On the Right Track

It was the steady rhythm that awakened her. Josette Stone slowly lifted her head from her shoulder and grimaced at the unpleasant interruption. The brunette groaned, slouched into her plush seat and retracted her neck comfortably in between her dress’ puffy white and blue shoulders. As the final touch to the start of another perfect nap, the young woman gently tipped the rim of her elegant hat down. The distance was more than enough to shield her baby blue eyes against any sort of intrusive light.

Then there was a crackle and a quick buzzing noise that startled the sleepy woman to sit up straight and pull up on her hat. “That sounded like an electrical discharge…” She interrupted herself as she noticed her completely unfamiliar surroundings.

Josette was in a moving passenger train car. Her eyes bounded to the right as they were attracted to the glaring light coming from the barely covered window. Josette’s gloved hands gripped the windowsill as she peered out. It was an expanse of scorching desert and prickly flora. How was that possible? She resided within the city, for goodness’ sake! Josette leaned back and applied her fingers to her temple. “This is just a reaction how stressed you have been lately, Josette.” She told herself matter-of-factly. “That presentation you had to give…”

She stopped as more recent memories came flooding in. The blinding stage lights clicking on, polite applause that roared in her ears, her stomach clawing inwardly, threatening to rip her intestines apart. Her shaking hands gripping her all but useless notes as the words seem to swim together into a black blob.

Even though she had heard her name escape the announcer’s lips, she had chosen to run from the crowded theater and took refuge into a nearby building that housed some sort of scientific equipment. In her haste not to be found, Josette had knocked over a couple of boxes. Before she could try to assess the damage that she had caused, a bright pink light had taken over her sight and consciousness.

Now there was a gap in her recent history that had to be explained. Josette leaned forward, her nose resting on the tips of her fingers as she tried to process her circumstances. With her forward movement, something came into her peripheral view. A young man dressed in a rounded dark brown hat and a complementary suit was sitting on the cushioned bench right side. Had she been sharing this compartment this entire time?

The young woman squeaked and scrambled in a hurried retreat to the window in response to her sharing such close quarters with another human. As a result, the other human being did absolutely nothing. He continued to look straight ahead, completely oblivious to her overblown reaction. Red-faced, Josette slid back into her seat comfortably and began to straighten her skirts.

“I sincerely apologize.” She told him while not being able to make eye contact with the man. “I didn’t mean to cause offense. Incidentally, do you know why the man in charge would put the two of us together in the same compartment? Was there no more room? Who brought me in here?”

The man did not respond to her question filled monologue. Josette took it upon herself to move closer and titled her head to try to get into the man’s peripheral vision. “Excuse me?” She tried to say as sweetly as possible. Although she had to admit, his disregard for well-meaning inquiries were starting to ignite her temper. She tried to get his attention one more time. With a loud and defined voice, she shouted. “Did you see who brought me in here?”

Again, there was no reply from the other passenger, either in speech or movement. With a huff, Josette stood up to confront this very rude passenger. “Excuse me, sir. I would have thought…” She stopped when she finally got to look upon the stranger’s face. His eyes were locked in a perpetual stare. Even though Josette was standing right in of him, he didn’t seem to see her.

The brunette’s scientifically inclined mind started to observe the man. “Breathing, normal.” She stated as she watched his breathing affect his mustache in calm waves of air. Then she added when the man’s eyelids rose and fell. “Seems to be blinking in a regular rhythm.”

“But he does not react to outside stimuli.” Josette announced after she waved her hand in front of his face. She even stooped to calming her hands together in front of his nose. “What caused this?” She said glumly, rubbing her thumb on the inside of her fingers. “Or who?

She heard a sizzle crackle right above her head. She turned quickly to glance up and found herself taking in the sight of the luggage compartment.

“My bag!” Josette shouted with joy. With a groan of effort and a heave, the young woman freed her bag and almost crashed into the blonde man behind her. Her face contorted against the plush green seats as she watched the contents of her bag fly all over the compartment. Papers floated slowly to the hardwood floor while electronic components smacked against the hard surface.

“No. No. No.” She repeated as she went to retrieve the various pieces of her property. While she gathered her precious work stuff, she was struck by an idea. “Could you hold this for me, please?” She inquired softly as she put the bag onto his lap. Then she proceeded to use his arms to be an effective barrier for keeping her carpet bag still. “I’m not used to taking such liberties, but I hope you understand.” She informed him as she collected her papers in no particular order.

She looked at her papers as she picked them up, page by page. She stopped when her eyes fell upon the very first page. Amidst the swaying train car, Josette stood up and re-read the wording. Images of the brightly lit stage and the audience’s many eyes trained upon her. Shame made her face turn hot as she remembered her escape from the stage into the busy street.

“I’m a blasted coward.” She said quietly. Then she noticed that she was still standing in front of the statuesque young man. Josette hung her head to avoid eye contact but raised it again when she noticed a strange phenomenon. A pink spark, resembling an electrified worm, had traveled over the man’s chocolate brown irises from left to right then disappeared.

The young woman held her breath as then it reappeared along the metal frame above the green cushion that made up the plush sitting area. Her baby blue eyes continued to follow the bright spectacle when it then exited out the window.

The brunette’s eyes then fell to look upon on the subject of her failed presentation, her precious invention! The papers forgotten; Josette dived to look upon the two intricate metal sticks. They seemed to be unharmed and suffered no real damage. The bronze oblong batons were put together with various pipes, screws and one button near each of the pattern grips. At the bottom end, there were large holes. Those holes were designed to be plugged in by a large Y shaped cord that would attach to battery packs. Those battery packs would be nestled into pockets made into her wide black belt.

Before she could follow through with those steps, however, a large explosion took place outside. The young Miss Stone’s eyes opened wide as she watched a bridge across a bottomless canyon exploded in a flash of pink light. The young woman was struck speechless by the horrifying sight. Then it occurred to her, train tracks were laid across that bridge. Train tracks that this train was heading right towards!

Josette quickly sat down in anticipation for the conductor to see the obvious danger and stop the train. Yet, when the brunette passenger just got comfortable in her seat, she felt the train lurching forward. The train, for some undiscernible reason, was speeding up! What was going on? Who was driving this train? Did some sort of calamity befall the conductor?

Not knowing what else to do, the frightened Josette jumped to her feet. “I’m going to get help!” She shouted to the still young man as she rushed towards the door. In a state of fearful alarm, she burst into the hallway, shouting the whole time.

With a grunt, she opened the first door across from her own compartment. She hurriedly tried to explain the upcoming danger to the passengers that were seated. However, they were all trapped by the same curse as the blonde man she had left behind in her own compartment. Josette opened all the other suites to find the over twenty passengers affected by the strange stillness. To add, they had not a thing in common. They were of all different ages, different lifestyles. As she shut the last door in despair, Josette bit on the underside of her thumbnail.

She had no hypothesis, and she had no idea what outside stimuli that any of them would need awaken from their forced stupor. There was something on this particular train that had done something to them. But what exactly? Time was running out as she thought back to the original problem that encouraged her to seek aid from outside her cabin.

Her cabin! Where she left her invention, lying on the floor like a discarded children’s toy. She shook her head and began a return trip to the front of the passenger car and her compartment. She didn’t get very far though when she heard the door to the outside open with a bang.

“Is someone there?” Josette shouted over the rushing wind that the open door had let in. Had someone seen the collective plight of the passengers and come to their aid? With hope reenergizing her legs, she rushed to the open doorway. That was almost a deadly mistake. In her rush to see her would be rescuers, Josette almost went headfirst right over the metal railing that made up the back of the train!

The young woman groaned as she backed up, using the railing as support. Then she looked around, trying to make out who opened the back door. Josette’s mouth dropped open in sorrowful surprise. There was no one there. It was still just her. As if to add insult to injury on this point, the train’s reckless speed had made strong wind currents encircle the young woman. Her elegant hat was plucked from her head and whisked away.

The brunette grunted as she tried to make a desperate grasp for her decorative head piece but ultimately failed. However, it was all not in vain because the path of her hat’s departure led to another discovery.

An unmanned hand car was following right behind the nearly out of control train! Josette’s blue eyes nearly filled with tears as she saw that a trail of coarse rope strands had connected the pump trolley to the train itself. The young woman could make her escape!

And just as she was about to put a skirted leg around the railing, her conscience implemented a thought into her mind. What about the other passengers? Josette stopped, her brain recalling the images of the various and helpless passengers. If she leaped into safety’s embrace what fate awaited them?

What about you? The other part of her mind argued back. Think about all the scientific discoveries you are beginning to make. Your invention is just the beginning. And think about how you left that lectureship opportunity. Do you really want the last image that people have of you is running away, like a dog with its tail between its legs? It asked pointedly. Even if anyone comes across your findings, that report will scare away anyone that might have taken you seriously. Is that what you want your legacy to be?

The young woman hung her head as she struggled with the instinct of self-preservation and the choice to do what she knew what was right. She was petrified, almost taking on motionless inaction as the other passengers. Excuses then begin to pile up in her mind. She knew nothing about trains. Their workings were of a completely mystery to her. She would just make the situation worse. There was nothing she could have done in the first place.

But I wouldn’t want to be left behind. The young woman raised her head at the statement. A bolt of iron seemed to settle on her spine, causing her to straighten. If she wouldn’t want to be left behind to meet a grisly end at the end of a rocky gorge, what right did she have to leave others to that kind of fate?

Miss Stone answered her own question by deftly turning back into the train. She slammed the door behind her and raced back to her cabin, not wanting to give temptation another foothold.

tripped on the doorway. Josette couldn’t help but let out of a groan of embarrassment as she lifted her face from the unforgiving floor. Then she saw an unexpected sight, that infernal pink spark was lying in between the two rods that made up her precious invention.

“Get away from that!” She shouted as she tried to shoo away the troublesome spark. To her mild surprise, the spark retreated and seem to make it to the front of the metal caravan, the train’s engine. Josette uncomfortably kneeled in front of her invention, being forced to make a second examination on its integrity and capabilities.

She could only sigh in relief as her second check proved that her device was unharmed by the pink spark’s presence. Then the young woman put it together methodically and hooked it onto her belt. Josette made it to the door of the compartment and stopped. Self-doubt was beginning to puncture her confidence again. The image of the pump trolley appeared in her mind, making her doubt her course. In response, Josette looked back to the lone man, reminding herself of her inward conversation from earlier.

I would not want to be left behind. That thought was going to keep her mind on the right track.

In an effort to placate her fears, she tried to find the humor in the situation. She called out in a light tone. “If you have any other ideas, now would be the time to say so.” She smiled. “I’m completely open to suggestions!”

No reply left the young man’s lips. If he wouldn’t object, that had to be enough affirmation for her to go along with her paper-thin plan. With a bit of effort, the young woman opened the door and found herself in the empty hallway of the passenger car. She leaned on the wall and focused all her energies on moving towards the train’s heaving engine.

Unsurprisingly, Josette found no one in the boiling cockpit of the train. Yet she found plenty of switches to make her confuse and intimidate her. “All right.” She inhaled after she felt herself starting to be overwhelmed. “What would be the most logical place to place a break?”

She decided that it had to be someplace that the conductor could easily access in case of emergencies. Josette found one that fit the bill. The elongated lever with an extra clip on the other side of it was about the correct height. The control device was near the window as well, making it easier on the conductor who want to stop the train if he saw an insurmountable obstacle.

Her mind made up; Josette reached towards the lever of her choice. However, before she could grasp it completely a strong burst of electric current shot through her right hand.

“Owch!” She screeched as she gripped her arm in reaction to the intense pain. As she tried to deal with the pain, images went through her mind.

Thoughts of wanting to be invisible, wanting no one to heard from or spoken to ever again, thoughts to get away from here, as far as possible. Josette’s eyes opened wide. These were the thoughts she had while she tried to hide, right before the bright light. No, it just wasn’t any bright light. It was a pink light. Josette remembered. In fact, it was of the precise shade that the pink spark was before her now! Unknowingly, she had affected this thing and it had caused this disaster. Now, how was she going to remedy the situation?

How was she going to convince the pink spark to let her get by? There was no possible way that she could talk to it. Perhaps if she went slowly, the pink spark would be willing to let her touch it again. She stretched out her hand towards it again. Then she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end as she felt an uptake of static electricity in the air.

The young woman sighed and took her hand back as a fist. Then the feel of the static electricity dissipated and left the room. Unhappily, Josette stared at the brake, trying to come up with various scenarios. Then her mind popped up with a recent memory. Josette then recalled the pink energy seemed interested in her device. The young woman quickly wiped her sweaty hand on her skirt before she pulled one of the rods off her belt. It sizzled with electric energy. That attracted the pink spark’s attention. It formed completely and seemed to sizzle with anticipation.

She had no idea what being exposed to the pink spark would do.

Would it destroy the rods? She might have been willing to give up her life for others but her invention? The one that she poured her blood, sweat and tears into? What if she never could get it to work again? It was hard enough to get those parts in the first place. Some of them were almost irreplaceable.

I wouldn’t want to be left behind. The words rose up in her mind. I wouldn't want to be left behind.

That settled her two-sided dilemma. With a trembling lip, the young woman slowly put her precious devices on the ground. She clicked on a setting that would leave them on, thus keeping the electric energy active in order to entice the troublesome spark. They slid forward, due to the speed of the trembling iron horse. As she watched them move forward, Josette had to use all her self-control not to snatch them in a protective embrace.

It did not take long for the pink spark to make its move. It swished down the brake and straight for the tip of the bronze rods. As it made the connection, there was a small burst of energy. Josette shielded her eyes with her arms and looked away. It had fried something as it did so, the smell just barely detectable amongst all the other engine car’s smells. When the brunette dared to look again, she saw that her right battery pack was now emitting an eerie pink glow.

Taking her chance, the young woman leaped over the cords and rods that made up her invention and launched herself at the brake. Her fingers outstretched and curved just as she gripped the important restraint device. Josette inhaled as she gripped her objective, shut her eyes and with all her might, pulled.

***

“Miss?” An unknown voice asked. Josette slowly exhaled as she opened her eyes. She was still in foremost car of the train, but it was not moving. Had she succeeded in stopping the train?

As she looked out of the train car’s opening, she saw metropolitan city scape and its citizenry. As she peered further, the young woman realized that she recognized a building in the distance. The grand theater where her failed presentation nearly took place. Josette shook her head as she realized where she was. The city where she lived.

“Excuse me, miss?” Josette finally took the time to look to her left and saw a man, clearly the conductor of this iron vessel, looking at her in sour confusion. “Miss, you’re not supposed to be in there.”

Josette quickly agreed with him and allowed her to be escorted out of the engine, right after snatching her fried instrument off the floor.

“How did I get here?” She asked forlornly while she looked up at train stop goings on about her. The brunette did not know where to begin on how to explain how she got from a life-threatening situation in the desert to back to this urban state.

“I was hoping you would answer that question.” The conductor stated simply. “Are you all right?”

Josette did not reply. She was too absorbed in looking over her devices. She clicked on the rods, hoping against hope that they were undamaged by the pink spark. They both sizzled then shorted out. Her mind and mood at that moment, seemed to be swallowed by a dark pit.

“Is there a Miss Josie Stone here?” A man’s voice rang out above the din of the train station. Josette perked up. To her surprise, she spotted the young man from earlier. However, he now seemed to have full control over his faculties.

“He has my bag!” She glanced over at the conductor, nodded in appreciation and took off toward the near stranger.

“Miss Josie Stone!” The male voice shouted again, reminding Josette of why she had ventured in this direction in the first place. “The bag…! Excuse me.” She grimaced as she bumped into a passerby. “The bag is mine!” She waved her arm high, trying to make it noticeable through the forest of elegant hats and broad shoulders. “I’m Josie Stone!”

She sighed in relief as she burst through the crowd to make it to the ticket booth. She gave the sort-of stranger the widest smile she could. “Hello.”

“Hello.” He repeated the greeting with a slight smile.

“That’s…that’s my bag.” She pointed gingerly at the tattered container and realized that she was still holding her rods. “Oh, I have a special pouch for these.” Then she shook her head, realizing that she hadn’t proven her identity to this young man. “I’m Josie Stone.” Her smile faded into a sad expression. “I haven’t been called that for a long time actually. It was a nickname that my parents gave me and so that’s what they put on the inside of the bag.” Realizing that she gave a lot more information than what was necessary, she shook her head and moved towards her property.

“Well, thank you.” She unsuccessfully and awkwardly tried to hold both her bronze rods and all its components as well trying to add the burden of her bag to the mix.

The man’s expression turned confused and concerned. “Let me hold it for you.” He told her with kind authority.

“Oh, no.” Josette insisted with a shake of her head. “You already held it for me before.”

“I did?” He chuckled. “I think I would have remembered that. Have we met?” He prodded with a curious look in his eye.

Josette chuckled lamely. She did not know how to respond now that he could hold a conversation with her. Yet his questions did not stop there. “Is that battery glowing?” He pointed at her invention then he added softly. “That looks just like my parents’…”

“Rian!” Another voice shouted which made the young man look behind and below him. A short man with a large monocle resting on his large nose, made his way easily through the crowd. While he looked happy to see the young blonde, his brown eyes lit up all the more when he noticed Josette.

“It’s two for the price of one!” He linked arms with the young gentleman. “Rian, good job on getting on this young lady to stand still,” He gave a light punch to his young acquaintance’s arm. “We have been looking all over for her! How did you know that she was spotted coming to this train station?”

“I didn’t.” He shook his blonde head. “Was I stopping a runaway criminal?” He smirked at Josette, who just gave a nervous smile in return.

“No. No.” The man huffed. “Not at all. This is the young lady that your mother and I wanted to listen to!”

Josette watched as Rian’s eyebrows rose up his forehead and crossed his arms. Meanwhile, his father closed the distance between himself and the young woman.

“I am sorry. I am forgetting my manners.” He extended his hand towards her expectantly. Josette took the offered appendage and shook it. “Arthur Schuyler, at your service, Miss Stone.”

She nodded at the introduction and then it was her turn to raise her eyebrows. “You were the one that were hosting the lectures…” She croaked out of her suddenly dry throat.

“Yes, my wife and I were looking for those in the field of sciences to explore further this new energy source we have tapped into. Young, inquisitive minds that want to learn more for their own sake and for the sake of mankind.”

A lacy white gloved hand suddenly lay on Mr. Schuyler’s shoulder, quietly interrupting him. While Josette had to rest her chin on her collarbone to look at the older gentlemen in the eye, the swan-like woman was another matter entirely. The young brunette had to have the back of her head meet her shoulders to do the same with presumably Mrs. Schuyler.

“We were sorely disappointed when we heard that you left before you gave your presentation, Miss Stone.” The elegant woman said mournfully, her head shaking back and forth elegantly. “When we tried to recall you, we found that you accidentally crashed into our supply room, but you were nowhere to be found.”

Mr. Schuyler continued where his wife left off. “The next step, of course, was to try to find you. Some passersby informed us that a young woman of your description was making her way to this train station.”

Josette’s eyebrows scrunched together as she unsuccessfully tried to retrieve that memory from her brain. “I do not recollect walking…” She admitted.

“Amnesia. It has been known to happen after being shocked intensely.” Arthur Schulyer shook his mustached face. “How are you feeling now?” The older man raised his chin, his brown eyes searching her face.

Josette had to take a moment to take stock of her feelings. The fears that came along with near death experiences and stage fright all but distant memory now. “Much better, actually.” She declared honestly. “Except…” She pulled on the cord that was hung for her arm to bring her glowing battery into view. “Now my invention has been damaged.”

The family collectively gasped at the sight. Mrs. Schuyler was the first to ask. “What happened?”

The young woman didn’t know where to begin. How could she possibly explain the wild and crazy events that took place? “Well…it started when…”

“This is not the place for that kind of conversation, Amelia!” Mr. Schulyer excitedly chided his wife. “We need to be in a quiet and studious atmosphere! Take notes! Make hypotheses! Analyze the problem! How will we be able to fix Miss Stone’s device if we do not have all the particulars?”

“One step at a time, darling.” Mrs. Schulyer said calmly, her hands and arms coming together in a smooth and methodical motion. “Even though she has been too polite to admit it, our pink charge has put her through quite an ordeal.”

“You have a point, my dear.” Then he rumbustiously said. “Rian! Miss Stone! Off to the carriage!”

Mr. Schuyler put one of his short legs out, then methodically turned one hundred and eighty degrees and marched off. His wife slowly followed, almost seeming to glide even on the busy walkway.

Josette was still in shock at the interview that had just taken place. They had wanted to hear her speak? They had looked for her? They wanted to help her? The young woman felt so foolish. Her fears had almost cheated her out of so much! If she hadn’t ran into that pink spark, who knows what would have happened? Would she have missed out of this entire meeting?

“Miss Stone?”

The young woman was startled out of her thoughts and looked up at the younger Mr. Schuyler who was still holding her tattered bag. His parents had also stopped in their tracks and looked to her expectedly.

The most important thing that Josette appreciated about them though was that they didn’t want to leave her behind. Not wanting her hosts to wait any longer for her presence then what was necessary, she caught up to Rian. Before they walked further, the young man insisted that she put her wound up cords and rods in the cloth container. Josette conceded happily to his suggestion.

When she finally approached the carriage, her blue eyes were drawn to what would be pulling the vehicle. Two bronze crafted horses who had a distinct feature, their eyes held the glow of a bright pink hue. After she took in the fantastic sight, Josette was aided into the carriage and was found a seat besides Mrs. Schuyler.

“This is the start of a great collaboration.” Mr. Schuyler said as his son took a seat beside him. His excitement was evident on every part of his body as the carriage began to its journey. “I can just feel it.”

As Josette Stone looked at each family member, who each in turn, gave her a friendly smile, she couldn’t help but nod her head in agreement. “Yes, me too.”