesn't make them unattractive to everyone." I said, waking him over the head for being rude. "Males! They have no respect." Mrs. Worm wood said, pushing past to get inside.
We went up to the attic with Mrs. W. I can't be bothered to give her her full name. She chuckled as she walked in. "So this is from where you save the world?" She asked in contempt, walking over to where Sarah Jane's computer is. "Cool, isn't it?" I asked, wandering over to Sarah Jane's gumball machine in the corner. I popped a gumball in my mouth and began chewing. "How very quaint." She responded with slight sarcasm, checking for dust. "Mr. Smith, I need you!" Sarah Jane walked in front of the chimney breast, planting her hands on her hips after putting her bag down. The computer slid out from it, making the usual Fanfare. "And there's a computer in the wall. I had no idea you could be so entertaining." Mrs. W commented. Joining her hands as though about to play volleyball. "Good afternoon, Sarah Jane. I see that we have a visitor." Mr. Smith stated in his monotone. "More like you sensed. You can't see." I reminded him. "Correct, Asha. I can also detect that she is Bane due to a bio analysis." He retorted, making me grin. "How much make-up does it take before you get out in the morning? Ugh!" Clyde shuddered, imagining it. "Perception filter, I imagine." I answered for her, hoping Clyde shuts up soon. "Is it wise to have Bane in the attic?" Mr. Smith asked, questioning out sanity. "Watch her closely, Mr. Smith. At the first sign of trouble, you're to put her in a containment vortex. Do you understand?" Sarah Jane commanded, reassuring the Xylok of her decision. "Perfectly." Mr. Smith responded, sounding happier. "Dad's looking after mum. Did I miss anything?" Rani burst into the room, happier than she had been all day. "Luke's family aren't exactly lookers." Clyde said bluntly. "She's not my family." Luke insisted, getting defensive. "No, Clyde. She isn't." Sarah Jane agreed. "People say you can't choose your family. But that's wrong. Families are those who love you and raise you and make you who you are. They don't have to be biological." I commented randomly. "Sorry." Clyde said without meaning it. "And now it's about time you told us exactly what's going on." Sarah Jane demanded information from Mrs. Wormwood. Mrs. W explained about the Bane playing the blame game for the earth invasion failure. "But you escaped, obviously." Luke deadpanned. "I made you rather handsome, didn't I? For a human." She said, rather creepily. I felt a rush of protectiveness for my best friend. "And there can't be anyone at your school to match your intelligence." She assumed. "Asha's second in class and is only three points below me." Luke debunked her assumption. "Then Asha is a very clever girl. I wish she had visited the Bubble Shock! factory." Mrs. Wormwood said, looking at me with interest. "I was in Japan. Wish I could have come, I heard so many great things about it." I said with fake regret. "Just skip the banter. Get to the point." Sarah Jane wedged her way between Luke and his 'mother'. Not. "Have you ever heard the legend of Horath, of the Dark Empire?" She asked. "Yes. Mr. Smith gave me a history lesson on the universe. Horath was one of the lessons that came up. He would conquer and invade non-level 5 planets. Level 5 means primitive." I explained for Clyde and Rani's benefit. "It was also a period of tyrannical rule." Mr. Smith reminded me. "Yeah. He crushed the civilizations of all but level 5 planets. Earth is seen as the most primitive planet in the galaxy. He was also reported as immortal. He was separated into body and consciousness, wasn't he?" I directed the last question to our visitor. "Hm. You do seem to know your stuff." Mrs. Wormwood acknowledged. "I try to know about our universe." I retorted. "They were hidden at opposite ends of the galaxy." She answered my previous question. "Are you saying that the Bane have found Horath?" Sarah Jane asked incredulously. "His consciousness, in the Kaldeann Cluster." Mrs. Wormwood confirmed. "They have a mercenary agent bringing it to earth." Mrs. W said with an urgent tone to her voice. "And, don't tell me, this is where they hid they other half, right?" Clyde asked in annoyance. "Of course they did, Clyde. Where else would they hide it?" I deadpanned. "Three thousand years ago, there was nowhere more primitive than Earth, as the girl said." Mrs. W agreed. "My name is Asha. And I doubt that much has changed in intergalactic view, am I right?" I asked. "Very much so." She agreed with my second statement, turning back towards me from her place on the stairs. "So the Bane get hold of this thing and they can take over the galaxy. And stopping them is your way of getting your own back?" Rani guessed with a hint of understanding. "We Bane have a saying. 'The sweetest delicacy is the tongue of an enemy that has looked at you and licked their lips.'" She recited as a comeback to Rani's question. "I am now officially a vegetarian." Clyde remarked. "In two days, you'll be eating a ham sandwich like the one in your hand." I commented, resting arm on his shoulder. "So where is Horath's body?" Sarah Jane asked, stepping forwards and bringing the conversation back on topic. I removed my arm from Clyde's shoulder and took another gumball. "If I knew, would I shackle myself to the tedium of asking you for help?" Mrs. Wormwood laughed with sarcasm. "Maybe. I know I would." I said. "Where did you get the gumball from?" Clyde asked. "Here!" I cried, throwing one at him, Rani and Luke. "Asha now is not the time for sweets." Sarah Jane snapped at me. "Sorry." I said. "But the Bane know. Obviously." Luke said. "So how do we find Horath?" Sarah Jane asked. "Sarah Jane, there is a relic. The Tunguska Scroll that tells the story of Horath and his final resting place." Mr. Smith piped up. "You've been quiet." I remarked. "So where is it?" Rani asked. "The Black Archive." Was the dreaded response. "Why does that sound so cool and scary at the same time?" Clyde asked, in a typical show of male logic. "The Archive is the repository of everything on Earth that shouldn't exist, but does." Sarah Jane explained. "So basically, everything alien?" I simplified. "Basically, yes." She laughed at my over-simplification of everything. "And that, Miss Smith, is why I need you." Mrs. Wormwood brought the focus back to her. "Mr. Smith, contain Mrs. Wormwood." Sarah Jane called to the Xylok. "Instantly." He replied, sounding a bit too happy about that, and a blue field of light erupting around her. "What treachery is this?" She screamed. "Don't worry, you'll be perfectly safe while I'm gone." Sarah Jane said coolly, beginning to walk out. I followed her out and began down the stairs.
"So is this it? The day Clyde Langer finally hooks up with UNIT? Locked and loaded, ready to fight the scum of the universe!" Clyde acted, showing enthusiasm for guns. "Haven't I taught you that there are better ways of dealing with aliens than using guns?" Sarah Jane asked. "Clyde, do you really think guns are cool?" I asked. "Kinda, why?" He responded. "I hate guns. A gun is the reason I'm stuck with no Dad, the reason I have to deal with William. Guns rip families apart. They take lives. So, no, Clyde. Guns, are not cool." I said, feeling the tears threatening to fall. I ran into the kitchen, hoping to avoid Clyde until either he apologizes or I calm down. "Asha! Asha, I'm sorry. Clyde didn't mean what he said." Luke called, coming into the kitchen. "He's right, Ash. I didn't mean it. I'm sorry." Clyde said, walking in. "It's fine. I just have a huge problem with guns, especially the people who carry them comfortably." I said. "Tomodachi?" He asked, using the word I taught him so long ago. "Always." I responded, shaking his outstretched hand as a truce.
"I've met some pretty nasty characters since I met up with Sarah Jane, but, as far as I'm concerned, none of them could hold a candle to my old man for what he did to me and my mum. Other than perhaps the Trickster for what he did to Asha." Clyde explained why he was so troubled. "Yeah, he's the only person I wish death upon." I said, regretting all the hate that I have for the Trickster. "Yeah, but at the same time, my dad will always be my dad. Without him, I wouldn't be here." Clyde continued. "That's what I'm thinking, about Mrs. Wormwood. I want to see her." Luke said, standing up. "Luke, Sarah Jane told you to stay away. I think. So don't go." I said, grabbing his arm, ignoring the tingling running up my arm. "Please, Asha. I'll be careful." Luke promised, squeezing my hand in reassurance. "Okay. Be quick." I said, unable to resist the puppy eyes he gave me.
The doorbell started ringing. "Luke! Someone's at the door!" I yelled up the stairs while Clyde answered the door. "Sorry, this isn't a good time." I heard Clyde inform the person at the door. He suddenly slammed the door shut. "Luke! Luke! It's the attack of the one eyed squiddy things! Luke!" Clyde started shouting. "Luke! They've found her!" I stood in front of the door with Clyde to keep it closed. Luke came charging down the stairs with Mrs. Wormwood. "We can't hold it for much longer!" I screamed, as the banging on the door got louder and more intense. "We have to escape! The back way!" Mrs. Wormwood exclaimed, already moving in that direction. "Why did you release her?" I shrieked at Luke. "I couldn't leave her, they'd kill her." Luke told me. "Yeah, well, if Sarah Jane finds out, it's on your head. Now run." I said, running after Mrs. Wormwood, dragging both boys with me.
As we got into the garden, a Bane landed in front of us and roared at us. "This is not good." Clyde said, panicking. "Let's go back." Luke said. "Stop talking and run!" I yelled, running towards the front. Another Bane was waiting for us. Another one joined it shortly afterwards. "This is not good, very not good." I panicked.
an: I don't own Sarah Jane/p