Assassin on the Railroads (short story)

Assassin on the Railroads was the second Doctor Who Adventures short story published in 2017. It was written as one of Jenny Flint's diary entries.

Plot
A week ago, the Prime Minister of Great Britain came to Paternoster Row. Fearing for his life after an attack in his country house, Lord Cecil hired the Paternoster Gang to protect him from any further assassination attempts.

Now, Lord Cecil is taking a train to Geneva to attend an important meeting between European leaders. Europe is on the brink of war and without Lord Cecil's want for peaceful resolution, things could get disastrous.

Strax, Jenny Flint, and Vastra sit with Lord Cecil, assuring him of his safety. Strax has equipped the train with his favourite Sontaran weaponry, including acid bombs, cryo-mines, and plasma turrets. To calm his nerves, the Prime Minister asks a porter for a large glass of wine with dinner. After drinking the wine, he collapses in a fit of coughing. The assassin has made their move, using poisoned wine!

Strax rushes to Lord Cecil's side while Jenny and Vastra pursue the porter. They chase him through the train until they reach the rear carriage, at which point he breaks the outside door and climbs onto the roof. Vastra and Jenny struggle to follow him and stay balanced on the windy exterior. They pull out their swords and duel the porter. He is a skilled swordsman, but they manage to knock his sword out of his hand and off the train. He jumps after it...

...and then transforms into a huge bat-like creature and flys back onto the train! He announces that he is a member of the Troxil Gamemasters, a name which Vastra recognises. Jenny and Vastra try in vain to attack the Troxil with their swords, but its skin is impenetrable. As she is almost pushed off the train, Jenny pulls one of Strax's cryo-mines out of her pocket and throws it at the Troxil, freezing it. Vastra walks up to the helpless assassin and activates his teleport bracelet to make him leave Earth with a message to never try to meddle in Earth's politics ever again.

Characters

 * Madame Vastra
 * Jenny Flint
 * Strax
 * Robert Gascoyne-Cecil
 * Porter

Worldbuilding

 * Jenny spent her childhood "slaving away" in a match factory.
 * Strax claims the train is "more secure than a Sontaran Dread-Cruiser".

Continuity

 * Jenny mentions the Doctor. (TV: A Good Man Goes to War, et al.)