Chapter 1
The Doctor watched as the steady up-and-down motion of the TARDIS' central column slowed, waiting for it to come to a stop. Once it did he bent over the console to flip a switch or two.
"Are you sure we've landed already, Doctor?" asked Zoe.
"Yes, I'm sure," he replied distractedly.
"Weel, where are we, then?"
"I'm trying to figure that out, Jamie." He struggled to push a button on the console, but it seemed to be stuck. "Now if this … arrgghh … control will actually work …"
"'Tis warped, mebbe?"
"The controls are not made of wood, Jamie," the Doctor snapped impatiently. " And the TARDIS is perfectly climate controlled—not an ounce of damp, thank you. Ah, there we are!" Finally succeeding in pushing it down all the way, he smiled in triumph. "Now, let's see … we're on Earth, late twentieth century … an island off the eastern shore of the North American continent. Hmm … If the sensors are correct, we're in a peninsular area known as … Coney Island."
"Oh, that name sounds familiar," Zoe mused. "I think I came across it in the Wheel's library once … 'Overstimulated: The Development of Amusement Centres in the Western Hemisphere and Its Negative Effects on the Human Nervous System.'"
Jamie uttered an obnoxiously loud yawn which prompted a glare from Zoe. "Och, sorry," he said, not looking sorry at all.
The petite scientist rolled her eyes and, turning away from him, pointedly addressed the rest of her remarks to the Doctor. "I'd be interested to experientially study those effects myself."
"Weel, whatever's out there, as long as it's nae like tha' muckle dreicht nightmare we jist left I dinnae care."
The Doctor struggled with another control until an image appeared on the scanner. It depicted a busy, seaside area with bright sunshine against a blue, nearly cloudless, sky.
"I don't think you have anything to worry about, Jamie."
The Highlander frowned skeptically at the image before him. "After tha' whole trip to the Land o' Fiction, I need a wee bit more proof than that." He then made his way toward the doors as the Doctor switched them open.
Jamie leaned forward, taking a cautionary look left then right. He then took a step beyond the threshold. The weather here was warm with a slight breeze and brilliant sunlight, a welcome change from the torrential downpours outside Professor Eldred's space museum.
Squinting up at the sky, he smiled, inhaling deeply through his nose. "Och, aye. Much better." The salty tang of the air confirmed they were at the seaside.
Jamie, still looking out, made a beckoning gesture back to his friends. "Aye, I think it's safe enough—" Zoe and the Doctor breezed past him before he even finished the sentence.
"It appears to be early summer," Zoe observed. "Perhaps …" She drifted off as they picked up on faint sounds of music intermixed with excited yelling.
"Hey, did ye hear that?" Jamie asked.
"Yes, it sounds as if it's coming from over there," the Doctor replied, pointing in a vaguely southwest direction. "Let's have a look, shall we?"
As they drew nearer Jamie could hear fear in the cries, prompting him to put a protective arm around Zoe. He then looked over at the Doctor to gauge his reaction to the noise. He seemed unworried, so Jamie, with a slightly sheepish expression, removed his arm from the wee scientist's shoulder. Zoe gave him a questioning look.
The Doctor suddenly nodded in the direction of the din and they realized it was coming from a large, strangely-constructed building of sorts, one that consisted of quite a few levels and had some sort of transport sailing up and down. The screams came from the people on board.
Surrounding this odd contraption were a host of different contraptions along with tents and various small buildings.
"It is a center of amusement!" Zoe exclaimed excitedly.
"A fun fair, my dear," The Doctor said, grinning broadly like a child.
Jamie removed his hands from his ears. "Eh?"
"A place where people like to have fun by going on rides, playing games, and eating food typical of fairs such as this," the Doctor explained.
Jamie looked up once more at the strange building he'd first noticed. "Doesnae look fun tae me, bein' pulled doon a huge slope at top speed an' thrown aroond, an' aroond. They're screamin'."
"They're not necessarily screaming because they're afraid, Jamie," the Doctor explained. "They could be screaming in excitement."
"Mebbe, but tha's nae my idea o' fun."
Jamie suddenly felt Zoe's eyes on him. He turned and thought he caught a glimpse of a mischievous smile on her cupid-bow lips before she quickly turned away, looking as though she were studying another one of those 'ride' things.
"Do you know where we are?" The Doctor cut in.
Zoe regarded him expectantly while Jamie merely frowned.
"These are the Coney Island fairgrounds! There have been amusement parks here of all different names since the late nineteenth century. This one is known as 'Deno's Wonder Wheel', after the large wheel ride you see there." He then turned, squinting as he pointed to another section of fairgrounds further away. "And over there is 'Astroland.' See all the outer space themed rides?" He grinned in excitement and clapped his hands. "Oh, imagine all the fun we'll have exploring this place!"
Jamie groaned, especially once he caught the enthusiasm in Zoe's face as she continued gazing at those rides. As they approached the entrance, he winced at the sound of loud music blasting from a speaker close by.
The Doctor was still taking in all the sights, including passers-by. "Hm, based on the music, styles of automobiles and clothing I would assume we've landed in the nineteen eighties, perhaps early or mid-decade."
Zoe nodded thoughtfully. "That would certainly match up with the different articles and vintage photographs I've run across."
Jamie was about to say something when he suddenly realized the Doctor had disappeared from sight. "Hey, where'd he go?" he asked Zoe. Whatever she told him was instantly drowned out by the loud strains of music coming out of a large box a young man carried on top of his shoulder.
The Highlander winced, quickly covering his ears again. He noticed Zoe doing the same.
Once the young man and his offensively loud music had passed, Jamie removed his hands then looked around bewilderingly before sticking his fingers in his ears and wiggling them around.
"What are you doing?" Zoe asked.
"Makin' sure ma ears aren't bleedin'," he replied sardonically.
The petite scientist chuckled briefly and then touched her temples, as if in pain herself. "I can't imagine why anyone would insist on listening to anything so loudly."
"Aye." Jamie gazed around the immediate area once again. "Where's the Doctor got to?"
"I don't know."
They set off, asking various passers-by if they had seen their friend, but had come up empty. They noticed the young man with the loud music again and shared a look of annoyance.
"Come on," Jamie finally said with a sigh. He bit his lip to keep from cringing outwardly as they approached the other man.
"Hey! Ciud ye nae turn tha' doon?!" he exclaimed, nodding at the radio.
The man ignored him, nodding his head along to the music's beat.
"Ah said—"
"Jamie, forget it, he can't hear!"
Jaw set in a glare and eyes narrowed in determination, the Highlander marched forward until he was standing alongside the young man and poked him repeatedly on his free shoulder.
It worked — a little too well. The man nearly jumped a foot in the air and quickly grabbed at the large box to steady it. He then turned and looked accusingly at Jamie.
"Ciud ye nae turn tha' thing doon?!"
"What?!"
Jamie impatiently pointed to the box and mimed switching it off. The other man's eyes widened in realization and he switched it off, bringing much-needed relief to Zoe and Jamie's ears.
"Thank you. Now, have ye seen our friend? He's a wee, dark-haired chappie wearin' a black coat an' checked troosers."
"What?!"
"Och, neiver mind," Jamie replied with a roll of his eyes, gesturing for Zoe to join him as he began to walk away. In the distance he saw the other man looking confused before shrugging and switching the loud music back on.
"Well, he couldn't have gone far, Jamie. We'll just have to—"
Suddenly the Doctor appeared in front of them, clutching a small book of thin papers.
"Where've ye been?!" Jamie asked.
The Doctor blinked, gazing innocently at them. "Why, I just purchased a book of tickets." He held it up and opened it to show them. "You see? Whatever you'd like to ride, all you have to do is separate these tickets and give them to the ride operators. For example, you see that one over there?"
He pointed to a large one that featured cars on tracks that traveled up high, dropped steeply and went around in loops. They also went straight up and looped back down. A sign at the front read "Thunderbolt."
Jamie bit back a smirk as he noticed Zoe standing still, watching and studying it intently. He could imagine her mind running through every single thing having to do with that contraption.
"According to these instructions, it costs four tickets to ride. So, you simply detach them from this page and hand them over."
"Oh, yes, that makes perfect sense. It's a very efficient collection process," Zoe remarked with a lift of her chin. She looked back up at the ride and a smile lit up her face. "Would you like to ride it with me?"
The Doctor looked warily up at the structure. "No, I believe I will sit this one out. My stomach is telling me it's nearly lunchtime, anyway. I'll explore all the different food stands."
The petite scientist's large blue-gray eyes dulled in disappointment until she turned to Jamie with a hopeful smile. "Would you like to ride it with me, Jamie?"
Jamie frowned as he gazed up at it. "I-I dunno. Neiver ridden on anythin' like tha' before."
"Well, you needn't worry. I performed a very thorough visual analysis and it's perfectly safe."
"Uh-huh." Deep down the Highlander was a bit scared and was trying hard not to show it. Judging by her contrite expression, Zoe must have caught on. She looked around again and brightened upon spotting a similar ride with a sign that read "Cyclone."
"Would you care to ride this one with me instead?" she asked, pointing to it.
Jamie turned and watched the ride for several successions of the cars speeding along the tracks. "Aye. Alright," he replied, satisfied that it appeared tamer than the previous one.
"Splendid!" Zoe exclaimed, her face lit up in excitement. She grabbed Jamie's hand, leading him quickly in the direction of the ride.
"Oh, look, the queue isn't so bad," she said, gesturing to the area in which only a handful of people were standing. "We shouldn't have to wait very long."
"Aye," Jamie muttered. He hesitated. "Ah, Zoe?"
"Yes?"
"Could ye nae let go so I can tear oot the tickets?" He nodded down at her hand, which was still holding his.
"...Oh." Zoe quickly let go and looked away, flushing to the tips of her ears.
Jamie smiled broadly to himself. He then thumbed through the book of tickets in his other hand, his expression becoming perplexed.
"How many are we supposed tae …?" he asked.
"It's quite simple, Jamie," Zoe replied, a trace of blush still on her face as she turned a page and pointed to the information printed on it.
"Oh." Jamie tore off six tickets, keeping three for himself and then handing her the other three.
Not ten minutes later, they had rejoined the Doctor, who was sitting on a nearby bench sipping from a straw poking out of a large paper cup. Next to him was a hot dog housed in a paper carton and topped with various fixings, as well as a bag of popcorn. He appeared quite content as he partook of his food.
He suddenly looked up as his two friends rejoined him. "So, how did you like the 'Cyclone'?"
Zoe narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. "Well, it was quite passable considering the obvious age of the structure and the mechanisms, but I wouldn't call it—"
"Och, it was great!" Jamie enthused. "Almost felt as if we were flyin'!"
"Well, I wouldn't go that far, Jamie," Zoe rebutted primly. "We were restrained quite securely in our seats."
"Och, come on, Zoe. Ye enjoyed it; ye jist won' admit it!" he teased, giving her a playful nudge. Zoe briefly seemed annoyed, but the little smile that tugged at the corner of her mouth said otherwise.
The hint of a smile soon turned into an impish grin. "Since you enjoyed that one so much, how about something a bit more … advanced?" She nodded at the "Thunderbolt" roller coaster, the one with the vertical loops that turned riders upside down.
"Oh, weel, I-I uh," Jamie stammered.
"You're not afraid, are you?"
The Scot immediately puffed his chest out. "Nae, of course not!"
"Then, come on." Her hurried footfall abruptly ground to a halt and she returned to the Doctor, taking the ticket booklet and tearing off the correct amount of tickets for Jamie and herself.
"You know, you don't have to ride it if you don't wish to, Jamie," the Doctor suddenly spoke up. "There's a much more subdued, similar ride over there." He nodded to another ride which was obviously a kiddie version of a roller coaster.
"Och, what are ye playin' at, Doctor?" Jamie retorted, waving a dismissive hand in front of the ride. "I'll be fine."
"Alright. If you insist," the Doctor muttered before taking another sip of his drink. He then patted his stomach. "Ah. I believe I've got just enough room for some of that popped corn …"
Thankfully, the bench was empty as Zoe and Jamie returned from riding the roller coaster. Zoe noted the Scot's usually ruddy cheeks were pale as there was a slight sheen of sweat above his upper lip. He whimpered pathetically.
Zoe guided him to the bench, prompting him to sit down. Jamie nodded gratefully as he did so, then he surprised her by resting his head on her shoulder.
"Jist fer a wee bit … ma heid is still feelin' tapsalteerie."
The petite astrophysicist patted his head and regarded him sympathetically. "I was the same way after my first centrifuge test."
Jamie grunted in response and nuzzled his head further into her shoulder. Zoe shivered as she felt his hair tickle the side of her neck. Her stomach suddenly growled. "I wonder where the Doctor is? I'm a bit hungry myself."
The Scot lifted his head and weakly gaped at her. "Ye could eat after bein' on th-that device of torture?"
Zoe merely blinked at him. "Yes, I'm perfectly fine." She spotted a small building with a window for ordering food about thirty feet away. "I'll be right back."
She quickly returned with a paper carton filled with chips and a drink. As she sat back down, Jamie placed his head back on her shoulder and then grimaced slightly. Zoe turned to him as he weakly raised it, rubbing his neck. It was obvious the height difference was making him uncomfortable.
Zoe took her food and stood up. "Here, why don't you lie down and stretch out on the bench? You'll be more comfortable." she offered.
"Then ye'll have nae place tae sit …"
"You can put your head in my lap."
Jamie's eyes widened a fraction and a slight blush warmed up his pale face. He hesitated a moment more then murmured, "Weel, if ye dinnae mind …"
Zoe sat back down then Jamie raised his head up slightly and maneuvered his head into her lap. A long sigh escaped him as he forced himself to relax and he closed his eyes against the nausea still roiling in his stomach.
His pained expression caused a knot to form in Zoe's stomach and she now felt bad over goading him to ride that roller coaster. Bending slightly she began stroking his hair, moving it back from his cheeks; combing her fingers through his fringe when she felt him shift a little.
"Och, nae need tae fuss," Jamie murmured. Zoe would have stopped then if not for seeing a corner of Jamie's mouth lift into a satisfied smile. She gave a soft snort of wry amusement and continued her ministrations.
She continued to monitor her friend and noted with satisfaction that his wrinkled brow began to smooth and his skin was losing its sickly pallor.
"I wonder where the Doctor is," Zoe wondered out loud, continuing to absently stroke his hair with one hand and eating her chips with the other.
"Who knows …" Jamie sighed, rubbing his cheek ever so slightly into her legs, clearly quite comfortable. "Mebbe he's explorin' some of the other tents … I'm sure he'll be back soon …"
Zoe raised an eyebrow and smirked.
"Are you feeling better?"
"Oh, aye …" Jamie smiled dreamily.
"Oh, good. Because I'm starting to lose feeling in my feet."
"Och, sorry."
Zoe shifted a bit, allowing Jamie to gingerly lift himself up to a sitting position. She eyed him as he blinked a moment.
"You're sure you're alright?"
Jamie nodded. "Aye. Much better, thank ye, Zoe."
Zoe smiled and then picked up her container of chips, popping a couple into her mouth. She turned to Jamie, holding up the container. "Would you care for one?"
Jamie instantly held his hand up in refusal. Zoe nodded in understanding and chewed thoughtfully, studying the container's contents. "I wonder why they call them 'french fries' here?" she wondered aloud.
Jamie sighed. "I dinnae ken. I heard th' colonists were a daft lot. I didnae think fried potatoes were verra French."
"No, they really don't appear to be." A grin spread across Zoë's face. "Now, snails on the other hand—"
"Och, no!" Jamie moaned, pulling a nauseated face. "Don' even mention tha'!"
Zoe chuckled and then gazed at him with an apologetic smile. A group of three girls appearing in their late teens a short distance away suddenly caught her eye. It seemed they were discussing something—loud enough that the pair could not help but overhear.
"So what does it say, Susan?!" one of them goaded excitedly.
Susan, a short, lanky girl with thick eyeglasses and mousy, shoulder length, dark hair sighed as she looked down at a ticket in her hand. "'You have been randomly selected to test our new ride, 'The Stellar Express'," she read, sounding unenthused.
"Oh, wow! That's that cool new ride we passed on the way to the arcade. Lucky!"
"For sure! So, that cute guy just walked up to you while you were playing that boring game and handed you the ticket?"
"It wasn't 'boring', and I told you, he talked to me a little about it and then changed the subject, asking if I'd like to try their new ride. Part of some exclusive promotion or something."
"I'll say. He was flirting with you. But of course you barely noticed with your face almost glued to that game." Susan made a face as they giggled. "Aw, come on, we're just kidding around. It's so awesome that you get to try out that ride."
"I guess." She appeared skeptical as she gazed once more at the fluorescent colored paper she was holding. "I'm not so sure if I want to."
The other two girls looked shocked. "Oh, come on! Do it! It'll be fun!" the blonde insisted.
The shorter, raven-haired girl grinned as she looked over at a tall, young man with dark hair standing a further distance away. She turned back to the others and grinned conspiratorially. "An invitation from a hunk like that? You can't pass that up!"
Susan seemed to ruminate a bit further and then looked back up at her friends, smiling. "Well, okay."
"Alright!" they declared in triumph, both high-fiving her. "You'll have to tell us how it was. Maybe put in a good word for us."
With a grin, Susan shook her head and strolled over to the strange young man. They were soon engaged in conversation and the man's face quickly lit up in a smile. He then nodded to Susan and the two began walking off in another direction.
The petite scientist frowned. She had briefly met his eyes across the way before he had walked off with Susan. She simultaneously felt drawn into and repelled by his gaze. These inexplicable contrary feelings left her logical mind ill at ease..
Finally she gave herself a mental shake as she witnessed the Doctor returning.
"Ah. Feeling better, Jamie?"
Jamie started to nod and then tilted his head in confusion as he gazed up at the Doctor. "How'd ye know I was feelin' ill?"
The Doctor shrugged, putting on a casual air. "Oh, call it a hunch, I suppose." Zoe did not miss the twinkle in his eyes as he aimed a conspiratory wink in her direction.
"Weel, I am feelin' better." He then turned to Zoe. " An' I would care fer one o' yer 'french fries' if ye're still offerin'."
Zoe frowned as she looked inside her container. "Sorry. I finished them." She flashed him an apologetic look.
"But if you're still in the mood for something to eat, Jamie, I believe I have something of offer," the Doctor said, holding out a stick of some pink, cloud-like substance in front of him.
"Eh? Wha's that?"
The Doctor smiled. "It's candy floss. Or as they call it here, 'cotton candy.' Quite aptly named, as a matter of fact."
Jamie gazed tentatively at it until he watched the Doctor take his own stick of pink cloud, pull off a piece and eat it. "Mm. Quite good," he said around a mouthful of the substance.
The Highlander took it and did likewise, popping a small piece of the substance into his mouth. It was not as he'd expected; in fact, he rather liked the way it melted into a gooey, delicious bit of sweetness in his mouth.
He took a few more pieces and ate them. After a while he was aware of Zoe in his periphery, staring as if she were studying it. He finally turned to her, "d'ye want some?"
"Oh, I wasn't interested in eating any of it, Jamie. I was just fascinated by the physical and chemical processes involved in its production. A sugar or sugar-based combination is melted into a liquid form by a heating element in the machine's spinner. The spinner would have to distribute the heat evenly to prevent the sugar from burning. It would also have to be spun at high rates to allow it to form long, thin strands that are eventually gathered into a mass …"
Jamie rolled his eyes and ignored her as helped himself to another, larger piece and happily ate it. Once he realized she'd finished her speech he turned and found her still looking at it.
"Eat it, dinnae study it." He pulled off a piece and held it out to her. "It's th' least I can do in return for ye lending me yer lap."
The Doctor's eyebrows raised slightly.
Zoe smiled. "Thank you." She popped it in her mouth and her eyes widened in delight as the taste hit her tongue. "That is quite good." Zoe reached for more but Jamie drew it away.
"Aye, an' now tha' ye've had a taste, ye can get yer own."
"Jamie," the Doctor cut in impatiently. He then turned to Zoe. "I'll get you one, my dear."
"Thank you, Doctor." She aimed a sickeningly sweet smile in Jamie's direction.
"I'm getting bored. I wonder how much longer until she gets off that ride?"
"Yeah, how long has it been now? I'll bet at least twenty minutes."
Zoe stopped mid-chew and her eyes narrowed as she recognized the two girls who earlier were congratulating their friend Susan on being given a ticket to test out a new ride.
"Maybe there was a long line."
"I dunno. Maybe. Hey, I wonder what kind of ride it is. It looked pretty cool. I wonder what Susan thinks of it."
The dark-haired girl snorted. "Who knows. She's such a dork, always getting amazing grades in Bio and Chemistry; she's not into anything even remotely fun."
Zoe couldn't help feeling a twinge of sympathy for Susan. The scenario seemed quite familiar to one she'd experienced back on the Wheel among some of her colleagues.
"Well, whatever she thinks of it, I hope she comes back soon and fills us in."
Finished with their carnival food, the Doctor convinced them to walk around a bit more and further explore the grounds. The dark, imposing facade of a ride called "Spook-O-Rama" soon loomed into view. A sign at the front advertised it as the "longest haunted house ride."
"Oh, look at this!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Let's have a go, shall we? I think it should be great fun!" He grinned excitedly.
Jamie groaned. "I remember the last time ye said that."
The Doctor's grin was hastily wiped from his face and he gazed at his young friend disapprovingly. "Oh, come now, Jamie. Don't be a fuddy-duddy."
"A wha'?"
"Never mind," he muttered as he led them to the ride's queue area. Smiling, he handed over the required amount of tickets to a tall, reedy, twenty-something ride operator with dirty blonde hair. The young man smiled lazily as he looked from the trio to the tickets in his hand and nodded.
He was about to wave them inside when he looked them over once more and the corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk. "Are ya sure you wanna go in there?" he asked.
"Why wouldn't we be?" Zoe asked, a frown of confusion furrowing her brow.
The young man shrugged casually. "I dunno. It's just that, y'know, things touch you in there."
"What sort of 'things'?"
"Creepy, scary things," he continued, reaching out toward Zoe with wiggling fingers and a wicked grin.
"An' if they do, we'll jist tetch 'em back!" Jamie countered, smacking the boy's hand away.
The young man's eyes flashed and the Doctor stepped between them before a fight started.
"Erm, yes, of course, Jamie," the Doctor said awkwardly.
The young man glared but finally waved them through and they entered the ride's dark interior. The only lights illuminated portraits of half-decomposed subjects, large cobwebs strung from the ceiling to corners of the walls, and fake headstones rising from the ground. In the background was organ music and the sound of whispering winds, punctuated by the occasional rumbles of thunder. The ride's designers had made quite an effort to set the mood, no matter how inauthentic some of the effects appeared. Zoe shivered at how creepy it all looked and for a moment her awareness of the presence of her friends and other riders was lost to her.
Until she suddenly turned and noticed Jamie next to her. She reached out and grabbed his hand.
"Wha's th' matter?" He asked, immediately gripping her hand back. "Are ye scared?"
"N-no," Zoe protested, "it's just dark and I don't want to get separated."
"Zoe, there's nothing to be afraid of," the Doctor spoke up.
"I told you," Zoe protested hotly," I'm not—"
A large skeleton suddenly jumped out at them. Startled, Zoe uttered a shriek that was nearly drowned out by the shouts of her two friends. They all huddled together, clutching each other. Zoe had let go of Jamie's hand and grabbed him around the middle, while Jamie had one arm around Zoe, holding her against him as his other arm was around the Doctor. The Doctor himself had a white-knuckled fistful of Jamie's jacket.
The scare having passed almost as quickly as it had begun, they all straightened, separated, and had a good laugh at themselves.
"Oh, we really are a shaky bunch, aren't we?" the Doctor chuckled with a nervous, almost sheepish, smile.
Jamie resumed holding Zoe's hand as they went through the rest of the ride.
Zoe soon realized the ride's billing as the 'longest haunted house ride' almost certainly lived up to its name. Once they had explored the first area on foot, they were made to sit in sideways-traveling, high-backed cars big enough for the three of them to sit in one together. A pair of swinging doors led into a large, equally dark room, the main attraction being a blood red waterfall under which they had to pass. Their car then made a U-turn and proceeded up a long, dark corridor with fake cobwebs brushing their heads.
They then emerged back outside and Zoe winced, finding the sudden bright, natural light disorienting. The car zig-zagged back and forth down an alley, passing spooky scenes encased in glass before entering underneath another, bigger building through swinging doors, one with quite a few rooms. They each contained an abundance of both still and moving black-lighted scenes. Many of them featured monsters such as Frankenstein, a werewolf, Dracula and a mummy, along with very silly things like a man tipping his hat and removing his head. There was also creepy, unnerving laughter on the soundtrack.
One of the last rooms featured one-eyed monsters from outer space dotting a lime-green, crater-filled landscape with jagged representations of mountains.
Zoe actually found this room quite calming compared to the previous ones. Jamie seemed mildly bored, but the Doctor's eyes were lit up in fascination as he gazed around at the scene.
He then gingerly stood up inside the car, stretching a bit to point to something. "Oh, look. These crags remind me so much of Praxilium. How fascinating."
"I'm not sure how you can even tell, Doctor. The landscapes are so exaggerated."
"Well, I can tell fine enough, Zoe. Praxilium had a very unique environment and landforms due to the processes that shaped them."
Zoe turned away from him, folding her arms across her chest and giving him an irritated, sideways look.
"Oh my word, look at this! Why, it's so reminiscent of—"
"Please remain seated!" a disembodied voice suddenly boomed.
The Doctor flushed as he sat back down, turning once more in the direction of the voice. "Well, it's your fault for making this setup so elaborate in the first place!" he retorted defensively.
Jamie quietly nudged Zoe, grinning in amusement as he nodded toward the Doctor. Zoe bit her lip to keep from giggling as the Doctor grumbled to himself.
Once the ride ended and they had disembarked, the Doctor led the way back onto the fairgrounds, still feeling self-conscious judging by his slightly hunched over posture and his hands in his coat pockets.
"Well, that was fun!" Zoe said.
Jamie put a hand to his grumbling belly. "Aye. It almost scared the hunger quite out o' me, but now it's back."
The Doctor checked his watch. "Ah, yes, it is dinner time."
As they headed for the food pavilions, they passed that new ride and Zoe was reminded of that girl, Susan, who'd left her two friends to ride it. Her footsteps slowed as she turned and closely studied the structure. What kind of ride was this, exactly …?
"Something the matter, my dear?"
She quickly turned back around to find the Doctor regarding her curiously. "What? Oh, no, not at all." She shook her head to clear it and then followed her two friends.
Having sated their hunger, they explored the grounds a little longer before the Doctor stretched his arms and sighed. "Well, I should say that's enough excitement for one day." As they neared the park's exit, he scanned the surrounding area. "I believe there's a motel down this way," he said, pointing eastward. "We should see if we can get a room. We'll come back here tomorrow."
Suppressing a yawn as the excitement of the day caught up with her, Zoe couldn't argue.
She began to follow and then heard familiar voices behind her …
"Where is she? It's almost seven-thirty."
Turning, she found the two girls who were with Susan, grimaces of frustration on their faces. A middle-aged man with auburn hair, wearing an employee's uniform suddenly approached. "Excuse me, are you Susan's friends?"
"Yes."
"She wanted me to tell you that the ride gave her a migraine, so she went straight home. Sorry I didn't find you all sooner."
The girls frowned. "Why didn't we see her exit the ride?"
"She went out the back through the Emergency Exit."
The two shared a look and then shrugged in resignation. "Oh. Well, thanks for letting us know." The man smiled and walked away. "Come on, let's play a few more games."
As the two girls left, Zoe frowned in thought as she once again studied this interesting ride. Emergency Exit? That would be located at the back. But the way the ride was constructed made it difficult to see such a feature.
Was that man telling the truth about this girl? Something about the whole thing wasn't sitting well with her …
"Zoe!"
She turned back to find Jamie staring at her, eyebrows disappearing into his fringe as he nodded toward the exit.
The petite scientist finally gave herself a mental shrug before joining him and the Doctor.
Emotionally, she was feeling uneasy, but following hunches or feelings was not the way she usually operated; rather, logic and proof.
And at the moment, she had neither.