Engine starting sound then suddenly it went into a clicking sound

I am helping a friend to run his car in his absence. This morning when starting the car, it had the usual engine starting sound then suddenly it went into a clicking sound and sounded something like "tee tee tee tee." I tried again and the same thing. I contacted my friend who said he will contact his mechanic when he is back. Neither of us know what is causing this.

The alarm works fine, the air conditioning can still function and the CD player still works fine.

Any suggestions will be most appreciated. Thanks!