Last Train To Nowhere

Chapter 4: Onboard Entertainment

I felt the need to clean myself up after that debacle, so for the first time, I took advantage of some of the provisions in my suite. The toothpaste was helpful, the mouthwash I found in the cabinet behind the bathroom mirror, even moreso. Once more breath was minty fresh, I finally dispensed with my clothes and went to try the on-board shower. It was, predictably, as uncomfortable as I’d been expecting. My off-hand had to stay on the railing the whole time, lest an unfortunate bump on the track made me slip. There was no mat in the shower, leaving the ground slippery and myself regretting not bringing a pair of slippers; though at least the shower itself was clean, so there probably wasn’t a risk of picking up an infection to go.

On a brighter note, the shampoo and shower gel came in the form of dispensers on the wall, saving me from being the butt of a “don’t drop the soap” joke, even if movement was a bit awkward, done one-handed. The water was also hot, and there didn’t seem to be a stopper or a time limit, so I was able to enjoy the leisurely kind of shower I normally took back home. There wasn’t a bathtub to relax in, afterwards, but that was the only real complaint, and probably something that didn’t exist outside the realm of the real luxury trains. Ones like the Orient Express, which served caviar and wagyu on board, along with hundred year old wines. The Caledonian Sleeper, while certainly comfortable, was still first and foremost a service for business travellers, so it wasn’t quite at that same level.

Half an hour after the loop started, and I was finally somewhat back to normal; or at least no longer about to vomit, and thus in a fit state to do a bit of thinking. Leaving the train was out, I’d learned that much at least; unless I got a lucky break and the train stopped, it wouldn’t dip below 80 miles an hour, so any attempt to leave would be similarly fatal. I had no way of stopping the train myself, either, since the emergency brake couldn’t be triggered at the door.

“To Edinburgh it is, then,” I eventually decided.

That was a considerably longer journey, one that wouldn’t conclude until the early morning, after breakfast, but on the bright side, it did give me the time to watch the entire trilogy. I didn’t bother heading back to the Club Car: this was a British train, after all, so it took barely any time at all to dig up the obligatory kettle, cups, and complimentary tea and coffee. I already had a routine for long nights like these, since they were hardly unusual in the legal industry, one that I would follow to a tea, pun intended.

First up, the lighter green teas, to whet the palette. Then, the traditional English Breakfast tea: not my favourite, actually, but Earl Grey wasn’t provided, so I made do with what I had. Two cups would tide me over until the early hours, at which point I would make the switch to coffee, taking full advantage of the extra hit of caffeine. As an afterthought, I tossed the decaf -tea and coffee both- into the bin: they were abominations of the highest order, and had no place sharing a room with me. Precisely three minutes of steeping later, and I had a hot cup of tea at the desk, had my laptop back out, and was ready to return my attention to Frodo and Galadriel.

Procrastination is a skill I had a lot of practice with; so once again, I expertly kicked the can down the road: setting an alarm for seven-thirty in the morning, before unpausing the movie, and pretending, at least for a little while, that everything was going to be okay.

—

I woke up again, one minute past midnight, and I was not okay. In my defence, I might have overdone it slightly with the coffee, in my eagerness to stay awake. I’d done it a few times before, both as a student and in gainful employment, reaching that tipping point where the spike of wakefulness from caffeine became a crash instead. Interestingly, as I got a look and looked around, I noticed my laptop was still at my desk. The screen was off, but it was plugged in, and still switched on. Unlocking it, I found it paused at the last scene I remembered watching, the start of the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.

Items persisted between loops, I realised; at least, any items I interacted with before the reset did. I’d thought that was the case, what with my appetite lessening with each meal, and my tiredness fading somewhat as well when I went to sleep. I’d been counting on it, in fact, paired with the judicious use of caffeine and entertainment, in order to stay awake, except that didn’t quite work out. Perhaps if I had something stronger, I might have powered through, but that unfortunately wasn’t an option. London Euston was one of the nation’s busiest, and best guarded stations. It would have been most unfortunate had the sniffer dogs found anything illicit on me, so I’d been a good traveller, and left all of those substances behind at home. The right decision, even if it came back to bite me later.

Still, this loop hadn’t been a waste, not entirely. Objects appeared to carry between loops, and whilst I’d only tested that with my own thus far, did that apply to what had originally belonged to others? A quick look in the bathroom suggested it did, as the toothpaste was open and noticeably empty near the top. This had potential, but it also implied a hard time limit. A train could carry a lot of food, but that would run out eventually, and I had no desire to be stuck in a loop, repeatedly starving to death. So, what to do? I left my bag behind this time, and headed back to the Club Car, with the beginnings of a plan.