‘Hey, come on, rise and shine already!’ meowed the cat. ‘You don’t seriously think that you can hide under those sheets forever, do you?’

‘Ugh… I do actually… Now go away.’

‘Nope, not gonna happen. Come on, up, up, up.’

Arthur groaned and opened his eyes.

‘That’s it, a bit more… Almost there…’

‘Cat, zip it, huh? It’s way too early.’

‘Fine, but first let’s see how well you can sleep when you’re starving, now c’mon, look lively.’

‘Oh blast! I forgot to pack your biscuits, didn’t I?’

‘You did indeed! Lucky for you though, us cats are extremely versatile in these sorts of situations. So, if you could be so kind as to tot off to the kitchen and bring me back something tasty, I’d be ever so much obliged.’

‘Tasty?’ repeated Arthur, sitting up. ‘Like what?’

‘I don’t know. Like anything really. Well actually, anything except sausages.’

‘Sausages?’

‘Yep. Terrible things, sausages.’

‘Really? When have you ever been given them to eat?’

‘Well, never. But as none of you are any good at clearing away after yourselves, you’d be amazed at what I’ve tried over the years.’

Arthur grinned. It made sense when he put it that way.

‘Alright, fine, I’ll try and find you something,’ he said, dressing and heading towards the door.

‘And don’t forget to make sure it tastes good!’ the cat meowed after him.

‘Yeah, you said that already. And it shouldn’t look like a sausage—I know.’

‘Or taste like one!’

‘Morning,’ said his father, who happened to be standing right outside at the very moment he’d opened the door, making him jump. ‘What’s all this about sausages, then?’

‘Sausages? Oh, nothing,’ Arthur replied, feeling his face burning. ‘I was just, um, wondering if there’d be some for breakfast, that’s all.’

‘Were you indeed? And do you often talk to yourself about things?’

‘Me? No… Well, I don’t know, sometimes I guess…’

‘Is that a fact?’ He grinned. ‘Well, don’t tell your mother I said so, but I imagine that you get that from her.’

There were no sausages that morning. Breakfast was a much simpler choice of yoghurt, muesli and bread with cheese. Arthur, though, couldn’t bring himself to eat any of it. Constantly glancing up at the clock above the door, he was already far too nervous. Thoughts like: What if I can’t open it for some reason? What if it is all just a big waste of time? had begun to flood him with doubts. And unable to take his mind off them, he’d even ended up completely forgetting to fetch something for the cat. The cat, in turn, had threatened to start meowing at the top of his voice unless Arthur went back again and did exactly as he’d promised.

‘See, no sausages!’ said Arthur, returning and placing two bowls under his bed. ‘Now, don’t forget to hide in the pack if you hear someone coming, okay? And wish me luck! That lady’ll be here any second now.’

‘Yeah, yeah, sure, whatever,’ purred the cat, getting stuck into a bowl full of yoghurt.

Maria arrived, as she said she would, at nine o’clock on the dot, and escorted them through a series of walkways to a lab on the far side of the facility. Stuffed full of cameras and different arrays of equipment, the sense of excitement was palpable as they entered.

‘Good morning, good morning,’ said Dr Rubenstein, hurrying out of a side room to greet them. ‘And how are we all this fine morning? I trust that you both slept well. We’re just about ready for you, I think.’

‘Definitely a bit jet-lagged this morning,’ said his father, who was still nursing a large mug of coffee which he’d brought over with him.