Six reviews this time, well, seven if you count the extra one on chapter 1. All right! Thanks goes to Ulrich362, mjs22mj, Riku Courtier, and the three Guests for reviewing the previous chapter (and the one that reviewed chapter 1, as well)!

Guest 1/Another guest: Thanks for the tip. It's definitely going to be pretty hard, because I WANT this story to be in past tense while the other stories I write are all in present tense. So, if I slip up, feel free to point out my mistakes! I'm glad you like my story though!

Guest 2: I don't know if you're doing it on purpose, or whatever you're reviewing my story on keeps glitching out, but for some reason, pieces of your review don't show up. Like, it starts one coherent thought, stops in the middle of that one, and then skips to the middle of a completely different one… I find it hard to reply to "Clive,the man who went insane and almost destroy mention about the deceased time traveller?", which is what your review said. Um… but, thanks for the review anyways!

Guest 3: Yeah, I'm pretty sure it should be obvious who the other master of disguise is. You're free to imagine how I'll incorporate him later. Oh, and me accidentally calling myself Cliffy Queen in the author's note of chapter 1 was a reference to the fact that I end pretty much everything else that I write with cliffhangers. I wasn't basing that on two really short pieces of writing. Thanks for the reviews, though!

Sorry for the wait. Marching band's kind of taking away all of my free time on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and a combination of school (my Math III Honors teacher seems to love giving us ridiculously hard problems and not explain how to do them) and church takes away everything else. Plus, I might've gotten mini-writer's block when it came to keeping Professor Layton in character. How that's even possible, when he's the main character of the series and as such probably the EASIEST to keep in character is beyond me.

…Anyways, I just realized I forgot to do a disclaimer last chapter. So, yeah. The amazingness of the Professor Layton series belongs to Level-5, not me. Still, I hope you enjoy the next installment of Lost Future!

Chapter 3

He didn't want to go back. When he'd activated the time machine and travelled ten years to the past, he thought that it would have been able to be done without having to go back. That the simple act of directly influencing the Hershel Layton of the past would be able to change the future.

Now, he had to go back to his own time.

Luke gritted his teeth as he made sure he had everything that he needed. He still had his journal, and what few medical supplies he carried around in case of emergency. And the pocket watch that he'd refused to hand over was still there. The locket, though… This he took out of the bag, and was about to slip into his pocket, when…

"May I see that?"

Luke's hand tightened around the necklace. He hadn't wanted anyone to know that he had it, mostly because of the questions it would create… and because those questions would force him to remember one of the worst days of his life. "Later, Professor. We don't have the time right now," he replied stiffly, as he slid the locket into his pocket.

"Hm…" The Professor didn't press any further, much to Luke's relief.

"There." He re-did the clasp to his back, and pulled it back onto his shoulder. "I've got everything that I need. Are you… ready to travel to the future?"

Layton adjusted his top hat, and nodded. "What do I have to do?"

"Stand over there," Luke replied, pointing at the space directly in front of the massive clock. "I have to start it up."

Truthfully, he had never done that before. It was always Cogg who started the time machine, and then Luke who used it. It didn't look too hard; only pulling a lever at the side of the clock. Still, he wished that Cogg or even Spring was here, just to make sure nothing went wrong…

Of course, that would have gotten them involved in what just happened, so…

He put both hands on the lever and pulled it.

Nothing happened, aside from a couple odd-sounding clicks.

"Not now…!" Luke shouted. It couldn't just stop working, not now of all times!

"What seems to be the problem?" the Professor asked, as he walked over to him.

"I… I don't know," the young man in blue admitted. "It just… won't start. I'd ask Cogg—that's the owner of this shop—to fix it, but he's not here right now, and I don't know when he'll be back."

"Hm…" The gentleman in the top hat leaned over, and tried to examine the machine. "Ah! I may not be a mechanical engineer, but…" he reached into a gap between the clock and the lever, "I believe this may be the cause of the issue."

Luke looked at the object Professor Layton had rescued from the floor. It was a small cog, no bigger than the palm of his hand. At first he was going to say that it couldn't have caused any issues, but he realized that it could have been in a vital part of the machine. And with a gear missing from it… "Okay. We have the cause. Now, how do you propose we get it back in the machine?"

"Why, with a puzzle, of course." A small smile appeared on Layton's face. "Look, there are three places it could fit back into, but only one of them can be correct."

"You're right…"

A puzzle? He should have expected as much from his old mentor. Puzzles were a given, along with tea and mysteries, on every adventure he'd gone on since becoming the Professor's apprentice. It had been quite a while since he'd been able to sit down and solve any, although Spring and Cogg would come up with small brainteasers every once in a while…

Oh, how he missed being able to sit down and enjoy a cup of tea and some puzzles with his old friend. Once his Layton had dissolved into madness, they were enemies. No time for tea; all that remained was a constant battle of wits that neither of them wanted to lose.

Luke examined the spots where the gear could fit into. All three spots were gaps between two larger gears in the machine… Hm, those two gears have small arrows on them, he realized. Could that mean they have to turn that way in order to work?

With that knowledge under his belt, he tried to imagine what the gears would do if the small one was placed in each spot. An odd number of cogs needed to be between the two large gears in order for them to rotate in different directions. That meant… "I believe the small gear belongs right there, Professor."

"I was thinking the same thing as well." The gentleman in a brown suit placed the cog in the spot they believed its place to be.

There was only one way to find out if it worked. Luke pulled the lever again, and this time, the clock sprang to life. The three oversized hands started to spin rapidly, with the clock itself chiming loudly every few seconds.

This puzzle has met its match, Luke thought, with relief. He didn't know what he would have done had it not worked. "Alright, Professor! Time to go to my time!"

He grabbed the Professor's arm - gently, this time, unlike when he pretended to hold him hostage - and pulled him over to the front of the clock. The activation panel, which was really a pressure-sensitive plate at the base of the clock, was still easy to reach.

His vision faded to black.

XXX

Though this was by no means the first time he had time travelled, the after-effects still hit him rather hard. Luke supposed it was because of the fact that the time machine wasn't quite perfected yet, but either way, his stomach felt like it wanted to forcibly get rid of the sandwiches he'd had for lunch.

It didn't look like Professor Layton fared much better, but at least he only looked a little bit green.

Luke shook his head in an attempt to make the black spots dancing in front of his vision go away. It worked, and he was able to look around. They weren't in the Clock Shop, they were in a side street. He frowned a little. Usually the time machine dropped him off in that one building, though there were times when it hadn't. This just had to be one of those.

"Professor, are you alright?"

"I…" Layton paused, as he breathed heavily a few times. "Just give me a moment to… get my bearings."

"I understand," Luke replied. "The first time is the worst." The door at the end of the sidestreet shuddered, as though someone had leaned against it from the other side. It caught his attention, and he narrowed his eyes at it. "Don't take too long, though. The Family could be on us at any moment."

"…I'm fine now." The Professor adjusted his hat. "What are we going to do now?"

"We'll have to lie low for now, but I know just the place," he replied. "I'll be able to answer all of your questions once we get there as well."

XXX

The two made their way through London, after Luke had disguised himself. (Although, it really only required him taking of his hat. One of the pros of having an almost identical lookalike as your enemy.) Neither of them said much of anything. If he had to guess, Luke thought the Professor was trying to grasp his surroundings. It wasn't every day that you travelled to the future, after all. Plus, he was probably looking for proof that this was, in fact, future London.

If it came to that, he had an idea of where to take Professor Layton to show him definitive proof of his travel through time.

But, for the moment, they were at their destination. Hotel Duke, located just next to the arcade, and only a few blocks from the subway. The location was superb for easy access to, well, everywhere. Also, the owner, an elderly woman named Margaret who had the tendency to fall asleep a lot, along with her granddaughter, Becky, were both friends of his and would never rat him out to the Family. (Not to mention the fact that the food was amazing. Certainly a plus in his mind.)

As always, the red-haired young woman stood outside. She tugged on the sleeves of her longsleeve undershirt, admittedly because it was chilly today. When she spotted them, her eyes widened in alarm, but that fear quickly went away.

"Hello, Becky," Luke said, bowing just a little bit. "You've kept my room tidy, I presume?"

She nodded, beaming at him. "Of course! Five-star service for a five-star customer!" She tilted her head to the side, and stared at the Professor. "Although, aren't you going to introduce me to your… friend?"

Layton beat him to the punch, as he dipped his hat and said, "My name is Hershel Layton. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Oh! Then, you're…!" She covered her mouth, and took two steps back.

"Becky, it's alright. He's not…" Luke paused. How would he explain this to Becky? She didn't know about the time machine in the Clock Shop, much less the fact that he had travelled through time before. Oh, that's right! She knows a little bit about him, he realized. Though, I really don't want to lie to her, I suppose I have no choice. "This is really Don Paulo. We were just making sure that he could pull off being… Layton."

Please go along with it. Please, Professor, don't make me have to tell her the truth.

He held in a sigh of relief when his old mentor didn't say anything, and Becky's shoulders relaxed. She believed his lie.

"Well, I can definitely say you're doing a good job," she said, directed at the Professor. "I bet you could've fooled your own mother in that disguise."

"Yes, well…"

"I'm sorry, but can we continue this inside?" Luke interrupted. He had a sneaking suspicion someone had spotted them, and he didn't want to remain in the open for much longer.

"Oh, sure!"

XXX

After talking with Becky for a little longer, Luke showed the Professor his room in the hotel. It wasn't much, with the only personal item on display being a picture of his parents, but it worked for him.

"You know, a true gentleman should never lie to a lady."

He knew this was coming. A rebuttal for what he had to do. "Yes, I know. It's just… Becky doesn't know about the time machine, so how was I supposed to explain who you really were?" He plopped down on his bed, and shrugged. "Anyways, you wanted answers. If you want to ask me anything, now would be the time."

They still had several hours to kill before they could meet up with one of two people who could tell them where Past Luke and Flora were.

To be continued...

Alright, that's it for this chapter. I just don't want to start an explanation, and then have to stop part of the way through. Next chapter will be Luke explaining most of everything.

Oh, and if there's a specific question you want answered though, please leave it in a review! If you don't have a question, leave a review anyways! They encourage me to keep writing (and the questions will make sure I didn't leave any gaping plot holes)!

Thanks again for the support! *Edgeworth bow* Gah, oh, dang it. Sorry, I've been playing Ace Attorney Investigations WAAAAY too much as of late.