the orient express

/I'm incredibly homesick./

You have to come and join me in the chance car. Bring /lube/.

Miss Starr,

I have a potential draught of your serum for you to try. It may not be completely efficient right now so please be prepared for the instance that it is not. I will be attempting to modify it to a more efficient level henceforth.

Regards,

SH.

So this is mostly aimed at the people who were here when it was going on, but has anyone seen a ghost that wasn't someone killed on the train back before New York? Or are we just seeing victim ghosts?

And does anyone have a list of names of the people who were victims? I mean, was anyone keeping track?

[Private to Oskar Schell]

Oskar, if you see anything that scares you send a message to John or I and one of us will come and get you.

[Private to Primrose Everdeen]

Miss Everdeen, my name is Sherlock Holmes, I live two doors down from you. I have a friend called Oskar, he's nine, he arrived only a few days ago and I'm concerned the recent apparitions may be a little concerning for him. I noticed you have a spare bunk in your room- should my young friend find himself too fretful, would you be opposed to him staying over with you for a night or two until we get to the bottom of this?

Um. Further, should you yourself experience any concern then myself or Dr. Watson will...happily assist.

Regards,

SH

What the I'm pretty sure I just saw a fucking ghost. And no, I don't mean a ghost like those we have as passengers, I mean a floating about, see-through sort of ghost. Maybe I just need to get some more sleep. Maybe I've finally cracked.

[Sherlock]
Remember the little girl victim during the murder spree? It looked like her. I think I'm going mental.

"My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep. The more I give thee, the more I have, For both are infinite."
~William Shakespeare

My dear friends and fellow travelers, the past week has been a time of great commotion for many of us, and I think that it is time that we celebrate our love and our family - for of the many things in life, there are none more precious than those.

Monday night, Snow White and I are pleased to host in our cabin a small get together, for those of us from our world, and those others of you on the train who have known the gentle, yet profound touch of true love on your hearts.

Everyone (with a very few exceptions - you know who you are) is welcome to attend, but please let me know if you will be coming so that we may plan accordingly.

To all,

I am currently on the brink of conducting an experiment that may or may not benefit a few of you. But I will require some assistance. Those of you who suffer from a blood-lust, I would be most grateful for a sample of your DNA and a few details about your origins. And the chance to use you as a guinea-pig. Just for a little while. It probably won't harm you in any way. Doctor Watson will vouch that I can be very gentle when necessary.

Any questions, comments, or volunteers sign up below.

Regards,

SH

This is an interesting device, but while all the information is absolutely fascinating, I'm much more curious as to how a self-propelled steam locomotive is travelling upside down, without us all falling to our untimely deaths.

At first, I thought perhaps it could be a series of really strong magnets, but then I don't think the devices would work at all, and all the metal on the train would be stuck to the floor. People wearing jewellery would find it very difficult to get anywhere at all.

The only other explanation is that we are travelling in a very large ellipse and inertia is pushing our bodies into the outside of the loop as the train spins around. But the loop seems to be far too large for us to maintain enough centrifugal force to keep gravity at bay, unless we are going dangerously fast.

If you draw a free body diagram with zero normal force, the only force acting on the passengers is force gravity = m*g. So, if we apply Newton's second law then...

Fg = Fc,
m*g = m*v^2 / r
Solving for v:
v = sqrt(r*g)

Basically, it's going to have to be at least nine mile a second, and I've never travelled nine miles in a second in my life. There are 3600 seconds in an hour, so we are currently travelling at least 32400mph.

That's impossible, or at least extremely improbable.

Either way, I need to go home now.

Miss Starr,

I have been informed by my partner that you require some assistance in concocting some medication-

I have a few questions about it before I begin, in order to ensure I don't kill you, you understand.

Regards,

S.H

Are there any educators on board equipped to teach high school curriculum? Since we are stuck on this train, I was hoping that my brother's education not have to suffer in the meantime.

( Sherlock )

Let me make this clear to you mundanes and Downworlders:

You touch my brother, Alec Lightwood, and I will break every vow and promise I have made before my fellow Shadowhunters and the Clave. You will not lay a hand, arm, leg, foot, claw, wing, or weapon on him, and may the angel help you if you do.

I thought that maybe I should inform everyone that I was bitten by one of the zombies. I have not however had any symptoms? Yet, at least. I think it's safe to say I won't turn into one.

Unless it takes a long time then I am unsure.
Even if the long term danger is alleviated, the initial bite is not pleasant. I do not recommend it.

In the real world, it would be my mother's birthday today.

But I haven't seen her for years.

I miss her.

Blah blah the importance of conveying information blah blah.

There are a dozen flamethrowers in the baggage car. Some very large guns that would knock me over if I tried to use them, and holy water.

No, not really holy water. I just thought that'd be funny. I mean, unless water from a church faucet is holy. Is it?

We've also made a rough map of the area, and marked the locations of the places we found weapons within reasonable distance for anyone inclined to have an adventure of their own. The map is in the front kitchen, and should stay in the front kitchen. Make a copy if you're walking out or use the coordinates on it if you're apparating.

IT IS NOT FUN OUTSIDE. I just wanted that out there, in case anyone had any delusions it was.

Right, here's the plan.

Take car. Go to mum's. Kill Phil, grab Liz, go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint, and wait for all of this to blow over.



.... Too soon?

There's a slight possibility I may have accidentally drugged John with some of my homemade confectionery.

Nothing too serious, right, John? He's just having a little trouble with truth avoidance. Aren't you, love?

You can ask him anything and he'll answer it. It's wonderful! Hopefully it'll only last twenty minutes like all the others.

But he's sitting here pouting. You should ask him something to keep him entertained!!

This is brilliant. I'm so clever sometimes.

( [A soft hush and a click before the sound of Jim's voice begins quietly] )

[a sigh] More candy or not more candy? So hard to choose.

[Private to Sherlock Holmes]

We're due for our second date, you and I.

[Private to Harley Quinn]

I'm sorry I missed the beard. I'd love to see you try more.

[Private to John Watson]

Our mutual friend implied I may have been indelicate in our last conversation. I can only offer my sincere apologies. Friends?

This is brilliant! I have a chart of the sweets and what some of them do and I'm going to start dissecting them to find out their components as soon as I have a rough idea of the correlation between the types of confectionary and the effect- if there is none then it's a free for all experiment and I haven't had this much fun in ages!