The idea came to me in February 2020, after another viewing of the episode "Tomorrow's Boys". I wanted to write about what actually happened next with the adult copies of the main characters, after Shin, Carl, and Jimmy returned to the present.
I'd like to pay special attention to Jimmy and his not-so-happy marriage to Cindy. In fact, their reality should disappear, since Jimmy corrected the present and there is no reason for the existence of a bad future. But why not imagine that this alternate reality still exists. I will be glad to any readers!
The police bot, after a fight with the guys, jumped into the portal of the chronoark, its goal was simple: to destroy the intruders. Alas, the old versions of Jimmy, Sheen, and Carl failed to fight back, all in vain. Shin stood gaping at what was happening, and Jimmy pursed his left hand, addressing another comrade:
"Carl, can we live in the wall with you?" Neutron asked bitterly.
"I'll get the beds ready," Weezer said.
The boys prepared the sleeping bags Karl had given them and went to bed. Weezer fell asleep immediately, and Shin fell asleep just a few minutes later. He smelled very bad, and that was what Jimmy felt when he couldn't sleep. At first, Neutron thought of the robot cop who had gone back in time, and he was filled with an unprecedented fear: would he kill them in the past? Because if it does, their existence is in jeopardy. And then about why his life had turned into a nightmare. Jimmy from the past reminded him of his love of science, which Neutron had long ago abandoned; but why did this happen? The question began to worry him. Jimmy was lying loosely on his back, both hands under his head, his eyes fixed on the ceiling-so dark and ugly.
The lab had once been his own property, and the former genius didn't have to sleep in a wall like he did at the moment. When Jimmy married Cindy, they moved into the club. He destroyed the lab so Cindy's mother could move in with them, and Cindy made Jimmy take care of her. Neutron lost his intelligence by not doing science or inventing for years.
Jimmy noticed that Shin wasn't quite asleep yet. This fact pleased Neutron. He wanted to share his thoughts with someone. Estevez was a good option, since Carlton was asleep and there was no one else around.
"Shin, I've been thinking about something," Jimmy whispered uncertainly, hoping his friend would hear him. «How did we end up in this situation?" he lay on his side, watching the reaction of the sleepy Estevez, who was muttering something.
"Jimmy, why the hell aren't you sleeping?" Shin asked with displeasure as he adjusted his sleeping bag.
"In case you haven't forgotten, I haven't been sleeping at all lately," Neutron reminded him resentfully. "Cindy said she needed her mother's help," he added, grimacing.
"Ha, well, you're being exploited by your own wife," Shin blurted out, he teased his friend, smiling.
"I'm serious, Shin!» Jimmy raised his voice half a tone. «How did we come to this…» Neutron began to search in his head for possible words that would fit, but nothing came to mind.
«How did we get to this shit? Is that what you mean?" his question was calm. «It seems that everything is clear: you, me, and Carl got mixed up with that shit that was Libby's birthday present, and that shit caused a chain reaction of bad luck for everyone. Ah, yes, I think we should say thank you to Karl, it's all thanks to him, " Shin explained, getting carried away with his explanation.
"Yes, but! Was it supposed to be like this?» Jimmy had a question. He rose slightly from his sleeping position, propping himself up on his elbows.
"Jim, what difference does it make?» Estevez didn't understand. «Personally, everything suits me: the dictator — Libby is definitely sexy: the fashion that she introduced is chic, and my work is not the limit of dreams, but it will do, I like it,» Shin reasoned, breaking into a moronic smile. «After all, I am a professional garbage diver, not everyone is given. Why change something?»
"Just imagine what you could be: a star, a model, a director, or anything else," Neutron said heartily. «And I, for example, could become a scientist at NASA, besides its owner, » Jimmy looked away to the right side. "Carl has always dreamed of raising llamas: he would be a wonderful rancher, but not in this reality. We have achieved nothing at all, all for nothing…»
It seemed to Shin that his friend was dreaming too much, and then completely lost in incomprehensible thoughts. He looked at his crazy friend with a puzzled expression.
« Well, you got married, unlike Karl and me. But I don't envy you, I rather feel sorry for you, " the Mexican blurted out.
"It's the biggest mistake I've ever made," Jimmy admitted. «I've been rethinking everything the younger version of me said. He's absolutely right: I've forgotten my love of science because of my marriage to Cindy and Libby's dictatorship, I'm not the same person I used to be, I've hit rock bottom, " Neutron said with a heavy sigh.
"These are dark times, Jim," Estevez said. "Relax and live your life," Shin said calmly, preparing to go back to sleep.
"More like «Relax and die on»," Neutron paraphrased, but his friend wasn't going to say anything. He just mumbled something unintelligible into the pillow. Suddenly, a noise came from where Weezer was sleeping. Jimmy looked up, but it was dark, and he couldn't see anything.
"If any of you say anything else, I'll hang you from this arch in my place!" Carl blurted out in a sleepy, dissatisfied voice. The fat man had slept well before, but the conversations of his friends during the night, and especially Shin's voice, woke him up.
The boys looked at each other and fell silent. Shin turned away from the Neutron, trying to get comfortable; Karl, returning to his seat, tried to sleep again, hoping that his companions would no longer feel the need to chat. Jimmy, having chosen a suitable position, began to adjust to sleep. Closing his eyes, he somehow wanted to imagine a different life, one that was different from the nightmare they were living in. With these thoughts, he fell asleep.
Jimmy was still asleep. Because of the unfavorable conditions, he did not sleep well: his head ached, his back ached, and huge black circles formed under his eyes-this meant not only lack of sleep, but also other health problems. There was silence and calm-the two components that the former genius sorely lacked. But this wonderful time did not last long, soon Karl appeared, he was forced to wake up his friend.
"Jim, get up, Cindy's looking for you," the fat man said, "be careful, because she's not in the mood " Carl cautioned carefully.
Reluctantly, Neutron opened his eyes, stretched, and let out a long yawn. Jimmy seemed to have ignored Weezer's words. But he heard everything perfectly and mentally prepared for what might be waiting for him.
"She's always' not in the mood, '" Jimmy muttered, his face twisting.
"Jimmy, you better hurry up, I don't want to get hurt because of you," Carl looked worried, and he began to actively fold and put away the sleeping bags. «You remember last week, don't you?"
"Don't remind me, please," Jimmy said, and it was unpleasant to remember the incident in which they had suffered so much and suffered so many injuries. "It's time to get this over with, my dear friend Karl," Neutron told himself firmly, clenching his hands into fists.
"Whatever you're up to, Jim, good luck to you," Carl said, without any subterfuge or sarcasm: he sincerely wished his friend good luck. "And I'll go back to my place, hang like a fish on a hook," with these words, Weezer escorted Jimmy to the main room of the club, and closed himself in his wall.
Jimmy wasn't fully awake yet, and he wasn't feeling very well. Sleeping on the cold floor was uncomfortable, but somehow better than being suspended like Carl. The thought of being crammed into a wall with his friends was depressing. His thoughts were somewhere out there: not in this life, reality, the universe! Neutron had the idea to resume his studies in science, because before it was everything to him. But all this seemed beyond him — he wanted to, but at the same time he was afraid. His thoughts were interrupted by Cynthia's voice.
"Ah, there you are, Neutron!» Cindy was angry. «Why are you still here when you should be in the kitchen?"
"I've been looking for you, too, Cindy " he said, trying to sound as rude as he could, but he didn't get it right.
"Don't be smart, go to the kitchen right now!" shouted Vortex.
"I'm not going anywhere, you know what! I've had enough!» with these words, the guy abruptly raised his hands. His wife clearly didn't like this turn of events. Her eyes began to stare fiercely at Neutron.
«What did you say?» Cindy demanded, looking indignant.
"That's enough. I'm sick of living like this, and I was a complete idiot when I married you. And even now, nothing has really changed, because I still put up with you from the day we got married.
«What?!» Cynthia was shocked by her husband's statement.
"How can you call this a normal life?" Neutron asked nervously, looking with disdain into the eyes of his unloved or beloved wife (he didn't know the exact answer). Cynthia just stood there and stared at him. " Well, I'll tell you, it's not life — it's a nightmare, the young version convinced me of this!" James was expressing his thoughts in a frantic voice. He paced the room nervously until he sat down on the light blue sofa.
Cindy continued to stand with the question: "What's going on?", her arms are crossed over her chest, and her lips are curled into a wry smile.
"And the lab? Look what I had to turn her into!" Neutron looked very angry and displeased. "Why the hell are we living in a lab?"
"You suggested moving here," Cindy said sharply.
"You're lying, Vortex, it was your idea, and I was like an idiot," James said with annoyance, " and I signed my own death warrant."
"Signed the death warrant? You were in love with me, asshole."
"That's right, I was dazzled by your beauty, sexuality, you have no idea how much,» Jimmy's face flashed a grin, he looked at his wife from head to toe with interest. But soon everything changed to disgust and indifference. "And our wedding night? What is it? " he asked in an exasperated voice. Cindy was silent: she knew where this was going.
"I can't remember anything. Ah, nothing really happened. Besides, we don't sleep together: I don't remember the day you let me into your bed, and now I have to live in a wall, you know, in a wall!" Neutron spoke in a raised voice: "Why this marriage, if you use me as a slave?"
"Neutron, are you an idiot? What the fuck did you say? It's not slavery, it's help, " Cindy explained roughly. "In case you haven't noticed, I take care of my mom, too, every day, just as much as you do," she continued irritably.
"Yes, I'm an idiot, I've become one. To hell with a marriage like this, because you're ignoring your marital duty " he said suddenly. «I can't remember the last time I touched your body, or that awful synthetic stuff, but that warm body, that soft and smooth skin," he said, a little tempted by the thought of all of this. A strange grin crossed his face. Cynthia noticed the grin and the fleeting glint in his eyes.
"Are you done?" Cindy asked quite calmly.
He didn't know what to say. There weren't many possible answers in his head, but none of them seemed to fit. He wanted to continue his speech, to tell Cindy to her face all the things that had been hurting him for the past six months, so that she would feel guilty. But Jimmy paused and nodded uncertainly at his wife's question. Then Cynthia beckoned to him, and he reluctantly got up from the couch and moved to a safe distance.
With a sharp movement of her hands, Cindy closes the distance between herself and Jimmy, biting her lip with some audacity. There was no negativity in her eyes now; Jim hadn't expected this turn of events. It was his first kiss in months. He tried to pull away from his wife, but her grip was too strong, her nails gripping Neutron's shoulders so tightly that he jerked in pain. She pulled him onto the couch. Cindy broke the kiss and shoved him down on the couch so that he fell on his shoulder blades. And then she returned to her husband's lips, straddling him.
«Why?» the question was Jimmy's. Confused, he looked warily at his wife, who looked very unnatural. She was hovering over him, her knees on either side of his body.
"I don't want you to get on my nerves about this! I'm doing my duty as a wife, so shut up and enjoy it ...» Cindy snapped.
She was going to continue her kiss manipulation, but he wouldn't let her do it.
«If you don't want to, then go fuck yourself!"
"It's too late, Cindy, our lives are going to suffer for a long time," James said, looking straight into the green eyes. «I'd be happy to die, go away, anything! And I wouldn't have to live with you," he said in an extremely rough and unpleasant voice. «I want to file for divorce.»
«What?!» a small shock shot through her body. She quickly pulled away from Jimmy. "You're not going to make it," Cynthia said, exulting because she knew it was.
«Well, I don't care, I'll find another way!» Neutron shouted, enraged. «You've made me an idiot, I hate you, Vortex " he concluded angrily, rising from the couch. But then he regretted his words, as Cindy slapped him in the face.
"Shut up, I don't want to listen to you anymore," Cynthia said aggressively. Her body tensed, and her eyes filled with bitter tears.
"I'm leaving…"As soon as he closed the door, there were sobs.
Cynthia began to cry: she sat down on the sofa, covering her face with her hands. James, hearing the crying, thought about going back and calming her down despite what he had told her. But Neutron didn't. He went into the house. Once in the kitchen, Jimmy hurried to get a bottle of whiskey from the kitchen cabinet, followed by a glass.
He drank one glass, then another, and Jimmy was not feeling well: the pupils of his eyes were dilated, the muscles of his face relaxed, the movements of his hands were imprecise, spontaneous. Neutron was sitting on the kitchen couch, his legs stretched out and his head thrown back. Peace and quiet, no one. The former genius not so long ago became addicted to alcoholic beverages. His personality was broken.
During the six months of his marriage to Cindy, friends and parents began to notice Jimmy's mental personality disorder. We are talking about a disorder that is based on unbalance. Jimmy often experienced mood swings and anxiety. At the same time, he is not critical enough of his behavior. He did not sleep well at night: sometimes insomnia, sometimes a nightmare. Because of his frequent conflicts with Cindy, he used to get hit on the neck.
Neutron felt broken, deprived of his own dignity and personal opinion. He forgot how to resist manipulation. James sought support from his friends, parents, and, of course, from Goddard, which had deteriorated over the years. His parents felt sorry for Jimmy, but they couldn't help him. All they said was that he had chosen this path himself. Over the years, Sheen and Karl began to spend more nights at Neutron's club, to some extent supporting their friend, and later the laboratory became a shelter for Karl, who was wanted for insubordination with fashion.
The whiskey was gone, and James wanted to get out of here, away from this terrible life. Young Jimmy Neutron might have thought of something. But not him. The fact is that Neutron did not believe in his own strength, he believed that he was no longer able to invent anything. There were times when he didn't care what other people thought or said about him; he was drunk, and the whole awful picture faded into the background. His eyes were closed, and he couldn't control himself. His mind was empty, not a single positive or negative thought. The soul of the Neutron was torn somewhere in other worlds, realities, but, alas, the body resisted and stubbornly did not obey the brain. Jimmy lay on the kitchen couch for an hour or two.
When he woke up, Neutron decided to leave, to leave unceremoniously. He was looking for a better life, if there was one. But he couldn't go far because he wasn't feeling well. Did it all make sense? Maybe, but it didn't end well.
This work is just my guess about the future fate of the Neutron in a bad future. Work from the category: I really wanted to write a mini on the topic " What if?".