Curiosity Killed the Cat
- Look, Elijah: dad and his friend are up to try dad's new Time Device…
- Father called it the "Continuum Jumper", mother…
- You're right.
Hey, Elijah…
Yes, Marlene?
The two young people were hiding their "conversation", but the tone was excited.
You remember when we were ten?
You mean when I took us back to 1971? Of course, I remember it…
It was odd to see your grandfather when he was…
Elijah couldn't hide his emotion.
Marlene sensed his sadness:
Sorry, Elijah… I know you liked him really much…
No matter, Marlene.
Elijah considered his father as he was landing a truck.
Father reminds me of him everytime… They're so similar…
Marlene smiled: they were a few feet away from each other, Marlene turning his back to Elijah, but she knew he could sense her expressions.
I bet you're similar to your father at the same age.
You want to gamble with me?
I would do anything in the world with you…
Elijah felt better: Marlene and him were such undisciplined trouble-makers… The perspective of preparing an other plan with her was enough to chase every poisoning thought out of his mind.
I believe father hasn't destroy the two Time Devices yet. One of them last.
But you don't know where he hid it…
Not now… But I will discover it.
Gene hugged Marty and asked him for some help in opening the large truck's door.
- Okay, my rat… Just draw like thi…
KLANG!
The truck's door almost fell down on Gene, but Marty pushed him in the nick of time. Together on the asphalt, Marty lying down on Gene, they looked at the door, then at each other, and laughed.
Jennifer and Sally yelled out:
- You could have been crushed by this door, and you're laughing?
- It's only nervous, Sally…
Marty went back on his feet and helped his friend to stand up.
- At least… The door's opened, now…
Marty approached the truck: it reminded him the day Doc showed him the DeLorean…
- I wanted to hide the form factor. I thought the surprise would be much better…
Marty was filming Gene with his camera glasses. He "mentally" recalled him that fact.
- Oh, yes! Good evening. I'm Doctor Gene Terence Brown. I'm currently in the central place of Stockholm with my assistant Master Marty McFly to introduce you my "Continuum Jumper".
Stockholm… Gene had chosen this town because of the large spaces and the advanced scientific departments located there. He knew his invention would be much more welcomed here.
- Let me drive it out of the truck…
He came inside. Minutes later, a giant black panther jumped out and lay down on its stomach.
Wow, that's amazing!
Gene came outside the panther and absent-mindedly caressed the feline curves:
- As you can see it, I designed the "Continuum Jumper" as a savage feline, to put more sense in its name and more aesthetics in its form factor.
Gene, why is this tail moving?
- Oh, you can also notice that the "tail" moves. Please, closer, Master McFly…
Marty approached. Gene patted the "head", and the panther started to purr.
- The "Continuum Jumper is programmed to imitate several genuine feline behaviors and reactions… As it has been stuck for hours in a closed truck, it was angry, so he was moving his tail like a real feline would do it to express anger.
What's the interest of programming those reactions?
Gene smiled to Marty: he was asking questions anyone would ask.
- This simple movement catalyses the "Continuum Jumper" heat and turns it into extra energy reserve. If it gets cold, the same movement, combined with general little shiverings, will make the "Continuum Jumper" able to employ this extra energy to warm the engine up.
Cool… It regulates its temperature itself…
Gene pointed the eyes:
- Those eye-shaped windows are directly connected to a board screen. This screen gives a panoramic vision of the driver's and passengers' surroundings. It's entirely hermetic and isolated from noise and temperature changes, but phonic captors can be turned on from the inside.
And what about the purr…?
Gene caressed the panther under its jaw:
- The purr is just a personal touch of mine. This indicates that the engine's heat is back to normal.
Can it respond to voice orders?
- Ah, that's actually a matter a security. My other inventions could fall in wrong hands and serve any of their evil plans, but I can guarantee this one won't…
By "wrong hands", he was referring to Clive. No matter he was stuck in 2055, Gene kept fearing he could come back and ruin his life… Or his child's existence…
- Carmine…?
The "Continuum Jumper" raised its head, looking at Gene.
- Please, move your tail, my beauty…
The tail moved.
- Okay, that's nice, you can stop it… Oh-hoo, yes… That's a good girl…
The "Continuum Jumper" was rubbing his head against Gene. He cleared his throat:
- Erm, as you may have guessed it, I called it "Carmine". She responds to my voice.
Can she speak?
Gene shook his head:
- For those who could wonder it, I recall that "Carmine" is a panther, so she doesn't speak at all… Carmine is programmed to recognize several orders, including it's principal function: jumping in space and time.
Marty stopped recording.
Gene raised an eyebrow:
- What's wrong?
- I thought it would be a family secret…
- You were okay to unveil the Continuum Jumper, nope?
- I've been thinking about it…
Gene put his hand on Marty's shoulder:
- Trust me, my rat, it will avoid me many troubles in the future, if the World knows that time traveling is possible… And I want it to recognize my father's genius, as he invented the Flux Capacitor…
- "Carmine" embarks the Flux Capacitor?
- And in its primary form! Without it, time traveling is impossible!
Gene walked to "Carmine" and waved his head:
- Keep on recording, please.
Marty raised his thumb:
You can talk, my bat…
- Well, a simple demonstration worths all arguments in World…
He caressed Carmine's back:
- Carmine, my beauty, can I come aboard, please?
Carmine got up, turned his back on the truck and lay down again. Gene caressed her right flank, then it opened up as a bus door.
Come closer, my rat…
Marty whistled: inside were two seats and one back seat covered by black hairy mats. The board computer was showing nothing but the engine's temperature and the energy reserves, but multiple touch panels were in the driver's side.
Why is there no steering wheel?
- Like in my Time Device, the steering wheel is hidden inside the board computer…
Gene smiled:
- I find it more esthetic… Carmine, my beauty, can you please show me our current location?
The two upper touch panels lit themselves up.
- Carmine knows where and when we are: Sweden, Stockholm. 2014, May, the fifth.
I caught that, my bat…
Gene waved his head:
- Now, I'm asking my assistant to come with me… Master McFly…?
Marty toured the giant feline: he actually felt like Carmine was looking at him.
Bat, how am I supposed to come aboard?
- Carmine, my beauty, can you please let him come inside?
Carmine turned her head to Marty.
- Yes, my beauty, this man. He's my friend, Marty. Let Marty come inside, please…
Carmine's right flank opened up.
- As you may have guessed it, I have registered Master McFly in Carmine's database. When Master McFly will approach her, Carmine will recognize him. But she won't obey him.
Marty raised an eyebrow:
Can I know why?
- It's very simple: Carmine hasn't recorded Master McFly's voice, so she can't recognize it. Also, in order to prevent Carmine from falling in wrong hands, I've installed an additional security system.
So, if I speak to her, she'll be able to recognize me?
Gene tapped a touch panel:
- Now, Master McFly, when the green light will be flashing, just speak.
A green panel lit up, and Marty scratched his neck:
- Well… Good evening, Carmine… I am Marty…
The light turned off.
Gene smiled:
- Excellent! Master McFly even gave the identifier I registered for him. His voice is now in Carmine's database, and as I programmed her so, Carmine will obey him.
She will do anything I want?
- Correction: Carmine will obey only a restricted panel of basic orders from Master McFly.
Marty wondered all this time what took Gene so long to invent his Continuum Jumper. And now, seeing what Gene has done was giving him a real clue…
- Carmine, can you please close yourself?
The flanks closed themselves. It was dark inside…
- Carmine, can you please light your fire?
A relaxing blue light switched on.
- Better like this… Good girl…
Gene was caressing the board computer.
- Now, the best part is to come…
Are we jumping in time right now?
Gene smiled:
This is the goal of this introduction.
He tapped a panel in front of him, and a large panoramic screen showed us the outside:
- Carmine, my beauty, can you jump to Sweden, Stockholm, , December, 3.1, please?
Marty could see on the screen that Carmine was getting up.
- You'd better attach your seatbelt, Master McFly…
Marty obeyed, still filming the screen, and he sensed that Carmine was running.
Why is she running like this?
- Carmine's currently taking a run-up in order to -as her scientific name mentions it- jump in the space-time continuum.
Cool…
Suddenly, Carmine stopped, seeming to be looking at the sky.
- Come on, my beauty…
Marty could guess by peeking on the screen that Carmine was jumping.
- Good girl…
Then, a green flash arose…
- Are you fine, Master McFly…?
Marty opened his eyes: the screen was showing the Stockholm he knew.
We're arrived?
- Precisely where I wanted to be.
Holy crap…
Marty recognized the building in front of them:
The G.S.D… You don't think we're too much visible?
Calm down, my rat, Carmine embarks the same camouflage than the Time Device.
- As you can see it, we're still at the same place, but more or less three decades later.
You think people will trust my record?
Gene smiled, touching some panels:
People will try Carmine, so they will trust it.
He caressed the board computer:
- Carmine, my beauty, can you please jump to our previous location?
Carmine got up and jumped again…
- Darling! You're back!
Sally walked to Gene and hugged him. Jennifer kissed Marty, and Elijah came with Marlene:
- Was it nice, father?
- Just like I wished! Come with me, Elijah…
Gene showed his son how to "drive" Carmine.
When they left the comfort of Carmine, a young guy dressed up like a crazy scientist was smiling:
- This was truly amazing!
- You've been watching all the time?
- Oh, yes, I've been… I know curiosity killed the cat -if I can say so in front of this beauty-, but I think it's also a scientist's valuable partner…
Gene waved his head:
- I agree.
- I'm from the Motorizing Researching Institute… I mean, my father obtainen me a job in the M.R.I., and I'm sure the Heads will be highly interested in your astonishing transport device…
- Its scientific name is "Continuum Jumper". But I call her "Carmine".
The young scientist pointed Carmine's head:
- Can I…?
- Just a moment… Carmine, my beauty, do you want this man to touch you? Just touch…
Carmine looked at the guy and waved her head.
- She has a will?
The scientist was scratching Carmine's left ear, and she was purring.
- Basically, I've programmed her to trust strangers if I don't directly tell her to avoid them. But dogs are easier to tame than big cats, so yes, she has her own will.
- She seems to appreciate what I'm doing…
- Scratching her ear that way provokes brief sparks of static electricity she can turn into energy.
The scientist whistled:
- Amazing…
- So, yes, she likes it.
- I like big cats… I guess she's the biggest I'll ever see…
- You look sad…
The young scientist shrugged his shoulders:
- I'm thinking about the Mountain Lion… You're from the U.S.A, right?
- Yes. This disappearance is a disaster…
Gene smiled, trying to confort the young scientist:
- But we still get DNA from them. I'm sure we'll be able to reanimate them one day!
The scientist raised an eyebrow:
- I thought your kind of business was traveling in time and space…
- It's not a bow I have, but a harp.
- You mean you're working on DNA, too?
- I think you know the atomic matcher…?
The young scientist smiled:
- Of course I know it! I would be glad to meet its inventor!
- He's in front of you…
Gene was smiling. The scientist raised his eyebrows:
- Doctor Gene Terence Brown…?
Gene waved his head and shook the young man's hand:
- In person.
- I… I'm a great fan! You've been my inspiration to become a scientist!
- Flattered to hear it.
- I wanted to work on some stuffs about DNA, but it's far too much unaffordable.
Gene tapped his shoulder:
- I can associate you in the project I've temporally dropped to create this beauty.
- You would do that?
- Sure. If I say it, I do it.
Carmine rubbed her head against the young scientist.
Gene smiled:
- I think she likes you…
- I'm honoured, Carmine…
- I know! I'll make her able to recognize you! Carmine, my beauty, you see this man?
Carmine looked at the young guy.
Gene waved his head:
- Yes, him… Please, introduce you when the green light will be flashing. Insist on your first name.
- Okay, no matter!
The young scientist waited for the light to flash and told:
- Good evening, Carmine… I am Erland… Erland Vrömblad…
Gene was back in his laboratory. Carmine was "sleeping" at his feet, softly purring.
- You haven't said a word since Vrömblad told his name to Carmine…
Gene shrugged his shoulders.
- I know it's a shock to meet him as you already knew him like he'll be decades later…
- I will launch his carreer… And it's entirely thanks to my beauty…
Gene caressed Carmine: her constant purr was so relaxing. As he became stressed since he started to work on the DNA Converter's prototype, he has been searching several ways to calm down his nerves, and the idea of purr therapy looked fine to him.
- What are you going to do, now?
- I carry an additional destiny on my shoulders…
He scratched Carmine's ears:
- I wish I never learned what will happen in 2045…
- It's like that, bat, you have to go with it.
- That's easy for you to say!
- I know… But you know I won't give us up.
Gene looked down on Carmine:
- I'm older than I seem, Marty…
Calling him "Marty" meant something important was wrong.
- Speak to me…
- In approximately two years, my son will marry your daughter…
Marty shrugged his shoulders:
- Does this matter to you?
- I don't know… I just… Have a bad feeling…
- Like when you felt something will happen to them in the maternity?
- Almost like this.
Marty tried to comfort him:
- You've destroyed you Time Devices, right?
- In fact… One of them last.
- Why?
- It's the TD Clive has stolen. As you know it, it's completely miscalibrated…
Marty waved his head:
- And…?
- And I'm not able to destroy it without being electrified to death!
- Ouch… That's a problem…
- I hid it somewhere only I know… I hope I'll find a way to…
Marty had fallen down on his knees:
- My rat! Are you fine?
- I… I think something… Is happening…
Gene squeezed Marty:
- No, my rat… Not you…
But Marty faded in Gene's arms…
- You need my help?
- Yes! I can't go through this alone.
- Can you just explain a little?
- It's simple: something has happened in the past. Something that shouldn't have happened.
- I don't understand…
Gene placed his TDL on the board computer:
- I've created an other engine able to jump in space and time.
- I know it, but…
- Carmine, my beauty, can you please jump to the coordinates I'm thinking about?
Carmine started to run and jumped before fading in the air…
- Amazing! Carmine is the transport device of the future!
- No time for congratulations, Professor… Erm, Mr. Vrömblad!
- Professor?
- My communicator remains silent…
- By the way, is this communicator an interface between your mind and Carmine?
Gene sighed:
- I haven't created this to communicate with her, but I made her able to… No time!
- I don't understand, Doctor Brown…
- I'll be brief: my closest friend in the space-time continuum has just disappeared, because someone has traveled somewhen in the past and avoided him to be…
"Born"… That was the word he couldn't say: Marty, never born? Unbelievable…
- Carmine, my beauty, can you please let us leave?
The flanks opened up, and Gene got out.
- Where are we, Doctor Brown?
- The precise place I've hidden the last Time Device, but a few hours ago.
Erland Vrömblad looked around: trees, trees and even more trees…
- I don't see anything, and I know how your Time Device is supposed to look like…
- Because I added a holographic camouflage to its circuits…
- Holographic? This technology isn't…
- I know. I bought it when it has been launched on the market.
Erland raised his eyebrows:
- You mean in the future?
- Correct.
Gene pushed a button on his shoulder, and the tree in front of them faded to become the Time Device.
- Incredible!
Gene knew he couldn't just hide the Time Device somewhere else to prevent Marty from being erased. He needed some clues to know when the TD has been stolen… Again.
- We're too early…
He pushed the button, and the TD turned into a tree as he came aboard Carmine.
- Carmine, my beauty, can you please jump to the coordinates I'm thinking about?
Carmine obeyed and jumped so high that the trees seemed like green ants under her paws…
Gene left Carmine again and pressed the button, but nothing happened:
- That means my TD has already been stolen… We're too late.
He kneeled down on the fresh grass.
- What are you looking for?
- I'll know it when I'll find it…
He picked up a red hair lock on a fallen leaf and put it on his DNA Converter's interface:
- Elijah… You've found where I've hid this TD…
- Who is Elijah?
- My son… I know he's a scientist, too, even if he tried to hide it from Sally and me…
- Why would your son steal your Time Device?
Gene put the hair lock on his pocket:
- Because I've strictly forbid him to approach it. This TD is dangerously miscalibrated… And because he's my son, he merely never obeys, especially when I forbid him something potentially deadly.
- So, what are we doing, now?
- Alternately jump in the past to localize my rat… And my son.
Erland raised an eyebrow:
- Your rat?
- Mr. Marty McFly. I call him "rat", and he calls me "bat".
- Odd…
- Carmine, my beauty, can you please jump to the coordinates I'm thinking about…?
Carmine landed on the same ground.
- Okay, my communicator's still silent…
- Where are we?
- Better ask: "When are we?"… Look at this panel.
- "Former old Peabody's farm, 1986, October the first…"
Gene waved his head:
- Carmine, my beauty, can you please be discreet and walk to Hill Valley?
Carmine started to walk.
- You don't think Carmine is… A too big "big cat" to remain unseen in downtown Hill Valley?
- That's why I told her to be discreet. She looks like a little domestic cat for anyone else.
Erland whistled:
- Amazing…
Carmine reached Hill Valley.
- Good girl…
Gene was caressing the board computer.
Erland, already a bit confused in this story, was surprised by Gene's behaviors with Carmine.
- You treat her like a real pet…
- I treat my inventions with all due love and respect…
- I can't believe no one here can notice us…
- Because we just look like a cat.
Gene put the red hair lock on the ventilation, and it got sucked inside:
- Carmine, my beauty, can you please look for the man or the woman who lost it?
She stopped a moment and seemed to be turning her head.
- Is Carmine able to recognize whose hair is this?
- I've added my own DNA scanning system to her circuits.
Erland raised his eyebrows:
- A DNA scanner?
- I've invented it two years ago. As I told you, it's a harp I have.
Carmine was still, apparently sitting.
- Hmm… I think they're not in this year…
Gene patted the board computer:
- It's not because of you, my beauty…
A purr resounded from the phonic captors.
- Carmine, can you please jump to the coordinates I'm thinking about?
Carmine stood up and jumped again…
- My beauty… I'm so sorry…
- What's happening to her?
- Her heart quickens… She's low on energy…
- That means we're stuck… When, precisely?
- 1981. The precise day I met my rat… I mean, Master McFly…
Gene was examining Carmine: her tail was slowly moving, and she was lying down…
- She's too hot… She needs a rest… And my communicator's still silent…
- How will we find your son, now?
- Just a minute, I'm thinking!
He scratched Carmine's left ear to give her some extra energy.
He looked at her:
- Carmine, can you please localize Marty?
Carmine waved her head, erratically breathing.
- Can you please transfer his current location to the TDL?
The TDL immediately showed him new four-dimensional coordinates.
Gene scratched her under the jaw:
- Nice girl… Take a rest, my beauty, we're able to walk…
Carmine's eyes shut down, and she rolled to her flank.
- She's really tired…
- Yes… I'm making her much more discreet…
Carmine became a tree.
- How long do you think we should let her sleeping?
- Approximately five hours: this interface shows me her energy reserve…
- And what about Master McFly's current location…?
- Let me see it… WHAT?!
The TDL was showing a totally unpredictable space coordinate:
Ireland, Dublin…