MIDNIGHT
P A R T O N E

RIVER GOT ME THE SAPPHIRE WATERFALLS train ride for my 16th birthday two years ago.

Obviously with my type of time travel I am now able to take the trip and because of this, I promised myself that I'd save the date in my Calendar and definitely do it on this day.

Here I am sat at the front of the midnight train wearing red joggers, fishnet tights, a black crop top and converse, my hair down and curled and makeup was minimal.

Leaving everything at home I thought it would be a nice couple of hours away, well except for the sonic blaster of course, that was tucked away in a bag next to me, oh and my manipulator, I never leave home without it.

"8 hours on a train doesn't seem like your thing"

The doctor sat next to me in a different attire than usual... and a different face.

"and here I thought it would be a quiet 8 hours." I said as I looked at the spikey haired man.

The train like thing was only one small booth and was set out like an aeroplane interior.

Oblivious to the people around me, I didn't realise the doors were shut and we were starting to make a move.

"That's the headphones for channels one to thirty-six. Modem link for 3D vidgames. Complimentary earplugs. Complimentary slippers. Complimentary juice pack and complimentary peanuts. I must warn you some products may contain nuts" the hostess says as she can around with a trolly passing me and the doctor some freebies

"That'll be the peanuts" the Doctors says. 

"Enjoy your trip."the hostess replied

"Oh, I can't wait. Allons-y."  The doctor smiled

"I'm sorry?" The hostess looked confused

"It's French, for let's go" He added

"Fascinating"the hostess said before rolling the trolly behind us  

"Headphones for channels one to thirty-six."

"Oh no, thank you, not for us" the man behind us said. 

"Earplugs, please" the women next to the man asks. 

"There you go." 

"They call it the Sapphire Waterfall, but it's no such thing. Sapphire's an aluminium oxide, but the glacier is just compound silica with iron pigmentation. Have you got that pillow for my neck?"  The man behind us said

"Yes, sir."

"And the pills?" The Doctor turned around in his chair and got on his knees peering over the seat

"Yes, all measured out for you. There you go" the lady behind us said

"Hobbes. Professor Winfold Hobbes." 

"I'm the doctor and this is" the doctor motioned to me where I was sat in my seat looking at my phone

The doctor pulled it out of my hand and I got up on my knees, facing the people behind trying to get it.

"This is alex pond"

"It's my fourteenth time" Hobbes says. 

"Oh. Our first, didn't even get the tickets together and still managed to turn up on the same trip" the Doctors says as he hands me my phone back.

"And I'm Dee Dee, Dee Dee Blasco." 

"Don't bother them. Where's my water bottle?" The man said as I turned to sit back down, flicking through my texts

"Ladies and gentlemen, and variations thereupon, welcome on board the Crusader Fifty. If you would fasten your seatbelts, we'll be leaving any moment. Doors" the Doctor and I fasten our seatbelts

"shields down" the windows are shielded

"I'm afraid the view is shielded until we reach the Waterfall Palace. Also, a reminder. Midnight has no air, so please don't touch the exterior door seals. Fire exit at the rear, and should we need to use it, you first. Now I will hand you over to Driver Joe." 

"Driver Joe at the wheel. There's been a diamondfall at the Winter Witch Canyon, so we'll be taking a slight detour, as you'll see on the map. The journey covers five hundred kliks to the Multifaceted Coast. Duration is estimated at four hours. Thank you for travelling with us, and as they used to say in the olden days, wagons roll"

"For your entertainment, we have the Music Channel playing retrovids of Earth classics" dropdown screens shows so shows

"also, the latest artistic installation from Ludovico Klein, plus, for the youngsters, a rare treat. The Animation Archives" a projection of Betty Boop glows on the front of the door

"four hours of fun time. Enjoy"

I go into my back and grab my sonic blaster and aim at at the screen but the doctor grabbed my wrist, pushing it down and using his sonic screwdriver to turn everything off

"I do apologise, ladies and gentlemen, and variations thereupon. We seem to have a failure of the Entertainment System"

"But what do we do?" a women near the back asks.

"We've got four hours of this? Four hours of just sitting here?"

"Sounds amazing"Alex smirked

"Tell you what. We'll have to talk to each other instead" The doctor says standing. 

"Can we not." My face went into my one hand

The Doctor was listening to val and biff stories when I went to set a drink with Dee Dee.

We are in the galley, getting drinks from a thermos jug. 

"I'm just a second-year student, but I wrote a paper on the Lost Moon of Poosh, Professor Hobbes read it, liked it, took me on as researcher, just for the holidays. Well, I say researcher. Most of the time he's got me fetching and carrying. But it's all good experience."

"And did they ever find it?" I ask. 

"Find what?" 

"The Lost Moon of Poosh." 

"Oh, no. Not yet." 

"Well. Maybe that'll be your great discovery, one day. Here's to Poosh" I say. 

"Poosh." She matches my drink

The Doctor is sitting with the lady called Sky as I sat having my meal by a boy called jethro.

"You're really pretty, how are you on your own." Jethro asked as I took a bite at whatever was on my plate.

"I prefer to travel alone, I've been offered many times not to, but it's easier, no responsibility for anyone except yourself."
I smiled at jethro

"Your lips are so."

Jethro pressed his lips against mine and, I kissed back.

"What's the worst that can happen" I thought as I wrapped my arm around his neck and he pulled me on his lap

"No no no you are not allowed to do that, come on." The doctor pulled me off him and to our front seats

"What was that." The doctor exclaimed

"A bit of fun, that is what that was." I smirked as professor Hobbes started to give an illustrated lecture

  "So, this is Midnight, do you see, bombarded by the sun. Xtonic rays, raw galvanic radiation. Dee Dee, next slide. It's my pet project. Actually, I'm the first person to research this. Because, you see, the history is fascinating. Because there is no history. There's no life in this entire system. There couldn't be. Before the Leisure Palace Company moved in, no one had come here in all eternity. No living thing." 

"But how do you know? I mean, if no one can go outside" Jethro asks. 

"Oh, his imagination. Here we go" Val says. 

"He's got a point, though" I say as I get up on my knee in my seat to look over to jethro winking at him. 

"No." The doctor said as he pointed a finger up to me and I smirked

"Exactly. We look upon this world through glass, safe inside our metal box. Even the Leisure Palace was lowered down from orbit. And here we are now, crossing Midnight, but never touching it. Crunch, rattle, grind."

  "We've stopped. Have we stopped?" Val asks. 

"Are we there?" Biff asks. 

"We can't be, it's too soon" Dee Dee says. 

"They don't stop. Crusader vehicles never stop" Hobbes says. 

"If you could just return to your seats. It's just a small delay" the hostess says. 

"Maybe just a pit stop" Biff says.

  "What's going on?" 

"There's no pit to stop in. I've been on this expedition fourteen times. They never stop" Hobbes says. 

"Well, evidently we have stopped, so there's no point in denying it" Sky says.

"We've broken down."jethro says

"No shit Jethro." I replied 

"In the middle of nowhere." 

"That's enough. Now stop it" Biff says. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, and variations thereupon. We're just experiencing a short delay. The driver needs to stabilise the engine feeds. It's perfectly routine, so if you could just stay in your seats" the Doctor walks towards the driver's door and I followed

"No, I'm sorry, sir, ma'am, I. Could you please?" The Doctor flashes the psychic paper.

  "There you go. Engine experts. Two ticks" the Doctor opens the driver's door. 

"I'm sorry, sir, ma'am. if you could just sit down. You're not supposed to be in there." 

There are two men in the compartment, when the Doctor and I enter the cockpit.  "Sorry. If you could return to your seat, sir, ma'am." 

"Company insurance. Let's see if we can get an early assessment. So, what's the problem, Driver Joe?" The Doctor asks.

  "We're stabilising the engine feeds. Won't take long." 

"Er, no, because that's the engine feed, that line there, and it's fine. And it's a micropetrol engine, so stabilising doesn't really make sense, does it? Sorry. I'm the  Doctor this is alex, we're very clever. So, what's wrong?" 

"We just stopped. Look, all systems fine, everything's working, but we're not moving" the Doctor scans with his screwdriver. 

"Yeah, you're right. No faults. And who are you?" 

"Claude. I'm the mechanic. Trainee." 

"Nice to meet you." 

"I've sent a distress signal. They should dispatch a rescue truck, top speed."

  "How long till they get here?" 

"About an hour."

"Well, since we're waiting, shall we take a look outside? Just lift the screens a bit?" I said . 

"It's a hundred percent Xtonic out there. We'd be vaporised." 

"Nah. Those windows are Finitoglass. They'd give you a couple of minutes. Go on, live a little." The doctor said 

"Well" they raise the front screen. 

"Wow." 

"Oh, that is beautiful" the Doctor murmurs. 

"Look at all those diamonds. Poisoned by the sun. No-one can ever touch them."

"Joe, you said we took a detour?" I say. 

"Just about forty kliks to the west."

  "Is that a recognised path?" 

"No, it's a new one. The computer worked it out on automatic." 

"So, we're the first. This piece of ground. No one's ever been here before. Not in the whole of recorded history" the Doctor says. 

"Did you just? No, sorry, it's nothing."

  "What did you see?" I ask. 

"Just there. That ridge. Like, like a shadow. Just, just for a second." 

"What sort of shadow?" beep, beep, beep. 

"Xtonic rising. Shields down." 

"Look, look. There it is, there it is. Look, there." 

"Where? What was it?" The shields close. 

"Like just something shifting. Something sort of dark, like it was running."

"Running which way?" I ask.

"Towards us."  "Right, Doctor, Alex, back to your seats. And, er, not a word. Rescue's on its way. If you could close the door. Thank you"

Sky is waiting by the door as the Doctor and I come out. 

"What did they say? Did they tell you? What is it? What's wrong?" Sky asks. 

"Oh, just stabilising. Happens all the time" I The doctor said as I walked back to my seat

"I don't need this. I'm on a schedule. This is completely unnecessary" Sky says. 

"Back to your seats, thank you" the hostess goes into the cockpit. 

"Excuse me, Doctor,but they're micropetrol engines, aren't they?"dee Dee asked

"Now, don't bother them" Hobbes says. 

"My father was a mechanic. Micropetrol doesn't stabilise. What does stabilise mean?" Dee Dee asks. 

"Well. Bit of flim-flam. Don't worry, they're sorting it out" the doctor says

  "So, it's not the engines?" Hobbes says.

"It's just a little pause, that's all" I say . 

"How much air have we got?" Hobbes asks. 

"Professor, it's fine" The doctor reassured

"What did he say?" Val asks. 

"Nothing" the Doctor says.

"Are we running out of air?" Val asks, the hostess renters the compartment.

  "I was just speculating" Hobbes says.

"Is that right, miss? Are we running out of air?" Biff asks.

  "Is that what the Captain said?" Val asks. 

"If you could all just remain calm" the hostess says.

  "How much air have we got?" Val asks. 

"Mum, just stop it."

  "I assure you, everything is under control." 

"Well, doesn't look like it to me."

  "Well, he said it." 

"It's fine. The air is on a circular filter" Dee Dee says.

  "He started it" soon everyone is talking at once and I huff in annoyance

"Everyone! Quiet!" The Doctor shouts, everyone shuts up

"thank you. Now, if you'd care to listen to my good friend Dee Dee." I said getting on on my knees again facing everyone from my seat

  "Oh. Er, it's just that, well, the air's on a circular filter, so we could stay breathing for ten years."

"There you go. And I've spoken to the Captain. I can guarantee you everything's fine" the Doctor says

Noise came from above us

"What was that?" Val asks.

"It must be the metal. We're cooling down. It's just settling."

"Rocks. It could be rocks falling."

  "What I want to know is, how long do we have to sit here" Biff says. The noise came again

"What is that?" Sky asks. 

"There's someone out there" Val says.

"Now, don't be ridiculous" Hobbes says.

"Like I said, it could be rocks" Dee Dee says. 

"We're out in the open. Nothing could fall against the sides" the hostess says. The noise again

"Knock, knock" the Doctor says.

"Who's there?"

  "Is there something out there? Well? Anyone?" The noise. 

"What the hell is making that noise?" Sky asks. 

"I'm sorry, but the light out there is Xtonic. That means it would destroy any living thing in a split second. It is impossible for someone to be outside" the hostess says. The noise.

  "Well, what the hell is that, then?

  "Sir, you really should get back to your seat" the hostess says as the Doctor uses his stethoscope on the hull, I get up and join him, trying to listen outside. 

"Hello?" he asks. The noise getting Quicker now. 

"It's moving" Jethro says, the emergency exit rattles,

"It's trying the door" Val says.

"There is no it. There's nothing out there. Can't be" Hobbes says, more trying of the emergency exit, then the noise on the roof, and two more on the entrance door. 

"That's the entrance. Can it get in?"

"No. That door's on two hundred weight hydraulics" Dee Dee says.

  "Stop it. Don't encourage them" Hobbes says. 

"What do you think it is?" Dee Dee asks.

"Biff, don't" Val says as he moves towards the door. 

"Nah, it's cast iron, that door" Biff knocks three times, and gets three thumps in reply. 

"Three times. Did you hear that? It did it three times."

  "It answered."

"It did it three times!" 

"All right, all right, all right. Everyone calm down" the Doctor says.

"No, but it answered. It answered. Don't tell me that thing's not alive. It answered him" Sky says.  The noise started again

"I really must insist you get back to your seats."  The hostess says

"No, don't just stand there telling us the rules. You're the hostess. You're supposed to do something" sky said as the Doctor knocks on the door four times. There is a long pause before he gets the four thumps in reply

"what is it? What the hell's making that noise? She said she'd get me. Stop it. Make it stop. Somebody make it stop. Don't just stand there looking at me. It's not my fault. He started it with his stories"

the hostess gets on the intercom.

  "Calm down!" Dee Dee says. 

"And they made it worse!"sky shouted at me and the doctor

"You're not helping." I said

  "Why didn't you leave it alone? Stop staring at me. Just tell me what the hell it is" Sky says. 

"Calm down!" Dee Dee says, the thumping starts again. 

"It's coming for me. Oh, it's coming for me. It's coming for me. It's coming for me. It's coming for me" Sky backs up to the driver's door and screams. 

"Get out of there!"

The whole shuttle rocks from side to side and sparks fly. I was thrown on top of the doctor who held on tight to me as we were thrown about. The entertainment system comes back online as the lights go out.