Chapter 13
Bess carefully took up a position in the dusty street. Thorn stalked his way to an opposite position. "Ready Bess?"
"That's Calamity Bess to you," Bess answered curtly as she nodded the affirmative.
"You're the one getting the calamity, not me," Thorn sneered back, digging his toe into the red dirt.
Meanwhile, Catherine had bravely entered the saloon, and found herself staring at Thorn's friends as they kept hold of Emmett.
"Want something?" the stocky fellow asked.
Catherine gave a pointed nod. "You can let my friend go. Bess is fighting Thorn now, so there's no reason to hold him."
Shorty, who seemed to do most of the talking, gave the other two boys a questioning look. The stocky fellow shrugged and kicked an empty bottle across the floor, smashing it against the wall. "'sup to you Shorty," he answered briefly, with a deep, chesty voice.
"Some help you are, Clyde." Shorty tried kicking a bottle himself, but caught his boot on a nail, to Fox-Tail's extreme mirth. He turned back to Catherine. "What if we don't?"
"I'll tell the whole town what you did yesterday. Do sweets, axles, frogs, fireworks, and flag ropes mean anything to you?"
The boys looked at each other nervously, let go of the struggling scientist, and vanished out the back door. The few saloon patrons, who had moved themselves out of harm's way behind tables and such similar solid items, gradually moved back to their seats with relieved looks. The townsfolk appeared to be as frightened of Thorn's gang as they were of his father. Catherine and Emmett didn't stop to talk or even take much notice. They both spilled out the double-hinged front door... it time to see Thorn run at Bess with wildly flying fists.
Bess gracefully danced out of her ancestor's path, leaving him to punch empty air. Caught off balance, Thorn tumbled untidily into the red dust. He caught his breath and stood back up, brushing himself clean.
"Ouch!" he exclaimed, feeling a sudden pain in his leg. "Yeouch!" Something bit his arm. "Aaaaaaah!" he wailed as he tore around madly, attempting to remove the army of angry ants from his suffering skin.
"That should keep him busy, do lets get out of here," Bess calmly suggested to her friends, who were looking on with surprise.
"Yes, yes of course," Emmett agreed as he looked around for his horse.
The girls ran down the street to retrieve their own horses, looking back to catch a glimpse of Thorn stumbling onto a blank tombstone before toppling into a manure cart. "My family always had a very intense hatred for manure," Bess remarked as she swung herself into the saddle. "I know my dad had some bad experiences with the stuff, but I guess he wasn't the first."
Catherine didn't answer. She was just glad no one was hurt and they were finally on their way home.
A loud whistle sounded as the three riders met. "That's the train. Do you think we can make it?" Catherine asked anxiously.
Emmett considered the question quickly. "We should be able to cut it off at Coyote Pass, if we're fast."
"Then by all means, let's be fast," Bess shouted as she kicked her horse into high gear and galloped away.
After a few minutes of hard riding through the scenic nineteenth century Californian countryside, Bess spotted the train winding out of the cutting below her. She urged her horse down a tricky slope, bringing herself to a point level with the track, after the end of the cutting. Ahead, the train vanished around a wide curve. Behind, her companions galloped on, just visible between the trees that flanked the rough trail.
Bess turned her faithful horse onto the rails and followed close behind the train, hoofs clattering on wooden sleepers. In a burst of speed, Emmett caught up to her.
Bess drew up to the back of the last carriage and swung herself out of the saddle. Emmett moved his horse close to the opposite corner and pulled himself onto the train. Bess turned back to wave goodbye to her faithful horse, and noticed Catherine lagging quite a way behind.
"I'll catch up when you stop," Catherine yelled, her voice barely reaching the train.
Bess gave her friend a thumbs up sign and started following the scientist-turned-hijacker over the top of the train. A few dangerous flying leaps later, the pair had clambered to the front of the train.
"C'mon, let's go! Masks on," Emmett shouted over the roar of the train. Bess pulled up her bandanna, making herself look quite comical. Emmett tried not to laugh as he started the final climb, over the tender.
The pair carefully navigated through the load of wood and dropped down into the cab. The elder of the two (by far) pulled out a gun. "Reach!"
The engineers jumped in fright, startled by the sudden appearance of these two malcontents. They raised their hands immediately.
"Is this a holdup?" one inquired.
Emmett paused, looking to Bess and thinking about the illegality of his current activity. "It's a science experiment," he finally conceded.
Bess grinned. "Catherine would be a bit uncomfortable hearing that," she mused.
Her partner in crime continued speaking while she thought. "Stop the train before you hit the switch track up ahead," he instructed.
The senior engineer nodded nervously, and complied. The train halted at the right place and Bess sprang down to work the lever.
"Doc!" she shouted for his attention, waving to indicate that the points were set.
Emmett pointed his gun at the engineers again. "Uncouple the cars from the tender," he instructed firmly.
The coupling cooperatively clanked undone, separating the engine from its load. The new driver opened the regulator, letting the iron beast crawl towards the junction.
Bess grabbed on, setting her boot on the footplate and swinging herself up into the cab. Emmett gave the whistle a few good yanks, startling her slightly.
"I've wanted to do that my whole life!" he explained with a chuckle.
Bess gave a light-hearted laugh. It was good to see the scientist enjoying himself in the face of danger. She looked out of the cab and saw the DeLorean waiting up ahead. "This is our stop, Doc," she announced.
Emmett slowed the engine, bringing it to rest right behind the time-travelling sportscar-turned-railcar. "All change! Next stop, 1985," he declared in a station-master's voice.
Bess swung down to the ground and opened the gull-wing door. "Hey, what are these?"
"I'll explain everything when Catherine gets here, to avoid saying it twice."
"Smart idea. But whatever is taking her so long?"
"No idea. Ask her now."
"Now?" Bess turned to see Catherine appearing on her horse, which was walking.
"Sorry, I picked the wrong horse. This one is quite useless," she explained as she turned the worn beast loose. It immediately began feeding on the nearest patch of grass.
"Don't worry, you're here now. Take one of these and stack them beside the fire, but not too close."
"What are they?" Catherine asked as she picked up a colored log.
"My own version of Presto Logs. Compressed wood with anthracite dust chemically treated to make the fire burn hotter and longer. I came up with the idea after the engineer mentioned how hot the fire would need to be. I made use of the blacksmith facilities, testing them in the forge."
"Quick work," Bess said in appreciation.
"Thank you. These three will light the fire sequentially, make the fire burn hotter, kick up the boiler pressure and make the train go faster."
"A lot faster," Catherine agreed hopefully.
"Indeed. Take a radio Bess. Catherine, Bess and I used these to keep in touch in 2015. You can monitor the state of the DeLorean and Bess can keep in touch with me, since she already knows how to use the radio."
"Sounds good Doc, but why do we need the radios?" Catherine asked.
"Ah, I'll have to start the train, and then climb out to the DeLorean."
Catherine looked uncomfortable at that revelation.
Emmett waved the girls out of the train. They entered the DeLorean and waited for the train to start. The whistle blew, signaling that the engine was about to move. The girls felt a light bump and the DeLorean started rolling along the rails.
Bess clipped the tiny silver radio device onto her collar. "You read me Doc?" she spoke.
"Loud and clear."
"He says loud and clear," Bess relayed to her companion.
"Bess, are the time circuits on?"
"Time circuits, Catherine," Bess prompted.
Catherine clicked them on, yielding a satisfying beep.
"Check, Doc," Bess affirmed.
"Input the destination time: October 27th, 1985, 11am," Emmett instructed.
"27th, 11 in the morning," Bess told Catherine, letting her fill in the blanks.
Catherine tapped in the number sequence. Bess nodded that it was correct. Catherine then checked the speed. "Tell Doc we're going at a steady 25."
"Hey Doc, we're cruising steadily at 25 miles," Catherine said into the tiny microphone.
"I'm throwing in the Presto Logs," he answered. A few seconds later he called again. "Girls, the new gauge on the dashboard will show us the boiler temperature."
"I hate to interrupt, but does this thing have a way to plug into the car stereo or something? Relaying everything to Catherine is wasting time," Bess complained.
"Ahh yes, I completely forgot about that. I had a plug installed… it should be just above the lighter. There should be a cord in the glove compartment."
"Great," Bess answered. She turned to Catherine. "There's a cord in the glove compartment and a gauge on the dash."
Catherine rummaged for the cord and passed it over. Bess plugged it in as Catherine lifted down the gauge.
"It's plugged in now."
"Great. As I was saying, the gauge shows the boiler temperature, and the colour coding indicates when each log will fire. Green, yellow, and red. Each detonation will be accompanied by a sudden burst of acceleration. Hopefully we'll get up to 88 miles per hour before the needle gets much past two thousand," said the scientists voice through the speaker system.
"Why, wha-what happens when it hits two thousand?" Catherine asked in a worried tone.
"Catherine wants to know what happens at two thousand," Bess relayed.
"The whole boiler explodes."
"Perfect!"
"Catherine says that's perfect," Bess relayed.
"Hey, you didn't have to tell him that!"
"Catherine says I didn't have to tell you that," Bess continued sneakily.
Catherine groaned. The sudden explosion of the green log caused the DeLorean to lurch a little, startling the girls.
"Remember all that stuff about unknown variables? We just found another one. So far, we gotta reach 88 before we hit the edge of the ravine, before the boiler explodes, and after Doc has time to get in the DeLorean," Bess said to her friend.
"Please don't remind me," Catherine cautioned. Hey, we're at 35."
"Doc, we just hit 35."
"Good to see you're back to the subject at hand. I'll be coming aboard now."
The girls waited for a minute as the scientist began the dangerous climb forward. Catherine kept an eye on the speed, and glanced at the temperature needle occasionally. It gradually and steadily rose until… "Hey, the needle's reached the yellow," Catherine warned.
"Better hold onto something Doc, the yellow log's blowing in a moment," Bess passed the warning on.
And even larger explosion rocked the DeLorean and the steam engine rather viciously, giving a proportional increase in speed. "40," Catherine notified.
"Right, we just passed 40, Doc. Nearly half way. We're opening the door now." Bess, who had her hands free, reached for the door handle and slowly let the door rise, making sure it wouldn't unexpectedly derail the time machine.
"We're at 45 now," Catherine announced.
"45 Doc, go for it," Bess urged. She stuck her head out the door, seeing the scientist standing on the front of the train, looking rather worried. "C'mon Doc, you can do it! You have to!" she encouraged.
"50."
"50 Doc, c'mon you gotta do it now or…"
Bess's broadcast was interrupted by the piercing sound of the whistle blowing, and saw Emmett climb back around to the side of the engine. She heard him yelling, but not through the radio, so she couldn't understand it. "What's up Doc, what's happening?" she demanded.
"It's Clara! She's on the train!" he yelled into radio, both serious and delighted.
"Clara?" Catherine questioned the world in general.
"How's your unknown variable count going?" Bess asked.
"Perfect," Catherine muttered. "This is getting worse every moment."
"She's in the cab, I'm gonna go back for her," Emmett explained.
Catherine looked out the window, and was horrified to see the windmill flash past and vanish behind them. She grabbed the radio off Bess's collar and yelled, "The windmill! Doc, the windmill! We're going past 50, you'll never make it!"
"Then we'll have to take her back with us! Keep calling out the speed! Wait, that isn't Bess is it?"
"I kinda borrowed the radio. Sorry."
"Don't worry, just give it back," the train-traversing time-traveller replied. He shouted something else, obviously directed back at Clara, which the girls could not hear well.
The passengers of the DeLorean waited nervously as the speed increased with little sign of the two adults reaching the front of the engine. Catherine began unconsciously twisting a strand of hair around her finger as she wondered what was going on, as she couldn't see the side of the train and Bess wasn't telling her what was transpiring. Bess didn't think to tell her friend what she was seeing, and even her face started to grow a worried look about it. "We're at 60 miles an hour Doc, so hurry her up a little!" she called back after Catherine's prompting.
Emmett must have bumped his radio for a moment at that point, since his next words were relayed to the DeLorean. "You're doing fine! Nice and steady! Come on! Just a little…" It clicked off again in mid-sentence.
"70!" Bess called.
Catherine started to look really worried and pointed at the gauge with wide eyes.
"Doc! The red log's about to bloooow!" Bess warned shrilly. She was only just in time: a massive, deafening explosion battered the vehicles mercilessly. The front of the DeLorean even rose up several inches and dropped down again, sending out a few sparks and frightening the girls even more than the explosion.
A weird humming noise from the back spooked Catherine even more. "What… is… that… noise?" she asked in a frightened voice.
"That?" Bess asked between worried glances out the door. "That's the hoverboard. It must have been knocked around a little. So was Clara: she nearly fell off, and she's hanging by her dress!"
"What?"
"Doc's having a hard time trying to reach her. I think her dress is ripping or something."
"Hey!"
"What?"
"You don't think that hoverboard thing might…" Catherine began.
"Of course! Why didn't I think of it!" She activated the radio. "Doc, I'm gonna pass you the hoverboard."
"Good thinking!" came the strained reply.
Bess grabbed the pink board from behind the seat and held it out the side of the time machine, lining it up. Catherine happened to glance out the front window at the same moment as Emmett took a look forward.
"Bess, watch out!" they both yelled.
Bess looked in a couple of wrong directions before Catherine yanked her back inside the DeLorean. Bess pulled the door almost closed as a reflex. The DeLorean splintered through the sign across the track, sending heavy chunks of wood flying in random directions.
"Thanks for saving my neck!" Bess said gratefully as she stuck her head back out. She lined up the hoverboard again. Catherine looked out the front again, seeing the beginnings of the partially build bridge in the distance. "Catch it!" warned Bess as she released the board.
She saw the inventor snag the board with his feet. "He's got it!" she exclaimed to Catherine. "He's reaching for Clara… she's slipping… he… yes! He's caught her! Look!"
Catherine leant over the keypad and other controls to see past Bess. They watched as Emmett and Clara hovered away to safety.
"Where'd he learn to skate like that?" Bess asked.
"Must have been Marty… Marty! When we get back… after we come back for Doc… Close the door!"
"Huh? Oh!" Bess yanked the door shut and then looked at the speedometer. It hit eighty-eight, and things began to happen in earnest. Lights lit up overhead and behind, blue flashes of light began to emanate from the stainless steel car body, and the heavy end of track sign grew closer.
Catherine didn't feel like looking at the temperature gauge, so she didn't. The amount of red smoke visible behind her said enough about the imminent meltdown of the locomotive. "Uh Bess, if for some reason you happen to survive and I don't, tell everyone I…"
"Here we go!" Bess interrupted loudly.
For a moment, Catherine was extremely uncertain where they would be going. Her vision was filled with the wooden sign, but it was suddenly replaced by a mass of blue-white light. When she opened her eyes and her ears stopped ringing, there was no sign of the sign, no sound of the engine, and the calming sight of girders and suspension cables.
The girls sat unmoving as the car coasted on, gradually slowing. Bess was relieved to see that the boom gates were down on the level crossing and all the cars were stopped. Catherine wasn't so happy. "Uh, Bess."
"What now?" Bess asked, a little irritated.
Catherine paused as the DeLorean stopped. "Um, about that level crossing gate…"
"Yeah?"
"Doesn't that mean…"
She was rudely interrupted by the moan of a loud diesel horn.
"Get out!"
With synchronous movements, the girls swung open their doors and leapt to safely. The modern locomotive ploughed through the time machine, sending shards of glass and aluminium and who knows what else spinning through the air.
Bess lay on the ground, separated from her friend, until the train had passed. Then she ran over the track to Catherine. "Are you alright?"
"No, I am not alright," the teen answered curtly. She pulled up her sleeve to show a nasty gash on her shoulder.
"What did you just say about not surviving?" Bess asked unwisely.
"That is NOT the slightest bit funny!"
End Flashback