Okay, admit it; you knew there was going to be a Back To The Future story with the flux capacitor getting destroyed. Sorry if it seems more like BTTF Part III, but that was my favorite movie of the trilogy.

- flicker404

Chapter Nine

Monday, December 31st, 1941

6:46 PM

The plan, as Doc had said, was quite simple. Of course, that was what he said last time they had attempted something this daring. Like striking a cable at the right second as a lighting bolt hit the Court House, or pushing the Delorean up to 88mph in a steam train. Whatever the reasons, Doc came up with the wildest, craziest ideas and somehow, out of his deranged mind, managed to label them as 'simple'.

There was nothing simple about this plan. In fact, Marty could've sworn he needed his doctorate just to understand it.

Doc was bent over the hood of the Delorean placing some of Jules' and Verne's toys on the hood. When his masterpiece was done at last, he beckoned Clara and Marty to join him.

"Now listen up, Marty and Clara. I apologize for the crudity of this model, but…"

"It's fine, Doc." Marty interjected.

"Yes, well, okay," Doc cleared his throat. "Now, normally we would need a flux capacitor for both vehicles. As you could tell, the one I installed on the train was much bigger, but it was necessary to make a rift in the space-time continuum big enough. The Delorean is obviously much smaller, but the flux capacitor works the same way."

Marty and Clara looked down at Doc's 'crude' model. He had a small car, presumably the Delorean, placed in front of a toy steam engine.

"Uh, Doc, this looks a little familiar…"

"Don't worry, Marty. It's necessary. I've attached this deflector dish to the back of the Delorean. It'll disperse the flux energy around both the Delorean and the train. Once we get up to 88mph, we will instantly be transported back into 1985 where I can repair both vehicles."

"Wow," Marty said, "You're right, that doesn't sound hard."

"But without Mr. Fusion, we won't have enough energy to increase the warp field. If my calculations are correct, we need twice the power of a normal nuclear reaction to send both vehicles through time."

"So we're screwed?" Marty said, hysterical.

"No, Marty. Not at all. We simply need the power of two nuclear reactions. That means we'll still need these." Doc said as he planted his hand on the yellow case of plutonium cores and smiled. Marty had a feeling he wouldn't like where this was going.

"So…"

"So I have a solution."

"Which is…?"

"Marty, I need you change out the cores mid-travel. That would be at approximately," Doc checked his pocket watch, "Eighty-four miles per hour."

"Emmett!" Clara scolded, "That sounds extremely dangerous."

Marty just rolled his eyes at Clara's comment. If only you knew what danger he's put me through.

"Well, as long as Marty is careful," Doc said, "And he must wear this. Other wise the flux energy dispersal might burn him alive."

"Wear what?" Marty asked. Doc held up a neatly folded radiation suit. It was just like the one Marty had worn the day the Delorean made her maiden voyage.

"Great." Marty said, "So when do we start this crazy stunt?"

"Oh, promptly at 7:00 pm. If we don't, we risk running head-on into the Hill Valley Freight train which is leaving the station in a few minutes."

"Doc?"

"Yes, Marty?"

"Seven o'clock was four minutes ago!"

It took no less than a few seconds for the information to register, "Great Scott! Marty put this on! Clara, you and the boys get ready!"

It was go time. Everyone was scrambling to get in position for what was probably the craziest time travel voyage ever in the history of Hill Valley.

"Doc, why do we always have to cut these things so dang close?"

- - - - -

Marty was just inputting the destination display code in the Delorean's circuits when Doc came up to him, rushing wildly as usual.

"Okay, Marty. Here's a walkie-talkie and the cores. Good luck." He rushed back to the train as Marty secretly wished for some good luck of his own. They would need it.

TOOT! TOOT! Came the signal from the train. It hissed and bellowed steam as the wheels slowly began churning. After a few slips, they found their footing and the train was off to a start.

These things are getting way to weird, Marty said as the train bumped him from behind and the trip started. There was no turning back now.

Pretty soon, they were almost to the edge of the bridge. The small town of Hill Valley was coming slowly into view. Doc radioed Marty with instructions.

"Okay, Marty," he instructed, "I need you charge the time circuits."

Marty flipped the switch in the center console and the destination display came to life as the flux capacitor's glowing yellow tubes lit up. "Okay!"

"Now input the destination date: October 25th, 1985, Midnight."

"But Doc, when we went back it was a Sunday! What about paradoxes?"

"Don't worry, Marty. If we have indeed succeeding in replacing those letters, there won't be that alternate 1985. We will have never have needed to make that trip."

"Gotcha." Marty inputted the destination.

"Now, Marty, I apologize for not giving you ample time to replace the cores mid-trip, so I'll give you a little crash course." The country side was coming up fast now. They had just crossed the bridge and the small "Eastwood Ravine" sign flew past them.

"What you need to do," Doc continued, "Is to have the second core ready. I've already loaded the first one in the chamber and it should be at full strength."

Marty looked for a power light and noticed it was at its peak. "It's full up, Doc."

"I'm going to accelerate much slower once we reach eighty miles per hour. The cores must be changed at eighty-four miles per hour or it we won't have enough power."

Marty trusted he knew what the Doc was talking about. "You're the Doc, Doc."

"Good man. Now I know it will be difficult, but please remember to try not to drop the cores. I don't have to tell you what that means."

"I don't have to be a rocket scientist." Marty said.

"Marty…" Doc started. There was something in his voice. "It really should be me up there. After all, this whole mess is my fault. I should've never involved you."

"Nonsense!" Marty said, cheering him up, "If I wasn't around, who else is going to rescue you and Clara." The Doc chuckled with Marty. It was a good way to relieve the tension.

Now the trees were rushing by at a rate of, Marty checked the speedometer, sixty miles per hour. The teenager looked around the cabin of the Delorean and saw an old map with lines drawn on it. The title and legend read "Hill Valley Railroad Co." Marty unfolded it and placed over the steering wheel.

Now if this thing was right, they would have about five more miles before they hit civilization. Marty traced the line with his finger and it came to rest on a small box that was labeled "Hill Valley Central Station". It was right on the outskirts of the town. What really caught Marty's attention was the red "X" scribbled right near the station. It was accompanied by the words "Point of no return". Man, Doc had planned this out to the letter. And in only a few minutes.

Marty's eyes had trouble adjusting to the poor light as he tried to read the map's schedule that was printed on the back. It was starting to get dark outside pretty fast. The sun was no more than a red lump in the horizon and the clouds gave off their evening purplish hue. He brought the document closer to his face.

The schedule was a listing of the trains leaving the station and their respected times. According to this, the train would leave at 7:00 pm today just as Doc had said. It was a little scribble down at the bottom that really caught his eye.

Marty squinted harder. It was a handwritten note signed by the station master. "All freight leaving on 12/31 leave fifteen minutes early". He wondered if Doc had seen that.

"Doc, Doc. Come in Doc." Marty called out into the walkie-talkie.

"Yes, Marty?" Doc answered.

"Doc, did you see this note about the trains leaving early?"

"What?" Doc said, his voice growing suddenly hoarse. Marty relayed the note on the map.

"Great Scott!"

"Well is there any way you can make us goo a little faster?" Marty asked.

"Only one way to find out!" Doc said, "Let's see what she's got!" Moments after Doc replied, Marty felt an increase in acceleration as Doc pulled on the whistle. The train screeched and faster it went. The speedometer on the Delorean went up from sixty-five to seventy in under a minute.

"That should do the trick." Doc radioed back, "I've made a few modifications to the boiler."

"Great." Now they were back in business. Marty reached into the yellow case and grabbed a vial of plutonium. He looked down at the weird hazard suit and placed the radio in one pocket and the plutonium core in the other.

"Marty!" Came Doc's voice a moment later, "We're at eighty miles per hour. Climb out onto the roof now!"

"Alright, Doc!" Marty put the walkie-talkie back in his pocket and reached for the door.

SWOOSH! The door flew up effortlessly as the ground passed by him only a few feet away. It was funny how much faster eighty miles per hour seemed when you were so close to the ground. Everything seemed like a blur.

"Well", Marty thought, "It's now or never!" He put his left leg onto the running board and placed his left hand firmly on the seat's headrest. Then Marty pulled himself up so his back was facing the interior of the Delorean and the country side, mostly trees, passed before him.

Just for good luck, he turned his head to face the miles of track before him. Good, no oncoming trains. He just had to relax.

Marty swung his leg over the rear flux-dispersal band so he was hanging on to the back of the Delorean's roof. His left knee rested on one of the rear exhaust vents and his elbow was nearly touching the plutonium chamber.

"Marty!" Doc said, "Put you visor down! You have to shield your eyes! We're staring to make a rift in the space-time continuum!" Marty looked behind. Yep, doc was right; the dispersion bands were slowly turning a bright shade of neon blue. He climbed up so his back face forward and he could see the reaction chamber.

Then the first crack came. It was followed by another and another until the whole car was giving off sparks. They followed all the way back to the train which was now also giving off sparks and lighting up around the wheels. The warp field was coming to life.

"Okay, Marty, when I tell you, open up the chamber and vent the excess energy!"

"Won't that kill me?"

"No, Marty, it's a very small yield. But you need to do it now because the reactor needs a second to cool off. Otherwise it'll overheat and destroy us all!"

"Gotcha." Marty said. He smiled at Doc's comment. He was always thinking in terms of a worst-case scenario. He popped the lid and a smoky substance streamed from the chamber and from the vents at the rear.

"Okay," Marty said quietly to the core in his pocket, "In you go!" He lay flat so as not to make the slightest movement. But this was all very tricky at eighty-plus miles per hour.

He carefully aligned the vial with the opening. It was almost on top of the hole when they hit a bump.

"Oops." Which made Marty lose his grip on the vial.

"Oops." Which caused the vial to tumble backwards toward the train. It almost careened over the edge when it caught on the train's snowplow. And it was still intact.

Marty just sat there, stunned for a second. It didn't break! They were safe! He moved to the back of the Delorean and positioned himself so he could climb onto the front of the train and retrieve it.

TOOT! TOOT! Doc was trying to scare him or something. What was the big idea? "Doc, are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Marty shouted into the walkie-talkie.

"That wasn't me." Doc said back, perplexed. Marty turned his head the other way and instantly wished he hadn't.

There, off in the distance were three lights. Three lights that were attached to a freight train, no doubt. A freight train that was coming right at them.

Marty groaned as he glanced at the oncoming train and back at the plutonium core. Today was not his day.