This is my first attempt at a fanfic, so please review to let me know about any spelling/grammar mistakes, plot holes or character flaws.

Enjoy :)

ONE

"Welcome aboard Rexwing Vehicle 539. We will be travelling from Castantion City to Section 12 of the Hantia Metropolis. Enjoy your journey with us and please remember to stay seated throughout the flight," the woman's tinny voice crackled out of the speakers of the sky bus. Not that anyone was paying attention. It was gone midnight and the travellers on the bus consisted of: a group of young women, obviously back from a night out; an old woman, grumbling to herself, and a man with blue skin, sleeping against the window. Jolting slightly, the bus raised itself from the station and began its slow, clunky journey towards the Metropolis on the horizon.

The 539 series were probably the worst to travel by if you were looking for luxury or comfortable travel. But this was to be expected as Section 12 was pretty much ignored by the local authorities and left to its business. The crime rates were higher than any other area of the city and the inhabitants were definitely not the friendliest bunch. Max, the blue skinned man, had been burgled more times than he could care to count and was taking his chance to sleep on the bus as it was probably safer than nodding off in his own home. Even the old woman was considering sleeping for the journey home, but decided against it, not trusting the girls at the back of the bus. She was nervous around strangers and she had never seen these girls in her neighbourhood. This was probably because the girls weren't actually from Section 12 at all. They had just missed the last bus to Section 10 and had decided it would be easier to catch the 539 to Section 12 then walk the rest of the way. 'Safety in numbers' was on their side, they thought.

After about twenty minutes, the bus jolted violently, waking Max and causing a few of the girls to squeal and then giggle at each other's reactions. The old woman grabbed the chair in front of her for support and cursed as her elbow hit the window. The bus jolted again, more violently this time and one of the girls was thrown from her seat to the amusement of her friends. Blushing, she sat back down again.

"We seem to be experiencing a little turbulence. We will try to make the rest of our journey as smooth as possible. Sorry for any inconvenience. We will hope to be arriving in Section 12 in around fifteen minutes. Please ensure any litter is disposed of in the –" the woman's voice was cut short as the bus jerked ferociously from side to side. It was like an earthquake, but how was that possible? The speakers the voice was coming from detached from the wall and the group of girls was flung forward, screaming. Terrified, Max tried to grab hold of the bar by the window, but could not as he was thrown from his seat onto the grimy floor, which started to crack. The old woman shut her eyes tight and continued to grasp the seat in front her, her knuckles white. The bus continued to shake and the structure began to moan and creak as the cracks from the floor spread to the walls and chunks of paint and metal began falling. A section of the ceiling collapsed landing on one of the girls who screamed as her friends watched in horror. Sparks flew from where the speakers had been and the bus trembled as the structure became weaker, not coping with the stress on the metalwork. There was a final jerk before the entire ceiling caved in and the bus tumbled towards the ground, gathering speed.

Meanwhile, at the Castantion control room, a red light flickered on the screen. It took a few seconds before Gaz, who was on duty, noticed the flickering light.

"Amy!" he shouted for his manager, "Amy, we have a problem with the 539!"

Amy, a tall brunette with extremely pale skin, entered, a look of confusion etched on her face.

"What are you talking about?"

"Look," Nick pointed at the screen, clicking the light to bring up the bus' details, "the 539 is sending out an SOS and there seems to be a problem with the engine."

Amy took a seat next to Gaz and began clicking a series of buttons before pushing the microphone button on her headset.

"539, this is the Castantion Station, do you read me?" There was silence on the line and the pair waited a few anxious seconds.

"Rexwing Vehicle 539," Amy continued, bringing up a map on the screen, a green dot symbolising the position of the bus. It had stopped completely, almost half way between Castantion and Hantia. "539 are you there? Do you read me? Come in 539!" She was scared now, Gaz could hear it her voice. There was more silence. And then, the dot on the map disappeared. The two stared at the screen, frozen.

"What does that mean?" Gaz said finally, "How can it just disappear? That can't happen. The signal box is indestructible and has a lifespan of almost 200 years."

"Yes I know, Gaz. But it has happened and we need to get a crew out there, right now. You stay here and try to get contact with anyone on that bus. I'll call the emergency services and the rescue team." She ran out of the room, leaving it unnaturally silent as Gaz stared at the monitors for some kind of signal, running his fingers through his hair.