Chapter 1 "Restart"

The railway line from Frankfurt to Mainz, a journey of approximately 40 minutes, wound through the picturesque landscapes of Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate. Erich von Stein traversed this 40-kilometer route daily during his 8-hour workday, serving as a train driver for Deutsche Bahn. Erich was the eldest son of Jürgen von Stein, a German national hero whose actions led the fight for democracy against the ideology propagated by the NSDAP.

However, for Erich, his father's legacy was a source of both pride and internal conflict. The trauma of the war with the USSR, which he experienced firsthand, and the memories of his childhood and youth, marked by family tragedies, had extinguished his joy, leaving behind only a shadow. The absence of a smile on his face became a symbol of his inner pain and emotional distance from the world.

After completing his last run of the day, Erich maneuvered the locomotive onto a siding and then went to the station building to fill out a report. After completing it, he went to the stationmaster's office.

"Good day, Mr. Muller," Erich said, entering the stationmaster's office and handing over the report.

Mr. Muller's office, the stationmaster's, was small but arranged with German precision and functionality. Maps of railway lines, train schedules, and several paintings adorned the wallpapered walls. On his desk, made of dark wood, sat a telephone, a lamp, an ID badge, and several document binders. In the corner of the room stood a metal safe, and above it hung a portrait of the German president and a cabinet with books and models of locomotives and wagons used by Deutsche Bahn. Pots of flowers, which Mr. Muller personally tended, stood on the windowsill.

"Ah, Mr. Von Stein!" the stationmaster replied, taking an envelope of money from his desk and handing it to Erich. "On time as always."

"I wasn't expecting such a large bonus," Erich replied, surprised.

"You deserve the extra bonus," Mr. Muller said. "After all, you're the employee of the month."

At that moment, a breathless train driver entered the office.

"Boss, we have a problem! The electric multiple unit on the Cologne run... something's broken."

"What now?!" Muller exclaimed, frustrated. "So many problems lately with these trains, it's driving me crazy! What's wrong this time?"

"We don't know exactly yet. It's on the siding, the mechanics are checking it out."

"Okay, take a locomotive and a few cars and make a replacement train," Mr. Muller said, and the train driver left. "Damn these breakdowns! How many times has something broken down here and then magically returned to working order?"

"And what about those four locomotives with the faulty PZB?" Erich asked.

"Ugh, don't even mention it..." the stationmaster replied. "The mechanics checked everything, but as luck would have it, the locomotives are working perfectly."

"Strange. When I was preparing them, the PZB was going haywire or not responding at all."

"Looks like our trains and locomotives are starting to have a life of their own," the stationmaster joked. "But common sense tells us... it can't be that locomotives break down in mysterious circumstances and then return to working order during inspection."

"I have one more thing to ask you," Erich said. "Could I take a vacation starting tomorrow? I'm about to go crazy from driving back and forth."

"Certainly, Mr. Von Stein," Mr. Muller replied.

"Alright," Erich replied. "Then, goodbye."

"Goodbye, Mr. Von Stein."

As he left the office, he was stopped in the corridor by Bert, his colleague.

"Hey, Erich, you're done already?" asked.

"Oh, hi Bert!" Erich replied. "I'm actually on my last day before vacation."

"I envy you. I still have two days to make up for those sick days."

"Well... sometimes you get sick, but remember, you have to make up the time."

"Yeah, you're right..." Bert replied. "Changing the subject, did you hear about the breakdown of our EMU to Cologne?"

"Yeah..." Erich replied. "How many times has something broken down here?"

"Hard to say which..." Bert replied, thoughtfully. "But I suspect one day it might lead to a tragedy."

"I don't rule that out either."

"Okay, I won't spoil your mood before your vacation," Bert replied. "Take care!"

"See you later, Bert!" Erich replied, then headed towards his place of residence.

After finishing his shift, Erich returned to his apartment, which was located in a tenement house right on Bahnhofstraße, just a few steps from the main train station in Mainz (Mainz Hauptbahnhof). Despite the convenient location, the proximity to work also meant the troublesome noise and bustle of the big city. The apartment, though small, was furnished in a rather modern style and well-maintained – the living room was connected to the kitchen, and there were several cabinets, one of which held a television. In the center of the room were a small coffee table, and next to it, two armchairs and a sofa. Next to the living room, between the hallway, was the bedroom and office.

After returning home, Erich, tired from the day, prepared a quick dinner. He sat in front of the television, turning it on out of habit. Flipping through the channels, he came across "Railway Report." A program he usually ignored... but this time was different.

"Welcome, everyone. My name is Paul Werhoff, and welcome to another Railway Report. Unfortunately, Deutsche Bahn has recently been hit by a streak of bad luck. For unknown reasons, a series of mysterious rolling stock failures have occurred at several stations, including Mainz. Interestingly, during technical inspections, the vehicles turned out to be fully operational. Mechanics are throwing up their hands, and passengers are slowly starting to lose patience and trust in the carrier..."

"This is too strange to be a mere coincidence," Erich thought, frowning.

Meanwhile, the presenter continued his report.

"And now we move to Great Britain, where a power line failure occurred on the Preston-Carlisle route on the West Coast Main Line in the London Midland Region. The power outage forced British Rail to restore diesel traction and temporarily withdraw electric rolling stock from the route. Specialists are investigating the cause of the failure, but so far, they are unable to determine what caused it."

"I'm starting to lose faith in humanity because of these events," Erich muttered to himself. "Why do I have to bother with such things?"

After a moment, Cooper, Erich's cat, who had just woken up, entered the room.

"Eh, you've got it made," Erich said. "All you need is a full bowl and peace and quiet."

"Oh, Erich, come on," Cooper replied, stretching. "From a 'technical point of view,' you're also a cat."

"But I have to go to work, cook meals, pay taxes, etc. Besides, I'm starting my vacation today, so I'd rather forget about all these troubles..."

"Typical Erich," Cooper replied, then jumped onto the sofa and lay down on the backrest.