As the first rays of dawn illuminated the city, Jonathan and Amelia stood at the entrance of the main office building. A sleek and polished Duesenberg Model J awaited them.
Amelia's eyes widened with curiosity as she pointed at the elegant vehicle. "Are we going to use this, Mr. Axelsen?" she asked.
Jonathan's face lit up with a mischievous smile. "Absolutely," he replied, a hint of excitement lacing his words. "My partner took it for a spin yesterday, so it's only natural that I also take it for a spin. Let me carry your luggage."
Jonathan reached out to take Amelia's luggage and placed it on the back of the car. He then opened the door for her with a flourish, gesturing for her to enter.
"Thank you, Mr. Axelsen," Amelia said before taking her seat in the passenger seat.
"Please, call me Jonathan," he said, flashing her a warm smile as he closed the door gently. "You have been working for us for a lot of years and you are still formal to me."
"Okay then…Jonathan. So I was wondering, once we get to the train station, are we going to bring this automobile along with us or are we going to leave it at the station?"
"We are going to leave, but don't worry about it getting lost as I have men on the station who would return it here," Jonathan said and his habit of starting a car with a key gets the best of him. He realized soon that for this car to start, it must be cranked from the outside.
"Oops," he muttered sheepishly. "I almost forgot. This beauty requires a manual crank start."
He quickly walked around to the front of the vehicle and retrieved the crank handle from a compartment near the grille. With a confident yet careful grip, he inserted the crank into the designated slot and began to turn it, feeling the resistance as he rotated it clockwise.
The engine sputtered to life, its deep growl echoing through the quiet morning air. Jonathan's face broke into a triumphant grin as he released the crank, allowing the engine to settle into a steady rhythm. He walked back to the driver's seat and prepared for departure.
***
Six hours later, at the Port of New York, Amelia and Jonathan stood in awe as they gazed toward the majestic New York Skyline. It was a sight that seemed to defy time itself, a testament to the city's rapid transformation and unyielding progress.
Only five years ago, the skyline consisted of modest two to five-story buildings but as the news of the Axelsen & Nielsen main office building had spread, it ignited a spark of inspiration among the city's construction companies. They embarked on a race to the sky, each endeavoring to leave their mark on the ever-expanding horizon.
"New York has truly changed a lot huh?" Jonathan commented. "I haven't noticed this before as I'm not quite keen on observing the city but this caught my attention," Jonathan remarked.
"Yes, I also read this newspaper about this new building called the Beaver Building and the Cocoa Exchange located in the financial district. It just finished construction this month."
"Is that so?" Jonathan muttered under his breath. Without even seeing it in this world, Jonathan already knew what it was like. However, the time of its construction is quite early compared to his original world.
"We should get going, we don't want Mr. Russell to wait for us."
"Okay, I'll hail a carriage for the two of us," Amelia offered.
"There's no need for that," Jonathan said. "We are going to take the metro station to get to Pearl Street. That's the most efficient way to avoid the heavy traffic in the city. Plus, it will give you a chance to experience the modern marvel of underground transportation."
Amelia pondered aloud. "Is that so, Jonathan? Well, I don't particularly mind what transportation to take, but if you want us to ride a train then we'll do so."
"Then it's settled. Let's start walking. The nearest station is 300 meters down this street," Jonathan said, pointing in the direction they needed to go. Amelia nodded, and together they embarked on their journey toward the subway station.
***
Thirty minutes later, they arrived at the Pearl Street Station.
"That was fast," Amelia commented as they walked down the streets toward the Pearl Street Building where Mr. Russell's office and power plant are located.
"Right? What are your impressions?"
"Well, it was not that crowded, and it was chilly inside. The ride was smooth and comfortable," Amelia said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "The fare was cheap. It won't be a surprise that in the future, there will be strikes and protests from the horse-drawn carriage drivers due to the popularity of the subway."
Jonathan chuckled. "You may be right but that's an inevitable part of progress. When new things are introduced, the old ways are often pushed aside or rendered obsolete."
Finally, they arrived at the building and entered it. They were escorted by Sam Insul, Russell's personal secretary to his office.
"Mr. Russell, thank you for giving us time to see us," Jonathan said warmly as he extended his hand.
Russell glanced at Jonathan's hand and spoke. "I only have ten minutes to spare with you, Jonathan. As you can see, I'm busy with our upcoming bid proposal to the councils of Ohio."
"Is that so? Don't worry, this meeting won't even take five minutes," Jonathan assured, putting his hand down as Mr. Russell is seemingly disinterested in shaking hands with a competitor.
Jonathan and Amelia took their seats and began.
"Mr. Russell I heard that you recommend your alternating current system as the main current for the electric chair that will be used for William Kemmler."
"I see what this is about. You think that this is another smear campaign against yours but it is not. I was asked by the Capital Punishment Commission what suitable current is best for the electric chair and I suggested yours because of its nature."
"Hmm…" Jonathan hummed. "I thought you are not going to invent things that will harm people?"
"I didn't invent the electric chair."
"But they took inspiration from you. Like you were the first one to electrocute horses, cats, monkeys, and heck even elephants."
"That is to demonstrate that your current is dangerous and could kill people…"
"But not a single person died on our system aside from your horses, elephants, cats, and monkeys. Right?"
Russell was stunned for a second, before momentarily regaining his composure. "What do you really want, Mr. Axelsen? Sue me?"
"Nope we want to cooperate with you," Jonathan proposed. "We will improve the design of the electric chair to prevent botched executions. You see, a thousand volts of electricity running through your body would be a grotesque sight. This executive secretary of ours Amelia will be handing you the paper for an agreement."
Amelia opened the leather briefcase she had on her and pulled out a paper.
Russell glanced at the paper before sighing. "Whatever, let's do it. It's your current anyway."
New n𝙤vel chapters are published on fre(e)webnov(l).com