Suddenly Nicola remembered the reporter at the gates of Enrico's house. Jenny Jenkins. Wasn't that the name of the person who had written the article about Katie? She was obviously prepared to stand up to Enrico. She would be perfect.
Nicola gave Shimlara a grateful look and handed the card to Topaz. 'This reporter said to call if we needed anything. I'm pretty sure she's on our side.'
'Fantastic,' said Topaz.
'What's a tix number?' asked Nicola.
Topaz looked at her with surprise. 'They haven't invented the tix on Earth yet? It's an apparatus where you talk to each other through wires.'
'Wow,' said Nicola, impressed, until Tyler said, 'Um, Nic, I think we call that the telephone on Earth.'
'Anyway, it's not relevant,' said Topaz. 'Enrico cut all the tix lines for ordinary people years ago. Only hairities can use them. But don't worry, I'll send a message through the underground chute. It's a system my supporters use that the hairities don't know about. We use a network of old marshmallow mineshafts.' She held out the palm of her hand. 'Serena?'
Serena was already handing over a scroll of paper. She was just like a nurse handing over the right instruments before the surgeon asked for them. Mmmm, thought Nicola. Now that's leadership. She could just imagine Sean's face if she held out her hand and said, 'Sean?'
Topaz scribbled something on the piece of parchment. In the meantime, Joshua was addressing a label: Attention: Jenny Jenkins, Shobble Times. When Topaz finished writing she handed the parchment to Serena. Serena rolled up the parchment and put it in the tube, which she handed to Joshua. He stuck the label on the tube and walked over to the wall of the cave, moved aside a small rock and dropped in the tube. It all happened in a matter of seconds.
'You work pretty well together,' commented Tyler.
'It's all about teamwork,' said Topaz.
'Well the problem is,' said Greta, 'Nicola doesn't play any team sports. That's why the Space Brigade doesn't have good teamwork.'
'We kind of have a rule that we never say negative things about each other,' commented Topaz.
'Oh yes, but I don't think that could work for us,' said Greta airily. 'Some of us have a lot of things to improve, don't we, Nicola?'
Nicola's hand clenched so tight around her marker it flew from her grasp.
'Anyway,' said Topaz hastily
, 'moving right along. Now what about your friend Katie? How are we going to rescue her?'
'Actually, that won't be necessary.'
Nicola spun around so fast she sent the whiteboard crashing to the ground. There was someone standing at the entrance to the cave. Someone with a big smile on her face. Someone with short shiny straight brown hair.
If Nicola could have wished for one person in the whole world to be standing in that particular spot it would have been this particular person.
'Katie?' she whispered.
And then she yelled it: 'KATIE!'
34
'It's me,' said Katie. 'It's really me.'
There was a shocked pause followed by gasps, exclamations and a clatter of chairs and feet as the Space Brigade stampeded towards the cave entrance and Katie.
'I can't believe it,' everyone kept saying as they threw their arms around Katie. 'I can't believe you're here! How did you escape? How did you get here?'
Sean hugged Katie, ruffled her hair and smacked her vigorously on the back as if he was trying to save her from choking. Then he suddenly stood back and looked at her suspiciously. 'Hey, it really is you, isn't it? You're not about to peel off your face to reveal one of Enrico's Security Thugs?'
Katie pinched her cheek. 'There's only me in here.'
But she did look different. There were shadows under her eyes and scratches on her face. Her clothes were wet and dirty. Her new short hairstyle made her neck seem longer and changed the shape of her face. Even though she was filthy and obviously exhausted, she looked somehow more confident and mature than the old Katie.
'Nic, ask her a question only the real Katie could answer,' ordered Sean.