End of the Future, Part 33

Hill Valley Vignettes, Part I

Please Read and Review. I'd like to know what I'm doing right (to keep doing it), and what I am doing wrong (to correct it).

Hill Valley, California, USA
Brown Enterprises HQ
3I Lab Section
Early Saturday, the day after Ritsuko Akagi's Reconstruction.

"First things first, Dr. Akagi." Doc said. "You don't exist in this point of the timeline. Not as you are."

"I have already been born, Dr. Brown, I do exist." She said, shaking her head. "I was born November the 21st, 1985."

"Yes, you exist as a baby in Japan. That baby is, for all we can say, exactly like you when you were her age, the changes we have introduced so far to the timeline are too distant or indirect to affect her enough to erase you out of existence. And I must stress this, you and that baby are two different versions of the same person. Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, NERV scientist, is decades in the future. You, as an adult person, existing now, do not officially exist; as a time traveler, you are an anomaly in the social fabric. And that's a problem we can solve."

"How, will you create a whole new identity for me? Like in some TV show?" She raised a dismissive eyebrow as she lit a cigarette. "Am I to wander the country, using my given name and using a different surname each week, keeping to the ones that begin with a K?" (1)

"Of c/c/course not/no/no/no/not. Mo/more li/like a Sp/py movie!" Lisa interjected. "I'll need/need about/t/t a month/month to c/c/crack/k/k the systems and insert/sert you in it/t/t."

"Lisa? I remind you that overusing the same backstory would cause problems later?"

Akagi scoffed, inhaling a lungful of cigarette smoke. "Yeah, three survivors is believable, with a paper trail. But I just appeared here." Her eyes watered, and she coughed uncontrollably for a few seconds. Suddenly, she stabbed the cigarette on an ashtray, "I'm fine," she said once she got her breath back under control. "Rei restored my body to perfect health, I guess. No more smoke tolerance." She looked at the pack of cigarettes with clear disgust. "Psychological addiction is a different beast." She poured a cup of coffee and drank it. "I'll have to do with caffeine. Sorry, were you saying?"

Doc nodded, addressing the IA. "I couldn't take you back a month, Lisa. There would be a nasty paradox. And Rei is too tired to gel you again anyway."

"I k/know." Lisa answered. "I'll need t/t/to work/k/k on something/ing/ing else. Here's what/wha/what I need you to/t/t/to do."

Hill Valley, California, USA
Aunt Mattie's Bed and Breakfast
Egon Spengler's Room
(Just Before Sunrise)

Winston put the empty beer can on top of a wobbling pyramid of similarly empty cans. His eyes crossed with the effort, but he finally released the can, leaving the pile still standing. Satisfied, he looked around. All three had needed to process Akagi's revelation about their indirect part in the oncoming Apocalypse. Therefore, they had bought several six-packs of beer, and consumed them during the long night.

Predictably, Ray had fallen asleep on a comfy chair, he had been awfully overwhelmed by Akagi's words.

After observing Ray's regular breathing for about thirty seconds, Egon took a couple of sips from his own can. "Have you…" Winston slurred, "noticed that… Doc's first name is… Emmet..?

"I have, yes." Egon's speech was almost normal, despite his consumption of at least the same amount of beer than Ray. "Not a popular name, but neither is Egon." He shrugged.

"I mean…" Winston cracked open a new can, "…I mean… you know… have you read mystery novels?"

"Certainly. I appreciate the challenge of the 'problem novel' sub genre."

"Wait… explain…" Winston stifled a yawn.

"Some authors make the effort to lay down all the clues needed to solve the mystery. They don't hide suspects, clues or events for the sake of a surprise reveal. A few, like in the Ellery Queen (2) series, even make a pause in the narrative to warn the reader they are in possession of all the clues. The reader can then make a pause, and work out the solution by themselves." Egon took a long sip.

"Really?"

"Really, I can let you borrow a couple if you're curious. I must have brought a few with my stuff when I cleared the apartment in New York."

"Nice… um… what was I saying?"

"Something about Doctor Brown's first name."

"Oh, yeah…" Winston rubbed the back of his head, "have you read about Dracula using the fake name 'Alucard'?

Egon. Padded "A terribly overused trope." (3)

Winston continued, "Riight, have you noticed that 'Emmet' read backwards sounds almost like 'time'?"

Egon raised his eyes, looking at Winston from above his eyeglasses. "Not really close, Winston. It would be Tem-me."

The former Air Force captain fell silent for a few seconds, processing Egon's words. "Really?" He furrowed his brow.

"Trust me." Egon almost smiled. "Ray and I used to modify phonographs to play slower and backwards, looking for those legendary backwards satanic messages some of them contained. Never found something remotely intelligible, but I did learn to recognize the words even when played backwards."

Winston looked at his beer. "Riiight…" Carefully, he put the can down. "I better go to my… room and sleep it off."

"Would be for the better." Egon agreed.

"Whut about …Ray?"

"Let's just put him on my bed. I'll sleep in his room. No need to wake him up. He gets cranky."

Minutes later, Winston had gone to his room. Egon, still clear-headed, sat down at the desk, and opened a drawer. He took a specific letter. It was still sealed in the envelope. While he weighted the letter, Egon remembered the main events in his life.

School, college, a couple of tentative relationships that had fizzled out, his long friendship with Ray first, and then Peter. Their time playing at parapsychologic research and then taking things seriously. He smiled as he remembered the few months the Ghostbusters had operated. The arrival of Janine, Dana, Louis. Gozer. The lawsuits made him grimace in remembrance. Doc and Marty, George and Lorraine McFly, Jennifer, Asuka, Rei and Shinji. Dead Valley, both the videos and Ray's description. The arrival and departure of Ritsuko Akagi.

Finally, he opened the envelope. Inside he found a letter, signed by a name he hadn't heard of in years. Some pictures too.

He studied the pictures in silence, and then he began to read the letter.

To say he was surprised would be true, but insufficient. This kind of things didn't really happen to guys like him.

And it terrified him.

Hill Valley, California, USA
McFly Residence
Living Room
Sunday, Early Morning.

"Hey, Shinji." Asuka grabbed her fellow former pilot by the arm, pulling him to the McFlys tv room. "Guess what's on tv in five minutes."

"Hmm…" he thought. "A Charlie Brown movie?"

"No, you blockhead!" Asuka retorted. "Mission: Impossible! Remember what Rollie said? About the masks and all that?"

"Yeah. Turn the tv on, I'll get some snacks and drinks." Shinji smiled.

He returned a couple minutes later, to find Asuka comfortably seated on the couch, her long legs crossed under her, and a cushion on her lap. He smiled again, and as the ads played on the screen, he put half of the junk food on a bowl, mixing several types of crunchy, salty treats, just as she liked. Asuka patted the seat next to her, inviting him into her personal space.

"Hurry up! It's going to start!" She said, adjusting her posture.

Shinji obeyed, just as the intro began. A tense piece of music sounded, while a pair of hands lit a match, igniting an animated fuse that crossed the screen while a montage of brief scenes played behind. Both teens leaned forward, trying to form a coherent narrative from the out of context scenes. And failing.

Once the intro sequence ended, they watched as a man, played by actor Steven Hill according to the credits, arrived to a phone booth, and operated the antique looking telephone, supposedly "Out of Order" according to a small sign. After dialing three numbers, he hung up the receiver, and a compartment opened, revealing a tape recorder and an envelope. An anonymous voice described a fictitious place, and the mission for this episode. Infiltrate into a former prison. Then, a picture of the opponent in turn, a man called Gerard Sefra. "Hey!" she pointed at the screen, excitedly snapping her fingers, "That's Ricardo Montalban! We are in luck!" She literally trembled in anticipation. "This is gonna be great!" (4)

Shinji nodded, and settled down next to her. By the time the first commercial break arrived, both were engrossed in the plot.

With just one scene, Shinji began to understand why both Asuka and her stepmother were fans of Montalban. The man had an almost tangible, dark charisma. The former Third Child took copious mental notes.

Hill Valley, California, USA
7-11
Monday, After School

"Hey, boys!" A raspy voice called out, "Look who's honoring with his presence! Martín Seamus McFly in person. What's going on, McFly? Got a nice set of wheels and suddenly yer too good to hang with us, uh? Haven't seen hair nor hide of ya in months!"

Marty's good humor deflated, all he had wanted was to play a few rounds of Wild Gunman with his friends. "…Hello, Needles." He said as he turned. As expected, Needles was accompanied by his three hangers on.

Next to Marty, Asuka exchanged a look with Shinji. This guy was a definite annoyance.

"And look! He has two imports with him! What's the matter, McFly? Local is not good enough anymore?"

"Hey!" Asuka interjected.

"Don't mess with my friends, Needles." Marty warned the taller boy, who just laughed, showing his grill-like braces.

"Uh, feisty!" Needles pretended to tremble. "And what are you gonna do? You don't even race in that pick-up Daddy got you!" Needles' gang laughed idiotically, as always. "Are you a cluck-cluck-chicken?" He laughed, while his gang imitated him.

Before Marty could rise to the provocation, Asuka grabbed Marty's forearm, pulling him back. She hated interruptions, and it was her turn at the game. "Big talk, grill face." She rolled the sleeves of her red bomber jacket up as if preparing for a fight.

"Oh, and what's it to you, doll? You hang out with losers!"

She scoffed. "They are better that you and your hyenas."

Needles laughed, showering the immediate area with droplets of saliva. "Pfft. Prove it, babe. I challenge you to a race."

"A race? When I get a car, maybe. I was thinking of something else." She stepped sideways and tilted her head to the game. "Got a quarter?"

Needles face twisted. "Whut?"

"You heard me. Or what, are you the chicken?" She made a very convincing imitation of a clucking hen. Way better than Needles'.

Marty snickered.

Angry, and making a big show of it with a quick succession of weird facial expressions, Needles pulled a coin from his pocket, raising it to the height of his eye. "You're on. What's the bet?"

Asuka thought for a moment. "You leave us alone. I don't want to even hear your voice around us."

He barked another laugh. "And if I win, you do my homework for a month, nah, better two months. Word on school is that yer some kind of genius." He leaned forwards, Asuka did the same, until their faces were almost touching.

"Deal." she growled.

Needles' buddies hooted and whistled their approval. Apparently, spoken language was beyond their capabilities.

"Ladies first." Needles smiled crookedly.

"Nah, you go first. One quarter each. Shoot til Game Over. Top score wins." She crossed her arms beligerantly.

"Ok, Homework. Watch and weep." Needles inserted his coin in the slot, and a moment later, the game screen changed. He pulled the fake gun, checking the cable that attached it to the machine. A short melody played, and a pixelated desert scape appeared.

Needles kept the gun pointed down, and waited for the countdown to end.

At the count of zero, four caricatures of banditos jumped from behind the cactus, but before they could draw their guns, Needles drew his, and shot four times in quick succession.

The banditos fell backwards comically. Needles pretended to blow the gun barrel, while his pack thumped their chests. "That's how it's done, Homework!"

A second round followed, then a third, fourth, fifth, until Needles aim failed in the thirtieth round, and the last bandito shot him down. "Aaand, top score, Homework." He registered his initials on the first place. "Top that."

Shinji slapped Marty's chest, a knowing smile on his face.

Asuka glared at the idiot, and put her coin in the slot. Her face set in a determined gesture, her blue eyes fixed on the screen, unblinking. Marty noticed Shinji was whispering something for himself, it sounded like Japanese for "Position target in the center and pull the switch." Then he remembered the kind of armament issued to the Evangelion Units. And that all three pilots had been certified for the use of multiple kinds of weapons, both for hand to hand combat, and shooting. He relaxed a bit.

Asuka took her place in front of the game, her feet set flat on the floor, her back straight, and her shoulders relaxed. Her eyes perfectly focused on the screen.

She shot all four banditos so fast the enemies fell down almost simultaneously. Asuka shot a glare at Needles, who stood next to her. "Don't crowd me." She growled. "And that goes for your hyenas too."

Needles backed up a step. As mockingly as he could, he raised his hands in an exaggerated gesture of innocence. As if humoring her. He signaled his gang to do the same. Pulling weird faces all the time.

Asuka nodded to herself, and waited for the next round. And the next. And the next. Soon, she was on the twelfth round.

As the countdown ended, one of Needles' group dropped a bottle to the floor, the noise and the shards of glass didn't even register in Asuka's thoughts. She kept on firmly shooting the banditos. The cashier arrived to demand payment for the spilled drink and to clean up. Shinji stopped the man, "I'll clean up, just let her finish her game."

Marty supported him, "I'll help him, Rob."

"Ok, Marty. I'll hold you two to that. And you," he wagged angrily at Needles' crew. "don't make any more messes!"

Ten minutes later, Asuka turned to Needles with a poisonously sweet smile for a moment, and proceeded to put her initials in the high score screen, but not as ALS, but U02. She finally put the electronic gun back into its place. Raising an eyebrow, she said. "I don't wanna see you or your apes around me or my friends for at least three months, are we clear?"

Twisting his face, Needles looked at the highest score and Asuka's tag. "Very clear." He slapped the chest of his closest minion with a backwards open hand, "C'mon, guys. Let's go somewhere fun." A moment later, the group heard a screech of tires coming from the street.

Asuka relaxed. "What a bunch of chimps. Oh, well… at least they won't be bothering us for a while."

Marty whistled, "Where did you learn to shoot like that?" He asked.

"First Branch of NERV, Berlin." She smiled. "German shooting range and German instructors. Best of the world."

Rob arrived with brooms, dustpans and mops. Shinji and Marty cleaned up the broken glass and spilled soda.

Author Notes

(1) Clearly, Ritsuko has watched at least a few episodes of The Incredible Hulk TV series, With Bill Bixby as David Banner, and Lou Ferrigno as the titular Hulk. As she mentions, Banner wandered all over the USA, always using a fake name, keeping his given name, and using a different surname, beginning with a B. The tv show was first broadcast in 1977 (pilot episode), and was canceled in 1982. The show was popular enough to return as several tv movies (1988, 1989 and 1990), though Bill Bixby's death in 1993 ended any possibility of a fourth movie.

(2) The Ellery Queen series has a curious distinction apart from the little "Now you have all the Clues" note. Ellery Queen is both the pseudonym of a series of writers (originally Frederic Dannay (1905–1982) and Manfred Bennington Lee (1905–1971), other writers from 1961 onwards) and the protagonist's name! The character was first published back in 1928, and was popular enough to name a magazine, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, that began its run in 1941 and is still being published. From 1961 onwards, book written under the Ellery Queen's pseudonym don't feature him as a character.

(3) Indeed, the backwards name trope is so overused, I tend to apply it automatically. Being a DC Comics fan, I'm used to read backwards, as it is the gimmick of Zatanna, a magical member of several versions of the Justice League. Same with anagrams.

(4) The episode is Snowball in Hell, First Season, episode 21. Originally broadcasted in Feb 18, 1967

Kudos to 1Batman4u for the idea of having George and the Ghostbusters drinking together. Unfortunately, I couldn't make it work with George, not after the heavy revelation last chapter. I thought it would make better sense if the former Ghostbusters sequestered themselves into their place, and use alcohol to numb the shock. Not exactly the best therapy, but I thought it made sense in context.

Here's the original dialogues as they put it in their Review for Chapter 30

1Batman4u
1680311342 . chapter 30

Is George close enough to the Ghostbusters to hang out at a bar together?

George: "Whoa."
Ray: "What?"
George: "Doctor Emmett Brown, Emmett E-M-I-T is 'time' spelled backwards."
Ray: "Whoa, you just blew my mind."
Winston: (takes George's and Ray's beers)
Winston: "I think you two have had enough."