June 20, 1968
2:00 PM PDT
Clint Eastwood Universe
Melissa Van Dixon felt terrible, as the time train or whatever it was shook thoroughly. The flash of light made it clear, that apparently they had entered another world - although Melissa wasn't sure, as she still didn't really know what was going on. As she looked to the front, she noticed to her amusement, that the bullies were just as shook up, and the brunette was actually beginning to panic.
"What are you guys doing!" an unfamiliar girl called out. Melissa noticed that there were a lot more of her - she was probably the most frequent around. "You've been bullying us around a lot, but this is the worst! Can't you at least fly a train?"
"I'm trying!" the villain at the wheel - he looked a lot like Bart Winfred from Teens In Time, and was accompanied by three more who looked like him - said. "I just can't - oh, why am I even answering you?"
"Don't ask me" one of his look-alikes said. "You'd better be careful, though, or we might crash into that..."
Melissa swallowed, as she couldn't remember the last time she felt so scared. Even when she was trapped in Charlie Penwell's dream world, it wasn't as bad.
Suddenly, a loud crash was heard.
"... tree" the guy finished, as the train or whatever it was came to an abrupt halt. The front window shattered, and the villains and girls fell down.
"Whoa" a girl who resembled Mallory Mallone from Teens In Time said. "That was one heck of a crash. Everyone all right?"
As a response, an alarm went off. The bully who had been at the wheel moments before stood up, holding his back as he felt obviously not very good. "Oh no" he groaned. "Looks like we're having some trouble. Apparently, the engine broke down."
"What?" the brunette demanded. "How could the engine just break down like that? It wasn't that hard a crash!"
"I don't know!" the guy exclaimed. "All I know is that we're not going to go anywhere with this train anymore - I don't know why? Have you ever flown a train before?"
"... point made."
"All right, guys!" called out Melissa. "I don't know who you guys are, but... Well, you seem to be stuck in the same situation as we are. What's going on here, exactly?"
The main bully gave her a smug grin. "What makes you think we'll tell you?"
"Traitor" one of the other bullies said, disgusted.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" demanded Melissa. Turning to her fellow captives, she added, "Well, who is everyone - and how did all this madness start?"
"Those guys stole Dr. Brown's time machine" a girl said. "I guess you don't know who Dr. Brown is, though. Well, anyway, he's a famous inventor in our world, and my Dad's best friend. His time machine was stolen by these guys, and they decided to start hopping through dimensions and capturing more and more girls." She paused. "Who are you, anyway?"
"I'm Melissa Van Dixon," Melissa replied, as she was taken aback by what she was just told. "These are my friends, Trina Collins and Rachel Meyer."
A lot of girls gasped. "Wait a second" a girl who resembled Trina said. "That can't be true! They're the lead female roles in the Mind Warped Trilogy!"
Melissa was astonished at what she heard. "We're the what?
"What I said" the girl said. "I don't know how you're going to take it, but you're fictional. My name is Mallory Mallone, by the way. I suppose that the chance is small, but have you heard of me? In real life, or in the movies of the 'Teens In Time' trilogy?"
"We have, in fact, seen you in Teens In Time" Melissa replied, in a near whisper. "Well, just one movie. Not a trilogy."
"Oh, yeah, because the sequels won't be released until 1989 or 1990," added a girl who looked a lot like Trina. "Apparently, you guys are from 1987."
"Well, I'm not sure of what to say to this," added Rachel, nervously. "I suppose Trina and I should already be used to the idea of being fictional, but... You're saying that Melissa is also fictional?"
"That's correct," replied a Rachel look-alike. "Melissa and Connor aren't introduced until Mind Warped II, though. I always thought it was interesting how the first Mind Warped movie exists in the world of the third universe."
"Man, this is heavy!" sighed Melissa, as she could hardly believe what she heard. "I'd be very freaked out, if the sequels also came out in our world. I mean, if they really are... what you said they're about."
Suddenly, Charlie Penwell turned around. He looked a bit satisfied, but also confused. "What's this all about?" he demanded. "This stuff about being fictional?"
"They talked about it to me as well" one of the look-alikes said. "I'm Charlie Winfred, by the way."
"As in the Teens In Time movie?" Charlie P said, shaking his head.
"Says the person who has a name from the Mind Warped Trilogy" Charlie W responded.
"Quit that, guys" the main bully said. "So, we're fictional. What else is new? Let's first figure to get out of here. As soon as those other buttheads find out that we're stuck in here, they'll be here as soon as they can."
"Yeah" the brunette said. "We should get out, see what this reality is about, and try to find a way to protect ourselves somehow."
"I'll go" Charlie W said.
"I'll join him" Charlie P added.
"I'll stay here, as usual," one of the other Bart Winfred look-alikes commented. "We need someone here to keep a guard on the girls."
As Charlie P stepped outside, though - a loud cracking noise could be heard.
"Charlie Penwell!" cried out Charlie W, in alarm. He stepped forwards, and another weird noise was heard, followed by a second.
The other bullies looked at each other. "All right, what was that?" Bart-2 said.
"I don't know" the brunette said, shrugging.
Bart-1 carefully walked out, and after a moment or two, he came back in, shaking his head. "Those buttheads hit that tree branch" he said. "Or they just stumbled down, as we're high up here. They're both out."
"Oh, perfect" the brunette muttered.
Melissa continued to feel confused. "If you aren't going to help us, could you at least tell me who you are?"
"Oh, certainly, sweetie" Bart-1 said, slightly sarcastic. "My name is Cliff. Cliff Tannen. And my ally here is my future son, Griff. There's also Xiff, my future grandson."
Melissa was stunned. She'd heard of time travel by hearing about the Teens In Time Trilogy, which was apparently real here, but this certainly stunned her. Also, she'd never heard of someone called 'Tannen' in the Teens In Time movies.
"What the hell is going on here?" muttered Melissa. "By the way, what did one of the Charlie Winfred look-alikes mean - when he called me a 'traitor'? I don't even..."
"I'm not sure how to say this to you," commented another Trina look-alike, "but you happen to resemble the female lackey of Griff Tannen. Her name is Leslie O'Malley - or, as she is more commonly known, Spike. I suppose that'd be hard for you to..."
"Holy shit!" gasped another Rachel look-alike. "Melissa does look a lot like Spike! I had never quite realized that before, but..."
"In a way, you are I are in the same situation," added a girl who looked like the female bully who captured Melissa and her friends. "Although, in my case, I actually have the misfortune of sharing a name and identity with her... Amy Needles."
"Sounds unfamiliar to me" Melissa said, trying to smile. "Nice to meet you, though."
"Thanks" Amy whispered.
"Well, it won't be nice for you for much longer" Bad Amy said. "Cliff, Griff, Xiff and I are going to get out now, and we're going to do what we came here for - capture the baby version of the McFly butthead."
"You monsters" the most frequent girl said, as she felt very shocked. "You... you wouldn't."
"We would" Cliff said. "That butthead almost stopped us in the universe where he was smart. I'm planning to kill him, one way or another. At least then I'll have my revenge."
"You're horrible" a girl with brown hair said. "I've been here from the start, and it seems like you're getting worse with each new universe."
"That's because you have the wrong ideas about what's bad and what's right" Cliff said. "And stopping me, which McFly almost did, is not right. And now, I'll take revenge. Dropping his helpless, crying child self into the ravine - preferably in front of his eyes - will be the ultimate way to get revenge on him, and on that butthead that almost killed me in the last universe."
"I just don't believe this!" cried out Melissa, as she felt horrified. This was much worse than Charlie Penwell's dream world - as she rather realized that, this time around, her life actually was endangered. In a whisper, she asked, "Who is McFly?"
"He probably meant Marty McFly Sr," replied the girl with brown hair who, apparently, was the first captured. "Cliff mentioned about going back to June 20 of 1968, which is Marty's birthday."
"But his birthday is June 9 of 1968," protested another girl who actually, come to think of it, looked like a female version of Todd and Brent.
"Well, in our worlds, it's June 20 of 1968," insisted yet another Rachel look-alike.
"It's not gonna matter to us, anyway," Cliff replied, snickering. "Even if, in this world, he was born on June 9 - he would still be an infant on this date. That is what's most important."
"You monster!" cried out the same unfamiliar looking girl.
"Oh, you flatter us too much," Cliff replied, chuckling. "At any rate, we'd better get out of here. Xiff, Butch, and I will be on our way out - and we know how to avoid meeting the same fate as the Charlies."
Melissa felt even more horrified, as Xiff, Amy and Cliff exited the train. She felt curious as to who the other girls were. However, those questions could wait. For now, from the looks on 'Griff's' face, she was in for a bad time, especially since he considered her to be a traitor. She sighed, and prepared for the worst.
As she then heard that the cracking noise remained out, she realised that, most likely, Cliff was still all right, and Xiff and Amy were the same. Even with two bullies out, they still had to deal with four people which she didn't exactly think that they were the nicest ones. She sighed deeply. Today just wasn't her day, and she figured that it wasn't the day of the others either.
oooooooooo
Cliff Tannen wasn't in the best of all moods once again, as he walked up to the town square, along with his loyal allies, Xiff and Amy. While he'd been optimistic in the train, it had been mostly bluffing. In fact, he wasn't so sure that they would get out all right and capture baby Marty. Even if he was just an infant, he was sure to be protected by his parents.
As they then walked on, Cliff suddenly noticed something very odd. In the sky, he could recognise a skyway, which looked a lot like the ones he'd seen in 2017 and 2047. There were a lot of cars on there, and as one of them exited the skyway and passed them, Cliff realised that it looked actually even more advanced than the ones from 2017. He was very shocked, as he was sure that he tapped in 1968, which was the past, not the future. He wondered what was going on, and turned towards his allies, who seemed to be stunned as well.
"I don't believe this," muttered Amy. "Cliff, are you sure that you typed in the year 1968? I'm pretty sure that they didn't have flying cars in the 1960s - or even in the 1980s, for that matter."
"June 20, 1968," Cliff replied, insistently. "Of course, I was on the run from Crackpot Brown - so I had to type in the date, rather quickly. I really do wish we could head to 1955, after this - but the train seems to be... broken."
"But, if we're not even in 1968, then we simply..." Amy began to say. Just then, she reached into a trash bin - and pulled out a newspaper. "This is totally unbelievable! This newspaper reads June 20 of 1968 - yet, it has pictures that are not only in full colour, but... they're holo-photos! Even in 2017, newspapers don't yet have..."
"That is rather strange," agreed Cliff. "Yeah, I don't think newspapers had coloured photographs back in the 1960s. Well, this is one strange world that we've entered."
"Well, I'm hoping that that Marty Sr still exists in this world," replied Amy. "Now, what was the dimensional code that you punched in?"
"It was EJ #75," replied Cliff. "So, as such, chances are good that... I still really don't understand how we ended up in this futuristic version of the 1960s."
"I hope that, while we're here," added Xiff, "we run into someone who looks like Suzy MacArthur. Perhaps, her grandmother... or something."
"Well, as far as I know, Suzy came from another town" Amy said. "So that chance is small."
"And we're not here for capturing girls, anyway" Cliff said. "We're here for baby Marty - however capturing a girl or two might be a nice thing as well." He then looked around and said: "So, where should we go?"
"I don't know" Amy said. "I'm not sure where the McFly's live... wait a moment, I think I do know. Don't they live at Lyon Estates?"
"They do in 1987" Cliff confirmed. "So, yeah, I suppose we might meet them there. That's quite far away from here, but maybe we could take a cab or something."
"First, though, we should explore the Square" Xiff argued. "I'd hate to miss a girl."
"I completely agree with that, comrade" Cliff said, smirking. "All right, we can check out the Square first."
"I wonder what will be on the site of the Café 80s" Amy said. "In the '80s, aerobics was 'in', but this isn't the '80s and with the technology having advanced so much, that might be different here."
"Well, let's go check out the... whatever is in that place," suggested Xiff, as they took a left turn at Main Street. "Well, it looks as if the courthouse is a... some sort of social services department. The clock is still stuck at 10:04 PM, as well."
"It's good to know that some things never change," Cliff replied, dryly. "I was almost expecting there to be a mall there, though - considering how futuristic the world..."
"Well, Cliff, here's the answer to our question," called out Amy. "Lou's Cyber Coffee Shoppe. Furthermore, it says that the place was opened for... for twenty years."
"Twenty years?" gasped Cliff. He did some quick math in his head, and then said, "This means that the place opened up back in... in 1948."
"Was 'cyber' even a word," asked Amy, "back in the 1940s? Well, I suppose it doesn't matter. Let's check inside the cafe. Even if we're not here to capture girls, I think it'd be nice to..."
"That's a real good idea," replied Cliff, as the trio headed towards Lou's Cyber Coffee Shoppe. As she peaked inside a window, he could hardly believe what he saw. "Well, I don't see anyone who quite resembles any of the girls that we've previously captured - but..."
"What do you see, Cliff?" Xiff asked, excitedly.
"I see someone who looks like a younger version of Clara," commented Cliff, smirking. "Y'know, the woman who decided to marry Crackpot Brown. Well, I never really knew her exact age - but I wonder if that girl could be a... a younger version of Clara."
"Well, I'm simply not sure about that," replied Amy. "I remember some of those chicks mentioning that Clara came from the Old West. Still, perhaps we could..."
"Come to think of it," added Cliff, as his grin grew broader, "the other girl she is with looks like a sister to Lorraine. My dad has a lot of photos of her and her family, after all. I think her name was Sammy, or something."
"Well, let's head inside," suggested Xiff, smirking. "Butch, I know you really prefer the 'sneak up behind them' approach - but we don't have time for that, right now."
"That sounds great," Cliff replied, grinning.
As the trio entered the cafe, they heard heavy metal music coming from the jukebox. Cliff was taken aback, as it sounded strangely like the heavy metal of the 1980s. In fact, it sounded reminiscent to bands like Metallica and Pantera. Still, he didn't really have time to worry about that - when there were some girls to be captured.
oooooooooo
Emily Brown smiled, just as she glanced across the table. Her best friend, Sally Baines, decided to dine out with her. She felt as if Lou's Cyber Coffee Shoppe served the best mozzarella sticks, as well as marinara sauce. The hot chocolate was delicious, as well.
"Should we play a little something on the jukebox?" suggested Emily. "I sure like heavy metal, as much as the next person. However, I would really like to hear The Beatles."
"I think we can do that," Sally replied, smiling. "They actually did breathe life back into psychedelic rock, after all. The Electric Prunes are also quite groovy - as well as Moby Grape. So, at any rate, do you have any plans for tonight?"
"Well, I'm gonna head over to Dr. Von Braun's mansion," replied Emily, smiling. "I don't care what some people in this town think of him. I think he's totally awesome!"
"We did have him for third grade," Sally pointed out, fondly. "He always knew how to make classes interesting. I wish I could come along, but I do have to watch Joey and Ellen. Sometimes, I do quite worry about Joey. He has a tendency to get himself into trouble. Well, more often than that, he's been a little anti-social."
"Yeah, he will often lock himself into his bedroom," replied Emily, "and eat nothing but bread and water. Half the time, I can't understand what Joey..."
"I know what you mean," Sally replied, softly. "So, at any rate, what do you and Dr. Von Braun like to do together?"
"Just... stuff," Emily stammered. She couldn't exactly explain to her best friend that Dr. Emmett Lathrop Von Braun happened to be a younger version of her father, Dr. Christopher Lloyd Brown. "Y'know, scientific stuff. After all, he and Dad sure have a lot in common."
"I've quite noticed that," Sally agreed, nodding. "As well as Dr. Clint Calvin Eastwood. Speaking of which, how are you and Alex Eastwood getting along?"
"I do think we are gonna end up together," Emily replied, dreamily. "Some people give us strange looks, since we've been friends from infancy. It felt quite strange to us, at first - but we got over it. Even some of our other friends, though..."
"They gave you quite strange looks when they heard about it" Sally said. "I understand. I just couldn't grasp, though, how they were feeling so uncomfortable with it. I mean, in this time of progress, they should know better."
Emily nodded, as she fully agreed with her friend. "Yeah, they should" she said. "I mean, with Dr. Eastwood changing the world in the way he did, we really are lucky to live in such an advanced time period. I guess that some of these idiots don't understand that."
As Emily then thought about Dr. Eastwood, she realised that she was right. Dr. Eastwood really had changed the world for the better. In the old world, which her father had told her about when she was old enough, things were different. Apparently, there had been a lot more war there, and there wasn't global peace as much as there was here.
Granted, Emily agreed, this world wasn't perfect either. There had been a lot of smallish near-conflicts up until as far as 1960. In fact, in the early '50s, a nuclear war had even occurred, the Korean War. That was when China had managed to get a rebellion started in Korea, which was determined to overthrow the Japanese, who were still in charge in Korea. Once more, the world had been split between the great powers as it had been in the early years of the Century - US, British, Russian and French help for the Japanese, conform the British-Japanese Alliance of 1902, and German, Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian help along with China for the rebellions. The world had seen the first use of a nuclear weapon in a conflict when the Chinese had been on the losing side and Germany had decided that her ally was in danger.
The first nuclear bomb, exploding above Hiroshima, had been the last at the same time. The involved nations quickly made peace and once more, the conflict was ended with a 'never more' promise, and this time, it would be true. As Emily's father had told her, the Korean War would be the last war the world had ever seen, and now, in the late '60s, the first generation of teenagers who didn't know what war was were finally grown up. The Vietnam War, which was supposed to be going on around now, was not there - Vietnam was still a French colony, on it's way to being a peaceful, democratic and independent nation when the French would finally let it go, which was scheduled to occur about fifteen years from now.
"Busy thinking again, aren't you?" Sally said, with a smallish grin. "Could've guessed that. So, what do you think of the food?"
"I think it's great" Emily said, honestly. "Just imagine that fifteen years ago, we couldn't import German and Austrian food because we were allied against them. I think that we've really gone a long way. It seems like every nation on the world is a democratic one now." That was true - even though most of the nations in Europe were monarchies, they were constitutional ones, and the names 'Hitler', 'Stalin' and 'Mussolini' were unknown as they'd become nothing more than ordinary citizens, perhaps a little crazy, but that was all. The Middle East was also quiet as the Ottoman Empire had installed freedom and equality for Jews, Muslims and Christians in the area of the Palestine.
"Yeah, that's true" Sally said. "Anyway - enough about politics! Are you willing to go onto the internet? We could probably surf to a few cool sites. I mean, after we're finished with the food, of course - which will never happen if you keep being so quiet and think so much."
"Very funny" Emily said, with a small smirk. "Yeah, you're right. I guess that you're almost finished, while I just started. You'll just have to have a little patience." She took a bite. "Anyway, I think that-"
As she had just said that, the door slammed open, and some unfamiliar people walked in. At least, they looked unfamiliar at first. As Emily looked better, she noticed to her shock that two of them looked just like a teenaged version of Biff Tannen!
"Well, lookee what we have here" one of the Tannen's said. "You look just like Clara Brown, the wife of that Crackpot scientist Emmett Brown. Well, you're younger of course, but it doesn't matter. What's your name, my dear captive-to-be?"
"My name is Emily Brown," snapped Emily, "and Emmett Brown is not a crackpot! Also, I am not your captive-to-be!"
"And I think you mean Emmett Von Braun," added Sally, as she took out a stun gun. "I really don't know of anyone named Emmett Brown. I do know of Dr. Christopher Lloyd Brown, though - who happens to be quite a highly revered scientist. He's the one who is married to a Clara."
"Oh, is that so?" snickered one of the Tannens, as he grabbed a mozzarella stick. "I do think you are highly mistaken, ma'am. Everyone who isn't a butthead knows that Dr. Brown is a real nutcase!"
"I think not!" snapped Sally, as she aimed the stun gun into the Tannen's eyes - which put him into a three hour sleep.
"Don't think this is over!" snarled the other Tannen. "Believe me! We ain't finished with this. Butch and I just have some other business to attend to - but, afterward, we'll be back for you."
"C'mon, Cliffster," purred the brunette, "let's get out of here - before someone calls the authorities."
"Well, what the hell was that about?" gasped Sally. "The only Cliff Tannen I know of happens to be five years old. For some reason, he actually feels the need to pick on poor Dave McFly."
"It's a very good thing that his father's coaching him on how to stand up for himself," commented Emily. In a near whisper, she added, "Let's drag this Tannen... whoever he is... outside. I have a little device that would..."
"What kind of a device?" asked Sally, with curiosity. The two began to drag the bully outside of the restaurant, as she added, "Don't worry, Emily. He will be out for three hours."
"I'm not sure if I should be showing you this," Emily commented, sighing, "but you are my best friend, so I do think I could trust you. Dr. Eastwood and Dr. Brown created a device that can shrink objects - as well as people!"
"You're kidding!" gasped Sally. "You plan to use that on... on the bully?"
"Yes, I do," replied Emily, just as she dragged Sally and the unconscious bully into the alley. "It is perfectly harmless, but it'll definitely keep the bully... whoever he is... out of trouble."
"Well, whatever you think works," Sally replied, shrugging.
With that, Emily took the shrinking device out of her purse - and she fired it at the bully. In just a matter of moments, the bully was only about the size of Emily's thumb. After that, Emily dropped the miniature bully into an envelope - and then placed the envelope in her purse.
"Wow!" gasped Sally, as she could hardly believe what she saw. "That is quite totally awesome! So, uh, do you think it'll ever be released... to the public?"
"No, probably not," Emily replied, softly. "It has too much potential for misuse, if it was to ever fall into the wrong hands - such as, say, Hank Needles."
"Or the bullies that we just encountered," Sally replied, softly. "Well, I think you are a real genius! So, uh, what business do you think the other bullies were talking about... attending to?"
"Beats me!" Emily replied, shrugging. "Well, if they do come back for us, I will be very prepared for them. Well, I'm thinking of heading over to the McFlys. I would just love to see the twins. I mean, I've always liked taking care of babies."
"I wish I could join you," Sally replied, sighing, "but I promised Mom that I would be home in an hour. Do you think you'll be okay?"
"Most definitely!" Emily replied, as a smile spread across her face. "The question is, will you be okay?"
"As long as I have my stun gun," Sally replied, grinning broadly. "Well, Em, you have a good rest of today. Be sure to give me a call tonight, okay?"
"You've got it," Emily replied, as she hugged her best friend. "I was rather hoping that Alex and I could simply go out, later tonight. Before that, though, I'll probably stop by Dr. Brown's mansion."
"Go ahead and do that" Sally said. "I guess that I'll go home now. See you later."
"Yeah, I guess I'll see you around" Emily said, sighing. "I'd like to hang around with you a little more, but I guess that your Mom - and your Dad - would want to come home."
"Let's not talk about Dad now" Sally said, with a sigh. "He's kind of conservative. He also opposes the fact that we've not tried to beat Germany in the Korean War more. Well, I guess that's just his opinion."
"Yeah, it is" Emily said. "Well, as long as not everybody thinks that way, we've got nothing to worry about. See you later!"
Sally nodded, as Emily walked away. The girl felt very optimistic, as she was looking forwards to her date with Alex Eastwood. She couldn't help but wonder, though, what was going on with these bullies.
oooooooooo
Todd Krebs felt very hesitant, as the time machine crossed the dimensional and temporal barrier. He was used to changing worlds, but time travel was certainly new to him. Even though he was kind of used to being fictional, this was a new experience all together. He couldn't help but feel very, very nervous about what was going on.
"All right, we're there" Doc Three said. "Great Scott, I can't believe what Doc One just did. I understand that you were feeling angry, One, but I just... poor Marty..."
"I know, I know" Doc One said, sighing. "I'm angry at myself as well. I just hope that we can stop Cliff this time around. If possible, I'm even more determined than when we were rescuing the girls. At least then, the girls' lives weren't in direct danger. Now, though, Marty's is."
"I understand" Doc Three agreed. "Yeah, this really is a different situation. We should take care that Cliff won't harm the girls if we try to save Marty."
"Well, at least we've got one advantage now" Doc One said. "We know where Marty lives. Well, I think so, at least. I mean... Great Scott!"
As Todd looked around, he understood what Dr. Brown meant. In the sky, he recognised something that looked like flying cars. He felt stunned, as it was, after all, the year 1968 - and flying cars shouldn't be around just yet.
"Whoa, this is heavy!" Marty Senior Three exclaimed. "Do you think that we could be in a world where technology advanced more?"
"Could be" Doc Five said. "I wonder what happened to cause it, though. I mean, was my other self perhaps born a century earlier? Or maybe it's time travel's fault?"
"There is also the possibility that we don't exist" Doc Six said. "Granted, this might be an EJ world, but 75 is quite far away from 57. This might be an entirely different world, in which we don't exist."
"We had an EJ 40 once" Doc Three reminded him. "We did exist there. Wasn't that your world, Twelve?"
"Nope" Doc Twelve said. "I don't remember which world it was, but it wasn't mine."
"It probably doesn't really matter" Doc Three said. "Anyway, the difference between 40 and 57 is just one less than the difference between 57 and 75. I suppose that we might still exist here, even if this world looks so different."
"That's right" Doc One said. He looked at the front, nervously. "Um, I'm not sure whether I should fly the bus. With me having that outburst just recently, I doubt that I would qualify."
"That's okay" Doc Three said, smiling. "I get what you mean, though. Doc '87, then?"
"No thanks" Doc '87 said. "Too much of a chance that I'll find something out about my future self's invention that way."
"Doc, you're overestimating that" TeenMarty said. "I don't think that you'd find out something by doing that."
"It could happen!"
"If you don't mind, I'll fly the bus" Doc Two said. "I haven't flown it yet, after all." Doc Three nodded, and as Doc Two took the wheel, Three went back to his seat. Todd, in the meantime, watched the whole chance with slight amusement. It was rather funny to see different versions of the same man have a conversation. It quite placed a new meaning to the phrase "talking to yourself".
"Doc! Doc!" called out Teen Marty. "There's a girl headed down the street. She looks just like Haven. I mean, the teenage version of her."
"Great Scott! You're right!" gasped Doc '87, as he glanced outside the window. "Well, I have a feeling that... that she might be able to help us out."
"Would you like me to land, then?" Doc Two asked, nervously.
"Yes, please do," replied Doc '87. "For that matter, she also looks like a lot a younger version of my wife."
"Do you think that, perhaps, she is your wife?" suggested Todd K, as he felt stunned.
"No, I highly doubt it," Doc '87 replied, shaking. "Oh, yeah, I guess you guys wouldn't know. Clara grew up in the late 19th Century. It was after I was stranded in the year 1885, that I met her."
"Whoa! This is heavy!" gasped Todd K. He wondered what falling in love with a person from a different time period was like. "I mean, this is just... fascinating."
"This sounds like a very similar situation to Mallory and me," added Brent R, "but in... in reverse. You met your loved one in the past, while I met her in the future."
"Here we are," Doc Two announced, as he opened the door.
Todd K glanced out the window, as he watched the brunette teen step onto the bus.
"I just don't believe this!" gasped the brunette. "Dad! Why are there so many of you? Also, why do I see so many Alexes? What's going on here?"
"Tell me, miss," Doc Two replied, nervously. "Earlier today, have you been accosted by any... any bullies? Perhaps, one or several looked like a Tannen?"
"In fact, that did happen," the brunette replied, grimly. "Sally managed to knock one out, with her stun gun. The other two got away, though. I also used my shrinking device to shrink the bully that I knocked." Pulling out an envelope, she added, "He's in here, still passed out!"
"Great Scott!" gasped Marty Sr Seventeen. "I also created such a device - and I tried to use it against the gang, several dimensions ago. However, the batteries wore low."
"Wait a minute!" protested the brunette, frowning. "Just what do you mean by... by dimensions? What exactly is going on here?"
"First off," Doc One suggested, gently, "why don't you start by... by telling us who you are?"
"Have you forgotten me, Dad?" the brunette asked, perplexed. "I'm Emily. Emily Martina Brown. I'm your daughter."
"Great Scott!" gasped Doc One. "I'm not too sure of how to explain this to you, but... Well, I'm not the version of your dad that you know. We've been chasing the bullies through various dimensions, and this is... World Number Twenty-Two."
"You're kidding!" gasped the brunette. "Well, I guess that would explain why there are so many of you... and so many of Alex."
"Listen, uh, Emily," Doc Three replied, nervously. "We'll give you a more in-depth explanation, later. We promise. For now, though, can you tell us where George and Lorraine McFly live?"
"We have reason to suspect that the bullies are wanting to... kill baby Marty," Doc One added, in a near whisper. "So, yes, this is quite urgent!"
"Your kidding!" gasped Emily. "The twins were born just today! Marty and Calvin. We do have to stop them, and I'm definitely more than willing to help."
"I don't believe this!" exclaimed Alex J, as if he could barely contain his excitement. "Finally, another world where Marty has a natural born twin. Wait until my dad hears about this."
"Hey, don't forget about our world!" protested Alex K.
"Please, boys," insisted Doc Two, "we don't have time for this. Emily, why don't you take over the controls - and drive us over to the McFlys house?"
"Um, all right" Emily said, obviously slightly hesitant. She then took the controls, and started flying the bus.
Todd just looked at her, and wondered what was going on here. Why wasn't there any other world where this Marty McFly fellow had a twin? And why did this Emily think that these boys were all called 'Alex'? He figured that it wasn't important right now, but it would be, eventually.
"So" Emily said, as the bus was flying at a steady pace towards the McFly house, over the houses and roads and underneath a road in the sky filled with flying cars. "What's going on here? Why are you guys here?"
"Well, we already told you that we're following some bullies" Doc Two said. "You see, I don't know if you know about time travel - but we're from the future, from the year 2017. We came here because we're chasing Cliff Tannen from the year 1987 who stole my other self's time machine."
"That would be me" Doc '87 said. "As my counterparts already told you, this is world twenty-two, and we have still not managed to rescue the girls. I'm beginning to be more optimistic now, though. Great Scott, you actually managed to escape?"
"Yes, I did" Emily said. "Sally and I actually managed to knock one of the bullies out. There were two Tannen's, and one girl."
"Cliff and Xiff Tannen, and Amy Needles" Marty Senior Eleven said. "From what we heard in my world, they always leave Griff behind. I don't know what they did to their recent allies, though."
"Maybe they didn't want to come along" Marty Junior Fifteen suggested. "Or maybe they were knocked out in the inevitable crash."
"What crash?" Emily said, confused.
"Doc One chased after the bullies, and the last we saw of them, they were losing speed and dropping to the ground" Todd K explained. "I'm not sure whether they could've pulled up in time."
Emily shook her head. "Heavy."
"Is that word in use now?" Marty Junior Five said, slightly stunned. "I thought that wasn't until the '80s."
"No, it was first used in the '20s or '30s, I believe" Emily said, slightly confused. She looked around. "So, if you're from the future, what are you? Are you from the 1980s, too? Then you're probably all Calvin McFly, right?"
Most of the Marty Junior's exchanged confused glances. "Um, no" Marty Junior Six said. "We're Marty McFly Junior, from the 2010s."
"Junior?" Emily said, with a gasp. "But... that's impossible! Are you telling me that you're the children of various versions of Marty McFly - and that you're living in the 2010s?"
"Um, yeah" Marty Junior Two said, confused. "What's wrong with that?" He frowned. "Is this, by any chance, a world in which Dad ended up being stuck in the '50s?"
Emily frowned. "No" she said, as a smile formed on her face. "If you guys really are the sons of Marty McFly... well, then you've got quite the surprise waiting for you, regarding your counterpart of our world. However, it would probably be too confusing and complicated to explain right away."
"Everything is complicated and confusing here" Doc Fifteen pointed out.
"Too confusing for me" Emmett Seventeen complained. Marty Sr Seventeen shot him a disapproving look.
"I understand, but this will be stranger than you've seen so far" Emily said. "But if you don't know, I'm not saying anything just yet." She pointed out of the window. "That's the McFly house over there - we should be able to land in half a minute."
As Todd K looked out of the window, he noticed to his relief that he didn't see a car parked there. Could they be on time?
But, once again, luck was against them. A small and fast taxi cab rapidly moved past and landed. Moments later, Cliff Tannen and Amy Needles exited, and ran up to the house. Todd watched with astonishment, as the bullies smashed the door lock, and entered the house.
"Great Scott!" Doc One exclaimed. "We're too late! And it's all my fault!"
"We're not late yet" Marty Senior Seventeen said, determined. "Emily, land that bus!"
"Couldn't we simply land on that cab?" TeenMarty said. "I'm sure that it wouldn't rip through us like we were tin foil."
"I don't want to damage someone's taxi" Emily said. "Besides, maybe there's an innocent and, regarding the speed, most likely unconscious cab driver in there."
"Good point" TeenMarty admitted, as the bus landed.
The moment the bus hit the ground, Doc One rose. Followed by Doc Three and Marty Senior Seventeen, then by Marty Senior One and Three and their Marty Junior's, and then by the rest of the crew, they exited the time bus and ran over to the house. Or at least, a few of them did. The majority remained behind, but Doc One, Two and Three went in, along with Marty Senior One, Three and Seventeen, Emmett Seventeen, Marty Junior One, Two and Three, Marty Einstein, Todd McKay, Brent Ross, Brent Atkins, Connor o' Connor and Todd himself. Also going in was Emily, and finally Alex J followed her.
Todd K swallowed, as entered the house. He felt a little uneasy about entering a stranger's house - and uninvited, at that. However, this was an emergency.
Within just a matter of moments, the group has managed to corner the two bullies.
"The gig's up, buster," commented Doc One. "I know about your plan, and you are not gonna get away with it."
"Oh, now you're really asking for it," smirked Amy. However, Todd K could sense that she felt more than a little frightened.
"Oh, are we?" asked Doc Three. "Hate to break the news to you, but... Party's over!"
To Todd K's astonishment, she saw Emily pull out a miniature gun. He took in a deep breath. Was she simply going to kill those bullies? Emily aimed the gun straight towards Amy's eyes, and fired. Suddenly, Amy fell unconscious.
As Emily attempted to do the same with Cliff, he managed to squeeze between Docs One and Three. Todd K swallowed, as he felt concerned about baby Marty. Not that he exactly knew who Marty was, of course - but he rather couldn't stand the idea of innocent people being harmed or killed. However, he saw that Cliff turned to run out of the house. He breathed a sigh of relief.
"We'll have to catch him later, I guess," Doc One replied, sighing. "At least, for now, baby Marty... and Calvin... are still safe."
"What the hell is going on here?" demanded a voice that sounded strangely familiar.
As Todd K looked up, he saw a man who looked as if he could be an older version of Connor - as well as Brent R, for that matter. Next to him stood a brunette. Both had perplexed looks on their faces.
"George McFly, I assume?" Doc Three said.
"Definitely" George said. "What's going on? My wife's just recovering from giving birth to the twins - why are you here? And why did you fight that boy and girl? And why... why did that boy resemble a teenaged Biff Tannen?"
"Well, that's kind of hard to explain" Doc Two said. "The basics, though, is that the boy is Cliff Tannen, Biff's son, from the year 1987."
"What kind of nonsense is that?" the woman - Lorraine - said, sitting down. "Time travel is impossible. Sure, technology has advanced a lot, but you know that it's not impossible to actually time travel, Dr. Brown. With your 99 years, you should know better."
The Doc's gasped, as they heard the age that Lorraine mentioned. Marty Senior Seventeen remained calm, though. "It's the truth" he said. "Mother, father, I'm your son from the future. Well, an alternate version of him, anyway. Time travel is possible, and we're all from another universe - a group of different universes, actually. That man that escaped was going to kill your son - Marty."
"Yeah, that's one of our sons" George said. "The other is Calvin. But... it's not possible!"
"Time travel is possible" Doc Two said. "Look at us. There are three of us. There are seven boys that look like this Alex fellow that Emily was referring to. There's also three versions of your son from the future. How could you explain that, otherwise?"
"No" Lorraine said, pale.
"Yes" Emily said. "They're telling the truth. And actually - remember Calvin Klein? He was your son, too."
Lorraine went even paler, and George moved in to steady her as she was on the verge of fainting. "Thanks" she said, smiling faintly. "Is that really true?"
"Yes, it is" Marty Senior Seventeen said. "Look, George, Lorraine, I know this must astonish you a lot. It stunned my parents too, when I told them in '55."
"You what?" Doc One said, shocked.
"Never mind. Anyway, you should come along with us."
The couple nodded faintly, and, holding hands, they walked up to the bus. Todd K breathed a sigh of relief, as, apparently, they'd managed to rescue Marty - and Calvin, for that matter. He wondered where they were, though, as he hadn't even seen them. It didn't matter, though. For now, it was important that both of them were safe and sound, as were the girls. Todd took a deep breath, as he realised that they actually seemed to be making a lot of progress.
What Todd K saw next really took him by shock. Emily took out a device that Todd K didn't recognize, and she aimed it towards Amy. Within seconds, Amy was shrunk to the size of a thumb! Nonchalantly, Emily dropped the miniature Amy into an envelope.
Indeed, this was even more madness than what Todd K was used to. Still, he started to feel optimistic that the girls were just one step away from being rescued.
oooooooooo
Alex Eastwood was taking a walk through Hill Valley Park, as he decided to enjoy the beautiful weather. He then noticed something that looked very odd. He caught sight of what appeared to be an old steam train. He decided to check it out.
As he stepped closer to the train, he noticed that there were three letters: ELB. He tried to think of what the letters could stand for. He decided to inspect the train.
He swallowed, as he stepped closer to the train. Suddenly, the cab door opened - and he saw what appeared to be a teenage version of Biff Tannen. He just figured that, if he could handle Hank Needles with ease, he could handle the Biff look-alike.
"Well! Well! Well!" smirked the Biff look-alike. "Look who decided to show up. If it isn't the McFly butthead! Haven't you learned, after over twenty failures?"
"Hey, listen, whoever you are," snapped Alex. "My name is Alex Eastwood, and I sure don't know what kind of nonsense you're yammering on about - but I rather know how to deal with people of your kind."
"Oh, you think so, eh?" the Biff look-alike replied, chuckling. "All right, then, butthead! Let's have at it. Come a little closer! C'mon! I dare you to."
"Oh, you dare me to?" Alex replied, in a deathly calm voice. He reached into his sack, as he pulled out a stun gun. He then aimed it towards the Biff look-alike's eyes, as he began to fire. Instantly, the Biff look-alike fell into a three hour slumber.
As he glanced over by the tree, he saw another Biff look-alike - along with a man who looked so much like Biff's former lackey, Joseph "Skinhead" Skinner. He smiled, as he reached for his shrinking device. After three clicks, the unconscious men were sure merely the size of a thumb. One by one, he simply plunked them all into an envelope - and then he placed the envelope into his pocket.
Alex swallowed, as he stepped onto the train. His face simply turned red with fury, as he could hardly believe what he saw. There had to be about fifty girls, and all of them were tightly restrained.
"Have you come to rescue us?" asked a girl who looked like a female version of Alex.
"You bet I have," Alex replied, grimly. He reached for his pocket knife, as he began to cut open the ropes. "You sure needn't worry about your captors. I rather got them all taken care of."
"Are you Marty McFly Jr?" asked a girl with curly blond hair. "One of them, anyway?"
"Uh, no," Alex replied, confused. "My name's Alex Eastwood. There is a Marty McFly, though - who was born just today. Also, Marty is..." He paused, as he was uncertain of if he should quite continue. The fact was, one of the McFly twins who was born on this very day would grow up to become his great-grandfather: Clint Eastwood! "I..."
"I guess it doesn't really matter," replied another girl with straight brown hair. "I'm so thankful that you are rescuing us. That's what really matters."
"Yeah, I suppose so" one of the girls who resembled him said. Alex had to admit that her appearances did freak him out a little. "I can't help but feel curious, though. Alex Eastwood?"
"As in Clint Eastwood?" an unfamiliar girl said. Come to think of it, she wasn't that unfamiliar at all. She did resemble one of Alex's family friends, and, in fact, his great-great-grandmother - Lorraine Baines-McFly. "The actor?"
"What actor?" Alex said, puzzled. He didn't know any actor named Clint Eastwood. As he then thought better, he remembered that there was, in fact, a man named Clint Eastwood in the acting business, who had gotten a lot of complaints back in the late '50s, for using the same name as the famous inventor, and trying to live off the older man's success. It took them a while to get explained that his name was really Clint Eastwood. In the meantime, the publicity had done him a lot of good.
"That actor" the girl said. "Clint Eastwood. He's a famous western actor."
"Oh" Alex said. "Don't you mean he's a famous inventor from the time of the Old West?" He smiled, with a slightly proud look on his face. "He's my great-grandfather. Clint Eastwood."
"What?" one of his female look-alikes squeaked, so loud that Alex stopped cutting rope for a moment - he was half-way done, anyway - and looked at her. "But... are you... you're not..." the girl stammered. "Clint Eastwood... inventing... in the Old West... he wouldn't be... Marty? Marty McFly?"
Alex gasped. How could she know that? How could she possibly have guessed? "All right" he demanded. "What's going on here? You don't have to tell me into detail, but I'm not cutting one more piece of rope before I know at least the basics of this!"
"I guess I don't quite blame you for being skeptical," replied the girl who resembled his great-grandmother, Claudia Wells Eastwood. "I guess I would rather be, too - if I was in your situation."
"To make a long story short," added another girl who looked like a younger Claudia, "I was first of all these girls to be captured, by Cliff Tannen. We come from twenty-one different worlds, and Cliff had enlisted up to... five allies to help him."
"Wait a minute!" gasped Alex. "You mean six bullies? That simply means... there are three more running around."
"They went to kill baby Marty," replied the girl who last spoke, as tears began to roll down her cheeks. "I do know Doc and Marty from our friend went to follow us... and picked up plenty of others, along the way. Whenever they attempted to rescue us, though... Cliff would threaten to kill one of us." With that, she began to cry.
Alex felt sorry for the girl. "Well, everything will be fine, now" he said. "I'm going to lead you to safety. But I'll have to contact my girlfriend first, though. I'm not sure where she is right now, but I can use my cell phone."
"You've got cell phones?" another girl said, stunned. "In 1968?"
"Yeah" Alex said, confused. "You mean, they don't have them in your world? Worlds, I guess?"
"Not until the early Twenty-First Century" the girl said. She stood up, as Alex had finally finished cutting the ropes. "This feels weird, actually standing." She then fell down. "Whoa!"
"How long have you been sitting?" Alex asked, as the girl got on her feet again.
"A long time" the girl said. "I guess that it's normal, but I can't help but feel really cramped. "I suppose that we should contact our friends now. You wanted to call your girlfriend?"
"Yeah, that's right" Alex said. "Her name's Emily Brown, by the way. Does that sound familiar to any of you?"
"The last name does" a girl said. "I'm a Brown, too - Maria Brown. Is this Emily girl the daughter of Dr. Emmett Brown?"
"No" Alex said, confused. "You mean, Dr. Emmett Von Braun, right? I mean, Dr. Emmett Brown doesn't exist... not anymore, ever since he went to live..." Here he hesitated for a moment, then figured that it was too obvious already. "... in the past."
"What?" Maria Brown said, stunned. "Didn't he use Emmett Brown for a name in 1885? And didn't he move back from 1895 to 1986 after inventing the train time machine?"
"I suppose, next you're gonna tell us that World War One never happened," added a girl who looked like Maria, but had slightly lighter hair.
"Not that I'm aware of," Alex replied, just as he gave the rope one last tug. He then added, "All right, you girls, let's head outside!"
"Thank you so much, Alex," breathed another girl with long brown hair. Alex realized that there were, in fact, plenty of duplicates. "I can't even began to tell you how nice this feels."
Alex flashed a lopsided smile, as he led the girls off the train. He figured that he would never be able to remember exactly who was who. He reached for a little device.
"All right, you girls!" called out Alex, as soon as the train was empty. "I don't need to know any specific details, right now. We'll have plenty of time for that later. For now, let's keep it very simple - and tell us your names, and the world that you came from."
One by one, as the girls began to introduce themselves, Alex began to print out name tags for everyone.
"I'm Jennifer Parker from World One," replied a girl who resembled a younger version of Alex's Great-Grandma Claudia, "in the year 1987."
"I'm Harmony Brown from World One," added a girl with curly blond hair, "in the year 2017. This is Marlene McFly."
"I'm Stephanie Stebbs from World Two," added a girl with straight brown hair, "in the year 2017. This is Stacy Stebbs, my twin sister - along with Marlene McFly."
"Ah, twins," Alex muttered, as he thought of how that would complicate things even more. "Well, let's continue."
"I'm Marlene McFly from World Three," added a girl who looked like a female Alex, "in the year 2017. This is Suzy MacArthur."
"I'm Melody McFly from World Four," added another girl who resembled a younger version of Alex's Great-Grandma Claudia, "in the year 2017. This is Marlene McFly, along with Harmony Brown."
Alex was a little taken aback by how this Marlene looked a little different from the others. In fact, she resembled a young Lorraine Baines. Still, he would have time to worry about that later.
"I'm Maria Brown from World Five," added a girl with blondish-brown hair, "in the year 2017. This is Marlene McFly, along with Suzy MacArthur."
"I'm Lisa Jung from World Six," added a redhead, "in the year 2017. This is Marlene McFly - along with Stephanie and Stacy Stebbs"
"I'm Julie MacArthur from World Seven," added a girl who looked like Suzy with lighter hair, "in the year 2017. This is Suzy MacArthur - along with Marlene McFly and Maria Brown."
"I'm Susan Brown from World Eight", added a girl who looked like Maria, but with lighter hair, "in the year 2017. This is Marlene Klein."
Alex was a little taken aback by this Marlene's last name. He figured that it was best to not lose focus, though.
"I'm Stephanie Stebbs from World Nine," added another girl with straight brown hair, "in the year 2017. This is Stacy Stebbs, along with Marlene Klein."
"I'm Julia Belle Rundgren from World Ten," added a girl with dishwater blond hair, "in the year 2017. These twins are Stephanie and Stacy Stebbs."
"I'm Suzy MacArthur from World Eleven," added another Suzy, "in the year 2017. This is Marlene McFly, along with Maria Brown."
"I'm Marlene McFly from World Twelve," added another Marlene, "in the year 2017. This is Stephanie Stebbs."
"I'm Sarah Brown One from World Thirteen," added a girl whose hair colour was a shade between that of Susan and the Marias, "in the year 2047. This is Sarah Brown Two, along with Jennifer McFly. You're probably wondering why there are two of..."
"We can address that, a little later," replied Alex, even though he was quite curious. "Let's just get on with the introductions."
"I'm Stacy Stebbs from World Fourteen," continued another girl with straight brown hair, "in the year 2017. This is Stephanie Stebbs, along with Marlene McFly."
"I'm Stacy Stebbs from World Fifteen," added yet another girl with straight brown hair, "in the year 2017. This is Stephanie Stebbs, along with Marlene McFly."
"I'm Marlene McFly from World Sixteen," added yet another Marlene, "in the year 2017. This is Suzy MacArthur."
"I'm Marie McFly from World Seventeen," added a girl who resembled the Marlenes, "in the year 2017. This is Suzy MacArthur."
"I'm Marlene McFly from World Eighteen," added still another Marlene, "in the year 2017. This is Stephanie Stebbs."
"I'm Amy Needles from World Nineteen," added a girl with brown curls, who looked to be a little older than the others, "in the year 2017. This is Marlene McFly, along with Stephanie Stebbs."
"I'm Kelly Greenwood from World Twenty," added another girl who looked a lot like a young Lorraine, "in the year 1987. This is Mallory Mallone Ross."
"I'm Melissa Van Dixon from World Twenty-One," added a girl with straight blond hair, "in the year 1987. This is Trina Collins, along with Rachel Meyer. Actually, we're from three different worlds - but..."
"... you three were captured from the same world?" Alex guessed, as he made out the last of the name tags.
"Right, exactly," Melissa replied. "You see, before we were captured, we..."
"You can tell us, later," insisted Alex. "For now, let's head over to Dr. Von Braun's mansion. I'm also gonna call my girlfriend, Emily Brown. Perhaps, she might be able to..."
In unison, the fifty-plus girls all nodded. Alex swallowed, as he reached for his cell phone. He wondered what Emily would say about the whole situation. He felt quite nervous, as he punched in Emily's phone number. This certainly was no ordinary day for Alex.