Apocalypse Rising (Book One)

Boom Town

Mickey Smith got off of the train in Cardiff, Wales, and he headed up to Roald Dahl Plass. He caught sight of a familiar blue police public call box stationed in front of a water tower, and smiling, he walked up to it, raising his hand and knocking on the door.

His smile faded instantly when a rather good-looking black haired man in a light blue T-shirt opened the door, blocking him from entering, and the man raised an eyebrow. "Who the hell are you?" he asked.

Mickey blinked, taken aback. "Who the hell am I?" he repeated. "Who the hell are you?!"

"Captain Jack Harkness," he replied. "Whatever you're selling, we're not buying, and I've got two lovely ladies to protect in here, so if you don't mind . . . "

"CAPTAIN!" a two familiar voices shouted, and Jack started laughing.

"Get out of my way!" Mickey snarled, shoving past him to get inside of the TARDIS.

"Oh, don't tell me!" Jack choked out through his laughter. "This must be Mickey!"

"Here comes trouble!" the Apocalypse called from where she was on top of a ladder on the wall, fixing something. She smirked down at him, giving a small wave. "How're you doing, Ricky boy?"

"It's Mickey!" Mickey snapped at her.

"Oh, don't listen to her," Rose laughed, coming around the TARDIS console. "She's winding you up!"

Mickey smiled at Rose. "You look fantastic!" he told her, giving her a hug. She hugged him back, but he noted that it wasn't as tight as it had been before. He narrowed his eyes slightly. Was she with that Captain Jack Harkness, now?

"Aww, sweet," Jack cooed. "Look at these two!" He looked up at the Apocalypse. "How come I never get any of that?"

"Buy me a drink first," the Apocalypse recommended.

He huffed. "You're such hard work," he complained.

"But so worth it," she retorted with a wink.

"Did you manage to find it?" Rose asked.

Mickey nodded, digging in his coat pocket and pulling out her passport. "There you go," he told her, handing it over.

Rose took it with a smile. "I can go anywhere now," she told the Apocalypse.

"I've told you, you don't need a passport!" the Apocalypse told her.

"It's all very well going to Platform One and Justicia and the Glass Pyramid of San Kaloon, but what if we end up in Brazil? I might need it." She grinned her tongue in teeth grin. "You see, I'm prepared for anything."

"And no doubt some information needs updating now, eh?" Jack asked with a wink at the Apocalypse. She merely threw what seemed like a screw at him, and he dodged it easily.

Mickey looked around between the three of them, feeling like he was left out. "Sounds like you're staying, then," he said sadly.

The reaction was immediate. Rose's face froze, and the Apocalypse stopped what she was doing, looking over her shoulder to glare at Mickey, and even Jack stopped what he was doing to consider the black man.

Mickey quickly schooled his expression to mask his disappointment over that fact. "So what're you doing in Cardiff? And who the hell's Jumping Jack Flash? I mean, I don't mind you hanging out with Little Miss Space Girl up there - "

"OI!" the Apocalypse shouted at him, glaring at him as Rose stifled a giggle behind her hand.

"Look in the mirror," he snapped at her, having minor satisfaction at seeing her flinch. Served her right for taking Rose away from her family, where she belonged. "But this guy . . . I don't know. He's kind of - "