DISCLAIMER: None of the characters Mark & Steve Sloan, Amanda Bentley (and
family), Jesse Travis & Susan Hilliard belong to me. I just borrowed them
for a whole-hearted piece of fun! The other characters, however are purely
my own invention!
Chapter 1 - A Sudden Standstill
The train rattled along, setting a steady, relaxing, rocking provided by the motion of the traditional steam engine as it furthered it's journey across the continent, from east to west and back again. The travellers on board felt the security of familiarity. Familiarity, however, is said to breed contempt.
On that note, it is now time to venture deeper into the world of our story. We zoom into a carriage compartment to focus on six of the many travellers. The names of our principle actors within this story: Mark Sloan, his son Steve, their friends Jesse Travis, Amanda Bentley and her two children (one through birth, the other through adoption) CJ and Dion.
"Wow Mom, this is great!" CJ said as he fidgeted in his seat to get a better view from the train's high windows.
"Yeah, this is the best trip I've ever been on." Agreed Dion. "I just don't know how Uncle Steve can sleep through it all."
"And why he must snore so loudly!" chimed in Jesse with what could only be classed as a wicked grin on his face and a twinkle in his blue eyes, which shone out appealingly from underneath his mass of tousled blond hair.
Amanda and Mark chuckled quietly at this, as although it happened to be the truth, no one had the urge - or the suicidal compulsion to pass said information on to the soundly sleeping detective.
The train came to a sudden standstill with a jolt and a loud, piercing screech of brakes and metal on metal. The two boys let out a wounded yelp and Jesse (being so small) was sent crashing to the floor. Steve was shocked by this explosion of noise and movement and sat bolt upright, suddenly very awake.
"What the.?" he said waking himself up.
"I take it someone pulled the emergency stop chord." Said Mark trying to make sense of what had happened while Amanda comforted CJ and Dion and Jesse picked himself up. Steve was about to stand to leave their private compartment to find out what had happened, when the door to their compartment fell open, a body falling through from the passing corridor. The body fell at their feet and lay there.
Mark flew into doctor mode and bent forward to check whether or no the latest addition to their travelling party had a pulse. To his dismay he felt nothing, no eye reaction, no signs of breathing, nothing. Whoever this person was, he was dead. Mark took the time now to examine the intruder. He was about 5 feet 10, with dark brown/black hair and ashen complexion. He looked to be in about his late twenties or very early thirties - certainly too young to simply keel over and drop down dead.
"Do you boys want a drink? We could go and find the dining car." Jesse tried to coax CJ and Dion away from the scene.
"No thanks, Uncle Jesse." Dion said, looking down at the corpse with a morbid fascination.
"How about something to eat then, I know I'm starving!" Jesse persevered. Saying that, Jesse felt unsure as to whether he could stomach anything to eat himself and he saw such sights on a daily basis - it's all par for the course when you are a Doctor as Community General Hospital. CJ was quickest to change his mind.
"I suppose I am kinda thirsty and it does feel like it's been a long time since I had something to eat." CJ stood up and started to head for the door.
"Dion?" Jesse prompted.
"Really Uncle Jesse, I'm not." Amanda glared at the oldest of her two children, rapidly making him change his mind, "Sure Uncle Jesse, something to eat sounds good." And he too, got up to leave.
"Jesse, whilst you're gone do you think you could find someone to whom you can report this?" Mark asked.
"Sure, consider it done."
"Thanks, Jesse. I'll come and get you when the coast is clear in here."
"Sure thing." Jesse said as he followed the two boys through the door and into the train's corridor.
Amanda kicked in to her pathologist's mode and started to examine the body for any marks to see if she could find anything that might offer a hint as to the cause of death. Whilst she was carrying out a preliminary examination, Mark and Steve were searching the victim's pockets to see if there was anything in them from which they could establish an identity.
In the man's pocket they found his wallet, inside was an identity card, simply bearing the name Daniel Robinson, with a contact number. Mark looked at the number thoughtfully.
"I know this number from somewhere," he told his son.
"Where Dad, think. It could be important."
"I know son, I'll do my best."
The wheels in Mark's head were turning, however hard he tried though, he could not place that number.
"There are no obvious marks that I can see on the body, but a full examination might provide us with something more." Amanda interjected. "He's only just been killed though, I'd even go as far as saying that he died sometime within the last hour. The blood doesn't seem to have settled in anyone place, so it may even be safe to say that he was killed and dumped almost straight away. He was probably brought along here so that the cord could be pulled across the corridor and the force of the jolt propelled him through the door."
Mark looked at the body once more and a look of realisation dawned on his face. He knew the number because it was, despite being infrequently called, in his own organiser.
"I know who this is. I know who the number belongs to, and I don't think I like it!"
Chapter 1 - A Sudden Standstill
The train rattled along, setting a steady, relaxing, rocking provided by the motion of the traditional steam engine as it furthered it's journey across the continent, from east to west and back again. The travellers on board felt the security of familiarity. Familiarity, however, is said to breed contempt.
On that note, it is now time to venture deeper into the world of our story. We zoom into a carriage compartment to focus on six of the many travellers. The names of our principle actors within this story: Mark Sloan, his son Steve, their friends Jesse Travis, Amanda Bentley and her two children (one through birth, the other through adoption) CJ and Dion.
"Wow Mom, this is great!" CJ said as he fidgeted in his seat to get a better view from the train's high windows.
"Yeah, this is the best trip I've ever been on." Agreed Dion. "I just don't know how Uncle Steve can sleep through it all."
"And why he must snore so loudly!" chimed in Jesse with what could only be classed as a wicked grin on his face and a twinkle in his blue eyes, which shone out appealingly from underneath his mass of tousled blond hair.
Amanda and Mark chuckled quietly at this, as although it happened to be the truth, no one had the urge - or the suicidal compulsion to pass said information on to the soundly sleeping detective.
The train came to a sudden standstill with a jolt and a loud, piercing screech of brakes and metal on metal. The two boys let out a wounded yelp and Jesse (being so small) was sent crashing to the floor. Steve was shocked by this explosion of noise and movement and sat bolt upright, suddenly very awake.
"What the.?" he said waking himself up.
"I take it someone pulled the emergency stop chord." Said Mark trying to make sense of what had happened while Amanda comforted CJ and Dion and Jesse picked himself up. Steve was about to stand to leave their private compartment to find out what had happened, when the door to their compartment fell open, a body falling through from the passing corridor. The body fell at their feet and lay there.
Mark flew into doctor mode and bent forward to check whether or no the latest addition to their travelling party had a pulse. To his dismay he felt nothing, no eye reaction, no signs of breathing, nothing. Whoever this person was, he was dead. Mark took the time now to examine the intruder. He was about 5 feet 10, with dark brown/black hair and ashen complexion. He looked to be in about his late twenties or very early thirties - certainly too young to simply keel over and drop down dead.
"Do you boys want a drink? We could go and find the dining car." Jesse tried to coax CJ and Dion away from the scene.
"No thanks, Uncle Jesse." Dion said, looking down at the corpse with a morbid fascination.
"How about something to eat then, I know I'm starving!" Jesse persevered. Saying that, Jesse felt unsure as to whether he could stomach anything to eat himself and he saw such sights on a daily basis - it's all par for the course when you are a Doctor as Community General Hospital. CJ was quickest to change his mind.
"I suppose I am kinda thirsty and it does feel like it's been a long time since I had something to eat." CJ stood up and started to head for the door.
"Dion?" Jesse prompted.
"Really Uncle Jesse, I'm not." Amanda glared at the oldest of her two children, rapidly making him change his mind, "Sure Uncle Jesse, something to eat sounds good." And he too, got up to leave.
"Jesse, whilst you're gone do you think you could find someone to whom you can report this?" Mark asked.
"Sure, consider it done."
"Thanks, Jesse. I'll come and get you when the coast is clear in here."
"Sure thing." Jesse said as he followed the two boys through the door and into the train's corridor.
Amanda kicked in to her pathologist's mode and started to examine the body for any marks to see if she could find anything that might offer a hint as to the cause of death. Whilst she was carrying out a preliminary examination, Mark and Steve were searching the victim's pockets to see if there was anything in them from which they could establish an identity.
In the man's pocket they found his wallet, inside was an identity card, simply bearing the name Daniel Robinson, with a contact number. Mark looked at the number thoughtfully.
"I know this number from somewhere," he told his son.
"Where Dad, think. It could be important."
"I know son, I'll do my best."
The wheels in Mark's head were turning, however hard he tried though, he could not place that number.
"There are no obvious marks that I can see on the body, but a full examination might provide us with something more." Amanda interjected. "He's only just been killed though, I'd even go as far as saying that he died sometime within the last hour. The blood doesn't seem to have settled in anyone place, so it may even be safe to say that he was killed and dumped almost straight away. He was probably brought along here so that the cord could be pulled across the corridor and the force of the jolt propelled him through the door."
Mark looked at the body once more and a look of realisation dawned on his face. He knew the number because it was, despite being infrequently called, in his own organiser.
"I know who this is. I know who the number belongs to, and I don't think I like it!"