The Case of the Missing Martian MacGuffin

Previously

…With another theatrical flourish, Zorp turned and glided away down the corridor, their shimmering robes trailing behind them like a comet’s tail. The hum of the alien technology seemed to follow them, a constant reminder of the power they wielded. Mia and Marcus exchanged a look. The chase was on. The trail of toppled teacups had led them not to a humble thief, but to a flamboyant alien smuggler with a device that could bend time itself. And their adventure, it seemed, was about to get very, very complicated indeed.