Running out of Time
Chapter 7
"A Nice Place To Live!" Yeah, Right.
7:56 PM
Deciding not to go back quite yet, Dan and Eduardo found themselves passing a floating sign that said "Hill Valley - Next Exit." Dan saw free-floating lights that indicated the off-ramp was there. He pulled the DeLorean out of the sky, as he saw a large airborne billboard that read, "Welcome to Hill Valley - A Nice Place To Live!" As they passed the sign, Dan said...
Dan: I'll take their word for it.
Eduardo: What?
Dan: Never mind.
Dan decided he wanted to see what happened earlier that day. He punched in the date from when they first arrived, into the departure time, and sped to 88 MPH...
***
Re-entry time: October 21, 2015
4:30 PM
The DeLorean appeared over the town of Hill Valley, that was hit by a stormy mess. Dan set the vehicle down behind what looked to be a movie theater, and both Ghostbusters opened their doors. They looked around...
Eduardo: Man, this is nasty weather. It's a wonder people can stand this.
Dan: Hey, I'm from Chicago. We get the weirdest weather in the U.S. It snows in the middle of October out there! This is nothing compared to Chicago...
The weather suddenly changed from rainy to sunny, in a matter of seconds...
Dan: ...But then again, I could be wrong.
They stepped out of the car, and closed the doors. Dan made sure to lock it, so nobody could grab the Proton Packs out of the back. Dan pulled a baseball cap out of his cargo pocket, and put it on. It was his lucky Chicago Blackhawks hat. The two men proceeded forward towards the middle of town square.
They looked at the strange landscaping. There was a large pond in front of a 4 story building, with a clock embedded in the top. Eduardo looked over to Dan...
Eduardo: Hey, Dan. Can we stop somewhere to eat? I'm hungry.
Dan: You know, that doesn't sound like a bad idea.
Dan looked around for a nearby diner, or other restaurant. He looked across the street, and saw a sign that read, "Café 80's."
Dan: Ah, here's a place!
The two walked across the street, and entered. As they walked into the Café, they saw at least 30 TVs playing old shows and cartoons on one wall, movie posters all over, and pictures of actors, actresses, singers and sports icons of the time period hanging on the walls. As they took a seat at a booth, a TV screen on a robotic arm stretched over, and an image of a familiar scientist appeared on the screen...
Screen: Welcome to Café 80's, where Class fi-five's are caught.
Eduardo looked to Dan, where Dan looked right back. They both turned back to the screen, to see a computer-driven image of Egon Spengler.
Eduardo: Egon? As Max Headroom?!
Dan: This is different.
Egon Headroom: Our special today is the Vapor Del-Deli Combo. It's a turkey, bacon, ham, salami, bologna and swiss on 2 pieces of sour-sourdough bread, topped with garlic pickles, lett-lett-lettuce, tomato and mustard.
Dan: Yep, sounds like something Slimer would eat.
Eduardo: That actually sounds good. I'll take one.
Dan: Ditto.
Egon Headroom: Bever-Beverages?
Dan: Mountain Dew.
Eduardo: Uh... make that two.
Two holes opened in the table, as two shafts popped up with bottles of Mountain Dew. Dan and Eduardo pulled the bottles out, and the shafts went back into the table. Eduardo looked at the bottle...
Eduardo: How do you open it?
Dan: Good question.
As they tried to figure out how to open the bottles, a guy, about 17 or 18, walks in and sits at the counter. Dan looked over Eduardo's shoulder, and watches the man. He had a gray and red jacket and a multi-colored holographic hat. For some reason, he thought the guy was a little out of place.
Dan: Eddy... check this out.
Eduardo turned around to look at the man with the holographic hat arguing with the Headroom waiter. A shaft much the same as the one in the table popped up at the counter. The man grabbed the bottle of Pepsi out of the shaft. The old man that was sitting in the booth behind Eduardo then turned his attention to the guy.
Old man: Hey, McFly!
The guy turned around to look at the old man in a spooked fashion...
Guy: Biff?
Dan and Eduardo didn't know what the hell was going on, but they looked on...
Old man: Yeah. I've seen ya around. You're Marty McFly's kid, aren't ya?
Guy: Huh? What?
Old man: You're Marty Junior!
The old man... or Biff... stood up with the aid of his cane, and walked over to the guy sitting at the counter. He was wearing tacky black and white plaid pants, and a red shirt...
Biff: Tough break, kid. Must be rough being named after a complete butthead!
Guy: What's that supposed to mean?
Biff took the end of his cane, and started hitting the guy in the head. As he did, he spoke...
Biff: Hello! Is anybody home? Think, McFly! Think! Your old man? Mister Loser?
Guy: What?
Biff: That's right. Loser with a capital "L"!
Guy: Look, I happen to know that George McFly...
Biff: I'm not talking about George McFly, I'm talking about his kid! Your old man? Marty McFly Senior? The man who took his life, and flushed it completely down the toilet.
Guy: I did? I mean, he did?
It was then the door opened, to reveal a man about the same age as the guy at the counter... who was apparently having an identity crisis. He looked almost like a younger version of the old man, except with a helmet device on his head. He screamed at the old man...
Man: Hey, gramps! I told you two coats of wax on my car, not just one!
Biff: Hey, I just put the second coat on last week.
Man: Yeah, with your eyes closed?!
Guy: Are you two related?
The old man walked over to the guy, and started knocking on his head again...
Biff: Hello! Whaddya think, Griff just calls me gramps for his health?
Guy: He's Griff?!
The man... or Griff... started yelling at the old man again...
Griff: Gramps! What the hell am I paying you for?!
The old man walked at the door, but before he stepped out...
Biff: Say hello to your grandma for me!
Griff grabbed the old man, and yanked him out of the door. Griff walked back in, and pointed to the guy at the counter.
Griff: And McFly... Don't go anywhere, you're next! ::Walks out::
Dan and Eduardo turned back to each other...
Dan: What the hell was that all about?
Eduardo: I don't know, man. I think we should leave.
Dan: No. I want to see what happens next. This might be why that time came up in the time machine. Something must of went wrong, which resulted in that time being registered.
Eduardo: Huh?
Dan: Nothing.
The guy's... or McFly's... attention was then drawn towards an arcade game that lit up on the one side of the Café. He walked over, tossed his hat one top of the machine, and showed a couple of kids how to use the game. The kids walked away, as McFly re-holstered the light gun on the game. Paying attention to all surroundings around him, Dan saw another man walk in... and he looked exactly like the McFly person! McFly ducked behind the counter, as if he wasn't supposed to be seen by him.
Dan: What the hell?
Eduardo turned around to see the look-alike go to the counter and yelled out...
Look-alike: Pepsi Perfect! Pepsi!
Eduardo turned back to Dan...
Eduardo: Wasn't he in here once?
Dan: I don't think it's the same guy!
The look-alike was a slob. He was in a disarray: one sleeve jacket was longer than the other, one front jacket pocket flap was flapping in the breeze. His hair was greasy, uncombed, and sticking out of the sides of his hat. Food stains on his shirt, and shoes covered in mud. Looked nothing like the first that walked in... appearance-wise.
Griff walked back in, but being followed by 3 other people: two guys and a girl. He started to yell out...
Griff: McFly! I thought I told you to stay in here!
The look-alike, or the other McFly, turned around, and looked at Griff.
Other McFly: Griff... Guys. How's it going?
Griff approached closer to the other McFly...
Griff: Hey, McFly!
OM: What?
Griff: Your shoe's unvelked!
As the other McFly looked down to his shoes, Griff came up, and hit him in the face. The other McFly flipped around, and slammed face-down into the counter. Griff and his gang laughed, as Griff grabbed him by the back of his jacket. Dan and Eduardo winced as they watched the big MF lift him up, and stand him straight. OM was laughing himself, even though he was hit in the face.
Griff: So, did you make a decision... about tonight's opportunity?
OM: Well, I don't know, it seems kinda dangerous...
The girl stepped up to him...
Girl gang member: What wrong, McFly? You got no scroat?!
The girl went behind his back, grabbed the back of his jacket, lifted him up, and threw him again face-down into the counter. The gang laughed, while Dan's eyes widened, as he took a double take on what he just saw. Eduardo just had an expression of shock on his face.
Dan: Holy shit!
Eduardo: I still say we should of left when we had the chance!
The other McFly helped himself up, although slowly. Eduardo tuned back to Dan...
Eduardo: Man, we should be doing something to help him!
Dan: No! We can't interfere! We might screw something up! You could stop something from happening that was meant to happen in the future, and you could jeopardize something big! Just stay put!
Griff: So what's it going to be? Are you in, or out?
OM: Well... I don't really think I should, I guess I should discuss it with my father?
Griff and his gang just looked at him, and screamed...
Gang: Your father?!
Griff: Wrong answer, McFly!
Griff lifted the other McFly over his head, and threw him over the counter, slamming him into the TVs and the floor. Dan and Eduardo were about to jump out of their skin when they saw that happen. Dan pulled out his pistol, turned it on, and made himself ready for anything. Eduardo was about to scream when he saw Griff turn around, and point in his general direction. It appeared he was pointing at a pair of stationary bikers behind Dan...
Griff: Keep pedaling, you two!
It was then the other McFly rose up from behind the counter... no, wait... it wasn't the other one, it was the first one! Both Ghostbusters noticed from the tee shirts that they both were wearing. The first one had a red one, as the other one had a white one. He hopped over the counter...
Griff: Now ::grabs McFly's jacket:: lets hear the right answer!
McFly's face turned really sour, as he pushed Griff off his jacket.
Griff: Well, since when did you become the physical type?!
McFly: The answer is no, Griff.
Griff: No?!
McFly: What, are you deaf and stupid? I said no!
McFly had turned around, and was about to leave, when Griff exclaimed...
Griff: What's wrong, McFly?! Chicken?!
McFly had stopped dead in his tracks. One of Griff's goonies pressed a button on his chest plate device, and it made a synthesized chicken noise. McFly peered over his shoulder, and looked at Griff...
McFly: What did you call me, Griff?
Griff had one of his arms behind his back. Dan spotted something bad on the horizon...
Griff: Chicken, McFly!
The clucking noise was heard again, and McFly had now completely turned around. He walked towards Griff, took off his hat, and threw it over the counter, as he yelled out...
McFly: Nobody calls me...!
Griff pulled a large baseball bat from behind him, and pointed it at McFly...
McFly: ::nervous chuckle:: ...Chicken.
Griff wound up, and swung, as McFly ducked. Griff ended up hitting the one Headroom waiter. Upon the sight, Dan and Eduardo looked at each other...
Dan: In the words of Elwood Blues, "Fuck this noise, man!"
The two Ghostbusters bolted out the door.
Chapter 7
"A Nice Place To Live!" Yeah, Right.
7:56 PM
Deciding not to go back quite yet, Dan and Eduardo found themselves passing a floating sign that said "Hill Valley - Next Exit." Dan saw free-floating lights that indicated the off-ramp was there. He pulled the DeLorean out of the sky, as he saw a large airborne billboard that read, "Welcome to Hill Valley - A Nice Place To Live!" As they passed the sign, Dan said...
Dan: I'll take their word for it.
Eduardo: What?
Dan: Never mind.
Dan decided he wanted to see what happened earlier that day. He punched in the date from when they first arrived, into the departure time, and sped to 88 MPH...
***
Re-entry time: October 21, 2015
4:30 PM
The DeLorean appeared over the town of Hill Valley, that was hit by a stormy mess. Dan set the vehicle down behind what looked to be a movie theater, and both Ghostbusters opened their doors. They looked around...
Eduardo: Man, this is nasty weather. It's a wonder people can stand this.
Dan: Hey, I'm from Chicago. We get the weirdest weather in the U.S. It snows in the middle of October out there! This is nothing compared to Chicago...
The weather suddenly changed from rainy to sunny, in a matter of seconds...
Dan: ...But then again, I could be wrong.
They stepped out of the car, and closed the doors. Dan made sure to lock it, so nobody could grab the Proton Packs out of the back. Dan pulled a baseball cap out of his cargo pocket, and put it on. It was his lucky Chicago Blackhawks hat. The two men proceeded forward towards the middle of town square.
They looked at the strange landscaping. There was a large pond in front of a 4 story building, with a clock embedded in the top. Eduardo looked over to Dan...
Eduardo: Hey, Dan. Can we stop somewhere to eat? I'm hungry.
Dan: You know, that doesn't sound like a bad idea.
Dan looked around for a nearby diner, or other restaurant. He looked across the street, and saw a sign that read, "Café 80's."
Dan: Ah, here's a place!
The two walked across the street, and entered. As they walked into the Café, they saw at least 30 TVs playing old shows and cartoons on one wall, movie posters all over, and pictures of actors, actresses, singers and sports icons of the time period hanging on the walls. As they took a seat at a booth, a TV screen on a robotic arm stretched over, and an image of a familiar scientist appeared on the screen...
Screen: Welcome to Café 80's, where Class fi-five's are caught.
Eduardo looked to Dan, where Dan looked right back. They both turned back to the screen, to see a computer-driven image of Egon Spengler.
Eduardo: Egon? As Max Headroom?!
Dan: This is different.
Egon Headroom: Our special today is the Vapor Del-Deli Combo. It's a turkey, bacon, ham, salami, bologna and swiss on 2 pieces of sour-sourdough bread, topped with garlic pickles, lett-lett-lettuce, tomato and mustard.
Dan: Yep, sounds like something Slimer would eat.
Eduardo: That actually sounds good. I'll take one.
Dan: Ditto.
Egon Headroom: Bever-Beverages?
Dan: Mountain Dew.
Eduardo: Uh... make that two.
Two holes opened in the table, as two shafts popped up with bottles of Mountain Dew. Dan and Eduardo pulled the bottles out, and the shafts went back into the table. Eduardo looked at the bottle...
Eduardo: How do you open it?
Dan: Good question.
As they tried to figure out how to open the bottles, a guy, about 17 or 18, walks in and sits at the counter. Dan looked over Eduardo's shoulder, and watches the man. He had a gray and red jacket and a multi-colored holographic hat. For some reason, he thought the guy was a little out of place.
Dan: Eddy... check this out.
Eduardo turned around to look at the man with the holographic hat arguing with the Headroom waiter. A shaft much the same as the one in the table popped up at the counter. The man grabbed the bottle of Pepsi out of the shaft. The old man that was sitting in the booth behind Eduardo then turned his attention to the guy.
Old man: Hey, McFly!
The guy turned around to look at the old man in a spooked fashion...
Guy: Biff?
Dan and Eduardo didn't know what the hell was going on, but they looked on...
Old man: Yeah. I've seen ya around. You're Marty McFly's kid, aren't ya?
Guy: Huh? What?
Old man: You're Marty Junior!
The old man... or Biff... stood up with the aid of his cane, and walked over to the guy sitting at the counter. He was wearing tacky black and white plaid pants, and a red shirt...
Biff: Tough break, kid. Must be rough being named after a complete butthead!
Guy: What's that supposed to mean?
Biff took the end of his cane, and started hitting the guy in the head. As he did, he spoke...
Biff: Hello! Is anybody home? Think, McFly! Think! Your old man? Mister Loser?
Guy: What?
Biff: That's right. Loser with a capital "L"!
Guy: Look, I happen to know that George McFly...
Biff: I'm not talking about George McFly, I'm talking about his kid! Your old man? Marty McFly Senior? The man who took his life, and flushed it completely down the toilet.
Guy: I did? I mean, he did?
It was then the door opened, to reveal a man about the same age as the guy at the counter... who was apparently having an identity crisis. He looked almost like a younger version of the old man, except with a helmet device on his head. He screamed at the old man...
Man: Hey, gramps! I told you two coats of wax on my car, not just one!
Biff: Hey, I just put the second coat on last week.
Man: Yeah, with your eyes closed?!
Guy: Are you two related?
The old man walked over to the guy, and started knocking on his head again...
Biff: Hello! Whaddya think, Griff just calls me gramps for his health?
Guy: He's Griff?!
The man... or Griff... started yelling at the old man again...
Griff: Gramps! What the hell am I paying you for?!
The old man walked at the door, but before he stepped out...
Biff: Say hello to your grandma for me!
Griff grabbed the old man, and yanked him out of the door. Griff walked back in, and pointed to the guy at the counter.
Griff: And McFly... Don't go anywhere, you're next! ::Walks out::
Dan and Eduardo turned back to each other...
Dan: What the hell was that all about?
Eduardo: I don't know, man. I think we should leave.
Dan: No. I want to see what happens next. This might be why that time came up in the time machine. Something must of went wrong, which resulted in that time being registered.
Eduardo: Huh?
Dan: Nothing.
The guy's... or McFly's... attention was then drawn towards an arcade game that lit up on the one side of the Café. He walked over, tossed his hat one top of the machine, and showed a couple of kids how to use the game. The kids walked away, as McFly re-holstered the light gun on the game. Paying attention to all surroundings around him, Dan saw another man walk in... and he looked exactly like the McFly person! McFly ducked behind the counter, as if he wasn't supposed to be seen by him.
Dan: What the hell?
Eduardo turned around to see the look-alike go to the counter and yelled out...
Look-alike: Pepsi Perfect! Pepsi!
Eduardo turned back to Dan...
Eduardo: Wasn't he in here once?
Dan: I don't think it's the same guy!
The look-alike was a slob. He was in a disarray: one sleeve jacket was longer than the other, one front jacket pocket flap was flapping in the breeze. His hair was greasy, uncombed, and sticking out of the sides of his hat. Food stains on his shirt, and shoes covered in mud. Looked nothing like the first that walked in... appearance-wise.
Griff walked back in, but being followed by 3 other people: two guys and a girl. He started to yell out...
Griff: McFly! I thought I told you to stay in here!
The look-alike, or the other McFly, turned around, and looked at Griff.
Other McFly: Griff... Guys. How's it going?
Griff approached closer to the other McFly...
Griff: Hey, McFly!
OM: What?
Griff: Your shoe's unvelked!
As the other McFly looked down to his shoes, Griff came up, and hit him in the face. The other McFly flipped around, and slammed face-down into the counter. Griff and his gang laughed, as Griff grabbed him by the back of his jacket. Dan and Eduardo winced as they watched the big MF lift him up, and stand him straight. OM was laughing himself, even though he was hit in the face.
Griff: So, did you make a decision... about tonight's opportunity?
OM: Well, I don't know, it seems kinda dangerous...
The girl stepped up to him...
Girl gang member: What wrong, McFly? You got no scroat?!
The girl went behind his back, grabbed the back of his jacket, lifted him up, and threw him again face-down into the counter. The gang laughed, while Dan's eyes widened, as he took a double take on what he just saw. Eduardo just had an expression of shock on his face.
Dan: Holy shit!
Eduardo: I still say we should of left when we had the chance!
The other McFly helped himself up, although slowly. Eduardo tuned back to Dan...
Eduardo: Man, we should be doing something to help him!
Dan: No! We can't interfere! We might screw something up! You could stop something from happening that was meant to happen in the future, and you could jeopardize something big! Just stay put!
Griff: So what's it going to be? Are you in, or out?
OM: Well... I don't really think I should, I guess I should discuss it with my father?
Griff and his gang just looked at him, and screamed...
Gang: Your father?!
Griff: Wrong answer, McFly!
Griff lifted the other McFly over his head, and threw him over the counter, slamming him into the TVs and the floor. Dan and Eduardo were about to jump out of their skin when they saw that happen. Dan pulled out his pistol, turned it on, and made himself ready for anything. Eduardo was about to scream when he saw Griff turn around, and point in his general direction. It appeared he was pointing at a pair of stationary bikers behind Dan...
Griff: Keep pedaling, you two!
It was then the other McFly rose up from behind the counter... no, wait... it wasn't the other one, it was the first one! Both Ghostbusters noticed from the tee shirts that they both were wearing. The first one had a red one, as the other one had a white one. He hopped over the counter...
Griff: Now ::grabs McFly's jacket:: lets hear the right answer!
McFly's face turned really sour, as he pushed Griff off his jacket.
Griff: Well, since when did you become the physical type?!
McFly: The answer is no, Griff.
Griff: No?!
McFly: What, are you deaf and stupid? I said no!
McFly had turned around, and was about to leave, when Griff exclaimed...
Griff: What's wrong, McFly?! Chicken?!
McFly had stopped dead in his tracks. One of Griff's goonies pressed a button on his chest plate device, and it made a synthesized chicken noise. McFly peered over his shoulder, and looked at Griff...
McFly: What did you call me, Griff?
Griff had one of his arms behind his back. Dan spotted something bad on the horizon...
Griff: Chicken, McFly!
The clucking noise was heard again, and McFly had now completely turned around. He walked towards Griff, took off his hat, and threw it over the counter, as he yelled out...
McFly: Nobody calls me...!
Griff pulled a large baseball bat from behind him, and pointed it at McFly...
McFly: ::nervous chuckle:: ...Chicken.
Griff wound up, and swung, as McFly ducked. Griff ended up hitting the one Headroom waiter. Upon the sight, Dan and Eduardo looked at each other...
Dan: In the words of Elwood Blues, "Fuck this noise, man!"
The two Ghostbusters bolted out the door.
