"The storm is getting worse. I think it would be better to land, before we get hit by a lightning or something." Said Lukas concerned, as he and his train flew through the rainy night.
They were returning from a gathering, where all the witches had attended to, and they were now on their way home. Lukas had insisted that he would transport them, since his train was 'a smother way to get around'.
But right now, the rain was making it very difficult to see anything, and he only wanted to reach the ground as fast as he could, before anything bad happened. But it was already too late. There was a loud thunder, followed by the bright light of an lightning bolt. It hit the engines boiler, and the electricity surged through the entire train. Lukas wanted to get the train onto the ground, but the controls were not budging. The train picked up speed, getting faster and faster, and suddenly, with an bright flash. They were gone.
A few hours earlier
They were all at the gathering, wearing their best dresses and suits. The event was held in honor of the 6 years of fighting, in which the witches had helped the human race survive against the Neuroi, and to talk about the future; what would happen if they were successful. Afterwards, there was a small Buffet, but the 501st couldn't care less.
"But the question is good." Said Lukas suddenly.
"What question?" Asked Lucchini.
"What to do after all this. I mean, what are we going to do when the war is over." Said the engineer.
"Why? Were simply going back to our home lands and get back to our normal lives again." Huffed Barkhorn.
"But is it really that simple? After what we did, what we have seen… Is it really that simple to simply say 'I fought aliens but hey! That was only a few months ago, I'm ready to go back to school again!'? I know I couldn't, not after what I have went through… Not after meeting you girls. It just wouldn't be right." Said the Karlslander with an frown on his face, before his right hand was grabbed by Shirley.
"You know that we will always be a family. Always were, always will be." Smiled the Liberion gently, and kissed him.
"You always know how to cheer me up, you know." Grinned Lukas, but he stopped, as the low rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance.
"We need to get home,soon. I can't fly in too bad weather." Said the engineer concerned.
20th November 1985, 12:20am
At a small railyard, two men were working on a small Alco diesel switcher.
"Awfully quiet nowadays." Sighted the first one.
"Well, with the boss gone, that's no wonder." Grumbled the other one.
"You know fully well that he didn't liked being called 'boss'." Said the first one, pulling out a letter.
"What do you got there?" Asked the engineer.
"A letter. He gave it to me on the day of the accident. He told me that I should give it to someone tonight. He said that that person would wind up here with his train, so I should be waiting near the line." Said the young conductor.
"Can't be! There is no train scheduled here till 6am! He must have pulled your legs!" Grumbled the older one, turning back to the tracks.
They both were silent again, till the loud sound of lightning filled the air.
"Did the weather report said anything about lightning tonight?"
"No. Clear sky all night long!"
They both were surprised by the light, but we're even more surprised, when the sound of chuffing filled the air.
"That sounds like him…" The younger whispered.
"But it can't be him!"
The chuffing got louder. A light could be seen in the near distance, but instead of normal yellow, it gave a light blue light.
"It's the same light…"
The train was rushing towards them, till the sound of brakes filled the air, as the 'Commander' came to an stop, right next to the Alco.
The two men climbed from their engine, and walked over to the train. They looked into the cab, and saw a young man, grabbing the brake handle, with blank eyes and shock in his face.
"Hey kid! Are you alright?" Asked the older one.
"The boy turned to them, and now it was their turn to look shocked.
Sitting there, on the drivers seat, was a man they thought they lost forever.
"L-Lukas Romstein?!" Asked the older one.
"Yeah, that's me. Who are you, and why do you know my name?"
"But it can be you! Your so... young."
"Then something must be wrong with your eyes! I never looked any different, in the 23 years I lived!" Said the engineer crossly.
"Wait! 23?! You are only 23 years old?! Then you can't be Lukas Romstein! When we saw him, he was 63 years old!"
"What? Wait a minute! What date is it?! When I checked it, it was December the 26th, of 1945!"
"You need to check your calendar again. Today is the 20th November of 1985!"
Lukas tumbled slightly as he heard the date. He, as well as the whole 501st, had just travelled 40 years into the future. He pulled out his pass shakily, and looked at it, and showed it to the two people.
"Here is the proof! This pass is from 1945, and it says that I'm Lukas Romstein, and that I'm 23 years old!" He said, and showed it the two men.
Their eyes widen when they saw the pass, and looked back at the boy.
"But, but that would mean that you..." Started the younger one.
"It would make sense. When he saw me the first time, he said to me, that we had met already. I think that's what he meant." Said the older one.
"Excuse me for interrupting your conversation, but could you two please make sense? 'cause all I understand right now is train station." Grumbled the man.
"Oh, sorry Lukas. I'm Nikolaus Pretrenkov, and this is my son, Dimitri. And your in the railyard of Hill Valley, California." Said the older one.
"Wait, Pretrenkov? Dimitri? Are you related to Dimitri Pretrenkov, who fought in the Orussian army?"
"Yes, he is my father. I was born in 1947, a year after the war ended."
"Wait, does that mean, that we did it?! We ended the war?! We won?!" Asked the man, as he smiled brightly.
"Yes, we made a truce with the Neuroi. They've got a big part of the Siberian region of Orussia, and stayed there." Said Nikolaus.
"What happened after that?" Asked a voice. They turned around, to see the 501st JFW. They had walked out of the carriage, and had listened to the conversation.
"You should see it yourself. In the museum."
"Museum?!"
Hill Valley Museum of War Heroes, 8am
"I still don't know why we can't keep our normal cloths on! I mean, its not like we would attract any attention or anything!" Grumbled Lukas, as he wore a white and blue checked T-shirt, a black base cap, and a pair of washed out jeans, that were covering his Striker, while the girls all had dresses of different styles on.
"Yes you would. Mainly because of this!" Said Nikolaus, as he pointed to a statue, of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, with the sentence "Together we stand, United we fall" Underneath it.
"Wow! Why did they build that?!" Asked Lucchini, as she looked over the statue.
"To always memorize the legendary 501st Joint Fighter Wing, the Squadron that ended the war." Said a women from the museum, as she heard the little girl. She walked over to the two men.
"Good morning Nikolaus, Dimitri. Are you checking the old engines again?" She asked.
"We're actually here to give these 14 here a tour of the museum. They are... relatives of the 501st." Said Nikolaus.
"I see. Well, have a good time in the museum, and don't hesitate to ask any questions!" She said, as she walked away.
"We ended the war? How come?" Asked Shirley.
"I'm afraid I can't tell you that. If you know how, it could change the course of time." Said Nikolaus.
They walked inside, and were already greeted by two big steam locomotives, the on a KRG class 50, and the other a class 52, with the names, 'Alex' and 'Tobias', with a picture of the two underneath it.
"Tobias died in October of 1962, Alex followed 5 years later. Their engines were gifted to the museum, but Lukas always came up here, to check up on them." Explained Dimitri.
They walked further, and saw a picture of a big congress room, with an Neuroi, standing on one side, while a group of men stood on the other. The Neuroi, and Winston Churchill shook hands.
"That is the congress of Berlin. It marks the official ending of the war, and the begin of a new era for earth." Explained Nikolaus.
They then came up to a row of pictures. Each of them had one of the 501st JFW on it, but they were all back in their home lands.
"Soon afterwards, the 501st was disbanded, and mostly all of you returned to your home lands. Yoshika became a famous doctor in Fuso, and she and Lynette married a few years later." Said Nikolaus, as he pointed to a picture, of both girls, as the stood in front of the Miyafuji clinic, holding their hands tightly, while the two younger versions just blushed.
"Gertrude, Erica, Hanna, Minna and Mio went to Karlsland. While Gertrude and Hanna ranked up to become a General of the Luftwaffe, she and Erica got together, and married in 1957. Minna went on to become a famous singer, and she and Mio already married in 1948." Said Dimitri, as they showed two pictures. One was with Barkhorn, Marseille and Erica, as they were in an meeting with the Karlslander Kaiser, while the other showed Minna and Mio, as they were at a award ceremony.
"Perrine went back to Gallia, and went up to become the first female President of Gallia. Eila and Sanya married in 1949, and both went into the music business, while Sanya played Piano, Eila played violin." Said Nikolaus, and showed another two pictures, first of Perrine, as she was signing something, and another with Eila and Sanya, as they were on big stage, with many people sat in the audio.
"Last but not least: Francesca returned to Romagna, and worked with her mother and father in the family vineyard, till she started to work for duchess Maria, as head of security." Said Dimitri, as he showed the a picture of the girl, as she stood next to Maria.
"But what about us? And Alex, and Tobias?" Asked Shirley.
Nikolaus and Dimitri looked at each other, the color draining from their faces.
"It would be easier to show you." Said Nikolaus silently, and led them to a new section of the museum.
"This section was made up for the members of the First Independent Karlsland Railway Corps." Said Dimitri, as they walked inside.
"Both Alex and Tobias went back to Karlsland, and helped rebuilding the railway lines. You all gathered back in Weimar, as the new sheds were opened." Said the younger man, as he pointed to a picture, showing the three engineers, as they, and many other people, celebrated in the new railway sheds. Next to the picture was another picture, showing the old, and the new sheds; they looked nearly identical, with only the difference that the engines were newer.
"Lukas married Shirley in 1950, but had already lived in Liberion for quite some time. He worked with his engine around here, and fought, when the railways were scraping steam engines in favor of diesel engines. His engine was the last in the country to still work on as a real profit making engine. That was, until..." He could speak further, as he broke down, crying.
"What happened?!" Asked Lukas, wanting to know his fate.
Nikolai said nothing, but pointed to another door. They walked through it, only to see the mangled, twisted leftover rests that were left of the 'Commander'. They walked further, to see a blank wall, with a picture of Lukas, and a new article.
'Steam locomotive Engineer killed in train accident; whole Hill Valley mourns over the tragic, that happened last night, as Lukas Romstein (63) crashed with his steam locomotive, number 8 'Commander', outside of Hill Valley, near the Eastwood ravine. He was bringing in an slow passenger train, when he crashed into a freight train, hauled by an Union Pacific diesel engine. While the diesel's driver could jump, Lukas didn't leave his engine, and tried to stop the train. His wife, Charlotte E. Yeager-Romstein, as well as his children Emma and Martin, are comforted by family and friends right now.'
Lukas just stood there, mouth agape. Here he was, in a free from war world, and reading that he was dead. Just then, Dimitri came up to him.
"He said that someone in a train would arrive last night, and that I should give him this letter. I think you should read it." Sniffed the man, and gave Lukas the letter, who opened it, and read it slowly.
'Welcome to 1985. We both know what happened, and I know your devastated, but, you have some fantastic 40 years in front of you, and this letter will help you see them. You'll need to head to the following address, and ask a Doctor Emmett L. Brown for help. Tell him your Lukas Romstein, and tell him that you need a Flux compensator. But before you go there, I need you to go to Roundhouse drive 7 for me, and visit someone.
I know you will get back, and I wish you all the best for the future.
Your future self, Lukas Romstein'
"I- We should listen to his advice. I know myself better then anyone, and I've got a feeling that this Emmett Brown will help us. Nikolaus, Dimitri, please take them back to the train, and bring her to the roundhouse. I need to visit someone." Said Lukas, and walked off.
Roundhouse drive 7, 10am
"Well, you dina say..." Muttered Lukas, as he stood in front of the house. It looked just like his old home, back in Karlsland. He walked up to the door, and pressed the door bell button. But instead of a normal ringing of a bell, a steam whistle sounded.
"Yep, this is my house alright." Smirked Lukas cheekily, as the door went open, and a man, roughly the same age as him, opened the door. He had his hair style, but the color of Shirley. He wore a white and light blue overall, with the name 'Martin Romstein' on the left side. He also wore a railroad hat, with the word 'engineer' printed on it.
'Man, if that's my son, I did a hell of a good job!' thought Lukas, as he looked at his son.
"Can I help you?" Asked the man gruffly.
"Yes. I was told to visit someone here. Could I come in?" Asked the man.
"No. We didn't expect any visitors, nor do we want any. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go back to work." Said the boy, and brushed passed the time traveler.
"Your an engineer too, right?"
"What do you mean by 'too'?"
"I'm a engine man myself. I read about your loss." Said Lukas.
"He was my father, and a perfect railroader. He was a war hero, and didn't deserved to die this way!" Said the man.
"I know. He and I were very close. I wanted to visit his family, to give my regards." Lied the engineer, hoping it would get him inside.
"I see. Okay. You can come in."
They went inside, and Lukas was greeted by the sound of chuffing, as a model train ran over his head.
"My father build a railway all they way through the house." Explained the man, as a small passenger train cuffed along the wall, as a goods train passed it, the locomotive being a model of Alex's engine.
"Mother! We've got a guest!" Shouted the young engineer, as he walked inside the kitchen.
"Who is it?!" Came the reply from upstairs.
"I'm a good friend of Lukas ma'am! We worked together for quite a while!" Shouted Lukas.
The sound of someone coming down the stairs caught their attention, as Charlotte E. Yeager-Romstein walked into the kitchen. Upon seeing Lukas, she stormed up to him, and gave him a slap on the cheek.
"It's been forty years, but don't you think I forgot what happened! Why? Why did you take the train?! You know it is going to kill you, so why would you still take it?!" Asked Shirley, tears running down hear face, while Martin just stood next to his mother and this stranger, not really understanding what was happening.
Lukas looked at the women in front of him. Over the past 40 years, Shirley didn't changed a bit, but the sadness and anger was written in her face.
"Shirley... you haven't changed a bit. I don't know why I would take the train, nor do I know why I crashed with the UP diesel. But I know one thing: As soon as I found a way to travel back in time, I will stop myself from taking that train! I can see what I build over the last 40 years, and I know damn well that I wont give up this, for any stupid train! Don't worry, my little Bunny; you don't need to mourn over my dead any longer." Said Lukas, and turned around, walking to the door, passing a girl with Shirley's hair style, and Lukas' hair color.
"Who was that?" Asked Emma Romstein.
"I don't know, but I think he and Mom are very close." Said Martin.
"You don't even know." Smiled Shirley, with tears in her eyes.
Lukas returned to the railyards, and was surprised to see the sheds filled with equipment, that was usually used on steam locomotives.
"That was Lukas' spot. He stored his engine here, serviced her, and repaired her. Usually, the UP's steam program engines would rest here, whenever they wander this far west... Which is only once or twice a year. We thought it would only be appropriate to store number 8 here, for one last time..." Sniffed Dimitri, as the 'Liberion' 4-4-0 stood on the track, next to two EMD F7s.
"Do you know where Doctor Emmett Brown lives? My future version told me that he could help me travel back to my time." Asked Lukas, not telling the two men about his plan.
"Who doesn't? He is well known for his crazy inventions. He lives in the east of the city. In the Brown manor. You can't miss it." Said Nikolaus.
"Thanks. I'll be on my way then. Good bye." said Romstein, and left for the Brown manor.
Brown manor, 30 minutes later
Lukas stood in front of the door and knocked, waiting for something strange to happen. The door opened, and he was pulled inside, by an man with white hair, dressed in a white lab coat. The man inspected the young engineer, and stepped back, shocked.
"Great scott! It can't be! You shouldn't be here, at the most, you should be dead, and 40 years older! The only way you can be here, is-"
"Through time travel. I don't know how we met, but I'm sure it was through some strange adventure in the past. But right now, I need your help. I come from 1945, and I am part of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, and we were send to this date, thanks to a lighting, hitting my train. I was informed by my future self, that I should come to you, and ask you for an 'flux compensator', so that I could travel back into my time." Explained Lukas.
"Interesting. But I can't lend you a flux compensator." Said Doc.
"What?! Why?!" Asked the boy, enraged about that his future self had fooled him.
"That's because I don't have any. The only one I still own is build into the train, since the DeLorean was destroyed." Said Emmett.
"Wait, you said you had build that thing, into a train?! But that's perfect! We can couple my train onto your train, and pull it back to the past!" Said Lukas.
"Good Idea, why didn't I think of that? Anyway, I better prepare the train. I'll meet you at the roundhouse." Said Doc, and raced out of the lab.
Roundhouse, 1 hour later
"Okay Doc, the train is hooked up, were ready to move." Said Lukas, as stood underneath the cab window of Docs train.
"Good, now, get aboard, and I'll bring you back to 1945."
"Wait, there has been a change of plan! Were going back to the day of the accident, and stop me from driving the train!" Shouted Lukas, as Doc put the date in.
"What?! We can't do that! If your future self sees you, the whole space-time continuum will be destroyed!" Said Doc, alarmed.
"But what if I stop the train, without interfering with myself? If I don't see me, then everything would be okay, or am I wrong?" Asked Lukas.
"Well, your right with that, but still! You would change the complete future with this!"
"Time can be rewritten Doc. Surely, you did something while you traveled in time, that changed the future!" Said Lukas.
"Well, yes. I did change some outcomes of the future, as well as the past..."
"See! And I bet that the outcome was worth the risk, right?!"
"... Get aboard. We've got a train to stop!" Said Doc, and rewrote the arrival time.
"Thanks Doc." Smiled Lukas, and went to his train.
Doc looked out of the cab, and waved to the steam locomotive behind him. As an answer, he got a blast from the engines whistle. The convoy slowly started to move, and started to rose from the tracks, and into the sky. The were gaining speed quickly, and after a few seconds, the train was surrounded by flickering lights, as a thunder like sound broke through the sky, and the train disappeared, only leaving behind two streaks of fire in mid air...