***
Tom and Stella spent the rest of the day cleaning the laboratory. Apparently, the electric charge that had caused the hair balls to start whizzing around the room had also caused them to replicate. Each one would grow bigger until splitting in two, so by that afternoon there were hundreds of the little creatures flying around and covering the room in a green fizzing goo. One of the hazards in cleaning them away was that they would zoom out of the air, trying to hit Stella and Tom in the face. So they each took turns in hitting the balls into a wastepaper bin with a tennis racket, whilst Wendell shouted instructions from the ceiling.
Stella had expected the day to drag as she brooded over her parents, but was surprised when Gladys called them down for dinner. The smell of freshly baked pie wafted from the Mechomator. Hungry after all the exertion, Tom and Stella wolfed the food down quickly, whilst Wendell bobbed around them, pestering for a taste. Gladys then sent them off to bed, after trying to reassure Stella that Doctor Dodds would return to the house tomorrow. Stifling a yawn, Stella reluctantly trudged off to bed.
That night, she slept fitfully. She kept having dreams of giant bees and swarms of the jellied dog toys. The Greddylick was in her nightmare, too. Lurking just outside the window, its sniffing fingers scrabbled against the pane of glass. It was this sound that woke her up, but it took her a while to realise that it wasn’t the Greddylick. Somebody was knocking at the bedroom door. Helix opened a sleepy eye at the foot of her bed and started to growl.
“Stella, it’s me.” She heard the muffled voice of Tom behind the door. “Let me in.”
Opening the door, she saw Tom crouched on the landing with Wendell behind him.
“What are you doing awake?” she whispered. For some reason she didn’t want Doctor Nostromus to know she was up and about.
“It’s Dodds. He’s back.”
Stella’s heart leapt. “How do you know?” she asked.
“Wendell told me.”
Wendell bobbed up and down in agreement. “I heard him come in.”
“Why didn’t you wake me up first?” she asked him. “He’s my uncle.”
“I couldn’t squeeze through your door,” Wendell said apologetically. “I’d pop if I tried to fit through that keyhole.”
“My room has an old fireplace in it. He came through the chimney,” Tom explained.
“I shouldn’t really have woken any of you up,” Wendell said, “but they never tell me anything.”
“They?” Stella asked.
“Yeah, Doctor Dodds went into Professor Botwing’s study with Doctor Nostromus.”
Stella felt a shiver of dread course through her. Whatever they were talking about, it was bound to be about her, and she wasn’t sure she wanted Doctor Nostromus involved.
“Is there any way we can get into Botwing’s study without being seen?” Stella asked Wendell. “If it’s about me, I want to know what they’re saying.”
Wendell went a sickly green tinge in the darkness. “I don’t want to go in there,” he quailed.
“Come on, Wendell. You don’t have to, just tell me how to get there,” she said adamantly.
“We’re sticking together, Stella. I want to find out too. And so do you, don’t you, Wendell?” Tom said.
Wendell nodded, but turned a brighter tinge of green. Stella was about to argue, but noted the stubborn look in Tom’s eyes.
“I know one way,” Wendell said, “but we’re bound to get caught!”
“Great! Wait a moment, I’ll just get changed,” Stella said.
Whilst she put on her jeans and jumper over her pyjamas, Stella explained to Helix what she was doing. With a great deal of whining, he persuaded her to let him come along.
“All right, then, you can be lookout,” she told him.
Stella and Tom crept along the landing to the kitchen, with Helix behind them, whimpering slightly, and Wendell hovering nervously above them. It was dark in the room, and the cupboards stretched long shadows across the polished chequered floor. Wendell bobbed over to a small cupboard.
“This opens to a small lift that you can pull up to Botwing’s study,” he said. “It’s normally used to carry food and stuff.”
Stella slid the doors apart to reveal a cramped gloomy space. There was a thick rope at the side that could be used to pull up the hatch.
“Are you sure we can all fit in?” Tom asked.
“Yes, it’s nice and snug. I often like to hover in there, just to relax.”
Tom and Stella stared into the gloomy hole. It wasn’t where either of them would choose to spend any time.
“I don’t think it’ll carry two people. Maybe you should stay down here, Tom, and help pull the rope from the kitchen.”
“No way. I want to hear what Doctor Dodds says too.”
“It’s none of your business, Tom. If you really wanted to help–” Stella was cut off by the sound of wheels squeaking outside.
“Somebody’s coming. No time to argue, we’ve got to hide,” Tom whispered and started to climb into the cupboard.
“Helix, hide under the table. Nobody will notice you there if you’re quiet,” Stella whispered.
The dog was trying to crawl into the cupboard with them, but there wasn’t enough room, so he reluctantly slunk under the table.
Stella grabbed Wendell’s string and pulled him in before sliding the hatch closed, careful to leave it open a crack so they could look through. She was just in time to see the Mechomator sidle into the kitchen.
It squeaked in very slowly, with its periscope scanning the kitchen. It looked as if it was trying not to be noticed as well. Stella held her breath as it cautiously trundled past her. It seemed to hear a noise and stopped just outside the hatch. Stella spent an agonising few seconds holding her breath and hoping that the others would keep as silent. Eventually reassured, the skittish machine went to the sink, and one of its mechanical arms stretched out to grab hold of the cleaning sponge on the draining board. It gave a metallic croon of delight whilst swiftly hiding the sponge in one of its drawers and trundled off.
“I told you he did that,” Wendell whispered. “Gladys is going to be fuming.”
Stella was anxious to pull the lift up before there were any more interruptions, so with a quick wave to Helix, telling him to stay where he was, she and Tom started to pull at the rope. Even with both of them pulling the lift upwards, it was very heavy going. The pulley gave a high-pitched screech with each heave of the rope. Stella was sure they would be discovered. However, she soon could pick out muffled voices above her.
“We have to get closer,” she whispered. “I can’t make out what they’re saying.”
Stella and Tom slowly inched the tray up until they could see a thin sliver of light through the door.
Stella took a risk and slid the door open a fraction, so she could see outside. The angle wasn’t very good, but she could make out the tail feathers of Doctor Botwing on his perch. She could also make out her great uncle sitting in an armchair, looking tired and troubled.
“…which is exactly why I can’t agree to this foolishness.” Stella recognised the sneering voice of Doctor Nostromus. “Have you forgotten the threat that these creatures pose? It’s been over a hundred years and there are still whole planets that bear the scars of the last Greddylick swarm.”
“This is only one creature, Caroline,” Dodds replied.
“Only one! As if that is not enough. If there is one, you can believe others will follow.”
“It is because of this that we must stop it now.”
“Then leave the girl here.”
“She carries Parhelian’s star.”
“But cannot use it. If she goes, you may as well hand it over to the Greddylick right now.”
“I agree with Doctor Nostromus, Wilberforce,” the voice of Professor Botwing interjected. “Surely Stella is safer here. Oh yes, definitely safer.”
“The stakes are already too high,” Dodds replied. “It is clear to me now that this w
asn’t just an opportunistic attack. The Greddylick’s primary goal was to capture the star.”
“You know, don’t you? You know what it wants?” Nostromus said accusingly.
“If I knew, I’d already have acted,” Dodds said gravely.
“You suspect, then?”
“Suspicions, conjecture. Nothing useful. The only thing I am sure of is the danger we all face if we don’t act swiftly. The Greddylick must be forced into the open.”
“How are we to tell the child. Oh my dear, what to say?” Botwing asked.
“I don’t think you have to worry about that, Botwing. She and that little friend of hers have been listening for the last five minutes,” Nostromus proclaimed.
Before Stella could react, the hatchway abruptly slid open, and she found herself peering into the strange, dark goggles of Doctor Nostromus.
“Stella? Tom? You may as well come out. It can’t have been too comfortable in there. You too, Wendell,” Dodds said.
Stella and Tom crawled out of the hatchway, whilst Wendell quivered by the entrance.
Stella stared up at her uncle. Her mouth seemed as if it would burst with questions, but her tongue was tied, as her questions all tried to come out at the same time. Dodds seemed to understand her predicament.
“Stella, I’m sorry it took so long, but I’ve got some new information, and you have a decision to make. First things first, though, let’s use that thing you were hiding in for what it was made for. I could do with some tea and something to eat.”
Dodds lowered the tray down, whilst Botwing called for the Mechomator to get some refreshments. After a small interval, the hatch appeared again bearing a teapot with pink smoke billowing from its spout, a tray of interesting-coloured sandwiches and Helix, who seemed to be enjoying the ride.
“Doesn’t anybody use a door these days?” Botwing muttered.
Once Dodds saw that they had all settled, apart from Doctor Nostromus, who was pacing the room, he began to speak.
“As soon as I brought you two here, I had to rush off and find out how the Greddylick had tracked you down.”
“Without saying goodbye or anything?” Stella said, unable to keep a tinge of bitterness out of her voice.
“Yes, I’m sorry. You have questions, I understand that. I’d think you a bit strange if you didn’t, but the answers would have taken too much time. I didn’t know whether the Greddylick was still on the planet, but I needed to track down how it got here and seal the breach.”
“You mean that you managed to follow everywhere the Greddylick has been?” Tom asked.
“Not everywhere, but enough to know how it got here at least.”
“We had to find out how it got onto Earth,” Botwing said. “You see, there are powerful defences guarding this planet against any unwanted visitors. Otherwise, we’d have any passing galactic explorer roaming the streets, causing untold havoc, oh yes!”
“Defenses? What kind of defences?” Stella asked.
“The planet Earth is in a designated conservation zone. Any off-world visitor would need special permissions from the Galactic Quorum,” Dodds answered.
Doctor Nostromus gave a grunt of derision. “Bunch of incompetent busybodies.”
“However, there are those who manage to slip through the net from time to time,” Dodds continued.
“Smugglers, oh my, yes, they sometimes get through,” Botwing said.
“Which one was it?” Nostromus asked. “I keep telling you, you’re too lenient on them, Wilberforce. One of them was bound to cross the line sooner or later.”
“It was Slimeface,” Dodds admitted. “One of the more unsavoury smugglers of our acquaintance.”
“Slimeface! I should have guessed. Once I get hold of him, I’ll make him wish he’d never been spawned,” Nostromus snarled.
“I wouldn’t be too sure that even you’re quick enough for that, Caroline. When I eventually caught up with him, he was hiding in one of his old haunts and quite anxious to get as many light years from here as possible. It seems he’d narrowly avoided having his mind squeezed.”
“Serves the fool right for trusting a Greddylick.”
“Even Slimeface has enough sense to avoid anything like a Greddylick. He’d taken up a job from someone in the Pilades Cluster. Someone called Vanga-Tron, who hired him to deliver a crate to Earth. This Vanga-Tron paid him a million Cosmo-dollars extra not to ask too many questions.”
“You mean he didn’t even check what he was carrying? A little careless for Slimeface.”
“I’m sure he tried to open it, but couldn’t. He denied it, of course, but I think he attempted to dump the crate when he got into the atmosphere. So he could say to this Vanga-Tron that it was delivered, but if it was something dangerous, it would burn up in the atmosphere and any remains couldn’t be tracked back to him.”
“A double cross,” Nostromus said. “That wouldn’t go down well with other prospective employers, if they found out Slimeface had gone back on a deal.”
“Whatever happened, he got the shock of his life when the Greddylick popped out of the crate and tried to wipe his brain. We should be grateful for Slimeface’s devious nature. A less unscrupulous smuggler would have landed on the planet first and wouldn’t have been able to fly clear of the danger. They surely would have had their minds squeezed, or worse. Then the trail would have gone cold, and we wouldn’t even know the name of this Vanga-Tron.”
“So you think this Vanga-Tron is helping the Greddylick?” Stella asked.
“I doubt that they would be helping by their own choice. Remember this, Stella, the Greddylick’s method is to force people to do things through violence or fear. They don’t understand feelings like friendship or trust. It is important you know the nature of this creature. I do not want you to be frightened, merely have some idea what we all face. Over a century ago, a swarm of Greddylick, hundreds of thousands of them, tore across the galaxy, destroying whole planets. Their goal is only to feed and destroy anything they see as a threat. If a swarm of them ever reached Earth, it would only take days for them to raze it to ashes, consuming what they want and then moving to the next world to do the same. It has always been a mystery as to what happened to the last swarm. With the exception of the worlds that hold great numbers of Pyxian bats, all other planets were helpless against the destruction unleashed by the swarm. But the Greddylick disappeared suddenly, without a trace, and have not been seen since. Some thought that they moved away from this galaxy to find richer worlds to plunder. Others say that they became extinct, that they started fighting amongst themselves, as is their nature when they don’t have enough to feed on.”
“Idiots!” Nostromus sniffed. “Blinded by their own wishful thinking.”
“Whatever the reason, we know that one has returned, and it wants the power held in your pendant.”
It took all of Stella’s will not to tear off her necklace and throw it as far away as possible. She hadn’t asked for this, she just wanted to get rid of it and be at home with her parents. She pulled the chain from around her neck and held the star in her hand.
“If it wants this so much, couldn’t we just hide it?”
“Hide it? Why? Far better to use it, surely?” Doctor Nostromus challenged.
She snatched the pendant out of Stella’s hand. There was a flash of light, and Nostromus gave a cry. The star fell to the floor, where it glittered dangerously. Stella rushed to pick it up, but Doctor Nostromus held her back in an icy grip, frost started to form on her sleeve where Nostromus was holding.
“Listen to your uncle,” Nostromus hissed. “The Greddylick wants the power held in your pendant. But only you can use it. It knows this. After your little adventure in the alley, it knows it cannot even touch it. The Greddylick is no longer just searching for Parhelian’s flame, but the one who holds it. Why else take your parents’ memories if not to lure you into a trap.”
She eased her grip from Stella’s arm, and Stella pulled away.
“You,
boy. Pick up the pendant,” Nostromus ordered, pointing at Tom.
“Me? No way.”
“You can’t resist your dramatics, can you, Caroline?” Dodds said.
“Sometimes it’s the only way to get a point across,” she said.
Dodds shrugged in reply and said, “It’s all right, Tom. It won’t burn you. It’s quite safe for you to touch.”
Tentatively reaching out with his hand, Tom bent over to pick up the star. Grimacing, he expected to be burnt, but surprise dawned on his face as he gripped the star. “It’s not even warm,” he said in wonder.
Stella reached out and snatched her pendant back. She didn’t like the thought of anyone holding it but her.
“It seems only to react when somebody other than Stella tries to use it,” Dodds stated. “As Doctor Nostromus has most ably demonstrated. To those who don’t intend to channel its power, it is quite harmless. After all, I had it for years.”
“I just want to get my parents back,” Stella said, fighting back tears. “I haven’t heard anybody say how we’re going to do that.”
“Doctor Nostromus and Professor Botwing disagree with what I advise, although no doubt for different reasons.” Dodds stared meaningfully at Nostromus, who ignored him. “They think you and the pendant should stay here, under whatever protection the Society can provide, whilst we try and find a way to track down the Greddylick. I have always believed that it is always better to be the hunter rather than the hunted. I think that the best chance we have is to follow our leads to the Pilades Cluster and try to capture the Greddylick.”
Helix started to growl, obviously not liking what he was hearing.
“A dangerous route, I know, old friend,” Dodds said to him, “but no less dangerous than waiting for the Greddylick to grow even stronger. You know we cannot protect her here forever. The decision, though, is up to you, Stella.”
Stella didn’t have to think about it very hard. The thought of sitting and waiting in the Greenwich Interplanetary Society, frightened that any tap at the window could be the Greddylick, made her want to scream out loud.
“I’m coming with you. I’ve got to help get my parents’ memories back,” she said.
“So am I,” Tom said.
“I could stay here,” Wendell said.
“The bait without a sting will surely be eaten. More than your safety rests in you learning how to use that star of yours, little girl,” Nostromus said to Stella, but her shielded eyes made her emotions unreadable. “They call it Parhelian’s flame. A curious name, don’t you think? Remember this, child, the flame that burns from within is the one that gives off the most heat.”
With that cryptic declaration, Nostromus turned on her heel and stalked away with a swirl of her cloak.
“I expect you wish me to wake up the Earth guardians, Wilberforce?” she drawled behind her.
“If you would, Caroline. That should be protection enough to ensure that the Greddylick doesn’t come back to this planet.”
“I’m not surprised that you want to be off-world when they wake up. Once they hear what you’ve done, they’ll be furious with you,” she retorted as she left the room.
“She does love her dramatic exits.” Dodds chuckled. He clapped his hands and turned to Botwing. “Botrus, we’re going to need as much information as we can get. Could you and Gladys get in touch with our associates and try and find out as much as you can about the Greddylick?”
“Oh my! You want us to solve a riddle that has baffled scholars for decades?” Botwing asked.
“I know you like a challenge, Botrus.”
“Hmm,” Botwing grumbled. “Nostromus was right. This is too reckless, too reckless indeed. I’ll try first where the Greddylick swarm was last seen. The Goliath sector. Our contact there would be young Fredrick. I’ll have to wake him up. What with the time delay, it would be October there…” he muttered, fluttering over to select some heavy books from his bookshelves.
“The rest of you, get your things and make your way up to the attic.” Dodds pulled the curious handless clock out of his jacket and peered out of the skylight into the night sky. “We don’t have much time if we want to catch the lunar tide. We launch for Pilades Cluster within the hour!”
***