Ending of the Hours (Book Four of the Bad Wolf Chronicles)

Midnight

"Wonder which one that is," Jessie muttered under her breath, making the Doctor turn his laugh into a cough.

"Enjoy your trip," the hostess told them.

"Oh, I can't wait," the Doctor said with a grin. "Allons-y!"

She frowned. "'I'm sorry?"

"It's French," Jessie explained. "Let's go."

"Fascinating."

The two of them looked at each other before snickering more as the hostess moved to the others. "Isn't she a bundle of energy?" she asked.

"Look on the bright side, it's probably good we didn't bring Donna along," the Doctor offered.

Jessie nearly choked on her laughter, and he laughed, patting her on the back as the older man behind them leaned over. "Hobbes," he introduced himself, holding out a hand. "Professor Winfold Hobbes."

"I'm the Doctor," the Doctor replied, shaking his hand as Jessie turned around as well. "And this is my wife, the Bad Wolf. Hello."

"Nice to meet you," Jessie smiled, shaking his hand as well.

"It's my fourteenth time," Hobbes told them.

"Oh," the Doctor nodded. "Our first."

"And I'm Dee Dee," Hobbes's assistant spoke up. "Dee Dee Blasco."

"Don't bother the man," Hobbes chastised. "Where's my water bottle?"

"Oi!" Jessie pouted as Dee Dee moved to get it. "I like knowing who I'm traveling with. Nice to meet you, Dee Dee!"

"Nice to meet you as well," Dee Dee smiled.

The hostess returned to the front of the shuttle. "Ladies and gentlemen, and variations thereupon, welcome onboard the Crusader Fifty," she told them. "If you would fasten your seat belts, we'll be leaving any moment. Doors!" They slid closed. "Shields down." Jessie leaned away from the windows as they slid closed. "I'm afraid the view is shielded until we reach the Waterfall Palace," the hostess apologized. "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."

Jessie furrowed her eyebrows. "Definitely wouldn't get along with Donna."

"Now, I will hand you over to Driver Joe."

"Driver Joe at the wheel," a man announced over the intercom. "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 traveling with us, and as they used to say in the olden days, wagons roll."

The shuttle rattled as it took off. "For your entertainment, we have the Music Channel playing retrovids of Earth classics," the hostess said, turning the screens on. Jessie's eyebrows shot up at the video playing. "Also, the latest artistic installation from Ludovico Klein." Jessie ignored the holographic image that appeared. "Plus, for the youngsters, a rare treat. The Animation Archives."

"You're bloody kidding me," Jessie sighed as a cartoon popped up.

"Four hours of fun time," the hostess told them with a smile. "Enjoy."

"No way am I going through four hours of this," Jessie decided, taking her sonic screwdriver from one of the folds in her dress and holding it under her arm. She powered it up, and everything electronic shut off.

"Well, that's a mercy," Hobbes muttered.

"I do apologize, ladies and gentlemen, and variations thereupon," the hostess told them. "We seem to had a failure of the Entertainment System."