CLINT EASTWOOD AND SHIRLEY MACLAINE ³, back to the future

xi. clayton rivene

➩ 𝕤𝕠𝕟𝕘 𝕤𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟: 𝕜𝕠𝕫𝕞𝕚𝕔 𝕓𝕝𝕦𝕖𝕤 𝕓𝕪 𝕛𝕒𝕟𝕚𝕤 𝕛𝕠𝕡𝕝𝕚𝕟

STEPPING OVER to the train station now parked with passerbys stepping out, Amanda hurried Doc along to the conductor busy at the head of the cars. The three rushed over to have her try and gain his attention. "Excuse me, sir?"

The man turned to her with a warm smile from within the railroad car. "Yes, little lady?"

Finding the names given to her the entire span of time being here amusing, she did her best to not hide in front of him and continue with the task at hand. "Right, do you mind if we ask you some questions about the train?"

He agreed immediately with Doc stepping in to ask him directly on what they'd need to know to figure out if the Delorean would be able to get up to 88 through the use of the train pushing it. "How fast can this locomotive go, exactly?"

Amused over the enthusiasm displayed, the conductor stepped out of the car to continue along with his work while speaking to the trio. "How fast can she go? Why I've had her up to 55 myself." He stepped down from the ladder to have them exchange similar glances to one another over the low speed range. "I heard Fearless Frank Fargo got one of these up to near 70 out past Verde Junction."

"You think it's possible to get it up to 90?"

"Ha! 90? Tarnation, who'd ever need to be in such a hurry?"

Doc easily drew this away from seeming suspicious. "Oh it's just a little bet the three of us have, that's all. Theoretically speaking, could it be done?"

The conductor stopped to gesture out the possibility of it aloud. "Well, I suppose, if you had a straight stretch of track with a level grade and you weren't haulin' no cars behind you, and if you could get the fire hot enough-" He stopped to emphasize his point to the couple as Doc was distracted from examining the rest of the train cars. "And I'm talkin' about hotter than the blazes of hell and damnation itself— Then, yes, it might be possible to get her up that fast."

Marty leaned forward to try and make a joke out of the situation as she eyed him coming up on her side. "You know what's—"

"Don't finish that thought," She interrupted him, patting his cheek to have him smile towards her touch instead.

"Tell me, when's the next train come through here?" Doc decided to ask, ignoring their usual antics as he'd now become expert at.

"Monday morning at 8 o'clock." He nodded to have Amanda thank him for his time before Doc rushed over to the nearby map outside of the station.

He pointed towards it excitedly to have them notice this was meant to be a drawn out of the railroad tracks running across for Hill Valley. "Here! This spur runs off the main line three miles out to Clayton Ravine. It's a long stretch of level track that will still exist in 1985! This is where we'll push the Delorean with the locomotive.." Doc continued to point towards the track on the map, furrowing his brows to himself over a namesake different to that of the year they were from. "Funny? This map calls Clayton Ravine "Shonash Ravine" that must be the old name for it."

"It's perfect! A nice long run that goes clear across the bridge over the ravine. You know, over that new that new Hilldale housing development?" He continued to explain.

Noticing the lack of this being indicated on the map, Amanda pointed this out to him. "I don't think you're right on this one, Doc," She said and folded her arms to the map to see a missing portion.

"Well, what makes you say that?"

"According to this map--" Marty pointed out as well for Doc to look over to this closely. "There is no bridge."

◂ ❚ ⊱ꕥ⊰ ❚ ▸

THE THREE OF ASSOCIATES stood at the edge of the railroad tracks to see, in fact, no bridge waiting to bring them along the other side as there would be in 1985. Instead there was only the long tracks now leading out ahead to the deep plunge below. Amanda looked down to the edge of it seeing the trees that lay in abundance just below where the bridge was meant to be built. Doc remained silent there beside them to have Marty disagree with his plan. "Well Doc, we can scratch that idea," He told him, echoing from where they stood.

In retrospect, this led for Amanda to think deeply in terms of time travel. Considering the short trip this seemed to be, it was funny how much she understood various concepts of science with the Doc, aside from their current misadventures that added a new layer of depth, as opposed to any class taught at Hill Valley High.To the surprise of no one of course considering anyone was lucky to successfully be taught anything at that school.

"There's still the bridge in 1985 though right? So really, it doesn't matter if it's built in 1885 since we'll be heading back to where the bridge is going to be anyways."

Doc smiled proudly to her simplified explanation of this before turning over to Marty. "Amanda's right, you're just not thinking fourth dimensionally."

Marty laughed to look between the like-minded individuals. "Right, right. I have a real problem with that," He said to look over to Amanda, whispering under his breath, "You do enjoy knowing you'll almost always be right don't you?"

She shrugged confidently. "You mean always be right?" Amanda corrected him as he only watched her amused over her, knowing she couldn't admit to being wrong if her life depended on it, "It does lighten up my mood though, yea."

"As long as we get the Delorean up to 88 miles an hour before we hit the edge of the ravine, we'll instantaneously arrive at a point in time where the bridge is completed," Doc told them the idea, "We'll have track under us and coast safely across the ravine."

"Yea but what about the locomotive?"

"It'll be a spectacular wreck," He told him nonchalantly, "Too bad no one will be around to see it."

Getting ready to ride back into town, Marty thought he'd heard someone else around here with them. Looking questionably, he turned over to Amanda who didn't seem to be aware of the sound. "Did you hear that?"

Before she could get the chance to respond, the noise was now loud enough for them to hear it was a woman crying out. Seeing she unable to gain control over her carriage, the three collectively watched on stunned. "Great Scott!" Doc immediately began galloping over to help her aid with the rest of the group in high pursuit.

Doc rode faster than the pair could catch up , only being able to watch him try to match the speed of the two horses now running off with the woman in the carriage. With enough time to spare before the carriage could fall off of the ravine he caught the woman into his arms.

The woman began to pant in Doc's embrace as he held her safely away from danger. "Oh thank you sir, you saved my—" She lifted her hat up to properly look to Doc, faltering in her words at the sight of him. "Life."

Watching Doc take off his hat respectfully to her, he returned the same look. "Emmet Brown at your service, Miss—?

"Um um, Clayton. Clara Clayton."

He responded back to this confused to have Amanda recall the photograph. "Clara?"

Marty took out the photograph of the tombstone for them to get a glimpse of it before going back to seeing Doc. "So that's Clara?" He asked beside Marty thinking their friend to be a hypocrite over his objections made yesterday.

"And he thought love at first sight wasn't real."