This is the first work of fanfiction I've written. Reviews are appreciated!
Day 1
The young woman heaved a sigh of relief as she closed the door to her flat, drowning out the sound of the minor monsoon developing outside. She hoisted the bags containing her last-minute Christmas shopping up and deposited them on the entry table. Shrugging out of her dripping rain-slicker with ease, the woman immediately made for the teapot sitting on her kitchen counter, already filled with water. Leaving the water to boil, she changed into a dry pair of trousers from her closet, and returned to the kitchen feeling considerably more relaxed. After allowing her Earl Grey to steep for the recommended four minutes thirty seconds, the young blonde woman settled herself in her favorite armchair with a wool blanket and a much-dogeared copy of The Wizard of Oz. For a moment she simply sat, allowing herself to unwind, both physically and mentally, then, after a few minutes of staring into the colorful lights adorning her electric fireplace, she shook herself and opened her book. The woman quickly found herself engrossed in the goings-on of the mystical land of Oz, and lost all track of time until an aggressive pounding on her door demanded her attention.
Reluctant to move from the warmth of the overstuffed chair, the woman held her breath, praying that whatever manner of door-to-door peddler was outside would give up after one or two knocks. Her hope was dispelled, however, when a familiar voice hailed her from outside her flat.
"Oi! Rose, let me inside before I drown!"
Rose Tyler burrowed deeper into the chair and yelled to the man outside, "One day off Doctor, that's all I ask for."
The Doctor knocked again, more vigorously this time, "Well it's actually been a week and four days, relatively speaking… C'mon, open up!"
Rose could practically see his pleading brown eyes through the door, and she stood up to let him in, knowing she wouldn't be able to get rid of him, "Couldn't you just sonic it open or somethin'?" She grumbled as she unlocked the door and held it open for the lanky man currently sheltering under his long, brown coat. He gave her a sheepish smile as he gratefully stepped out of the downpour.
"Well, it doesn't work on wood, y'see…" He shrugged nonchalantly, rapidly changing the subject. "Is that Earl Grey I smell? Ahh I haven't had a good, British cup of tea in weeks. The TARDIS, try as she might, just can't make a decent cuppa," He frowned sharply as if just realizing what he had said, "You won't tell her I said that, right?"
Rose, now seated once again in the armchair, smiled slightly. "Your secret's safe with me. Now what are you doing here on Christmas Eve? Change your mind about that Christmas dinner, did ya?"
The Doctor followed her into the sitting room, perching on the arm of the sofa. His normally-spiky brown hair drooped low over his forehead with water weight. His eyes had a familiar gleam in them- a look Rose recognized from the time he had taken her to 19th century Scotland, and they had nearly been killed by werewolves. Knowing the mischief the Doctor was bound to get into when something got him this worked up, Rose was immediately on guard. The Doctor fiddled nervously with something in his pocket, but noticing Rose's gaze, he assumed his most charming smile.
"No, no, not a fan of big-sit down events, I actually came to ask you a very important question. Rose... how do you feel about trains?"
###
Ten minutes later, Rose found herself in the TARDIS, wringing water out of her hair. She watched the Doctor as he made various adjustments to the assortment of levers, buttons, and switches that made up the time-machine's main console. After much cajoling on the part of the Time Lord, and the assurance that she would be back in time for supper, Rose had agreed to accompany him on one trip. The destination in question was the planet Diadem; 'The Most Relaxing Planet In The Galaxy!' according to the Doctor. Of course, Rose did not completely trust the Doctor's interpretation of "relaxing", but he had promised her a trip on one of the planet's famous luxury train tours, and she hadn't been on a train in ages- much less an alien train. Truth be told, Rose could hardly stand her old life now, even for just one day, but she had insisted on taking a day off and could hardly admit to the Doctor that she was just as eager for an outing as he was, or she would never hear the end of it.
The familiar wheezing of the TARDIS landing jerked her back to reality, and she quickly grabbed onto the console as the machine threw both her and the Doctor around as it materialized in place. The Doctor was halfway to the door before the movement had ceased, grabbing his coat and shooting Rose a grin over his shoulder. Despite her attempts to maintain the outward appearance of reluctance, Rose found herself mirroring his smile as she followed him out the door of the 1950's-era police box.
###
Rose followed the Doctor out into what appeared to be the luggage room of an early-20th century railroad car. The Doctor took a few steps, stretching his arms wide like a proud homeowner showcasing his new purchase.
"Aha! Welcome aboard one of the finest trains in all of Mutter's Spiral!"
Rose narrowed her eyes at him, "You sure this isn't Earth? I'm pretty sure I've seen this exact train car in a Buster Keaton movie…"
The Doctor placed his arm around her shoulders cheerfully, "Ah, but that's the point. The trains here are run by the human population, and they've turned them into replicas of classic Earth trains- bit of nostalgia I guess. Actually, this planet's been inhabited by humans for oh, 400 years by now. In fact, you lot have got colonies on almost all of the inhabitable planets in the galaxy. The human population here oughta be quite large…"
Reaching the end of the train car, the Doctor gave a tug on the sliding door leading to the next car. As the door groaned open, Rose leaned over the Doctor's shoulder, eager to get a glimpse of the planet. As she took her first look at the surface of Diadem, Rose forgot everything for a moment. The transparent sky allowed for a clear view of the stars beyond, and showcased the vivid colors of the planet's countless moons. The landscape of the planet itself was breathtaking; rolling hills of blue grass below and towering white mountains visible in the distance. The train was hovering slightly above the ground at a speed much faster than any Earth train, and the wind whipped her hair around wildly.
"Oh Doctor, it's beautiful!" she gasped.
The Doctor's grin widened even more. He took Rose's hand in his and stepped out onto the causeway between cars. Rose followed cautiously, relieved to find rails along the causeway, as she wasn't completely sure about walking between moving train cars. After a bit of effort, the Doctor managed to open the exterior door to the next traincar, and he quickly pulled Rose in after him. With the door safely shut behind them, Rose let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.
"Alright I think I'd like to go home now," she muttered, only half-joking.
The Doctor only winked at her and opened the exterior door to the car. The travelers entered what appeared to be a kitchen car, although it was completely deserted.
"The Galley. Included for realism, but not ever used for making food; they've got robots for that," the Doctor explained.
Rose nodded and followed the Doctor on through the car. The next compartment was attached with an interior hallway, sparing the two the precarious journey across another causeway. The next car was a dining compartment. The car was almost completely filled with humans (or at least humanoids) but as the Doctor and Rose entered, no one spared them a second glance.
"Just in time for supper!" the Doctor gestured excitedly towards the platters of food adorning the tables in between the booths.
As she took in the whole car, Rose had to applaud the care taken by the local human colonists in their recreation efforts. The car was accurate down to the plush carpeting and velvet seats, although much of the food was unfamiliar to her. The Doctor strolled confidently down the aisle until he came upon an empty booth, which he slid gracefully into and began flipping through the in-ride menu sitting on the table. Rose sat down across from him and picked up the other menu.
"They're still usin' paper then?"
"Paper substitute, much cheaper to produce and tree-free," the Doctor answered, engrossed in the menu. After another moment he pointed triumphantly at a particular item and grinned broadly.
"Aha! Diadem chips, best chips in the Galaxy!"
"I could go for some chips right now," the Doctor set the menu down on the table and pressed a button underneath the table.
Immediately, a plain-looking man wearing a red-and-white checked apron appeared at their table, "Welcome to the Global Railway in-voyage meal program! My name is Andy and I'll be your server for today. What can I get for you?"
The Doctor had just opened his mouth to place an order when he was interrupted by an ear piercing scream coming from the front of the train.
###
Instantly, the Doctor was out of the booth and dashing down the hallway leading towards the next car. Rose slid out of the booth, hot on the Doctor's heels, but not before she noticed the waiter, Andy, flicker out of view.
A hologram?
She made a mental note to ask the Doctor about that later. Rose followed the Doctor into the next train car, which appeared to be a transition car. The Doctor skidded to a halt in front of her, giving her barely enough time to stop to avoid bumping into him. On the ground in front of the Doctor was a young man, and standing above him was an older blonde woman, gloved hands clapped to her mouth in horror. Rose quickly kneeled next to the man, hands fluttering over him uselessly.
"Sir, can you 'ear me?" Though his eyes were open, the man made no sign of acknowledgement. The Doctor ordered a nearby gawker to get the train's medic, then began questioning the older blonde woman.
"What happened?"
"I was just returning to the dining car after retrieving my inhaler from my room, the changes in altitude sometimes cause my asthma to flare up. I just found him like this" The woman sniffed and dabbed at her cheeks with an expensive looking handkerchief.
"Was anyone else in this car when you found him?"
"I- I didn't see anyone, but I was rather preoccupied..."
"Er, that's quite alright," the Doctor clasped her hand in his and gave it a comforting squeeze, "Miss…?"
"Oh, Peters- Edith Peters. Oh my I just can't believe it, " The woman gave a little sob and turned away from the Doctor to blow her nose.
The medical team arrived within minutes, a woman and a man armed with first-aid supplies, only some of which were familiar to Rose. Patches on their uniforms identified them as Doctors Lee and Rogers, respectively. Rose moved to allow them to take over on the man. Rose stood next to the Doctor and watched as Rogers checked for a pulse, then inserted an IV needle in the man's wrist. Lee went to work checking the man's temperature and setting up a mobile heart monitor. For a few minutes the medics worked, still unable to get a verbal response from the man. After about 5 minutes had passed, his heartbeat began to become more erratic, and 30 seconds later, the monitor reading showed no heartbeat. The medics worked frantically to set up what Rose assumed was a kind of defibrillator, attaching the silver device to the man's chest. A few more tense minutes passed, throughout which visible electric jolts passed rhythmically through the body of the unconscious man, as the medics attempted to jump-start their patient's heart. After two minutes with no changes on the heart monitor, the two medics exchanged glances, and the woman stood up and approached Rose and the Doctor.
"I'm truly sorry, it happened too fast," she shook her head regretfully.
Rose gripped the Doctor's hand tightly in her's, and he responded with a squeeze.
"We didn't actually know the man, we came upon him when Miss Peters- hang on, Miss Peters?" the Doctor turned around to find the car was completely empty. With a puzzled look, he turned back to Dr. Lee.
"Must've gone back to her room.."
The medic nodded, "Well, we're going to transport this man back to the hospital car, where a thorough medical investigation will take place. I suggest you return to your rooms and get some rest now, it is quite late."
The Doctor nodded, and taking Rose's hand, led the way to the sleeping cars.
###
The Doctor made himself at home in the first empty room he could find. He stretched out on one of the two bunks protruding from the walls as Rose sat down on the other. The small window set in the exterior wall of the car looked out on the darkening sky, and the Doctor stared out at the stars for a few minutes before sitting up and fixing Rose with a cheery smile.
"What do you say we check out the bowling alley?" he bounced up and down on his bunk a few times.
Rose stifled a yawn, "I don't know, Doctor, maybe that medic was right, it is getting late."
The Doctor's face fell, but he quickly recovered, "That's alright… you get some rest, I'll just nip on over to the TARDIS to grab some things…"
Rose nodded and yawned again, curling up on the small bunk. The Doctor stepped out, closing the door quietly behind him. Jamming his hands in his trouser pockets, he strolled in the opposite direction of the luggage car. As he walked through the next sleeper car, his sensitive Time Lord ears picked up the sounds of intense conversation coming from one of the rooms. Never one to suppress his curiosity, the Doctor stopped and listened more closely at the door. He recognized the voice of the medic from earlier, Dr. Lee, engaged in a heated discussion with a male voice he didn't recognize.
"...was ingested most likely, took out function in his heart within minutes. It wouldn't have been difficult to slip it into a meal.
"I've told Stefan that the security on these things isn't nearly as strict as it ought to be..."
As the voices got closer to the door, the Doctor quickly resumed walking, slipping through the door to the next car right as Dr. Lee and her partner emerged from their room.
The Doctor made his way towards the front of the train.
The man was murdered then. But why?
The Doctor arrived at the engine of the train, and yanked the door open. The young operator looked up from his terminal, startled.
"E-excuse me, no passengers are permitted to be in the engine room," he stammered.
The Doctor pulled the psychic paper out of his coat pocket and flashed it in front of the flustered operator, "Captain Decker with the Galactic Train Inspection Agency, I'm gonna need to see your passenger list post-haste."
The Doctor hoped he sounded urgent enough to dissuade the operator from questioning the validity of his made-up police agency.
"Y-yes sir, right away sir," the operator fumbled at the screen in front of him, eventually bringing up a long list of names, room numbers, and other personal information. The Doctor glanced down the list, committing to memory the information he needed, then stepped back, placing his arms behind his back.
"Everything appears to be in order, Mr. ….?"
"Mr. Young, sir"
"Thank you Mr. Young, I'll pass this along to my superiors. They will most certainly be impressed," the Doctor saluted sharply, and Young responded in kind.
"As you were!" the Doctor barked, and exited the engine car, leaving a confused, but pleased train operator behind.
###
The Doctor decided to wait until morning before pursuing his line of inquiry any further. He stopped off at the dining car for a quick bite before returning to the sleeper car. As he slipped into the room, the stars were just coming over the horizon, bringing light to the dark planet. Diadem orbited 3 different dwarf stars, causing a rotating schedule of daylight and night. Days ranged from 9 to 34 Earth hours long, and nights nearly the same. By the Doctor's reckoning, it had been a short night, so the upcoming day would be short as well. Rose was still sound asleep, so the Doctor settled back on his bunk and closed his eyes for a moment.