End of the Future, Part 37

Hill Valley Vignettes, Part V

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).

Next Friday

Chicago, Ill., USA
Carrie Plotkin's Apartment

Carrie Plotkin returned home after a long day of work, her five-years old child eating chips on the backseat. Carrie struggled with the keys, grocery bag, and a very normal child as she arrived to her apartment's door.

Mrs. Johnson, the old woman nominally in charge of the door, smiled at her, holding up a thick envelope. "Hello, girl! You got mail! And it doesn't look like it's junk or a bill!"

Carrie hesitated, trying for a moment to think of a way to take the envelope into her already busy hands.

"Here, let me!" Mrs Johnson took her keys, and opened the door.

"Oh, thank you, just… need to…"

"Who wrote you, Mommy?" Callie asked, eyeing the letter, while Carrie put her bag on the table.

"Let me see." With a grateful smile to Mrs. Johnson, Carrie took the letter, checking the sender, "It's from an old friend, Callie. I haven't heard of him since… since before you were born!" She looked at Mrs. Johnson, hoping for her to be discreet.

"Must be a very old friend…" Callie said, matter-of-fact.

Mrs. Johnson nodded, getting the hint. "See you later, girls. I have a lot to do!"

Carrie rummaged in a drawer, and brought out a coloring book and a set of color pencils. "Callie? Do you want to color a while?"

Her little face lit up. "Yes!" Eager to start, she took the items and sat down by her little table to work, while her mother opened the letter. It was from Egon Spengler. Her summer boyfriend some years before.

She began to read the neatly written words.

Hill Valley, California, USA
Lightning Bolt Studios
Rollie Tyler's Workshop

"Just a small drop of glue is needed. This thing melts plastic, that's how it works. You apply a bit to both contact surfaces, wait a bit for the plastic to melt a little. About ten seconds is right…" Rollie instructed Shinji, working on his own model to demonstrate the technique. "Then, press the pieces together, hold firmly for about fifteen seconds, and release. If they separated during the test fitting, you use a clamp, tape, or a rubber band to hold them together. Be careful the glue doesn't seep under whatever you're using to hold the pieces. It makes a mess."

Shinji watched with perfect interest. Rollie was a very good teacher within his area of expertise. They had already gone over the instructions of the kit, confirmed they had all the tools and paints, and discussed each step.

While Shinji worked on his scale X-Wing, Asuka was busy measuring some balsa wood pieces, frequently consulting a couple of Starlog magazines. Rollie checked her work. "Very good eye, Asuka." He approved. "Here's a roll of masking tape. Use it sparingly, just to hold the pieces together while the glue sets."

"Why are we putting the X-Wing in the Mos Eisley landing bay? Luke never lands there with the X-Wing." She asked, shaking her head to clear her hair off her eyes.

"Not on Star Wars. But he must have landed somewhere in the last movie. Why not Docking Bay 94?" He argued, grinning.

"Um, we haven't seen that one yet. We have tickets for The Empire Strikes Back Sunday matinee. Return of the Jedi is next week."

"Ah, then I better shut up." Rollie chuckled, zipping his lips. "Wouldn't want to ruin the surprise."

"What surprise?" Shinji asked, putting a subassembly down.

"The big one." Rollie said mysteriously. "Believe me, you don't want spoilers here."

Asuka and Shinji exchanged a look, and nodded simultaneously before returning to their own tasks.

"Um… Rollie? Why are we not following the instructions to the letter?" Shinji scratched his head.

"Ah, very good question, my dear apprentice. The instruction sheet is done for the most basic assembly and painting. Usually so the model will be done to a satisfactory finish. We are aiming for a more convincing look. We want it to look as real as possible for the camera. So, we are going all out on the finish. If we follow the instructions as they are, we get a nice looking toy. We want an old, battered, dirty, ship. Something that has been out there, fighting, getting shot at, repaired multiple times. Hence, the changes I told you to do."

He tapped at the reference picture. We won't be posing the kit as in flight, but on the ground, so we don't need the wings to be open. But, we will need the landing gear extended. The one included in the set is not to movie FX standards, molding lines are too obvious. So, we will copy the one in the full size prop, and build it with copper tube, plastic sheet and other stuff. That goes for the set Asuka is building too. There are some mechanical things in the pictures, we will build and weather them so they look worn."

"Understood!" Both kids said.

"Funny thing is…" he grinned mischievously, "the original builders did a similar thing, if you pay attention and have an encyclopedic knowledge of model kits, you can look at the ships on screen and recognize pieces of model kits of planes, tanks, trains, and other things!" (1)

Hill Valley, California
McFly house

"To be honest, Ritsuko, I'm very worried." Lorraine said, putting her mug of coffee on the coaster. "You're drinking way too much coffee!"

"I know. I'm cutting down on it. Nicotine is a Devil of an addiction." Her hands shook a bit. "When Rei reconstituted my body, she made it perfectly healthy. It's just psychological, but habits like that are hard to break." She put her mug down too.

"I see." Lorraine looked down. She knew about her counterpart alcoholic tendencies, and thanked God Marty and Doc had set her and George in a much better way. She changed subject, "Soooo… How are you adapting to the Stone Age we live in?" She chuckled at her own joke.

Ritsuko thought for a moment. "I feel so much better here. In my own time, there was a…" she gestured vaguely with her hand, "…a feeling of impending doom hanging over everybody. Even the people who knew nothing about the truth behind Second and Third Impacts… even they felt they were living under a Damocles Sword, just going through the motions."

"How awful!" Lorraine exclaimed. "But I understand that a bit better than I think you believe. I grew during the Cold War, with the constant threat of an atomic apocalypse."

Ritsuko nodded and continued. "Some people just… gave up. No hope, no joy, just dread." She shook her brown hair. "Others were angry, like Misato. She wanted to go down fighting."

"Do not go gentle into that good night, / Old age should burn and rave at close of day; / Rage, rage against the dying of the light." Lorraine quoted solemnly, "A few months ago, I didn't really get the poem. Now I do, Ritsuko. My husband and my son are up to their eyebrows into stopping that night. Along with the rest of the group, of course."

Lorraine's voice trembled. "I am not a genius who understands about time or souls. I don't know how to operate anything more complex than a pocket calculator. I'm not brave enough to drive a giant robot to fight unholy abominations. I'm not a bold or too aggressive woman. I am, more than any other thing, a wife and a mother. I have a family that means everything to me, and to know a cabal of deluded fearful little men wants to take it from me makes my blood boil; make no mistake. And now I have three more kids to care for. Kids who need a mother and a father in their lives. There are many things I can't do. But I can care for them. I can watch over them and give them a home to come back to." Her eyes misted with tears.

In a rare moment of empathy, Ritsuko extended a hand, and softly grabbed at Lorraine's shoulder. "I have seen how you treat everybody in your home. I wish…" she looked down. "I wish my own mother had been half the mother you are. The Children were a ragged mass of mental issues. Misato spent many hours trying to pull Shinji out of his shell, to curb Asuka's aggression; she couldn't do much, but she tried. Rei was not allowed to create bonds with other kids her age."

"You know the reason." She shook her head sadly, "To break them in the right moment, in the right way, to unleash Third Impact. I'm not innocent, I contributed actively and I'm deeply ashamed of that. I saw no other way then. Lesser of two evils… bah!"

"I was a monster. I allowed Gendo to turn me into a monster. But I'll be damned if I let it happen again."

Saturday

Hill Valley, California
Brown Industries
Workshop

"Detection test, attempt number 15. Metalic screen, steel reinforced with inner Faraday cage." Dr. Egon Spengler spoke clearly for the recording, he pushed a button on the intercom. "Rei, can you still feel the soul?"

Rei Ayanami sat primly on a stool at the other side of the building. Her eyes covered by a simple black sleeping mask. She spoke towards the microphone. "I can, Dr. Spengler." She didn't add anything else.

Egon released the button, so Rei wouldn't hear him. "Ray, increase the current to the next level."

"Increasing." Dr. Stantz turned up a dial. "127% of initial power."

"What about now, Rei?" Egon asked through the intercom.

"No change. I can still feel Lt. Hyuga's presence in Instrumentallity."

"Ok. Ray, turn it down and add another layer of steel."

"Dr. Spengler?" Rei asked, "I have a question."

"Go ahead." He answered.

"Do you have access to any ghosts at the moment?"

"Not now, no. The containment unit was empty after Peck made it blow in New York. We were not allowed to recapture the ghosts until the lawsuit were done. And by then we already had agreed to come to Hill Valley."

Ray leaned onto the intercom, "We have all the necessary equipment here. The original proton packs, wands, and traps are in storage. Would need a tune up, though. Why?"

"I can feel ghosts. If Inspector Kaji is an average ghost, I could be able to turn them into LCL."

"Interesting theory." Egon tapped his pen against the desk, still holding the intercom button. "Maybe you could reconstitute a ghost into a living organism."

"Possible, though it would depend on each individual ghost. If there's little of the soul left, it wouldn't work." She said.

"G/g/guys? I think/k/k/k I know/ow what Rei is getting/getting at." Lisa interjected. "Could a gh/gh/ghost trap hide a ghost from her/her/r/r senses?"

Egon and Ray exchanged a look.

"I'll get the proton packs." Ray said, "You call Doc and Winston."

New York City, USA
World of the Psychic staff meeting

"What do you guys have for me?" Dr. Peter Venkman clapped his hands together, "Bigfoot sightings? Sewer mutants? Mind readers working for the Army?"

"I have an Elvis sighting." One of his researched raised a hand.

"We did that last week, let's keep that one in reserve for… two weeks from now." Venkman shook his head. "Who else?"

"More Ghost Drivers sightings." Another man spoke, "Well, just one, but this time here in America!"

"Really? Where? That segment got a lot of mail." Venkman grinned in anticipation.

"Providence, Rhode Island. Supposedly a VW Beetle."

"What is Herbie (2) doing in Lovecraft Country (3), Jake?"

"The Love Bug? Nothing. This one was a blue one, not white. Anyway, it was reported as stolen, and found in the parking lot of a motel right in the city limits."

"Pics?"

"The owner wants a few bucks to let us record a short segment. 50 and a chance to be on TV."

"Okay, let him have a bit of fame."

"I have a weird UFO sighting." Sammy ventured.

"Weird how?"

"Didn't fly. Of if it did, it was hugging the ground."

"Paint me curious. Explain that."

"Some guy in California claims he was camping in the desert, when he heard several thunder-like noises, without a cloud in the sky, and right after that, he saw a lightning on the ground. He used some binoculars, and saw fire on the ground. He picked up his stuff, and bolted away."

"Did he see the UFO?"

"No. Just the lightning and the fire."

"No pics?"

"Nope. He was too scared to think."

"Hmm… contact him and ask if he can find the place again. Let's keep that one in reserve. Now, any lake monsters on sight this week?"

"Not yet, but we have three ghost reports. One here in Manhattan."

Venkman's eyes sparkled. "Really? There's a description?"

"Yeah, some guy jogging in Central Park." (4)

"What did he saw?"

"No, no. That's the ghost. Word on the street he was some health nut who never missed his daily jog. He died suddenly and still goes to jog. He's not always visible, depends on the season. Sometimes he does his route when it's dark, and it's easy to see him. With daylight, not so much." (5)

Hill Valley, California
Paul's home (garage)

"Ok, guys, last rehearsal." Marty said, tuning his guitar. "Where are the girls?"

Shinji was trying some chords, "Jennifer will pick up Rei and Asuka. They must be on the way."

"Cool." Paul smiled. "Uh, Shinji? Is Rei… you know… involved?"

Shinji gasped, was Paul suspecting something? "Uh, what do you mean?"

"Is she with somebody? I mean, she's cute and all that, she must be beating off the guys with a stick!"

"Um…" Shinji hesitated, "Not that I know…"

"Would you mind if I… you know… shoot my shot? I know we've known each other for more than five minutes, but I really wanna try."

"I don't mind, just treat her well, even if she rejects you, okay?. If you don't, there will be trouble." He meant it, and was surprised at himself, where had that big brother instinct come from?

"Sure, pal. I'm not that kind of guy, no means no and all that, right?"

Shinji nodded. A few minutes later, the three girls arrived. "Hey, guys!" Jennifer kissed Marty on the cheek. Asuka waved and promptly took her microphone, while Rei followed suit. "Let's rock this joint!" Jennifer took her place. "You got the order yet?"

"Sure." Marty said, adjusting his guitar. "Here's the list," Asuka took it, and held it so her friends could read it too. Marty continued, "We start with some Sinatra, then Mr. Sandman, follow with a couple of the Starlighters' songs, and we finish with Johnny B. Good and Earth Angel."

Rei's eyebrows twitched, but didn't comment.

Asuka tapped on her microphone, testing it. "Okay, lets do it in the same order." She cleared her throat, while the Pinheads started playing. She nodded to Rei and Jennifer, and waited a few moments to sing on her cue.

"Strangers in the night,
exchanging glances,

Wondering in the night
What were the chances

we'd be sharing love
Before the night was through?"

She looked back at Shinji, who was playing his cello without hesitation, their eyes locked on each other's, both smiling. Asuka blew a kiss to Shinji. He knew then she was singing for him, and from that moment, he was playing for her.

Author Notes

(1) True. Though in an even funnier turn of events, after the success of the plastic models, the FX crew bought and build several model kits of X-Wings and TIE Fighters for both The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi!

(2) Herbie the VW Beetle is the unexplainedly self-aware protagonist of the "Love Bug" series of movies. He is a white Beetle with red and blue stripes and the number "53". The first movie was released in 1969.

(3) Providence is the birthplace of horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. He lived there most of his life.

(4) Quite a harmless ghost, actually. He was part of the montage in Ghostbusters 2.

(5) In Ghostbusters 2, the jogger can be clearly seen in daylight, pushing people out of his way. Im attributing that to the effects of the underground river of psychoplasm, making him more "real".