Apocalypse Rising (Book Two)

Fear Her

The Apocalypse finished putting in the coordinates for their next destination, and she smiled as she watched Rose come in, pulling her short hair back in a ponytail. Sure, the only thing they didn't match in appearances was hair length, eyes, and accents, but anything else, they'd be dead ringers for each other. No one would find her complaining any time soon.

She parked the TARDIS and headed for the doors, opening them - and nearly running into the cargo container the doors were facing. She blinked rapidly. "Ah," she said weakly, nodding and heading back to the console. Rose giggled, and the Apocalypse gave her a mock glare before turning the TARDIS around. She checked the doors again and brightened when she was able to get out. "Ah!" she said happily, letting Rose out past her.

Rose rolled her eyes with a smile as she examined a poster nearby. "So, near future, yeah?" she asked.

"I had a passing fancy," the Apocalypse nodded, leading her down the street. "Only it didn't pass. It stopped." She held out her arms, showing the banner hung over the street announcing - "Thirtieth Olympiad!"

"No way!" Rose gasped, making the Apocalypse laugh. "Why didn't I think of this? That's great!"

"Only seems like yesterday a few naked Greek blokes were tossing a discus about, wrestling each other in the sand with crowds standing around baying." She paused. "No. Wait a minute." She winked. "That was Club Med." Rose grinned as they kept walking. "Just in time for the opening doo dah, ceremony, tonight. I thought you'd like that. Last one they had in London was dynamite! Wembley, 1948. I loved it so much, I went back and watched it all over again. Fella carrying the torch. Lovely chap, what was his name?" She snapped her fingers as Rose wandered off a little. "Mark? John? Mark? Legs like pipe cleaners, but strong as a whippet. Still, prefer the Doctor," she mused.

"Caly," Rose said from nearby.

"And in those days, everybody had a tea party to go to - "

"Caly!"

"Did you ever have one of those little cakes with the crunchy ball bearings on top?"

"You should really look at this."

The Apocalypse turned and wandered over. "Do you know those things? Nobody else in this entire galaxy's ever bothered to make edible ball bearings. Genius!" She stopped short when she saw the posters saying there were kids missing. "Ooo . . . what's taking them, do you think?" she asked. "Snatching children from an ordinary street like this." She shivered. "Why's it so cold? Is someone reducing the temperature?"

"It says they all went missing this week," Rose added, her face falling. "Why would a person do something like this?"

"What makes you think it's a person?"

Rose watched as a woman quickly deposited her rubbish on the corner before she went right back inside. "Whatever it is, it's got the whole street scared to death." She turned, seeing the Apocalypse go off. "Caly, what - ?" She huffed, then turned to see a minivan cut out in the middle of the street. She frowned as the driver and one of the road pavers started to push it, then she ran over. "Do you want a hand?" she asked.

"No, we're all right, love," the road paver answered.

"You're not," Rose shook her head. "I'm tougher than I look, honest." She joined in on the pushing, and suddenly, the car started up again. The driver hopped inside and took off. "Does this happen a lot?" she asked.

"Been doing it all week," the road paver nodded, the tag on his shirt saying his name was Kel.

"Since those children started going missing?"

Kel nodded. "Yeah, I suppose so. Every car cuts out. The council are going nuts. I mean, they've given this street the works. Renamed it. I've been tarmacking every pot hole." He gestured. "Look at that! Beauty, innit? Yeah! And all that is because that Olympic Torch comes right by the end of this Close, just down there. Everything's got to be perfect, ain't it? Only it ain't."