The Bomb (audio story)

 was the first story in the audio anthology Graceless IV, produced by Big Finish Productions. It was written by Simon Guerrier and featured Ciara Janson as Amy and Laura Doddington as Joy.

Publisher's summary
There's a legend told in a town by the sea, about two wicked sisters who died to save the world. Now the world faces another catastrophe and there's no one to turn to for help. Which is bad news for Joy and Amy, and their grandchildren...

Plot
A new face arrives and asks an elderly lady, Joy, the whereabouts of Abby and Zara. Joy states that Abby and Zara and the sun creatures are just fairy tales. The man states that the events of the sun creatures happened 316 standard years ago. He goes on to state that if he can't get help from Abby and Zara, then people will die on his home planet of Lydar. Joy dissuades him from continuing his search and the man leaves.

In the hospital, Amy and Joy are discussing the visitor, and whether he posed a risk to them. Amy is bored of being in the hospital and is annoyed that her lack of her mortality won't allow her to heal the children. Amy persuades Joy to stop thinking about Lydar. Joy finds Pool and investigates anyway and discovers that the broken transmat system is due to something important on Lydar. She is reassured that the off-world specialists are working on it.

Back at the hospital, Amy reassures her that she does not, therefore, need to get involved. Joy goes on to tell Amy that, according to Pool, the problem is the unstable fusion reactor at the Nuclear Plant, and radiation covering a third of the planet. He had told her that it would go critical in just over a week, possibly causing a hole in space-time.

Joy recalls something she once read at The Archive and thinks that the knowledge might mean she just help, to Amy's annoyance. Back at the house, Pool is cooking for Joy. Pool states that he's acquired a transmat pass for the two of them. He goes on to state that the anomalies and fluctuations at the plant have been there for a while. He narrows it down to an impurity in the fuel. Pool explains that the Senate spoke to the sun creatures and that the creatures stated that it wasn't their fault, nor could they help.

During dinner, Joy explains to Pool that she and Amy are, in fact, Zara and Abby. Furthermore, they no longer have their powers, except for the ability to change the conversation. Joy also tells Pool that Amy is currently in hospital after falling from a tree, trying to save a cat. Joy then receives a phone call to tell her to get to the hospital. There, she is told that Amy has passed away.

At Amy's burial, Joy recalls Amy's favourite story about two young sisters. Joy and Pool then proceed to dance. Much later, back at the house, Pool fetches Joy a glass of water. Joy then calls out for Amy, and Pool's surprise Amy is very much alive and walks into the room. Amy states that if they are to stroll on into the reactor, they need her help.

At the transmat station, the three of them are finding their transport. Using her powers, Amy convinces the conductor to allow them to skip ahead of the queues. Upon arrival at Lydar, the robot guards deny Joy's request to get to the reactor. Joy refuses to listen to the robots, causing the them to react with force. Joy makes Pool run ahead of them before asking the robot to look at his files regarding the Flood. The robot identifies them both as Abby and Zara, twice saviours of their new homeworld. They convince the robot to let them help.

They are sent to General Dodyk of the Lydar Home Forces, who they attempt to force to let them help using their powers. It doesn't work and he demands more proof of their credentials. He explains to them that even the robots can't help with the reactor situation as the radiation warps their senses. Eventually, Dodyk caves in and offers to drive them their himself in an armoured robot carrier.

Their journey is stopped along the way by a dust cloud blocking their view. Dodyk notes that the temperature reading states that it is 'scalding' outside of the vehicle. They push forward, hoping to stay on the road. Upon arrival at the site, they note the bodies of those who have previously tried to help, littering the ground outside.

Together they make their way into the nuclear plant through the acid rain. They head to the core. Dodyk accesses the main computer, which tells him that the building's lockdown was activated when the reactor was breached. Joy attempts to use the universally agreed fire code to open the door, which fails. She explains that the doors are only responding to the conditions inside the reactor.

Dodyk picks up a fire axe and smashes his way through the manual override controls hatch, allowing them to open the doors. Joy recodes the controls not to convince the computer to ignore its sensory readings rather to tolerate the readings. Dodyk is starting to feel serious side-effects of the radiation, and vomits. The doors finally open. Dodyk orders them to leave him outside while they 'save everyone'.

Together, Amy and Joy enter and shut the door behind them. Joy realises that she can't remember what the books stated, but being there hasn't brought the information flooding back. Joy profusely apologises to Amy, but Amy isn't interested. Amy states that if they are to die from radiation sickness, they may as well visit the core. Joy agrees with this plan, stating the answer could lie there.

Amy notes that the door to the core is buckling. They hold hands and attempt to reach with their minds to open the door despite having lost their powers over four hundred years ago. To Amy's surprise, it works and the doors break open, leaving nuclear energy to flood out. Surprisingly, they are still in one piece.

When they come round, they both note that there is no more nuclear energy churning out. Joy notes that physics doesn't work like that, and that the energy should have just disappeared. They decide to investigate the core. They note that the core isn't even warm any more. In the control panel, everything is wrecked and useless. It's at that point, they realise their skin is gold and their eyes are shining. They ponder if they're dead.

Amy suddenly realises that they must have absorbed the radiation. Suddenly, out of nowhere, their ageing disappears and they revert back to their original look. With their powers intact, they decide the future is theirs for the taking. In the hospital, General Dodyk is approached by Pool, both of whom have had a lucky escape. Pool informs him that everyone in the hospital has been sent home. Everyone, including the terminal patients, have been cured.

Pool theorises that not only did they use up the nuclear energy to save everyone on the planet. He supposes that perhaps they also used up the last of themselves, hence why they are no longer around, and also why they didn't appear on the live feeds. Dodyk refuses to believe it. All of a sudden, Pool uses his own mind altering powers to try to convince him that Abby and Zara are gone. It works and Dodyk believes them dead. He then disappears.

Cast

 * Amy - Annie Firbank
 * Joy - Siân Phillips
 * Pool - Adam Newington
 * Dodyk - Hugh Ross
 * Abby - Ciara Janson
 * Zara - Laura Doddington

Worldbuilding

 * The planet Lydar has see-through toast.
 * Amy is in hospital after falling from a tree, trying to rescue a cat.
 * National Transmat is in charge of the transmat systems.

Story notes
to be added

Continuity

 * Amy and Joy mention Daniel (AUDIO: The Fog)
 * Pool mentions the flood Abby and Zara saved the planet from (AUDIO: The Flood)
 * Joy teases Amy about her willingness to kiss family members. (AUDIO: The Dark)
 * It has been around four hundred years since Amy and Joy gave up their powers. (AUDIO: Consequences)