Chapter 2: Friday
On Friday afternoon, the Scintillions invaded. No one could actually tell at first, because they looked for all the world like an unseasonable weather pattern. Four hundred million three-inch snowflakes stormed Downing Street and had the President cornered when Rose, Jake, and Mickey burst into the room with flame throwers demanding a parlay with their leader.
The translator and conference was set up on Mickey's laptop and the President tried to secure a list of demands from the leader. It went to hell in a bucket immediately when they started a shouting fest across the screen at each other.
Rose stepped in at last when they'd resorted to literal name-calling, trying not to laugh at the idea of a major world leader arguing politics with an oversized snowball. "By the authority vested in me" (she'd made that up) "I order you to leave this solar system immediately and not return."
"And who are you, pink and yellow thing?"
That hurt. She squared her shoulders and stared into the camera, letting her eyes show how angry she was, as she'd seen the Doctor do a thousand times or more. "I am Rose Tyler, Defender of the Earth." She'd just thrown that in. The Doctor had used it, and it sounded good, so why not?
The snowball started to look quite fuzzy on the edges. "We had no idea such an arrangement had been issued. Our apologies, Rose Tyler." And the snow flakes had all disappeared in a vivid blue light.
"They're leaving the system," said Jake, who was tracking them on the other computer. "Past Marsian orbit now. Past Jupiter. Bugger, they can move, can't they?"
"Seriously," said Mickey in awe.
"Past Pluto, and… gone. They've crossed the Oort cloud, they've headed back into deep space. What the hell was that?"
"Scintillions," Rose replied, abruptly morose. She really did look all pink and yellow to aliens. Just what she needed to know at a time like this.
"No," said Jake as Mickey tried to kick his ankle, "I meant the other bit. Ow!"
Mickey got him finally and shook his head firmly. They went back to work and nothing more was said.
On Friday night, Rose got drunk and passed out in her bed, dreaming of Time Lords and TARDISes and a golden light that sang her lullabies.