Rising From The Ashes (Book Five of the Bad Wolf Chronicles)

The Beast Below

"My name is Amy Pond. When I was seven, I had two imaginary friends."

Amy looked around in shock as she floated in open space, the Doctor and Jessie hanging onto one of her ankles. She was . . . really in space!

"Last night was the night before my wedding."

"Come on, Pond!" the Doctor laughed, pulling her inside.

"And my imaginary friends came back."

"Now do you believe me?" the Doctor smirked.

"OK, your box is a spaceship," Amy nodded furiously. "It's really, really a spaceship! We are in space! What are we breathing?"

"The TARDIS extended the air shell," Jessie answered. "We're fine. Welcome to the 29th Century. Solar flares roast the Earth, and the entire human race packs its bags and moves out till the weather improves. Whole nations, actually." She turned and walked up to the console. "They all migrated to the stars. Isn't that amazing?" She smiled. "First adventure should be easy. This is the United Kingdom of Britain and Northern Ireland. All of it's just bolted together and floating in the sky. Starship UK. It's Britain, but metal."

"And it's not just a ship, that's an idea!" the Doctor grinned. "That's a whole country, living and laughing and shopping. Searching the stars for a new home."

"Can we go out and see?" Amy asked eagerly.

"'Course we can!" the Doctor nodded. "But first, here's a thing."

"A thing?" Amy repeated.

He nodded. "An important thing. In fact, Thing One. We are observers only. That's the one rule I've always stuck to in all my travels. I never get involved in the affairs of . . . other peoples or . . . planets . . . " He frowned. "What's so funny?"

Amy turned to see Jessie holding a hand over her mouth, red with trying not to laugh. "No, sorry, go on," she told him with a grin. "Go on about how you've never gotten involved with others. Need I bring up the Ood?"

"Shut up," the Doctor grumbled.

Her eyebrows shot up. "Excuse me?"

"Ooo, that's interesting!" the Doctor said quickly, turning a monitor around to look.

"So we're like a wildlife documentary, yeah?" Amy asked Jessie as she slipped her frock coat on. "Because if they see a wounded little cub or something, they can't just save it. They've got to keep filming and let it die. It's got to be hard. I don't think I could do that. Don't you find that hard, being all . . . like, detached and cold?"

"That doesn't look like detached and cold to me," Jessie remarked. Amy walked over to see her looking at one of the scanners, talking to a young crying girl. "And what he said?" Jessie grinned. "He's a big fat liar. Name one time he hasn't gotten involved, and I'll just let the Metacrisis burn me to death." She grinned. "Allons-y, Pond!"

Amy ran after her, but when she made it out of the TARDIS, she pressed up against it, watching people walk by. "Welcome to London Market. You are being monitored."

"I'm in the future," Amy mumbled in disbelief as the Doctor walked up to them. "Like, hundreds of years in the future. I've been dead for centuries!"

"Oh, lovely," the Doctor rolled his eyes. "You're a cheery one. Never mind dead. Look at this place! Isn't it wrong?"

"What's wrong?"

"Come on, use your eyes! Notice everything. What's wrong with this picture?"

"Is it the bicycles?" Amy asked. "Bit unusual on a spaceship, bicycles."