#midnight!

The Doctor was thrilled when the three women presented him with the request to go to Midnight. Rose had remembered the name when they came across it and knew he’d been wanting to go on the tour of the diamond planet for years.

He was less thrilled when he realised they intended to pack him off on the tour alone while they enjoyed the other amenities of the leisure palace. “But it’s no fun if I go alone,” he protested. “Come on, it’s just four hours—then you can have your spa day in the afternoon.”

Donna snorted. “No, that’s four hours there and four hours back. That’s like a school trip. I’d rather go sunbathing.”

The Doctor shook his head. “And that’s another thing—Midnight’s sun is Xtonic. Is it even safe to sunbathe?”

Jenny patted his shoulder. “It’s fine, Dad. It says in the guide book that the glass enclosure over the leisure palace is fifteen feet thick.”

He bounced on his toes and Rose held up a hand before he could say anything more. “And don’t try luring us in with the sapphire waterfall and the Cliffs of Oblivion. We read all about it, and we still want to have our spa day.”

His shoulders slumped and he sighed in defeat. “All right, I give up. Next stop, Midnight: the Planet of Diamonds. Also home to one of the best spa resorts in the galaxy, if you go for that kind of thing.” He twirled his finger in their direction. “You’d better pack your bags, ladies.”

Rose pointed to the door, where three suitcases were waiting. “Oh, we’re ready,” she assured him.

Thirty minutes later, they were checked in to rooms in the resort and Rose was walking the Doctor to the embarkation area for the tour busses. The long hallway was made almost entirely of glass, giving passengers a view of craggy spires sparkling in the sunlight.

“Better not tell Mum about this,” Rose muttered. “A planet made of diamonds? She wouldn’t care if they were poisoned.”

“Do you remember Scotland and the werewolf?” the Doctor asked.

Rose laughed. “And how we joked that Mum would fight the werewolf for the diamond?” Another memory came fast on the heels of that one. “That was when we first started to realise Bad Wolf had permanently changed me,” she added.

The Doctor hummed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Best news I’ve ever gotten.”

Rose snorted. “You practically had a panic attack when I asked you what the werewolf meant.”

“Well…” He tugged on his ear. “I didn’t realise it was good news at the time.”

They finally reached the gate printed on the Doctor’s ticket and stopped a few feet from the ticket counter. He pointed at the gate agent, looking bored as he stared at the computer in front of him.

“You’re sure I can’t talk you into coming with me?” The Doctor squeezed her hand. “It could be fun, just the two of us.”

Rose shook her head. “Jenny asked for this, love. Donna told her that spa days are something mums and daughters do together.”

Warm affection immediately replaced his slightly petulant attitude. “Ah. Well, that’s a different story then.”

“Yeah. Plus, I’m really looking forward to it. I haven’t had a girls’ day in forever—not a proper, Earth-like girls’ day, with all the pampering and fruity drinks and giggling over the funny stories we’ve shared.” Rose stretched up to peck the Doctor on the cheek. “So you have fun on your tour, and when you get back, we’ll try that anti-gravity restaurant—just the two of us.”

The Doctor grinned. “The one with bibs?”

Rose straightened his tie. “Yep!”

“That’s a date, Rose Tyler.” He wrapped an arm around her waist and tugged her close, then bent down and kissed her quickly before pulling back. “You ladies have a fun time, telling all your jokes at my expense.” Rose feigned shock, and he shook his head. “Oh, I know exactly what kinds of funny stories you’ll pull out.”

Rose gave him his favourite teasing smile, and he shook his head and kissed her again, lingering a bit longer this time. In fact, it was the last call for boarding that finally reminded them both that he had somewhere to be, and he reluctantly let go of her.

“Have fun, Doctor,” Rose said as she stepped away from him. “And be careful.”

He winked. “Nah. Taking a big space truck with a bunch of strangers across a diamond planet called Midnight? What could possibly go wrong?”

oOoOoOoOo

The Doctor waved jauntily the other passengers on the mostly-full bus as he walked on. The couple near the door rolled their eyes, and the woman muttered something that sounded like, “Finally.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and made his way forward, sitting in front of a young woman who was the only person to wave back at him.

A woman at the back of the bus caught his eye, and her sky blue Oxford shirt and the company badge stitched to her blazer told him she was the Hostess. She hustled forward with the refreshments trolley and started handing him things, one after the other.

“That’s the headphones for channels one to thirty-six. Modem link for 3D vidgames. Complimentary earplugs. Complimentary slippers.” His lap was almost full, and she moved on to the snack items. “Complimentary juice pack and complimentary peanuts. I must warn you some products may contain nuts.”

“That’ll be the peanuts,” the Doctor said, unable to resist.

The customer service smile disappeared from her face, her lips pressed into a thin line instead. “Enjoy your trip.”

“Oh, I can’t wait. Allons-y,” the Doctor chirped as she started to push the trolley away.

She sighed and turned back to him. “I’m sorry?”

“It’s French, for let’s go,” he explained, a little less vibrancy in his voice.

“Fascinating,” she said through clenched teeth.

The Doctor grimaced when she walked away. He’d certainly managed to make a poor impression right off the bat. Hoping to smooth over some ruffled feathers, he looked at the blonde woman sitting on the other side of the aisle, reading a book.

“I cut it a bit fine, I know,” he said, and she looked up at him. “Just lost track of time, saying goodbye to my wife. You know how it is.”

Her already cold expression turned frosty. “I’m afraid I don’t, since I’ve found myself single rather recently, not by choice.”

“Ah.” The Doctor tugged on his ear. “I’m sorry to hear that,” he offered, and she nodded once. “What happened?”

The woman shrugged, but it was a brittle motion, meant to convey nonchalance she did not feel. “Oh, the usual. She needed her own space, as they say. A different galaxy, in fact. I reckon that’s enough space, don’t you?”

The Doctor nodded, but he really didn’t know what else to say to that. The woman nodded again, sharply, and went back to her book.

Feeling truly awkward for once in his life, the Doctor sat quietly for a moment. But he couldn’t remain still for long, and only a few seconds passed before he was turning his head, taking in the interior of the bus.

The tiny windows in the hull captured his attention right away, and the Doctor perked up. He hadn’t imagined they’d be able to look outside while they drove across Midnight. He glanced back at the Hostess, parking the trolley in the back of the bus, but before he could ask her about the windows, the man sitting behind him leaned forward and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Hobbes. Professor Winfold Hobbes.” He held his hand out, and the Doctor shook it.

“I’m the Doctor,” he said, aware that a relieved smile had stretched across his face. At least someone will talk to me. “Hello.”

“It’s my fourteenth time,” Professor Hobbes said, rather self-importantly.

The Doctor’s eyes widened. “Oh. My first.” This will be new, not being the most experienced person in the group.

The young woman who’d smiled at the Doctor when he’d gotten on the bus stood up and offered him her hand. “And I’m Dee Dee, Dee Dee Blasco.”

“Don’t bother the man,” Professor Hobbes chided. “Where’s my water bottle?”

The Doctor winked at Dee Dee as she assured the professor that they had all the necessary supplies, and she shrugged, as if to say, “That’s just what he’s like.”

The remaining passenger was a teenage boy dressed in all black. Judging by the way the lad was pointedly ignoring the couple by the door, the Doctor guessed they were his parents.

His attention was pulled back to the Hostess as she strode up the aisle from the rear of the vehicle. “Ladies and gentlemen, and variations thereupon, welcome on board the Crusader Fifty.” At the cabin door, she turned around to face them, that professional smile back in place. “If you would fasten your seat belts, we’ll be leaving any moment.”

She smirked at them while they all fumbled with the seat belts. Once they were properly buckled in, she checked her watch, then nodded. “Doors.”

The doors closed, shutting them off from the hangar bay they were parked in.

“Shields down,” she continued, motioning with her hands.  

Shielded visors lowered over the windows, dashing the Doctor’s hopes of watching the landscape of Midnight as they travelled. He sighed, but supposed he should have guessed—the bus certainly didn’t have fifteen feet of glass protecting them from the poisonous rays.

“I’m afraid the view is shielded until we reach the Waterfall Palace,” the Hostess explained. “Also, a reminder. Midnight has no air, so please don’t touch the exterior door seals,” she cautioned, pointing to seals. “Fire exit at the rear, and should we need to use it, you first.”

The Doctor stifled a laugh. If Midnight had no air and the sunlight was toxic, using the fire exit would be the equivalent of leaping from the fire into the frying pan.

After giggling at her own joke, she said, “Now I will hand you over to Driver Joe.”

“Driver Joe at the wheel,” spoke a voice over the intercom.

A topographical map of Midnight appeared on the screen on the wall, and the Doctor put on his glasses to bring it into focus.

“There’s been a diamond fall at the Winter Witch Canyon, so we’ll be taking a slight detour, as you’ll see on the map.” The typical route was highlighted in orange, while their detour was done in blue. “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.”

There was a bit of turbulence as they left the dock, and the Doctor shifted in his seat, excited to finally be on the way.

The Hostess smiled and lifted her chin, drawing their attention back to her. “For your entertainment, we have the Music Channel playing retrovids of Earth classics.”

She pressed a button on the remote in her hand, and a set of screens popped down from the ceiling, showing a music video from the 1980s.

“Also, the latest artistic installation from Ludovico Klein.”

She pressed another button, and they were immersed in a holographic art display. The Doctor would have found it interesting—and Rose would have loved it—but it was impossible to focus on the art when the video was playing at the same time.

“Plus, for the youngsters, a rare treat. The Animation Archives.” A large screen dropped down in front of the cabin door, and a Betty Boop cartoon started playing.

Any one of the three forms of entertainment might have been interesting, but together, they were nothing but noise.  The Hostess didn’t seem to think so. “Four hours of fun time. Enjoy,” she said unironically, then disappeared to the back of the bus.

The Doctor looked at the three different displays, utterly unenthused. It’s tempting… He glanced around at his fellow passengers, seeing if anyone else was interested in the entertainment. The blonde woman looked up from her book and heaved a sigh, then rolled her eyes when she caught him looking at her.

That was all the encouragement he needed. Especially given his blunder with her earlier, he was happy to do what he could to make her trip just a little bit nicer. He pulled the sonic screwdriver out of his pocket, and five seconds later, the screens went dark and returned to their docks.

“Well, that’s a mercy,” Professor Hobbes said.

“Ah, I do apologise, ladies and gentlemen, and variations thereupon,” the Hostess said as she walked forward, frantically hitting the buttons on her remote.

The Doctor ducked his head so she wouldn’t see his smile; her remote wouldn’t do a bit of good. He’d disabled the entertainment system permanently, at least until they did a hard reboot of the software.

The Hostess didn’t know that though, and she frowned in vexation when the remote didn’t work. “We seem to have had a failure of the entertainment system.”

“Oh,” the Doctor said, feigning dismay. The woman across the aisle looked at him knowingly, and he thought he saw a hint of gratitude in her eyes.

“But what do we do?” the woman by the door asked.

“We’ve got four hours of this?” her husband added. “Four hours of just sitting here?”

“Tell you what.” The Doctor turned around and kneeled on his seat. “We’ll have to talk to each other instead.”

The blonde woman shook her head and bent closer to her book. None of the other passengers were enthused by the idea either, but the Doctor didn’t let their obvious dismay deter him.

“Let’s start with names, shall we? I’m the Doctor.”

oOoOoOoOo

Fifteen minutes after leaving the Doctor at the shuttle bay, Rose used the keycard she’d been given to slip into her room at the resort. She, Jenny, and Donna had taken a quick look at the options on offer, and the vote had been unanimous—swimming and sunbathing first, followed by massages and then lunch. And that meant the very first thing to do was change into her swimming costume.

The Doctor seemed happy, and she reached out to him as she opened up the suitcase. Having a good time, love? Are you impressing all the other passengers?

To her surprise, he turned a little sheepish. It was a bit of a rough start, but I think we’re getting along well now. I might have turned off the onboard entertainment so we’d be forced to actually talk.

Rose pulled out her bikini and wrap, shaking her head at him. That sounded like him, but she was familiar enough with this century’s ideas of entertainment—a constant bombardment of noise—to guess that most people were actually grateful.

What are you up to? he asked.

A sly smile crossed Rose’s face. She quickly changed into the suit and pulled her hair up in a messy bun, then looked at herself in the mirror and nodded. Just getting ready to go swimming with the girls, she told him casually. A second later, she let him see exactly what she looked like, in her skimpy red bikini with tendrils of hair framing her face.

Oh… that’s not fair, he groaned.

Rose closed her eyes and focused on the bond, and a moment later, she was standing in front of the Doctor. She pressed a finger to her collarbone and traced a line down to the deep V of her bikini top, and his eyes tracked her movements hungrily.

Just a tease, since you can’t be here to enjoy it in person, she told him.

The Doctor reached for her, and the feeling of his cool hand on her bare skin sent a shiver down Rose’s back. He leaned down and nipped at her earlobe, then whispered, You know I love it when you tease me, Rose, but you also know that I return your teasing, with interest.

Rose drew in a shuddering breath when the Doctor brushed his nose along her jawline, his lips close enough that she could feel his breath. He finally pressed a lingering kiss to the corner of her mouth before lifting his head to give her a knowing smile.

I’ll see you tonight.

The bond faded back into the background, and Rose sighed. Time to get this girls’ day started, she told herself, wrapping a black sarong around her waist.

Jenny and Donna were already lounging by the pool when she arrived. “There you are,” Donna said, saluting with a hand holding a cocktail. “Oh, the Doctor is going to be disappointed he missed seeing that bikini.”

Rose smiled as she reclined in the third lounge chair. “He might have already gotten a glimpse,” she drawled. Jenny and Donna frowned blankly at her, and she tapped her temple. “What’s the point of sharing a telepathic bond with your husband if you don’t tease him with it sometimes?” Donna threw her head back and laughed, and Rose picked up the fruity cocktail waiting for her to accept her friend’s toast.

“I don’t know how you can handle drinking something that sweet,” Donna said, gesturing to Rose’s mai tai. “Can you even taste the alcohol under all that sugar?”

Rose took a sip and hummed—the resort had used her favourite Maldorian rum. “Not tasting the alcohol is the point, Donna,” she replied. “I like things a little sweet.” She thought of the Doctor pouring sugar into his tea and wrinkled her nose. “Not as sweet as the Doctor does…”

Jenny giggled. “No one likes things as sweet as Dad does.”

A hazy memory came back to Rose, and she focused on it for a minute before she started laughing. She’d only been teasing the Doctor when she’d mentioned telling funny stories at his expense, but this one was too good not to tell.

“You know how much he loves to eat jam, yeah?”

Donna snorted. “That’s hard to miss. At least he uses a spoon, I suppose.”

“Oh, but he hasn’t always,” Rose countered. She set her drink down and turned slightly in her chair to look at her audience. “I remember a time when he would just grab any jar of jam he saw and stick his fingers right in it, without even thinking.”

“Ewww!” Donna wrinkled her nose.

Rose smirked. “I haven’t even mentioned the best part, Donna. We weren’t at home when he did this.”

“You have got to be kidding me!” Donna said. “He just took a stranger’s jam jar and stuck his dirty fingers into it?”

Rose nodded. “The look I gave him…” She laughed. “Let’s just say he put the jar back, sharpish.”

oOoOoOoOo

After Rose’s teasing, it had taken a few minutes for the Doctor to settle back into reality on the bus. Honestly, when given a choice between spending the morning with his gorgeous wife in a bikini and spending that time getting to know a group of strangers, there was no contest.

But he hadn’t been given a choice. Rose had asked for a girls’ day, so here he was, on a bus with seven perfect strangers, listening to a recording of Jethro’s band.

The song faded into silence, and the young guitarist hit the stop button on his music player. The genuine applause he got brought a flush to his pale cheeks, and he actually managed a smile.

When the praise died down, the Hostess clapped twice. “May I have your attention please, ladies, gentlemen, and variations thereupon? At this time, there are refreshments available in the galley at the back of the vehicle. I would typically serve you myself, of course, but since we seem to be in a more casual mood today than usual, this seemed appropriate.”

The Doctor grinned and jumped to his feet. “Thank you—hang on, what’s your name?” he asked, realising suddenly that she’d never introduced herself when everyone else had. Even Sky Silvestry had given her name before promptly returning to her book.

The Hostess blinked twice, and the Doctor wondered how many of these tours she led without anyone asking her such a simple, humanising question. He tugged on his ear; he probably wouldn’t have thought of it, if it weren’t for Rose’s influence.

“Anniqua,” she said finally.

“Nice to meet you, Anniqua.” The Doctor held his hand out, and after a moment of hesitation, the Hostess shook it. “What part of the galaxy do you hail from?”

Some of the woman’s stiffness melted away as he kept talking to her like a person, instead of an employee. “I’m from Sto.”

The Doctor brightened. “Oh, I have a friend from Sto!” He remembered as soon as he said it that Astrid had lived close to a thousand years in the past, and he quickly added, “But of course I doubt you know her. Big planet, after all.”

“Yes…” A confused wrinkle appeared on her forehead, then she shook her head and straightened her skirt. “Now if you’ll excuse me, Doctor, I must get back to work.”

The Doctor watched her go, then meandered towards the galley, where Dee Dee was already pouring the first of two cups of coffee. “I’d ask if you were going to down your coffee double-fisted,” he said, “but I think I know who the other cup is for.”

Dee Dee shrugged as she set one mug down and picked the empty one up. “It’s why I’m here.”

He tilted his head. “Tell me about yourself, Dee Dee. How did you end up on this trip with the professor in the first place? If he’s been here fourteen times, I doubt there’s much he’s going to see that he hasn’t seen before.”

“I’m just a second-year student,” she explained, “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.” She laughed self-deprecatingly as she turned around. “Most of the time he’s got me fetching and carrying,” she admitted. “But it’s all good experience.”

The Doctor sighed internally; humans never tired of peddling that lie when they wanted others to work for free. He quickly dismissed the topic of Professor Hobbes and focused on the one that intrigued him a great deal more.

When Dee Dee shifted a few steps to the right, the Doctor stepped up to the counter to pour a coffee for himself. “And did they ever find it?” he asked.

Dee Dee shook her head and frowned. “Find what?”

“The Lost Moon of Poosh,” the Doctor asked. A whole moon, lost! Now that was a subject worth discussing.  

Dee Dee laughed. “Oh, no. Not yet.”

“Well,” the Doctor drawled, looking up at the ceiling. “Maybe that’ll be your great discovery, one day. Here’s to Poosh.”

The look in Dee Dee’s eyes was quietly pleased, like no one had ever suggested that she might make a discovery herself, rather than merely assisting the discoveries of others.

“Poosh,” she said, tapping her cup against the Doctor’s.

oOoOoOoOo

After half an hour by the pool, Donna claimed the filtered sunlight was burning her fair skin. Resort staff helped them pull over a few large umbrellas for shade, and they’d continued to enjoy the relaxing atmosphere.

Even without direct sunlight, the comfortable warmth of the Midnight sun almost lulled Rose to sleep. In her relaxed state, her telepathic awareness sharpened.

Jenny was right next to her, and she felt her daughter return her warm greeting. The Doctor gave her the equivalent of a quick hug, along with a glimpse of the group on the tour bus.

Something else teased the edges of her senses, though—an unfamiliar presence. Rose shifted on the chaise lounge, trying to figure out where the unknown telepath was coming from, but she was almost immediately shut out by barriers stronger than anything she’d encountered before. Whoever it was, they were not interested in saying hello.

Rose’s eyes fluttered open, and she knew immediately she would not be able to relax again. They so rarely ran into other telepaths, and the way this person had managed to slam a door in her face, almost without trying, made her uneasy.

She focused on the time and breathed a sigh of relief when she realised she had a good excuse to leave the poolside.

“Come on, you two. It’s almost time for our massages.”

Rose swung her legs out of the chaise lounge and grabbed her bag while Donna and Jenny both yawned and blinked a few times. They put on normal clothes in the changing room, then Rose pulled a map of the resort out of her bag and led them to the massage salon.

As they walked, she casually reached out for the Doctor, eavesdropping a bit on his conversation and paying attention to his mood. By the time she was on the table, the Doctor’s obvious enjoyment of his trip eased most of her anxiety.

He’s on a tour bus, she reminded herself. The passengers all seem normal, and no one else can get in. What could be safer?

oOoOoOoOo

After another forty-five minutes and a meal that was either chicken or beef, or maybe both, the Doctor looked around at his fellow travellers. “Well, does anyone else have an idea of how to pass the time?”

Professor Hobbes half-raised his hand. “I could tell you more about the planet, if you’re interested.”

Biff and Val both rolled their eyes, and Jethro, eager to spite his parents by any means possible, immediately leaned forward and rested his chin on the seat in front of him. “Go on, Professor,” he said, his eyes glittering.

The Doctor covered his mouth to hide his smile, but when the professor looked his direction, he nodded quickly. “Oh, absolutely,” he enthused. “I’d love to hear the things about Midnight that you wouldn’t find in a guidebook.”

Sky shook her head slightly and turned the page of her book. She hadn’t joined in any of the conversation, even though he’d tried to get her talking during lunch. The Doctor sighed; from her vague reference to her recent breakup, he could understand why she wanted to be left alone, but it was still too bad that she was holding herself back from everyone.

The professor and Dee Dee bustled around for a few minutes, getting a slide projector out of their bags and setting it up with Anniqua’s help. “You’ll learn things hardly anyone knows,” Professor Hobbes promised them as they set up. “Midnight proves the point that the more beautiful nature is, the deadlier it is.”

Val raised an eyebrow and leaned forward slightly. The professor didn’t notice her increased interest as he fumbled with getting the slides in the projector, but Biff did. He scowled slightly, but straightened in his seat as well, catching Val’s attention.

The slide carrel clicked into place and the professor walked up to the front of the bus as Dee Dee took his place at the projector. “We’ve sent exploratory robots onto the surface of Midnight.”

A picture of the blue diamond spires of Midnight filled the screen, and Val sucked in a breath. The Doctor pressed his lips together to hide his smile as she stood up, matched almost immediately by her husband.

“The diamonds are genuine, unlike the so-called Sapphire Waterfall,” he explained. “Made of pure carbon, they would be worth a fortune on the market… if it were possible to mine and sell them. Of course, that is not a possibility, because…”

He nodded at Dee Dee, who advanced to the next slide, a diagram showing Midnight orbiting the Xtonic sun. Professor Hobbes pointed at the planet at the centre of the slide. “So, this is Midnight, do you see, bombarded by the sun. Xtonic rays, raw galvanic radiation.”

His pronunciation was solemn, and everyone sat up slightly, paying a bit more attention. Even the Doctor, knowing all of this already, felt a little thrill at the reminder of the danger.

“Dee Dee, next slide.” His research assistant nodded quickly and hit the advance slide button.

“It’s my pet project,” the professor said, rather unnecessarily the Doctor thought, as Hobbes bounced lightly on his toes, an excited smile on his face. “Actually, I’m the first person to research this.” He smiled proudly and gestured with his pen. “Because, you see”—Hobbes sat down in the front row and looked back at them—“the history is fascinating.”

He studied them with wide eyes as he continued to speak in an almost conspiratorial voice. The Doctor got Rose’s attention and showed her what the professor looked like now. Is this what I look like when I start lecturing?

Bit more sexy, she teased. But yeah. That same contagious enthusiasm.

He nodded, understanding better why she found it so appealing, then focused back on the professor.

“There’s no life in this entire system,” Professor Hobbes said, his voice getting louder and faster with every word. “There couldn’t be. Before the Leisure Palace Company moved in, no one had come here in all eternity. No living thing,” he whispered, emphasising his word with his hands.

The bus was silent for a moment as that thought sank in. The Doctor smiled as he watched everyone but Sky look around, getting caught up in the fascination the professor was encouraging.

Everyone, that was, but Jethro. “But how do you know?” he asked, his chin raised in challenge.

The Doctor nodded approvingly; that was an excellent question.

A smirk played with the corners of Jethro’s mouth when he affected a shrug. “I mean, if no one can go outside.”

Val rolled her eyes. “Oh, his imagination. Here we go.”

“He’s got a point, though,” the Doctor countered, and Jethro straightened up slightly at the praise.  

Professor Hobbes’ head bobbed a few times and he waved his pen at Jethro. “Exactly! We look upon this world through glass, safe inside our metal box.” He stood up, his eyes wide behind his glasses. “Even the Leisure Palace was lowered down from orbit,” he said, gesturing as he did so. “And here we are now, crossing Midnight, but never touching it.”

Before anyone could comment on that statement, the tour bus stopped, with an ominous grinding noise.

“We’ve stopped,” Val said, then shook her head. “Have we stopped?”

Biff glanced at his watch and the closed door. “Are we there?”

Dee Dee shook her head. “We can’t be. It’s too soon.”

“Th-they don’t stop,” the professor insisted. “Crusader vehicles never stop.”

Anniqua walked slowly to the front of the bus, an uncertain smile pasted on her face. “If you could just return to your seats. It’s just a small delay.” Then she spun around and walked quickly to the back of the vehicle, where she picked up the intercom handset to talk privately to the captain.

The passengers exchanged uneasy glances, but did as she said and sat back down.

“Maybe just a pit stop,” Biff suggested.

That idea would have made people feel better, except Professor Hobbes quickly jumped in to deny the possibility. “There’s no pit to stop in. I’ve been on this expedition fourteen times. They never stop.”

The Doctor had been watching Sky from the moment the bus had ground to a halt. As soon as the noise shattered the stillness of the trip, she’d dropped her book and sat ramrod straight, with her hands clutched around the arms of her seat. Her knuckles had gotten whiter with every suggestion and question posited by the travellers, and he could see her shoulders heaving with unsteady breaths.

But the professor’s tenacious insistence on denying the obvious broke through what little calm she had. She rounded on him with a snarl. “Well, evidently we have stopped, so there’s no point in denying it.”

Professor Hobbes slunk away until he was standing in front of his seat, his mouth hanging open as he stared at Sky with wounded pride.

Jethro laughed. “We’ve broken down.”

“Thanks, Jethro,” his mum said sarcastically.  

Getting under her skin was all the motivation Jethro needed to continue. “In the middle of nowhere.”

“That’s enough. Now stop it,” Biff ordered.

Anniqua walked down the middle aisle, interrupting the family argument before it could get worse. “Ladies and gentlemen, and variations thereupon. We’re just experiencing a short delay.”  

The Doctor’s eyes narrowed as he took in the nervous energy vibrating off her. The screen that had been lowered earlier to play the cartoon was still down, and she reached for it and pulled until it retracted into the ceiling. Then she straightened her blazer, still trying to find an outlet for her obvious anxiety.

She smiled at them, but her dilated pupils made it obvious how upset she was. The driver needs to stabilise the engine feeds. It’s perfectly routine, so if you could just stay in your seats.”

The Doctor frowned; the tour vehicle ran on micropetrol engines, and micropetrol didn’t need to be stabilised. He felt Rose’s attention sharpen as his mood turned serious, and he walked to the cabin door, intent on asking the drivers for the real story.

“No, I’m sorry, sir,” Anniqua said, trying to stop him.  

The Doctor ignored the rest of her sputtering and held up the psychic paper. “There you go. Engine expert. Two ticks.” He pushed the button that opened the door and stepped inside the cockpit, while Anniqua continued trying to call him back to his seat.

There were two seats, and the Doctor placed his elbows on their backs and leaned forward. An older white man looked back at him while a young black man kept fiddling with the controls, trying to get the vehicle to move again.

“Sorry,” said the man who’d turned around, and the Doctor recognised the voice of Driver Joe. “If you could return to your seat, sir.”

The Doctor held up the psychic paper again while he examined the engine readouts. “Company insurance. Let’s see if we can get an early assessment.” He slid the wallet back into his pocket and looked down at the driver. “So, what’s the problem, Driver Joe?”

“We’re stabilising the engine feeds,” Joe lied. “Won’t take long.”

“Um, no,” the Doctor contradicted, “because that’s the engine feed, that line there,” he said, pointing at the screen, “and it’s fine. And it’s a micropetrol engine, so stabilising doesn’t really make sense, does it?” Joe grimaced up at him, and the Doctor shrugged. “Sorry. I happen to know a lot about engines. I’m the Doctor, by the way.” He held out his hand, and Joe shook it reluctantly. “So, what’s actually wrong?”

Joe hesitated, but his counterpart did not. “We just stopped.” The younger man gestured at the instrument readouts around them. “Look, all systems fine, everything’s working, but we’re not moving.”

The Doctor frowned and pulled out the sonic screwdriver, but a quick scan confirmed what the young man had told him. “Yeah, you’re right. No faults. And who are you?”

“Claude. I’m the mechanic. Trainee,” he added quickly, probably before Joe could humiliate him by correcting him.  

“Nice to meet you,” the Doctor said as he put the sonic back in his pocket.  

Joe pointed to a flashing light on the control panel. “I’ve sent a distress signal. They should dispatch a rescue truck, top speed.”

The Doctor sighed; there went his tour, but there was nothing for it, really. “How long till they get here?”

“About an hour.”

“Well, since we’re waiting, shall we take a look outside?” Joe’s jaw dropped, and the Doctor nodded at the screen blocking their view of the planet’s surface. “Just lift the screens a bit?”  

Joe breathed hard, the fear pouring off him. “It’s a hundred percent Xtonic out there. We’d be vaporised.”

“Nah,” the Doctor said dismissively. “Those windows are Finitoglass—they’d give you a couple of minutes.” Joe glanced at the screen, then back at him, and the Doctor grinned. “Go on, live a little.”

Joe shook his head and laughed once, like he couldn’t believe what he was about to do. “Well.” Then he hit a button, and the screen went up quickly.

Bright white light filled the cockpit. “Wow,” Joe breathed.

The Doctor drank in the sight of a new planet. The thrill that coursed through him at the sight of the crystalline spires was even stronger than it usually was. This was a sight no living creature had ever seen.

“Oh, that is beautiful,” he murmured. The spires here were taller and more elaborate than the ones near the leisure palace. The formation directly in front of them reminded him of Lincoln Cathedral, with two towers rising high above a shorter structure.

“Look at all those diamonds,” Claude said, pointing to where the sunlight glinted off the surface. “Poisoned by the sun. No one can ever touch them.”

“Joe, you said we took a detour?” the Doctor asked, without looking away from the view.

“Just about forty kliks to the west.”

“Is that a recognised path?”

“No, it’s a new one,” Joe replied. “The computer worked it out on automatic.”

“So we’re the first,” the Doctor whispered. It felt like a sacred moment, too important for normal voices. “This piece of ground. No one’s ever been here before. Not in the whole of recorded history.”

The moment was broken when Claude moved quickly, pointing out at the planet. “Did you just?” He shook his head. “No, sorry, it’s nothing.”

But the Doctor wouldn’t let him second-guess himself. “What did you see?”

Claude pointed at the closest spire. “Just there. That ridge,” he said, wiggling his finger so the Doctor would look at the second level of the formation. “Like, like a shadow. Just, just for a second.”

“What sort of shadow?” Maybe Jethro was right!

An alarm started beeping before Claude could answer. “Xtonic rising.” Joe pressed a button, and the shield started coming down. “Shields down.”

“Look, look.” Claude pointed frantically at the sliver of landscape still visible. “There it is, there it is. Look, there.”

“Where?” The shield closed completely, and the Doctor looked at Claude. “What was it?”

Claude’s pupils were blown and he was breathing heavily. “Like just something shifting.” He finally looked away from the screen. “Something sort of dark, like it was running.”

“Running which way?” the Doctor pressed.

Claude swallowed hard. “Towards us.”

A frisson of excitement and fear went down the Doctor’s back.

“Right, Doctor, back to your seat,” Joe snapped. “And, er, not a word. Rescue’s on its way. If you could close the door. Thank you.”

The Doctor straightened up and left the cockpit. My tour isn’t exactly going as planned, he told Rose. In fact, they’ve sent a rescue vehicle and we’ll be back at the resort in… oh, three hours?