Notes to reviewers:
Since I've finally caught up my updates with the amount I've written, I'm able to respond to reviewers!
Anakin McFly:
You aren't the only one now, but not my much. Make up your own score, or see if I can hum loud enough for you to hear me.
daveykins:
Glad you found it. I put a lot of work into my alternate universes. In
fact, they were a primary motivator in writing. Here's more. I think it
fits into your liking of my alternate universes well.
TPolTucker:
Well, we can't just leave everyone in this mess can we? Nah, better fix whatever is wrong.
But whatever is wrong? You'll hafta wait to find out.
I'm gunna be late for my math lecture, so I'd better submit this...
Chapter 7
End Flashback
November 16 1985
Hill Valley California
Catherine paused in her story for a moment, giving Emmet Brown a chance to comment. "That was much the same as what I remember happening, apart from your presence. Our language certainly wasn't quite as clean, as I remember. Also, Marty's girlfriend was Jennifer Parker, not Bess Tannen."
"Jennifer? I know of her, she's a nice person and a good student, although she usually keeps to herself."
"Interesting. So, tell us how Marty came to be... lost."
"Alright, here goes. It isn't the most pleasant of memories, but here goes."
################
Flashback
November 5 1955
Hill Valley California
"Aaaah!" The scarecrow finally fell off the windshield, leaving Marty and Catherine a clear view of...
"AAAAAH!" ...a barn looming in front of them. The DeLorean crashed straight into the centre of the barn doors.
Lights flickered on in the nearby farmhouse. A family soon arrived at the barn to investigate.
"Pa, what is it? What is it, Pa?" the woman asked.
"Looks like an airplane, without wings," the farmer answered.
His son had other ideas. "That ain't no airplane, look!" He held up comic depicting an alien and a space ship, looking a little like the DeLorean.
"Ahh!" his parents cried.
"Children!" the farmer added protectively.
Meanwhile, Marty was wondering where he was. Catherine, on the other hand, was too shocked to even start thinking. Marty opened the door and half climbed, half fell, out of the car, lifting the mask on his radiation suit to get a better view. He saw the family leaving. "Listen, whoa. Hello, uh, excuse me. Sorry about your barn."
The family certainly knew what to do. The farmer and his son returned with firearms. The boy instantly evaluated the situation. "It's already mutated into human form, shoot it!"
Marty didn't like the sound of that and began to retreat.
The farmer didn't like the look of that and yelled, "Take that you mutated son of a..."
"Watch your mouth!" called an unexpected feminine voice from within the car.
The farmer was temporarily perplexed and Marty was able to stumble back into the car and drive it out of the barn. He spun around several times, trying to find his way out. He somehow managed to avoid the trigger-happy farmers and finally found a way out of the farm, crushing a small pine tree. The farmer squeezed off one last lucky shot – or maybe not so lucky. The letterbox, reading 'Peabody', exploded into woodchips. Catherine chose to ignore the farmer's yells as the DeLorean roared past the sign reading 'Twin Pines Ranch'.
"Calm down Marty, slow down! Do you want to get us killed?" Catherine warned.
"Uh, me?"
"Of course. Who do you think I'm talking to?"
"Seeing as we just found ourselves in a barn and got chased out by a farmer with a shotgun, no, I don't know who you're talking to."
"Marty, this isn't a dream."
"Yes it is."
"No it isn't."
"Yes it... well, how could it not be a dream?"
"Never mind, you'll figure it out by yourself, if you ever do."
Marty felt he had been insulted, but he ignored it and continued driving."
After a few minutes, Catherine asked an important question. "Do you know where we are?"
"I think I do. I've seen a couple of familiar landmarks."
"Do you know where you're going?"
"Hopefully, we'll end up back home."
"I wouldn't count on it," his sister cautioned.
"Why not? Here's the entrance to Lyon Estate. Oh!" Marty skidded the DeLorean to a sudden stop. "Where... what happened?" He jumped out, whacking his head, and scanned his eyes over the bare ground and earthmoving equipment. He noticed the large billboard reading "Lyon Estates. Live In The House Of Tomorrow Today!"
"Tomorrow today? This is crazy! How... wait, don't tell me. Ummmm..." he looked back inside the DeLorean.
Catherine flipped the time circuits on. "Is this what you wanted to see?"
"No, that is not what I wanted to see. Hang on; did you do that on purpose?"
"Certainly not - I tried to warn you, but you were sorta distracted by the Libyans."
"You might have told me sooner."
"True, but I wasn't sure if you would believe me. Anyhow, you know now."
"Right, so let's go back now. To 1985. If we got here by accident, I'm sure we can get back easily enough."
"Unfortunately, it won't be that easy. Remember what Doc said about plutonium?"
"You mean the bit about 'one pellet one trip'?"
"Yes, that bit," Catherine confirmed.
"But that can't be. We can't be stuck thirty years in the past."
"Can't we?"
"We'll... now that you mention it... but how could a thing like this happen? I mean, we're trapped in the past. How can that possibly be?"'
"Look, it was an unfortunate accident, and there's no way to change that. We're definitely here, and no amount of denial will get us back home."
"Was that supposed to make me feel better?"
"No, it was supposed to make you start thinking practically. We need to consider our options."
"Options? We're trapped in the past and you talk about options?" Marty asked in disbelief.
"Well, what do you think we should do?"
"We need to get help," Marty answered shortly.
"From whom?"
"Doc of course. He should be alive around here somewhere. Let's drive into town and look for him. He should be able to figure out how to fix this mess."
"Drive? This car does stand out a little."
"True," conceded Marty, turning the key in the ignition. "Not to mention the fact that the engine's dead," he added. His sentence was followed by a beeping sound.
"What did you do to it?" Catherine asked.
"Ahhh, nothing. It just says we're out of plutonium. I think we should push the car behind the signboard and try to cover it up."
"Not more pushing?"
"Fine, I'll push, you steer."
The time-trapped siblings managed to conceal the time machine effectively and began to walk into town.
"Man, they've sure cleaned up this town," Marty observed. "Just look at it."
"Cleaned? Marty, you need to remember what year it is."
"Oh. I get it."
"You'd better."
"Why do you always seem to figure this out before me?"
"No idea. Hey, look at that gas station. No one would get service like that in our time."
Marty shook his head. "They really had it good back then. I mean, back now."
A van drove by, campaigning for Red Thomas for mayor. Catherine though it funny. "That's pretty much identical to Goldie Wilson's campaign in our time. And look, the clock's running."
"Yeah, it has another week 'til it stops."
"And twelve hours, thirty four minutes," added Catherine.
"Yeah, not that it matters. I still don't see why people care about it."
"It was the night of the Enchant..."
"Would you shut up about the dance? I know it actually happens in a week, but it makes me feel weird to think about our parents at our age."
"Hmm."
"Hmm? What is that supposed to mean?"
Catherine gave a sly smile. "We could go and watch..."
"No! I don't care, and it's none of your business. Besides, we'll be back home by then."
"Home? If we leave, we won't be anywhere then."
"You know what I mean. Now can we concentrate on getting home?"
"Sure. I guess we should go that way to get to Doc's place," she said, pointing down a street.
"Are you sure?"
"Sure I'm sure. Doc's place is right next to the Burger King."
"I don't know if they had Burger King in the 50's. And didn't Doc live in a mansion that got burned down?"
"Yeah, but it was in the same place as the Burger King is. I mean, it is in the same place as the Burger King will be."
"Still, the streets look a bit different, so I'll ask someone. Hey mister!" he called to a businessman.
"Yes?"
"It that the way to John F. Kennedy Drive?"
"Excuse me? The way to where?"
"John F. Kennedy Drive."
"Never heard of it."
"Oh. It was a block past Maple last time I was there."
"Maple? A block past Maple is Riverside Drive."
"Really? Thanks, uh, that was a big help."
"You're welcome." The man walked on, giving an odd look at the teens' clothes. "The things kids wear on ships," he muttered.
"Well sis, I guess we'll need to look him up. John F. Kennedy Drive doesn't exist," Marty reiterated.
Catherine considered that for a moment. "It could have been renamed. I think we should just look in the same place."
"Nah, we might end up lost. I'll try looking up his number and giving him a call."
"Call Doc? He won't know who you are."
"It wouldn't hurt to try. And it would be better to call him than to just turn up at his house. I'll just pop into that Cafe and find a phone."
"Cafe? Oh, the gym used to be a cafe. Interesting. I still think it would be quicker just to head straight over there."
"No, we should call him first, to let him know we're coming and to make sure we have the directions straight."
"Fine have it your way. Call Doc and tell him you're coming, and get exact directions."
"You're telling me I can?"
"Yes."
"Well, I don't need you to tell me what I can do, but thanks anyway," he answered a little viciously. He started to walk towards the cafe. "Hey, why are you just standing there?"
"Because I'm going straight over there by myself. Tell Doc I'll be there before you."
"Hey! You can't just run out on me," Marty protested.
"I can and I am. I don't need you to tell me what to do." She turned on her heels and strode off in a huff.
Marty shrugged and entered the cafe.
##########
End Flashback
November 16 1985
Hill Valley California
"And that was the last time I saw him," Catherine summed up sadly. "That is, until today."
"Hmm. That raises some interesting questions," Emmet noted.
"What questions are those?"
"In particular, how did I meet Clara? As I remember, it was due to actions of Marty in 2015, 1955, and 1885. Also, there is the question of how all this change was caused."
"Obviously, it had to have been caused by time travel. Have you done any time travel recently?"
"Actually, we went on a trip today, a picnic lunch to 1980."
"That must have been it. Now, what is the main change you have observed after that trip?"
"The primary difference I have observed is your presence. Also, the role of Bess Tannen as a friend of Marty is a major difference."
"So they must have been caused by something that happened on your trip to 1980."
Emmet didn't agree. "That would only make sense if you were a bit younger than five years old. Obviously you are not. That begs the question: why are you so close in age to Marty?"
"Before you start theorising that I was adopted, I should tell you that Marty and I are twins."
"Now that is quite remarkable. I remember that Marty had twins when I went to 2015."
"Wait a second; you said that Marty went to 2015 with you."
"Yes, I took him and Jennifer with me on my second trip."
"That is quite different to how I remember things."
"Perhaps you'd better tell that story too."
"Yes, I'm getting there." She went back to her tale.
##########
9:40 AM
November 5 1955
Hill Valley California
After waiting for a moment, she knocked a little louder. She still received no reply. A further wait yielded no results. She finally gave up waiting and tried the door handle. It turned easily; she pulled the door open and stepped inside.
"Hello? Doc? Doctor Brown? Anyone home?" she called. No one answered. Catherine was at a loss for what to do next. She finally decided to look around the house. She remembered from Doc's 'lecture' that this was the day that he invented time travel. He was sure to be at home, although it was likely that he had locked himself away in a lab somewhere.
She wandered around, checking any rooms to see if Doc was in there. She looked around herself, noting the way in which the house was organised, but not especially tidy. Finally, she came across a door at the back of the house, from which a voice could be heard arguing with itself.
She knocked lightly on the door. The voice suddenly stopped. "Who's there?" came Emmet Brown's voice. "No, wait, don't tell me anything. He opened the door and beckoned her inside. Some sketches were spread across a large table, and various books, papers, and gadgets littered the shelves.
"Don't say a single word, miss. I'll just put this on." He picked up some sort of helmet with wires sticking out from it and placed it on his head. He stuck some sort of suction cup onto her forehead.
"Uh, what exactly is this for?" Catherine asked, a little nervously.
"Don't worry, I merely intend to read your mind."
"What?"
"Quiet now; don't you tell me a single thing. Let's see... you've come a long way..."
"Yes, and I need..."
"Don't tell me. You want me to buy a subscription to... to California Women's New Fashion magazine."
"No Doc, I'm from the future. I came here in a time machine that you are going to invent. Now I really need your help so we can get back to the year 1985."
"We? Who is 'we'?"
"My brother Marty and I. I'm Catherine. We're twins. I guess you didn't get his call."
"Call?"
"He was going to telephone you. I guess you must have been busy in your lab."
"Quite likely, if he did indeed attempt to call me. However, I do not happen to believe your story."
"What don't you believe about it?"
"If I ever happened to invent a time machine, which I doubt, why would I allow a teenager and her brother, also a teenager, to travel back in time by thirty years to this very day? It's preposterous."
"It was an accident."
"I'm sure it was. Now, I don't want a subscription thankyou, so could you please..." the scientist suddenly realised something. "How did you get inside?"
"Oh, I knocked and called for ages, but you didn't answer so I came inside to look for you. The door wasn't locked. Now you really need to help us, you're the only one who could figure out how to get us back home."
"This is some prank to discredit me, is it not?"
"No, I can prove it. Just look at my drivers licence." Catherine fumbled in her pocket. "I'm sure I had my wallet."
"Yes, I'm sure you did. How convenient. No, I'm very busy. Leave the way you came in."
"But..." Catherine protested.
Emmet took her by the hand and started to lead her out of the room. Before they could get very far, there was a soft knock at the door. Emmet strode forward to answer it, momentarily forgetting Catherine. He flung open the door. A pleasant faced, redheaded girl, of similar age and greater height than Catherine, nimbly jumped out of the way of the door.
"Uh, hi!"
"Yes? Do you wish to sell me something also?"
"No, no. You see, I saw a girl walk in here, and I think she dropped her wallet. I found a wallet and I think she dropped it. Do you know where she is, so I can give her the wallet back? Because she would certainly be in a spot of trouble without her wallet."
"Well, actually, I believe..."
The girl noticed Catherine moving behind the scientist. "Hi. I think you dropped your wallet. Is this your wallet?"
"Yes, that's my wallet."
"Great. Here's your wallet. Take care of your wallet. You wouldn't want someone to take your wallet, would you? Be more careful, or someone might take your wallet and you might never get it back. It would be terrible to..."
"Yes, thankyou for the wallet and the advice. Goodbye."
"Um, goodbye. Nice wallet."
Emmet pulled the door closed, making the girl jump back out of the way to avoid having her nose shut in it. "Well, it seems like you did lose your..."
"If I hear the word 'wallet' again today, I shall go mad." Catherine declared. "Here's my driver's licence. Look at the dates."
"Interesting, but not conclusive. You could have had it made somewhere."
"What's the big problem with believing me? You did invent the flux capacitor, after all."
"How could you possibly know..."
"You told me yourself, in the future. You were hanging a clock, and you stood on the edge of your toilet and slipped. You bumped your head, and when you woke up, you had a picture in your head of the flux capacitor."
Emmet's eyes widened, and he grinned broadly. "That's exactly what happened. You are telling me the truth. So tell me, Future Girl, where is your time machine?"
"We hid it at the Lyon Estate development."
"Hmm. You said there was some problem with it?"
"Yes, a power problem. And the engine wouldn't start, but it'll probably come good. The starter's a bit dodgy."
"Starter?"
"Yes, you built the time machine into a car."
"A car? As in, a vehicle we can drive on the road?"
"Yes, but I wouldn't do that in broad daylight. It looks different to the present day cars, and it might startle some people."
"Very well. We can retrieve it tonight. In the meantime, I must finish drawing my diagrams."
"Sure, go ahead. What about me?"
"Hmm, yes. I'm sure you could find some books to interest you, or watch the television."
"Maybe I should go out and find what's taking Marty so long."
"No, this Marty of yours can find himself well enough. I don't want you going outside during the day."
"I can't go out?"
"No, I won't take the risk. Remember, you are from the future. Anything you do in this time period could affect your present. You must avoid interacting with anyone. Have you had any interactions with the people in this time?"
"Well, Marty asked someone for directions, that redhead found my... well, I needn't say it again. Oh, and we ran over a pine tree."
"A pine tree?"
"Yes, at the Peabody Ranch. There were two of them, but we ran one over. The funny thing is, the place in the future we left was called Lone Pine Mall."
"Interesting. Still, you must not interact any further, especially dressed like that. I suppose those clothes are from 1985."
"Yes, they are."
"I'll leave you to find something to read. I'll be in my lab if you need anything."
"Sure." Catherine picked up a random book to read. Fortunately, it was a Western novel Emmet had in his collection.
#########
5:30 PM
Nov 5 1955
Hill Valley California
"Where is he?"
"Where is who?"
"Marty."
"Your brother?"
"Yes. He's the only Marty I would be worried about."
"Of course. Unfortunately, I have no idea of his disposition."
"I'm worried about him. He should have been here simply hours ago. What could have happened to him?"
"I understand your worry. I worry about what he could be doing to history. However, we have no idea of where he could be, and we can't just run around town asking for him. That would cause more trouble than it solves. No, we must keep our eyes and ears open."
"I wish I hadn't argued with him now. If I'd just gone with him into that cafe, we would have arrived a few minutes later, but we would have arrived together." She gave a sad sigh. "There's no point in worrying about that now."
"No, we must go and retrieve this time machine you came in. Possibly your brother returned and has been waiting there for us."
"Do you really think so?" Catherine asked excitedly as she climbed into Dr. Brown's car.
"It is possible."
The scientist and the time-travelling teen arrived at the entrance to the site of Lyon Estate. Catherine showed her companion where the time machine was hidden.
"Remarkable. It is a vehicle of beauty, is it not?"
"Yes, it is. I'll show you inside." She opened the gull-wing door. "Fortunately, I made Marty give me the key, because he's always losing his. If I hadn't thought about it... we would be locked out. Oh, where is Marty?"
But Emmet was more interested in the interior of the time machine. "What is this dark panel for?" he asked.
"Oh, that's the display for the time circuits. You turn them on with that switch."
Emmet did so and was rewarded with a beep and the sight of the displays lighting up. "Remarkable. So you left in the middle of the night?"
"Yes, you had just done your first experiment, which was successful."
"And the flux capacitor?"
"Look behind you."
He looked, and his mouth popped open. "This is remarkable! To have an idea and see the result on the same day! Look here, this is what I drew." He pulled a paper out of his pocket.
"Identical," affirmed Catherine in a reverent voice.
Something clicked in the inventor's brain. "It works! I finally invented something that works!"
"You bet your family fortune it works," Catherine muttered. "Let's see if it starts." She turned the key, but the engine wouldn't turn over. "Hmm. The starter could be jammed. The guy who waxes our car told me that. Do you have some sort of mallet?
"Yes, there should be a wooden mallet in the tool-kit behind the seat. Excuse me while I find it."
Catherine looked for a lever to release the bonnet. She found one and pulled it. There was a satisfying click from the front of the car. She ran around the front and lifted up the bonnet. "Uh, do you know what the starter motor looks like?"
"It should be a round cylinder near the engine block somewhere."
Catherine searched around in the dim light. "I'll need to wait for the torch to find it."
"I'll do it if you like. Do I just give it a light tap?"
"Yes, that should do the trick. I'll try to start the engine."
The inventor returned with the mallet and the torch. There was the sound of wood on metal, and Catherine tried the engine. It burst into life. "Yeah, that did it! I'll drive it back to your house."
Emmet closed the DeLorean's bonnet and returned to his car. Catherine followed him down the street to the safety of his lab.