[Sarah Jane Adventures 05] - Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane

by RUPERT LAIGHT

  Published by the Penguin Group

  Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R ORL, England

  Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

  Penguin Group (Australia) Ltd, 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria, 3124, Australia

  (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd)

  Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa

  Published by BBC Children’s Character Books, 2008 Text and design © Children’s Character Books, 2008

  109876543 2 I

  Sarah Jane Adventures © BBC 2007

  www.thesja.com

  BBC logo ™ & BBC 1996. Licensed by BBC Worldwide Limited All rights reserved.

  ISBN 978-1-40590-507-7

  Whatever Happened to

  Sarah Jane

  Written by Rupert Laight

  Based, on the script by Gareth Roberts

  ‘I saw amazing things, out there

  in space. But there’s strangeness

  to be found wherever you turn.

  Life on Earth can be an

  adventure, too.

  You just have to know

  where to look.’

  SARAH JANE SMITH

  Table of Contents

  Face

  Copyright

  Title Page

  Epigraph

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Epilogue

  Prologue

  12th July 1964

  ‘You girls at the back! Sit down this instant!’ called Miss Jeffers, in a stern voice. ‘Were on a coach, not at the funfair.’

  ‘It’s about as near as we’ll get to a funfair,’ muttered a girl with red hair. She and her brunette friend were sat up front, near the driver. ‘Why have we got to visit this stupid old museum anyway?’

  ‘It is a geography field trip, Andrea,’ replied the brunette, looking up from her book for a second.

  Andrea sighed and glanced out of the window as the coach trundled down a bumpy country road. We go all the way to the seaside, and instead of stuffing our faces with candyfloss and having fun on the pier, we have to learn about sedimentary limestone and goodness knows what else!’

  She rummaged in her satchel and pulled out a parcel of greaseproof paper containing a corned beef sandwich her mum had made that morning. Andrea contemplated taking a bite, then decided against it and slung the sandwich back in her bag. ‘What’s the book?’ she said, turning to her classmate.

  ‘Oh, nothing interesting.’

  ‘What you reading it for then? Give it here!’ And she grabbed the thick hardback and peered at the cover. ‘An Unexpurgated History of the Universe,’ she read, in a disapproving tone. ‘You’re right, it is nothing interesting.’ She tossed the book back to her friend. ‘Still, I wish I was as clever as you. I’m only any good at art, but you get top marks in every class. How do you do it?’

  Her friend waved the book at her. ‘By keeping my nose stuck in these, of course.’

  Well, if that’s the price for good marks, then it’s too high for me!’

  ‘Now, class, you have three hours to answer all the questions on the handout,’ announced Miss Jeffers. ‘That should give you plenty of time to see every exhibit. And for those of you lucky enough to have pocket money, there might even be time for an ice cream in the cafeteria.’

  A wave of excitable chatter rippled through the class, then the kids began slowly filing inside the Westport Geological Museum.

  Miss Jeffers pushed her way through the crowd. ‘Hurry along now, we haven’t got all day,’ she called in a bossy voice. ‘We have to be back on the coach by two o’clock.’ And with that the teacher disappeared inside the museum.

  Andrea held on to her friend’s cardigan, preventing her from following the others.

  ‘What are you doing?’

  ‘We can have some fun on the front and still have enough time to whip round the museum,’ whispered Andrea. ‘Come on!’ She tugged roughly at her friend’s sleeve.

  ‘But we’re not meant to. We’ll get in trouble.’

  ‘Don’t be such a square!’ hissed Andrea, and she skipped off with a mischievous laugh.

  The brown-haired girl cautiously glanced around, then dashed after her friend.

  Although it was July and the air was warm, the sky was overcast and there was a brisk breeze shaking the shop awnings and rustling the brightly coloured flags hanging from the lamp posts that lined the promenade.

  Andrea and her friend emerged from the amusement arcade giggling and counting the coins they’d won. They had played on nearly all the penny slot machines and eaten two toffee apples each.

  They strolled along the front where old ladies sat on benches snoozing under wide-brimmed hats, where young lovers walked hand in hand, and where the excited screams of children filled the air as they chased one another along the promenade or made sandcastles on the beach.

  ‘What do you want to do when you leave school?’ asked the brown-haired girl.

  ‘Make loads and loads of money, marry Ringo Starr and move to Saint-Tropez,’ laughed Andrea. ‘Why, what do you want to do?’

  ‘Oh, I don’t know,’ replied her friend. ‘Maybe be an explorer, or a famous scientist, or… a journalist.’

  ‘Women can’t be journalists!’

  And why not? Women can do anything men can do nowadays. The world’s changing, Andrea. And I want to explore it. See everything there is to see.’ She paused, her eyes focused on the spot where the sky touches the sea. ‘And more.’

  ‘Good luck. I’d be happy with a handsome fella and a semi in Purley.’

  There was a long silence.

  ‘We could have a donkey ride.’

  ‘Don’t be wet — that’s for little kids,’ scoffed Andrea. Then an impish look came over her face. ‘What we need is a stroll on the pier.’

  ‘But you saw the sign — it’s shut for repairs.’

  ‘We can sneak in.’ She paused, hands on hips. ‘Oh, come on, it’ll be a laugh. Better than that crummy museum.’

  ‘But it’s dangerous.’

  ‘Dangerous?’ mocked Andrea with a snort. ‘What’s danger to you, Miss Famous Explorer?’

  ‘You’re right. Let’s do it. It’ll be fun. But only ten minutes, then we must go round the museum.’

  ‘You really aren’t as much of a teacher’s pet as the other girls say,’ Andrea smiled warmly. ‘I’m so pleased we’re friends.’ She grabbed hold of her classmate’s hand and squeezed it affectionately.

  ‘Thank you, Andrea Yates,’ smiled the brunette, as they marched off in the direction of the pier.

  ‘No, thank you… Sarah Jane Smith.’

  Chapter One

  The faceless one

  ‘Look at me!’ yelled Clyde, throwing them | a massive, sell-congratulating grin as he whizzed by on his skateboard.

  Clyde, Maria, Alan, Sarah Jane and Luke were in the skate park. It was a fenced-off area of Ealing Place Park where kids could skateboard without getting in the way of strolling couples, small children playing football, or panting dogs dragging their owners behind them.

  Maria sighed. This was typical Clyde, she thought. Always showing off, always trying to prove how cool he was. If he didn’t try so hard, he might succeed. Still, deep down, she couldn’t help being jus
t a tiny bit impressed. He certainly knew how to skateboard. But she was determined not to let him know that.

  When Clyde next zoomed by, a massive grin plastered across his face, Maria just threw him a nonchalant glance, shrugged, and turned to Sarah Jane, who was standing next to her.

  ‘He’s good,’ said Sarah Jane.

  ‘Yeah, whatever,’ responded Maria. But after a few seconds she glanced back at her friend. He’d now disappeared into the dip between two ramps with a screech of tyre rubber. She smiled to herself. ‘Okay,’ she admitted. ‘He’s not bad.’

  ‘What is the point of skateboarding?’ Luke called out to Clyde. He was standing a little way off, eyeing Clyde’s acrobatics with a confused expression.

  ‘With you, there’s always got to be a point!’ laughed Clyde, and he pulled up beside his friend, using his foot to bring him to a sudden halt. ‘It’s skateboarding. It’s fun.’ He shook his head. ‘It just is!’

  It was obvious that Luke still didn’t get it, and he stared, baffled, as Clyde glided off again.

  Maria watched as her friend took another turn around the tarmac-covered course, zoomed up a ramp and flipped elegantly off the end. Very neat, though Maria. Then he pushed his foot down on the back of the board and tried to turn it. This time he wasn’t so successful, and the skateboard slipped out to one side and Clyde tumbled clumsily to the ground.

  ‘Careful! ’ called Sarah Jane, her face immediately dropping into a worried frown.

  Maria tutted. ‘So Clyde fights Slitheen and Gorgons and that’s okay with you, but a bit of skateboarding and you’re like whoa!’

  Maria thought back to all the adventures she’d had with her new friends. Since she’d moved to Bannerman Road a couple of months ago, her life had changed completely. It had been one crazy, alien-fighting mission after another. First, they’d encountered the treacherous Bane, then the flatulent Slitheen, the ancient Gorgon, and only the other week they’d found themselves aboard an Uvodni spaceship.

  ‘I know!’ replied Sarah Jane, sighing and looking a little shamefaced. ‘I’ve changed since I met you lot. I’ve gone all mumsy.’

  ‘Well, it’s a change for the better, if you don’t mind me saying,’ came a familiar voice from behind.

  Maria’s dad, Alan, was walking towards them. ‘Do you remember that day we moved in?’ he asked, smiling at Sarah Jane. ‘Talk about frosty!’

  ‘I was not!’ she protested.

  ‘Yes, you were!’ chuckled Maria.

  Just then everyone turned in Clyde’s direction. He’d let out a yell and was down on the ground again.

  Alan shook his head and marched over. ‘No, no, no!’ he said, helping Clyde back onto his feet. ‘You’ve got it all wrong. You’ve got to bend your legs. If you want to ollie you’ve got to really bend your legs. That’s how you get the biggest pop.’

  Clyde frowned. ‘Okay — and you would know exactly what?’

  ‘As it happens…’ Alan’s voice trailed off, he took the skateboard from Clyde, and placed a confident foot on it.

  Everyone watched as he demonstrated a jump with a perfect, effortless landing.

  ‘King of the concrete. Romford, 1992,’ he crowed.

  ‘Yeah, right,’ said Clyde, mockingly.

  Maria raised her eyes and shook her head. ‘Oh no, here we go!’

  But Alan wasn’t paying any attention. He was off again across the tarmac — over ramps, up and down, round and round, doing spins, turns and flips, showing off his skills.

  He skidded to a graceful halt next to Clyde. ‘And he’s still got it!’ he announced, in a cocky tone.

  ‘But you’re old,’ mocked Clyde.

  ‘Gotta get pictures of this,’ mused Maria, reaching into her bag and pulling out her camera. ‘Come on, smile everyone! One… two… three… cheese!’

  Sarah Jane, Luke, Clyde and Alan bunched together, arms around one another, beaming proudly into the lens, as Maria snapped off shot after shot, checking her handiwork every so often on the display.

  Then her dad took over so that she could be in some of the photographs too. She grinned at the camera, happy to be surrounded by her best mates.

  ‘Let’s get one of you on your own, Sarah Jane,’ said Maria, after she felt they’d taken enough of the gang.

  She ushered her friend to the left, so that the background of the grey and charcoal skate park was replaced with the greens, reds and golds of Ealing Place Park.

  ‘One… two…’ Maria lined up a shot of Sarah Jane, placing her in the centre of the frame. But as she stared at the image on the display, the smile suddenly disappeared from her friend’s face and she shivered all over. ‘What’s up?’ asked Maria, glancing up.

  ‘Someone just walked over my grave,’ said Sarah Jane, and she pulled her cardigan tightly round her. Then she shrugged and smiled once again, but it wasn’t as bright a beam this time. ‘Come on, quick, take the picture.’

  ‘Smile!’ Maria pressed the button.

  ‘Right, let’s go home.’ Sarah Jane marched off.

  Maria put her camera away in her bag and followed her. She couldn’t help feeling that the afternoon had ended on a low note, but she wasn’t sure why…

  In the distance, and half concealed by a leafy sycamore tree, stood a lone figure. But it wasn’t a passer-by enjoying a sunny Friday afternoon in the park. This was a tall, sinister shape swathed from head to toe in a hooded, black cloak, with its face completely hidden from view.

  And no one saw it. Not even the birds in the trees.

  Chapter Two

  The silver box

  ‘So why did you give it up?’ asked Clyde as he, Luke, Maria, Sarah Jane and Alan turned the corner into Bannerman Road.

  ‘You can’t make a living out of a skateboard,’ replied Alan.

  ‘That’s what Mum said,’ Maria pointed out. ‘Yeah, well, now she’s gone maybe I’ll get my board down from the attic.’

  ‘Please say you’re joking!’

  Alan put his hands on his hips in protest. ‘I’m good. Why can’t I?’

  ‘Even if you are good, Mr Jackson,’ said Clyde, ‘you’re still too old for a skateboard.’ And he let his own board fall to the ground, and he sped off down the road. ‘See ya!’ he called back, as his silhouette became part of the view

  ‘Bend your knees!’ Alan yelled after him. Then he turned to his daughter. ‘Let’s get some tea on.’

  ‘I’ll just be a minute,’ chirped Maria, in her most convincing voice. ‘Luke borrowed a textbook and I need it back.’

  ‘I dunno…’ sighed her dad, shaking his head. ‘What goes on over there?’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Maria jumped to her defence a little too quickly. Maybe he’d guessed. ‘Nothing goes on over there.’

  ‘I reckon you’re having secret parties without me.’ Alan chuckled to himself and turned in the direction of number thirty-six.

  Maria sighed with relief. He hadn’t guessed.

  The attic of number thirteen Bannerman Road was a place Maria loved to be. It was full of such fascinating objects, things that would have baffled even the brainiest scientists. She grinned to herself as she looked around.

  ‘Mr Smith, I need you,’ called Sarah Jane as she, Luke and Maria faced what, to any normal person, was just a brick chimney breast. But at Sarah Jane’s command, the walls began to open up with great puffs of steam, and from inside emerged a supercomputer, with lights flashing, a bank of futuristic controls and a hi-tech screen.

  ‘Hello, Sarah Jane,’ said the computer, in his serious tone.

  ‘Report the position of Meteor K67, please.’

  Maria frowned — a meteor? Sarah Jane hadn’t mentioned anything about a meteor. What was going on? She didn’t like being left out of anything her friend was up to.

  Charts, figures and calculations flashed across Mr Smith’s display. They went past so quickly that it was almost impossible for Maria to make them out. And even if she could have seen them, they wouldn’t have made much sense
to her.

  ‘Meteor K67 ascension of twenty hours, thirteen minutes and forty-two seconds. Declination of minus twenty-two degrees. V magnitude brightening from eleven to three point three with a sky motion of eleven point three degrees.’

  ‘It’s heading straight for Earth,’ explained Luke, turning to Maria. ‘And the authorities can’t see it because it’s coming right through a radar blind spot.’

  Maria stared at Luke. ‘Of course, why didn’t I realise that?’ she said, sarcastically. Why had no one mentioned this to her before? There was a meteor hurtling towards Earth!

  ‘If it hits us — bang!’ warned Sarah Jane. ‘End of the world.’

  ‘You’re being a bit calm,’ said Maria, baffled as to why they weren’t rushing about making plans to stop it.

  ‘Oh, there’s no need to worry. When it’s in range Mr Smith will create a magnetic pulse and bounce the meteor back out into space. All in a day’s work.’

  ‘You’re going to save the world and no one will even know about it?’

  ‘I like it better that way,’ replied Sarah Jane.

  Maria was amazed by her friend’s modesty. Some people did the tiniest, most insignificant things and yet boasted about them in the loudest voices. Sarah Jane was the opposite. Without her it was the end for Earth, but she just took it in her stride and never told anyone. As she said, it was all in a day’s work for her.

  ‘How long do we have, Mr Smith?’ enquired Luke.

  ‘The meteor will be in range of the magnetic pulse at 2.45pm tomorrow.’ The computer’s lights flashed as he spoke. ‘All systems are prepared.’

  ‘You see?’ Luke smiled reassuringly at Maria. ‘No worries.’

  ‘I know, but I can’t help thinking, if it wasn’t for Sarah Jane, we’d all be dead!’

  ‘Tell you what, Luke, go put the kettle on. I’m parched.’ Sarah Jane smiled at her son. ‘Be down in a sec.’

  ‘Sure,’ said Luke. ‘See you later, Maria.’ He left the attic and closed the door behind him.

  ‘Just wanted a word in private,’ said Sarah Jane, and she walked over to a set of shelves in the corner of the room lined with books and odd-looking objects.