Creating an Industrial Empire in 19th Century Parallel World

Denmark Copenhagen.

A fine drizzle washed over Denmark as the sky darkened above the city and the people below were already rushing to get cover from the rain, a thick fog had started rolling in about an hour ago and now it was beginning to settle down into a light mist. The street lights came on one by one, casting the whole area into a soft yellow glow. It was still late in the afternoon yet the city looked as though it was already night.

The storefronts shone brightly on the streets, making the passerby on the sidewalks stop momentarily and looked into it in awe. One of the stores is a coffee shop where people can be seen inside having their drinks and confectionaries.

Among those people sat two men in expensive-looking suits. One of them is reading a document while the other one is fiddling with a small black box.

"What are you doing? Are you listening?" Jonathan said, looking up at the man sitting across him annoyingly.

"Look pal, the reason why I called you here is not to discuss the project, it is to catch up. I haven't seen you for like ten years, do you have any idea how I missed you?"

Jonathan felt cringe at his words so much that he averted his gaze away from him.

The man sitting across from him is Poul Nielsen. His self-proclaimed best friend. They've known each other since childhood as they grew up in the same neighborhood. They are schoolmates at the University of Aalborg where Poul took mechanical engineering while he took civil engineering.

Both of them graduated at the same time and pursued master's degrees in their respective field. After that, Poul left the country to pursue another master's degree at Stanford University in electrical engineering. Poul completed it with flying colors and started working at Lockheed Martin. But after four years, he hopped into AG Siemens and worked there for three years, and then hopped again in BMW and stayed for two years before returning to Denmark to work at Alstom as the current chief design engineer for future train projects.

He is a man of inconsistency, a man who can't be content with one thing, always seeking knowledge and experience. Despite working in another country, he is awarded by the Danish government as one of the best engineers of the century due to his accomplishments and feats.

On the other hand, Jonathan also has two masters. Structural and Civil Engineering. Instead of leaving the country, he used his knowledge to improve his country's infrastructure. From power plants, bridges, tunnels, airports, sewage systems, and railways. Though there are times that he has been offered huge sums of money to work abroad, especially in developing countries, and accepting it.

Today they are working at the same company that will replace the aging fleet of Danish trains as well as revamps its railway systems.

Jonathan sighed. "You said to me on the phone that you want to discuss the project in person. Now that we are here you're talking about catching up? We could've done this by the phone instead of you wasting my time."

"Aww…that hurts you know," Poul said, placing his hand over his chest, feigning sadness. "Catching up on the phone is boring and destroys the very essence of it. Also, if I were to tell you that reason, you wouldn't probably show up."

"How can you be so certain of that?" Jonathan rebutted. "I would still come if it's not work-related. I only want you to be honest and straightforward."

Poul was touched by those words, making him smile. "Really? Okay noted."

Jonathan closed the file he was reading pointlessly for ten minutes and put it in his briefcase. After that, he spoke.

"So, Poul, how are you?" Jonathan began.

"Well, I've been doing great these past ten years, doing the things you love while earning handsomely from it. It was rewarding. How about you?" Poul regaled.

"Things are doing great on my end too," Jonathan said simply.

"Pfft…that was boring," Poul puffed.

"I'm sorry but I don't have any interesting stories that you'd like," Jonathan stated as he took a sip of his coffee.

"Hmm…in that case, allow me to tell you about this great announcement. Jonathan, you know Sara right?"

Jonathan replied with a hum, still sipping his coffee.

"You know I'm head over heels for her right? So much so that I proposed that I'll marry her once we grew up to which she agreed. Well, I'm going to do just that and I invited her to join us here."

"Shit…really?" Jonathan almost choked on his coffee.

"Yes!" Poul confirmed.

The girl that Poul mentioned is Sara. Just like him, she is a childhood friend and grew up in the same neighborhood. Memories of him flitted across his eyes and he remembers Poul and Sara leaving the school together and would often seat next to each other on the bus. She is soft-spoken, lovely, smart, and kind. Truly a perfect match for Poul. However, after graduating from college, the two separated. But even with all that, they still reach out to one another through emails and calls.

Jonathan wonders if Sara is going to accept Poul's proposal. It's been ten years since they last saw each other in person. Surely, feelings would change by the year as the two would meet new people. Even if Poul vowed to uphold his promise, there's no certainty that Sara would reciprocate his feelings.

Poul continued to fiddle his hands on a small black box on the table. Jonathan noticed it and realized that it was a wedding box containing a wedding ring. He just realized it by now as he was focused on debriefing Poul about the project.

"Well…what can I say other than good luck and go get her?" Jonathan laughed.

"Thank you for the support, I'll tell it to her once she arrives…Ugh…I'm getting nervous, my heart is throbbing too fast under my chest. I think I'm going to pass out."

"Please don't be so overdramatic," Jonathan said and continued. "Oh yeah, I heard that she is a surgeon right?"

"The best surgeon in Denmark," Poul smirked as if bragging about his future wife like a proud husband.

"I can't wait to see what will happen—"

*Boom.

An ear-deafening popping sound erupted outside, causing the two to instinctively look out the window and saw a truck heading towards them at blinding speed.

The two froze in their seats, shocked to their very core. Their eyes widened as the front of the truck got bigger and bigger.

In a blink of an eye, the truck crashed into the storefront of the coffee shop where they are staying and rammed further into the building before grinding to a halt.

Muffled screams and shouts can be heard outside as people rush in to check for survivors. Some pulled out their phones to contact paramedics while others stood, shocked at the gruesome sight in front of them. Blood splattered everywhere, covering their clothes and faces.

Poul was one of the casualties. Blood streamed down from his temple, and his breathing ragged. He slowly turned his head to the side and saw Jonathan, lying on the floor lifelessly.

"No…" Poul weakly uttered as he struggled to move away. He tried to lift himself up but failed to do so. He tried to reach him with his hand but his hand won't obey his orders.

His eyes shifted above and saw a beautiful diamond ring stained with blood. The ring must've been knocked off its box.

Seconds later, his vision started to get blurry and his hearing started fading in and out. He faintly sees the figure of someone moving near him but he couldn't make out who it is.

"Is this how I'm going to die?" He thought to himself while trying to hold his consciousness that is starting to drift away.

He must be suffering from intracranial hematoma. It must be the case as the front of the truck crashed at him head-first.

Using his remaining moments, Poul is starting to regret his choices. Of him inviting Jonathan for a coffee. If he hadn't done so, they wouldn't be here.

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry," Poul said repeatedly before his vision went dark—