10

Falling off a cliff, Little John decided, sure sobered a body up quick. He looked around in confusion. "Where are we?"

"We're still in Sherwood Forest," beamed Doc, "but it's no longer evening. It's this morning again! The Merry Men have just left the prison, and you and Robin Hood are about to meet them! We have gone back…to the past!"

Little John stared at him incredulously. Doc shrugged. "Like I said. It's a magic chariot."

"I didn't believe you," said Little John. He sniffed and took another look at the rising sun. "But it sure is morning. Are you sure we didn't just pass out?"

"There's no time to discuss this in committee," said Doc. He hopped out of the car and popped open the trunk. "You said you wished you had been at the jail in time to help Robin Hood. Well, now you can. Get a head start on him and meet him there. Two brave soldiers will have a better shot than one. And here," he continued, grabbing the bulging duffel bag from the trunk, "these always come in handy. Maybe we can meet up at the Prince's Castle…I'm going to try to convince the group to break in."

Little John still looked thunderstruck, but to Doc's relief, he didn't argue. "You're a crazy wizard, Doc, but you're my kind of crazy wizard." He shook Doc's hand, grabbed the bag and lumbered off with a determined gleam in his eye.

Past Doc Brown drove his DeLorean up to a grove of trees, and the somber passengers filed out.

"This is as close as I can drive to the hideout," Past Doc said. "I'm going to try and fix the hoverdrive so that we can fly again. Of course, since you're unlikely to have supplies of carbon boronium nearby, it's probably futile, but…"

He trailed off and looked regretfully at the directly from which they had come. Silently, Midge, Arthur, Will, and the three rescued prisoners left Past Doc behind and slipped into the forest. Past Doc watched them go and turned his attention to the crumpled hyperdrive panels.

"Don't be alarmed, don't panic!" came his own frantic voice. "It's me…I mean, it's you, from the future!" Past Doc looked up as Future Doc came running towards him, arms flailing.

"Emmett, I talked about this," said Past Doc. "It's too risky to keep interacting. We could be causing universe-ending paradoxes right and left!"

"Shut up and listen," said Future Doc. "I need you to take the children and that old Aardvark to Nottingham as fast as you can…the army's on the way."

"Great Scott!" said Past Doc. "And while I do…what will you be doing?"

"I'm going to be a Merry Man," said Future Doc.

In the forest not very far away, Sir Hiss was speaking.

"I can tell you a sssssssecret entrance into the cassssstle. From there, you can steal all the treasure you could ever dream of."

Arthur laughed. "Alright! Looked like I picked the right cell to spring."

Robin Hood admonished him with a look. "Is gold all that is important to you? For shame! We cannot think of treasure until those we love are freed from prison."

Suddenly, Future Doc burst into the gathering. "We need to move, now! Enemy troops are on the way! The prince is sending every one of his men to your base looking for you, so if you want to be dead, stay here. If, however, you want to take his entire supply of gold, now is the perfect time."

The Merry Men gawked at this sudden crazed intrusion. Then Midge spoke. "Why didn't you mention this when we saw you five minutes ago?"

"I just…had a vision!" improvised Future Doc, wishing that he was in a post-Enlightment time period where people understood what time travel was. "I'm magic and I have magic powers, that's how I get the car to fly, now can we please get going?"

"What about these two?" asked Arthur, gesturing to the kitten and the aged aardvark. "You don't expect them to help siege the castle, do you?"

"Meow?" said Timmy the kitten, adorably.

"Of course not," said Doc. "My…identical twin will take them to safety. And Skippy, too."

"Aren't identical twins usually evil?" asked Will.

"I trust him with my life," said Doc. "He's a doctor, too."

The Merry Men exchanged glances. Finally, Little John spoke. "Well, alright, Doc, if time's as urgent as you say, let's get a move on."

"My original point still stands," snapped Robin Hood. "It is the prison to which I must attend, for it there that my…"

"Yes, yes, your Lady Love, destiny, this is a path you have to take, courage, true love, etcetera etcetera," said Doc impatiently. "Go and godspeed…but everyone else, follow me, before we get trapped here."

"I should go with him," mumbled Little John as Robin Hood departed. Doc shook his head.

"Little John, I have a feeling that in a way…you will be."