Chapter 2

5:00 PM

Oct 25 1895

Hill Valley California

"Verne! Where did you put that box of utensils I told you to pack?" Clara was in a flap, trying to finish packing all her family's belongings, run a household, and look after two young boys at the same time. "Verne?" she called again.

"I put it on the table in the living-room," Verne belatedly answered.

"It's not there," Clara answered a moment later.

"I know I put it there," Verne answered vehemently.

"No, I mean the table isn't there."

"Oh. Dad must'a' moved it."

"Well in that case, could you start packing your clothes and toys?"

"I already started, 'member?"

"Then you can finish," Clara replied a little shortly. Today was not exactly the best day of her life.

Outside, Emmett was attempting to load some furniture into a wagon, including the aforementioned table. He was finding this was one of those things that he needed to put his mind to if he wanted to accomplish it anytime soon. The task was like solving a heavy three-dimensional puzzle. Four-dimensional actually, since the pieces had to be fitted in the correct order. His concentration was broken by a loud call from the side of the house.

"Dad! In what place do you wish this folder containing photographs to be located?"

Emmett grinned at hearing his son's slightly verbose speech and answered, "Just put it with that pile of other boxes. I'll take those down to the train with everything else I prefer to carry in the train."

"Certainly." Jules did as he had been instructed, thinking about the things that were going in the train. Most of those were items brought from the future, or things which his father had made before they had been invented or discovered. None of them were things a boy of Jules time of birth would have even dreamed about. He thought of his model airplane: the first airplanes would not be built for a number of years. Now there was something he couldn't show to his friends. Not that he had had many friends in the short history of his life in nineteenth-century Hill Valley.

"But history is going to change," he thought resolutely. It was unfair to stop a boy from living a normal life because he shouldn't exist in the time he lived in, and any action he made could damage the time-space continuum. If Jules had been a different kind of boy, he might have taken his parents' stories as fairytales meant to scare him into obedience. Fortunately, he was able to believe his parents, a belief helped by the sight of his father's construction of a new time-machine and particularly by its recent completion and use.

He eagerly anticipated moving into a new town, with its new people, new possibilities, new horizons. As much as he loved the town he had grown up in, and as much as he wanted to stay in the future, he knew that his parents were trying to make a good decision for the family, and he would do whatever he could to make the best of it. Verne was still moping, but a few rounds of Jules' Game-Boy had cheered him up considerably.

Jules suddenly realised he had been standing idly, so he ran back inside before anyone missed him. He was promptly sent back out with a box of empty picture-frames.

8:20 PM

Oct 25 1895

Hill Valley California

"Whew! I think that's finally the last of it," Emmett declared, wiping his sweaty palms on the front of his overalls. "Any more last minute findings?"

"No, I do believe that really is the last of the packing, this time," Clara answered. "Now where are those boys of ours?"

"I'm here," answered Jules, sticking his head out of the empty house. "Verne is trying to nail down the floorboards in his room."

"So that's what that banging is. Wait... floorboards?" Emmett didn't know if he had heard correctly.

"Yes. He had to pull some up to get at his secret candy stash."

"Candy stash?" Clara was astonished. "Why would he hide his candy?"

Jules went slightly red. "So I can't get at it."

"Really, Jules. You know better than that. Now how about nailing the boards back down for him, if you are the one responsible," his father said firmly.

"Okay, alright. I'm going." Jules ran back inside.

"So are we all ready?" Clara asked her husband, a little anxiously.

"As soon as the boys fix the floor and pack the hammer, we can leave for the hotel. I also must start the train on it's journey ahead. It's almost dark enough."

The plan was to spend the night at the hotel, so as to start early the next morning. They would arrive at a town halfway and stay the night, and complete the journey the next day. The train would quickly fly to their destination during the night, and time-travel forwards by two days so as to arrive shortly after the Brown family. Emmett had everything programmed.

Jules and Verne ran out a minute later, Verne clutching a large hammer.

"Verne, put that in the wagon, and we can go," his father instructed.

For a fleeting moment Verne considered throwing the hammer away, so he could stay in Hill Valley, then he thought better of it and set it down as instructed. Jules, seeing his brother hesitate, gave him a funny look. Verne shrugged.

Emmett finally decided everything was ready, "If my calculations are correct, in precisely 48 hours, both we and the time-machine will arrive in Rocky Flat."

"If?" echoed Clara.

"Don't worry. So long as we are not delayed on the way, and the autopilot works as expected, everything will be fine."

"Right," answered Clara, still not entirely sure.

"Everybody in the wagon and hold on tight," instructed Doc. "Let's get out of here."

After everybody was sitting, Emmett clicked to the horses, Tom and Mike, to start pulling. The powerful beasts began pulling the heavily loaded wagon toward the centre of town. After a couple of minutes, they arrived at the shed that was now empty apart from the time-train.

"Here we are. This will only take a minute," Emmett said when the horses had stopped. He unlocked the heavily secured doors and swung them open, with a hand from Jules who had jumped out to help

The outline of the massive piece of machinery could be barely seen in the dim light. Emmett opened the highly decorative door by remote control and climbed aboard. He turned on the main power and began checking gauges. The fusion generator emanated a low hum as it supplied a trickle of power.

Jules looked around the train's interior, wonder-struck by the contrast between the ancient and futuristic components merged together to make this amazing working whole. He knew he would never cease to be amazed by this display of his father's ingenuity.

"Everything is in its operational state. The autopilot will send the train to Rocky Flat, where it will jump forward to 9 PM of the 27th of this month. We'll save firing the boiler, and switch to hover mode right now," advised Emmett, causing Jules to snap out of his state of deep thought. "Hover mode activated. We have lift. Moving out of the shed," Emmett commentated in a singsong voice. "Clear of shed. Opening door. Exiting time-vehicle."

Jules jumped down the short distance to the ground, looking back at the locomotive which looked even stranger with its wheels at the wrong angle, and weirdly-coloured thrust-beams emanating from somewhere underneath.

"The final necessary action is to start the auto-pilot. Verne, would you like to push the button?"

"Sure Dad. What button is it?"

Emmett pointed out the correct button, saying, "Remember, do not ever touch the remote, or any remote, unless I specifically tell you."

Verne nodded with wide, sincere eyes. Then he lightly pressed down the button. The controller bleeped, a tiny light flashed, and the train headed for the sky. Verne waved to it as it disappeared into the distance.