Well, here it is, my favourite chapter so far. Do you do dedications here on I don't know. Anyway, I'd like to dedicate this chapter top Mazza, aka. Xxdoctorwho28fanxX, for sticking by me, even when I wan't on this site, and for being my first ever review. Thank you. Right, the chapter. Please enjoy:

CHAPTER 5

On the motorway to Westminister, Rose was just beginning to get over the travel-sickness. This was worse than being in the Tardis, she thought. She couldn't think how Harold had gotten his driving liscence - he was the worst driver she had ever seen. Skidding through the streets with squealing brakes, flat tyres with no tread, and a horn that had got stuck halfway down the M5, they weren't exactly camouflaged. You could've heard them coming a mile off. Well, they had lost the element of surprise, but maybe the alien horde would be deafened by the time they arrived. Rose's ears were beginning to feel numb. Things, could be worse, she thought. At least I'm not in as bad a state as Mum.

Jackie was in a sorry state. With only two seats in the truck, Rose needed to be in the front to occasionally grab the wheel from Harold when danger loomed and point him in roughly the right direction, using an A to Z they found in the glove compartment that had half the pages missing. They had had no other option but to tie Jackie firmly to the back of the truck, where the furniture was usually kept. Unfortunately, however, the rope had snapped, and so the thuds and screams as they swerved tight corners left them in no doubt as to Jackie's opinion of this ride. They could literally hear her sliding from one end of the long storage cart to the other, attracting a great deal of attention from the few people on the street who clearly thought they were mad.

Harold was now zooming through the streets of Westminister, past all the posh London shops and cafes, and hurrying towards the looming Houses of Parliament. Rose could see it's outline not far off in the distance, and the mushroom-clouds looming above it - but then...

"Oh - " Here followed a rally of expletives from Harold, who couldn't believe Rose had read the map wrong. "Rose - we're on the wrong side of the Thames!"

"What?" Rose craned her neck, and saw it was true. A large expanse of water seperated them from the alien horde, who were looking more menacing by the minute. "But - but - we can't be!"

"We are. YOU must have read the map wrong."

Rose decided not to argue with Harold. Now, she told hersself firmly, was not the time.

"Where's London Bridge?"

Harold consulted the map. "A few miles downstream."

Rose squinted across the river. The aliens had managed to take the entire building hostage, and were pointing huge fearsome weapons at politician's throats. It didn't look good.

"We don't have time to get there! We've gotta do something now!"

Harold suddenly ran off, ignoring Rose's questioning yell. He had had an idea. A motorboat was lying a few miles downstream. It was one of the tourist boats that chugged happily up and down the river, but now it was, unsuprisingly, deserted. He doubted anyone would care if he stole it. After all, no-one had pulled him up for his terrible driving earlier. He made up his mind, and got into the boat. He cautiously started the engines, and the boat revved off at high speed towards Jackie and Rose.

Rose had helped Jackie to get out of the truck, and then to stand up. She was now leaning against Rose, glaring at the truck and looking very pale. Suddenly, they were all drenched in a torrent of muddy water. Shaking her head like a dog, Rose looked up and saw Harold sitting in the pilot seat of a small tourist boat. He beamed at her.

"Alright, come on now, get in you two. Don't have much time and all that..."

Rose ran up to him and hugged him hard. "Harold, that's amazing! Let's go!"

She bundled Jackie in and jumped aboard. With a furious roar, the motorboat kicked into gear and the three shot off across the river. Within 30 seconds, Rose had changed her mind. There was something worse than Harold driving a truck. Harold driving a boat. As he was frequently yelling incoherently about steering, she was guessing he'd never driven one in his life, it was going at 90 miles an hour, and Rose turned her had in time to see Jackie being violently sick over the side. Rose looked over at the Houses of Parliament and was amazed to see that the aliens had actually halted their seizing of the Houses of Parliament and were staring open-mouthed at the spectacle they were creating on the river.

The boat zig-zagged dizzyingly from side to side and within minutes it became clear that Harold was loosing control. As the boat's speed increased further, they had almost reached the other side when Harold panicked.

"The steering's gone!" he yelled.

Rose snorted. She doubted if there had ever been any steering. However, all thoughts of amusement were banished when she found they were heading staright for a large statue erected on the water. Harold let go of the handles.

"JUMP!" he screamed as the boat crashed into the statue.

Rose managed to dive free just in time, and took in a deep breath as the water engulfed her. She could hear Jackie screaming that she couldn't swim, and the stupid motorboat. With an exasperated sigh, she struck out for the shore, ready to meet her adversaries.

Making it to the other side, Rose clambered onto the bank, wet through and exhausted. She stood up shakily and shook the water out of her hair. She stood up as tall as she possibly could, and intoned, "I represent Planet Earth, and - "

Suddenly, she noticed the absoloute silence all around her. The hostages, the politicians, the aliens - they were all staring at her in absoloute shock.

"What? It's very rude to stare, you know!"

The aliens all stared at her for several seconds before bursting simultaneously into laughter. Rose tried to look affronted, when she actually felt frankly terrified. It wasn't easy.

"What's funny?"

One of the aliens suddenly pointed to the crown of his mushroom-shaped head. In confusion, Rose reached up to the top of her head, and pulled out - a frog. She had a frog on her head. Emerald green and ribbiting at her.

Great, thought Rose. Try to make an impression on an alien invasion force, and what do you get? A frog on your head. Typical. She had been jolted across London in a haulage truck, across the river in a motorboat, and had just made it to the middle of London - and the alien threat she was supposed to intimidate... was laughing at her.

I'd like to make my customary plea for reviews here - I know loads of you have viewed my story - thank you all very much. But if any of you drop just a couple of words, it'd make my day. You have the power to make me smile. I don't care how short it is. Thank you.