The Doctor pulled the door shut, as he and Clara came back into the passenger car. The girl took her seat, and the man proceeded along, suddenly stopping.
"Young lady, I'm terribly sorry, but I believe I've neglected to punch your ticket." The Doctor addressed her, turning back. "May I?"
Clara nodded, turning to her side, stopping. "I left it here on the seat… Now it's gone."
The Doctor's waiting hand fell. "You mean… You lost it? How's that possible!? I specifically made those things so they couldn't be lost!"
"It's not her fault…" Mike confessed, standing up. "It's mine. I was trying to get it to her before it could get taken by someone else… And the wind blew it out of my hand."
Clara frowned, as the Doctor let out a frustrated sigh, and Mike reached into his pocket, pulling out the gold piece of paper. "Here…" Mike offered Clara. "Take mine."
"Ah!" The Doctor yanked the ticket away before Clara could take it. "This ticket," He gestured, holding it up, "Has already been punched… You can't give it to her." He calmly handed it back, Mike looking slightly guilty as he took it back. "Young lady," The Doctor turned to Clara. "Come with me, please." He instructed, the girl getting up from her seat, the man guiding her to the rear car.
"You know what's going to happen now, don't ya?" Glasses leaned out, yelling at Mike. "He's gonna throw her off the train!"
Mike jumped, whipping around. "What?"
"Yeah, he's going to throw her right off the rear platform!" Glasses continued, standing up in his seat. "It's standard procedure! That way she doesn't get sucked down under the wheels!"
Oh, God… if someone was going to freeze out in the wilderness who knows how far away from home because of his mistake… Mike would never forgive himself.
Mike anxiously glanced out the window towards the rear car, the Doctor and Clara stepping out onto the platform, before he turned back around.
"They might slow down the train a little bit, but they're never gonna stop it!"
A lightbulb switched on.
"That's it!" Mike realized. "I have to stop the train again!"
"No, wait!" Glasses pleaded, as Mike sprinted back over to the pull cord. "Don't do it again!"
Mike grabbed on, and he was about to pull down, before something gold and flapping in the vent caught his attention. Mike let go, and pulled it out, the ticket he had lost before now in his hands once more.
Mike ran back to the doors of the train carriage. This time, instead of trying to reach out for something to grab onto, he clutched the ticket tighter in his hand, and jumped straight across, into the rear car.
Sprinting through, Mike came out onto the rearmost platform, the Doctor and Clara nowhere to be seen.
Mike's head darted around frantically, before he realized that the kid inside must've seen them. "Hey, hey!" Mike ran back over, huffing. "Did you see where they went?" He looked at Mike blankly. "Come on, please! She's in trouble, and it's my fault!"
The kid looked up to the ceiling, and a sudden orange glow on the rock wall outside caught Mike's attention.
The shadows of the Doctor and Clara moved past, and then, Mike knew what to do.
Running back out to the platform, Mike grabbed onto the ladder on the side, pulling himself around and up, the wind blowing as the train narrowly cleared the rock wall, allowing the boy room to climb up onto the roof. Mike shakily stood up, to see the glow in the distance growing ever fainter.
"Hey!" Mike yelled. "Wait!" He tried to wave them down. "I found the ticket! Guys, wait! Ah, hell…" He whispered, now resigned to having to catch up to them, as the glow went dark.
Mike tried not to lose his footing as he walked on the roof of the train, feet ankle-deep in snow, as more snowflakes were blown into his face.
As Mike walked, the glow began to return, accompanied by… was that music? Out of the grey fog, Mike came up on a campfire, a hobo in a WWII coat sitting on an old wooden crate, playing an instrument of some kind, quietly singing Good King Wenceslas.
Jack suddenly stopped, acknowledging Mike's presence, as he looked. "There somethin' I can do for you?" He asked Mike gruffly.
"I, uh…" Mike stammered, confused. "I was looking for a girl."
Jack suddenly broke out into uproarious, wheezing laughter. "A-Ain't we all!?" His laugh died down to chuckles, as he began playing his instrument again.
Mike scowled. "I have her ticket…" He held it out.
"Well, would you look at that?" Jack rhetorically commented, gently taking it. "This is… This is an original, authentic, genuine ticket to ride." He handed it back. "I'd keep that in a safe place if I were you. Don't want it gettin' lost." He suggested. "Why, in fact, I keep all of my valuables… right here!" He held up his right shoe. "The 'ol size 13. Experience shows… this is the safest place."
Mike gave a quick nod and put the ticket safely in his slipper.
"Not that I have much use for them…" Jack continued. "Tickets." He snorted. "I ride for free. Oh yeah." He pointed down for emphasis. "I hop aboard this rattler anytime I feel like." Mike raised an eyebrow. "It's like… You know, I'm the king of this here train. Yeah. King, of the Polar Ex. In fact," He held up a finger, "I am the King," He stood up, throwing out his arms, "Of the North Pole!"
Mike coughed, as a bit of smoke from the fire entered his lungs.
Jack turned around. "Oh, I'm sorry. Where's my manners? Sit." He offered, handing another wooden crate Mike's way. "Sit, sit, sit, take a load off. Would you like some joe?" He offered, taking the old kettle hanging from the small stick, pouring out some of the contents into a small cup that used to be can. "Nice, hot, refreshing beverage, perfect for a cold winter's night."
Mike took it, looking curiously into the cup. The liquid was jet black, and slightly bubbly. Joe meant coffee… right? Maybe he should give it back, he did have some of the chocolate from the whole song-and-dance number after all.
Still, he didn't want to seem impolite. Not if this guy was the only one who could help him along. So, Mike swallowed his pride, and took a sip…
Immediately spitting it back out, coughing.
Good God that stuff tasted like ass.
Jack laughed, mercifully, instead of being offended. "Yeah, lettin' it sit in your mouth's a real bad idea."
Mike's coughs died down, as Jack pulled a length of cloth, an old scarf or maybe a sock, out of the pot, ringing it out, before throwing it over the small stick over the fire. That explained the taste, at least.
"What about…" Mike struggled not to laugh, at the absurd thing about to come out of his mouth next. "Santa?"
Jack looked at her. "Santa?"
"Isn't he the guy in charge of the North Pole?"
Jack raised an eyebrow. "You mean this guy?" He asked, producing a Santa hat, placing it on his head, before throwing out his arms. "Ho ho ho!" He began, launching into an over-the-top imitation of the holiday icon. He laughed, pulling the hat off, before shoving it back where it came from, before becoming serious. "What exactly is your… your persuasion on the big man, since you brought him up?"
"…I grew up." Mike admitted.
Jack huffed, flashing a sarcastic smile. "Did you?"
"I've seen… shit you wouldn't believe." Mike granted. "But Santa? That's too much… Even if he was real-"
"You don't want to be bamboozled." Jack finished. "You don't want to be led down the primrose path! You don't want to be conned, or duped, have the wool pulled over your eyes, hoodwinked, you don't wanna be taken for a ride… railroaded!"
Jack grabbed the kettle of joe, and dumped it out onto the fire, putting it out, before grabbing up everything into a sack on a stick, grabbing the old crate he'd been sitting on, throwing it over his shoulder.
"Seeing is believing…" Jack whispered knowingly. "Am I right?"
Mike's eyes narrowed. "But… what about this train?"
Jack tilted his head. "What about it?"
"We're all going to the north pole…" Mike considered. "Right?" Despite jumping on the train, Mike actually still had no idea of the Doctor's motives. He said it was a Christmas present from El, but he didn't know whether to believe that.
"Aren't we?" Jack parroted rhetorically. "How do you know you're not back in that bed of yours?"
"Are you saying that…" Mike began. "This is all… a dream?" That was it, he was back in his bed, sleeping. His mind was only pulling on the Doctor's face because it was the only person he could think of. He must've drifted off without thinking.
"You said it!" Jack snatched the cup from Mike. "Not me!" He gulped down the remaining liquid, before shoving the can in the sack. "So… Let's go find that girl!" He picked up the crate Mike had been sitting on, before turning to walk away. He stopped suddenly, whipping back around, to face the frozen-in place Mike. "One other thing…" He lowered his voice. "Do you believe in ghosts?"
Mike had seen creatures from the depths of hell… But ghosts?
Mike shook his head.
Jack seemed to be considering something. "Interesting…" He turned back around, charging ahead, faster than Mike could keep up.
"Wait!" Mike called, trying to follow in the thick snow. "Wait!" Jack seemed to vanish completely, and there he was, left alone on the roof. "Wait!"
Mike huffed, the snow becoming too deep for him to wade through effectively.
"Damn it… I have to wake up!" Mike snarled to himself. "Wake up!" He smacked himself in the face. "Wake up!" He repeated to himself, practically diving into the snow. "Why can't I wake up!?" He leaned back up, wiping the snow out of his face, as the whistle blared in the distance.
Clearing the snow out of his eyes, Mike could see a glow getting more intense as it approached.
"…Wake up!" Jack yelled, wearing a helmet lamp, skis strapped to his feet, holding ski sticks. "Get your head outta the clouds! I was joshing you when I said this was a dream! There ain't no sleepwalkin' on the Polar Express!" He came to a stop in front of Mike. "We gotta jump them knuckles." He turned around, placing his back to Mike, before turning around his torso to look at him. "Come on, kid, flip my shoulder!" He held out a hand for him to grab. "Grab my lily."
Mike, confused at the man's urgency, took hold of his hand, and was pulled up onto his shoulders. For as large as Mike was, being a teenager, Jack was deceptively strong, holding the Wheeler boy on his shoulders, still managing to stand upright.
Jack began to walk forward, keeping his balance even on top of the snow.
"That skirt you're chasing must've moved on ahead." He guessed. "We gotta hightail it to the hog, pronto!"
"Th-the hog?" Mike asked, unfamiliar with hobo slang.
"The engine." Jack elaborated. "The engine you tenderfoot. We gotta make the engine, before we hit Flat Top Tunnel."
Mike looked down at the man's face. "How come?"
Jack stopped, shaking his head. "So many questions…" He turned to look at Mike. "There is but one inch of clearance, between the roof of this rattler, and the roof of Flat Top Tunnel… Savvy?"
Up ahead, the engine huffed and puffed, as it began to climb up a very, very steep hill.
"This is just the run-up to the hump, kid!" Jack stated. "This'll be interesting."
They began to slide down towards the end of the train, Jack crossing the skis to try and stop, but they still kept sliding. A chunk of ice over the rear light broke off, flying away, revealing one of the top rungs from the ladder. Jack caught the one of the sticks in the rung bringing them to a turbulent stop, as Mike lost balance, and went flying off the man's back.
"Get back on kid, hurry!" Jack ordered, as the train leveled out, and began to speed up. The engine disappeared over the horizon. Jack held out the end of the stick to Mike, who was hanging off the end of the train. "Grab my muck stick!"
Mike grabbed onto the stick, and in a show of inhuman strength, Jack swung the teenager around through the air, planting him on the skis in front of him. Jack placed down the handles of the sticks in Mike's hands, and pushed off, as the train cleared the hill.
Speeding forward, they jumped the first gap between the cars, the trees and other scenery speeding by as the train charged down the hill, and then jumped the second gap. The train began to approach the bottom of the hill as they jumped the third gap, and Mike could see the entrance to the tunnel, a spiky, snarling maw of ice and rock.
They jumped the fourth gap, as Jack began to shout. "Alright kid, when I say jump…" They jumped the fifth gap. "You… JUMP!" He ordered, suddenly vanishing into nothing.
Mike allowed himself only a moment of confusion, before the proximity of the tunnel's entrance registered, and he jumped, landing in the tender.
