April, 1975
The construction of the Pleasure Paradise is the biggest noise in Hill Valley, even more so than the action at the Lone Pine Casino at the Lone Pine Mall.
Biff Tannen walks in the huge interior of the building, wearing a hard-hat and goggles and jeans instead of an expensive custom-tailored suit that he usually wears to the office. Accompanying him is BiffCo's vice president of operations, Stan Cartman. Cartman wears a similar outfit; a heavy moustache sprouts from his lips like trees sprouting from the slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
"Mr. Tannen, Mr. Cartman," says the supervisor. "Welcome. Excuse us if it is a little dusty in here."
That is an understatement. A layer of dust covers the tarp that covers the floor. The sound of hammers striking nails and saws cutting wood echo through the huge room where the casino will be.
"So where is everything going to be?" asks Cartman.
"Sir, that place over there is going to be the buffet," replies the supervisor, pointing towards a raised platform where workers are currently installing drywall. "And over there will be a full-service bar."
"When do you think it will be finished?" asks Biff.
"We're actually ahead of schedule. We could be done by May next year."
The two visitors' eyes widen. "Last I heard, construction will finish in December of '77," says Cartman. "You're not bullshitting us, right?"
"Of course not. We're already working on the top floor of the tower."
"Wow," says Stan. "Clarence is gonna be happy to hear this."
Oooooooo
Later that day, Biff and his wife, Lorraine, deal with another matter. They sit in the living room of the Tannen home near Clayton Ravine. Lorraine's son Dave is home. In addition to his shirt and bell-bottom jeans, the eleven-year-old boy has a swollen lip and a slight bruise.
"How could you do this again?" Biff berates his stepson. "I gave a sixty thousand dollar donation the last time this happened, and you blew it! I wasted sixty thousand dollars because of you!"
"What's the big deal?" asks Dave. "It's not like you're running out of money."
Biff slaps Dave in the face. "Don't talk back to your father like that!"
"You're not Dad! You're even worse than he was!"
"This isn't helping," says Lorraine. "You got into a fight again. We are only trying to help, getting you the best education so you can make something of yourself."
"Why did you marry him?" asks Dave. "How could you marry him?"
Biff shoves Dave into a recliner. "You go to your room. We'll figure out what to do with you."
After Dave walks up to his room, Biff turns to his wife of two years. "Your son is an idiot, Lorraine. Why do we even waste money on him? Maybe if you'd raised him better…"
"Maybe if we didn't send him away all the time, he would have turned out better," says Lorraine.
Biff slaps her. "Don't talk like that to your husband. I'm gonna send Dave somewhere far away, where no one will tolerate that kind of bullshit. And maybe I'll send Linda and Marty there too."
Oooooooo
October, 1975
Lorraine Baines McFly Tannen sits down on the cushioned seat. The walls of the room are painted white, the floor tiles are white; the whole room has this aura of sterility. She had come to this place in Reno, Nevada at Biff's insistence.
A lady in a white blouse and white skirt enters the room. "Mrs. Tannen," she says. "How are you feeling?"
"A little nervous," replies Lorraine.
"It won't hurt a bit."
Lorraine lies down in this room minutes later. People in blue robes and masks surround her. A gas mask is placed on her face, and she catches the sweet scent of ether before her mind takes a vacation from the physical Universe.
Oooooooo
May 14, 1976
Lenny Powell forces himself to stay awake, even though he had a cup of coffee at a nearby coffeeshop just an hour ago. A whole crowd of well-dressed people had gathered at the Courthouse Square.
At midnight, Biff Tannen officially opened Biff's Pleasure Paradise. A large tower stands above the site of the former courthouse, and the word "Biff's" is on the top. Biff's picture hangs right above the main entrance to the hotel/casino.
"Tonight we open a beautiful hotel and casino which will be the crown jewel of this town," Biff had said before the opening. "This hotel and casino is jointly owned by BiffCo and the city of Hill Valley. The people of this town will get a share of the casino's profits. I want to thank the city of Hill Valley for approving this venture, and I want to thank the workers who spent over three years making this possible. It is almost midnight."
And so Biff cut a ribbon at midnight, opening the casino.
Lenny is impressed the moment he steps inside Biff Tannen's Pleasure Paradise. He inside is beautiful, like a high-class lounge to the Lone Pine Casino's dive bar. The wallpaper had beautiful patterns, and the handrails next to the ramps and stairs are made of shiny brass. There are a few differences from what the reporter had seen when the project was first unveiled- the water fountain that was part of the original plan was replaced by a parking lot.
He walks up to a table where Biff is. The game played at the table is a wheel that is spun. Three men in suits are at the table with Biff; from their interactions, they appear to be close friends.
"Mr. Tannen," says Lenny.
"Powell," replies Biff, recognizing the Hill Valley Telegraph reporter. "How is your family?"
"Fine," replies Lenny, thinking of his wife Cassie and his children Kate and Andy. "I'd like to ask a few questions."
Biff speaks with his friends. "How about you ask questions as we try our luck?"
"Sure," replies Lenny.
Oooooooo
May 15, 1976
"So this is where we gonna live?" asks Linda McFly.
"Yes, dear," replies Lorraine. "This is home now. The twenty-seventh floor."
They are with Biff, Dave, and Marty inside a penthouse in the Pleasure Paradise. The penthouse is much more luxurious than the casino floor. The carpet is soft, soft enough to walk comfortably while barefoot. The kitchen has white tiles, and the countertops are covered in tiles as well.
"It's better than our old place," says Dave. "Remember that, Mom."
"Better enjoy it," says Biff. "You and Linda are going back tomorrow."
Marty McFly sits on the bed in his new bedroom. The seven-year-old boy looks out the window, which grants a big view of Hill Valley and beyond. The room is covered in carpet, and there are finely carved dressers and drawers. A cardboard box sits on the carpet, containing his toys. He thinks silently. His life has changed over the past three years.
Oooooooooo
July, 1978
Kate Powell steps out of the Ford Crown Victoria. The fifteen-year-old girl makes her way along the driveway towards the front door of her home in Lyon Estates. She fumbles for her keys, having a little difficulty in grasping them. She pushes the key towards the keyhole when the door opens suddenly.
Her father Lenny is at the door, a tall red-haired man who is almost forty.
"Kathleen Anne Powell!" he yells. "Where were you?"
"I was stud-ing with friends," she says.
Lenny pulls his daughter in. "What were you studying, drunkenness? You smell like the bar in the Pleasure Paradise!"
"So what, Dad?" she asks. "It's legal; I'm fifteen."
"Not while you live in this house. And you can look forward to spending the rest of the summer in your room!"
"It's not fair!"
"What isn't fair is you going out at night and getting drunk!" yells Kate's mother Cassie, who finally joins in. "You're fifteen. You're a baby. And look what you're wearing. That short skirt, and that revealing top!"
After Kate is escorted inside her bedroom, Lenny faces his wife. "What is this world coming to, Cassie?" he asks. "It's like everything went into the shitter."
"We'll get through this, Lenny," answers Cassie.
Oooooooooo
October, 1982
"So how do you like the handling?" asks the man in the suit.
"Fine," replies Dr. Emmett Brown, setting the parking brake. "I'll take it."
"This is the easiest sale I had, yessir," replies the salesman.
The two of them step out of the silver DeLorean. Brown had driven to Reno, Nevada to purchase a DeLorean at an auto dealership on Virginia Street. From his calculations, the stainless steel construction would smooth out the temporal displacement.
The two of them enter the offices of the dealership. The Reno casinos are still easily seen from the dealership. Because Reno is a major stopover for travelers traveling by train or car between the western and eastern coasts of the United States, the casinos did not die from the legalization of gambling in California like the casinos in Las Vegas did. Plus Reno is close to several major ski resorts, and the hotels are cheaper than those around Lake Tahoe.
"So you want to drive the car home?" asks the salesman.
"I'm driving the Thunderbird home. I'd like the car to be delivered to my home in Hill Valley."
"Uh, where's that?"
"About seventy-six miles west of here," says Doc. "Go seventy miles west on the I-80, and there should be an exit for Hill Valley. The town is six miles from the exit."
"There is a delivery charge," says the salesman. "It'll cost you."
Oooooooooo
Later that month, Emmett Brown stores the DeLorean in a garage in Grass Valley that he had rented. He intends to work on the DeLorean until he finishes a working time machine. After finishing the time machine and testing it, he can do a little time traveling to find out what went wrong in the past.
Something happened back in 1955 that caused history to turn out like this. What did Marty do?
He does not leave for Hill Valley just yet. He has an appointment here in Grass Valley.
He sits in a diner at the corner of Main and Richardson Streets. He takes a look at the scenery. Grass Valley had retained much of its small town charm, unlike Hill Valley twelve miles east. He eats a lunch of fried sole, with Pepsi to wash it down.
A red-haired man in his mid-forties enters the diner. "You must be Dr. Brown," he says.
"Mr. Powell," says Brown. "Have a seat."
"Uh, how are you doing?" asks Lenny.
"I'm working on an important project and I need your help," replies Emmett. "I'd like information on the murder of George McFly."
"It was a holdup," replies Lenny. "His wallet was missing."
"I think Biff had something to do with it."
"Why would you think that?"
"None of this was supposed to happen. George McFly was not supposed to be dead. And Biff, how did he win all those bets?"
"I don't know," says Lenny. He remembers all the stories he did, covering Biff's great fortune. "I do have sources with information on the McFly murder. They suspect McFly's murder was related to the death of Carmine Ciccone."
"Who?"
"Carmine Ciccone was suspected to be an active member of the Ciccone crime family- they're a crime family with headquarters in Chicago. He died in a plane crash eleven years ago. The FAA could not find out what caused the crash. Anyway, BiffCo did business with Carmine's company."
"And George McFly might have had contacts with Carmine or the other Ciccones."
"He might have known something, and the Ciccones put a hit on him. I know Biff is worried; other sources told me that he increased his personal security after the McFly murder. I covered Biff's wedding with Lorraine, George McFly's widow. They had guards doing pat down searches on all the guests."
"Mr. Powell, how is your family?"
Lenny gets a pained look on his face. "I haven't spoken to my daughter Kate ever since she left home when she was sixteen- that was three years ago. She works at Biff's Pleasure Paradise, doing God-knows-what."
"I would appreciate it if I had copies of the articles on the George McFly murder and the Ciccone crime family," says Doc. "And any articles about Biff winning sports events."
"Sure," says Lenny.
Ooooooooo
Inside his home in Hill Valley, Dr. Brown studies the newspapers that Lenny Powell had given him. The newspapers are copies of the Hill Valley Telegraph as well as a few issues of the Chicago Tribune that has articles on the Ciccone crime family.
What is the connection?
Doc looks at the newspaper from 1958 reporting on Biff's first win at the Santa Anita racetrack. He is fairly certain this is the first major skew from the original future timeline.
He looks at the picture of Biff, who was twenty-one at the time. He is smiling at his first win. Doc scans through the picture with a magnifying glass.
He looks at the magnified image of the back pocket. A book is inside the pocket. The title reads "Almanac"
Of course!
Ooooooooo
November 12, 1982
Today is the twenty-seventh anniversary of Marty's departure.
While Marty is due to return on October 26, 1985, at the same time, Marty is in a boarding school, from what Emmett Brown had heard.
What if Marty does not make the trip back to 1955? What will happen to the Marty that I sent back to the future? Will he simply be erased from existence, after all the trouble we went through of getting his parents together?
Doc brings his attention back to the present. In front of him is a dimly lit room with polished black tiles. The oak doors are the main entrance to the penthouse where Biff and Lorraine Tannen live.
They are not home; Brown had heard that Biff and Lorraine went on a trip to the Mexican Riviera and will not be back for another three days. He pats his outfit; he looks like a maintenance man, which is what casino security would see.
None of the security guards would be wondering what a maintenance man would be doing up here. The real maintenance man is taking an unscheduled nap.
Crude methods, but necessary.
Entering the living room of the penthouse, Doc notices the huge size. It is at least twice as big as his garage home. The scientist enters the master bedroom.
If Biff has a book that Marty had left behind from the future, he would keep it in a hiding place. Searching through the bedroom, finding expensive clothes and jewelry and even a few books, Emmett finds nothing that would have given Biff knowledge about future sports scores.
He searches through the rooms, including Biff's study as well as bedrooms that are presumably for Lorraine's three children. The scientist looks through reference books to find out if any of them are copyrighted in the future.
After about forty minutes of searching, he finds something.
I have a lead. I'd better be getting out of here before security becomes suspicious.
Doc leaves the penthouse suite, acting as if he had been authorized to be there. He rides the elevator to the ground floor. The elevator does not stop at the casino, but in a back hall. Presumably, it was designed this way so Biff would not have to walk through the casino floor to get to his Hill Valley home.
About twenty minutes later, Emmett Brown is inside his garage home, which is still located next to the BiffCo headquarters.
He reads the book he retrieved from Biff's penthouse; it is a 1979 World Almanac. Such a book would have given Biff knowledge- enough knowledge to bet on the winner and never lose.
Something's wrong. Wait, the book…
The pages have not yellowed, as a book would if it was over twenty years old. The book still looks new.
While there have been many technological advances between 1955 and 1982, paper that does not yellow is not one of them.
Oooooooo
November 13, 1982
Hearing a crash, Dr. Emmett Brown suddenly wakes up. He sees men wearing tactical vests and helmets.
"What the..?" he asks.
A baton strikes the back of his legs, causing him to fall. He looks up and sees the men are Hill Valley police officers.
"Emmett Brown, you are under arrest for burglary," says one of the officers, a sergeant.
The police officers lead Brown outside to the cold autumn air towards a Ford Crown Victoria waiting in the parking lot for the adjacent Burger King. Emmett's forehead smacks the roof of the car as he is pushed inside.
Oooooooo
"I know nothing," says Emmett Brown.
"Dr. Brown, you should tell us the truth," says Gary Shepard, who is a criminal defense attorney based in Grass Valley. "Biff Tannen reported that a safe was stolen."
"I'm not saying anything."
"Very well," replies Shepard. "We'll try to get you bail."
A police officer takes Emmett, now clad in an orange jumpsuit, and escorts him to the holding cell. This is a temporary cell until he is transferred to the county jail.
I can't tell him the truth- that in 1955 I met a teenager who traveled back in time with a time machine I will invent.
Oooooooo
Emmett Brown stands in the Hill Valley courthouse. The courthouse is a new structure, built in 1968, along with a brand new civic center. It is located about half a mile from Biff's Pleasure Paradise.
He looks around the courtroom. The local media is already packing the courtroom, including Lenny Powell, the Hill Valley Telegraph reporter that he had spoken to last month. The bailiff announces the docket number. Emmett Brown is charged with assault, battery, burglary, and grand larceny.
"How do you plead?" asks the judge.
"Not guilty," says Brown.
"People ask for remand," says a man in a blue suit, who is the executive assistant district attorney.
"Defendant is remanded," says the judge.
A sheriff's deputy escorts Emmett away.
Ooooooooo
December 25, 1982
"Merry Christmas, nutcase."
Dr. Brown looks up and sees one of the county jail guards, holding a tray.
"I got breakfast for you."
The guard, a huge man towering over the scientist, pushes the tray towards the slot in the cell. He then pulls the tray back and sets it on the concrete floor.
"I got a little extra for you, Brown. Think of it as a present."
The guard unzips his pants, and a bright yellow stream hits the food on the tray. Emmett instinctively places his hands on the bars, and the guard smacks his knuckles with the baton.
Emmett pulls his hands back, looking at the bruises on his knuckles.
Ooooooooo
January, 1983
The jail guards escort Emmett Brown through the dimly-lit corridors and into one of the visiting rooms. They slam him right into the seat of a plastic chair.
A bespectacled man in a white coat enters.
"Who are you?" asks Emmett.
"Dr. Quinn Redfield," says the visitor. "I just want to ask you a few questions, Dr. Brown."
"Okay."
"About the burglary."
"I know nothing of it."
"Okay, how do you feel about Biff Tannen?" asks Redfield.
"I was very suspicious of his good fortune," replies Brown. "To win over and over again in sports betting?"
"So you are jealous?"
"No," replies the scientist. "It just does not feel right."
Ooooooooo
March, 1983
After eating his lunch in his cell, Emmett Brown hears footsteps. He turns and sees sheriff's deputies, men in white coats, and his lawyer Gary Shepard.
"What is it?" asks Brown.
"There was a sanity hearing," says Shepard. "You're being committed to the Pescadero State Hospital."
"What? How could there have been a sanity hearing? I was not even there!"
The cell door opens, and one of the deputies grabs the scientist's arm.
"There has to be some mistake," says Brown.
The deputies then start whacking him with the batons over and over again. Each blow sends shocks throughout his sixty-three-year-old body.
Then one of the men in white outfits places a straitjacket over Emmett Brown, leading him away.
Oooooooo
Lenny Powell looks up at the proof for the new issue of the Hill Valley Telegraph that is to be printed today.
Emmett Brown Committed- Crackpot Inventor Declared Legally Insane