End of the Future, Part 39
Happy Anniversary/A Roll of the Dice
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).
Note. During the roleplaying scene, the characters speech is in cursive. Later on, Klingon is noted with [brackets]
Next Friday
Hill Valley, California, USA
McFly House
(Shared backyard with Brown House; provisional structures raised for a party)
Early Afternoon
George and Lorraine McFly smiled widely. They felt just like two teenagers again! 25 years of Marriage are easy to say, but very hard to reach.
The backyard was full of people; friends, relatives, and acquaintances.
George stood up at the head table, and offered his hand to Lorraine, who stood next to him. He took a microphone, tapped it twice, and satisfied by the thumping noises, spoke with firm voice. "Thank you, everybody, for accompanying us in this happy day!" He paused, looking around at the improbable collection of people gathered on the backyard. "It feels like just yesterday I, a clumsy and awkward teenage boy with a ludicrous hair cut, gathered my courage, approached the most beautiful girl in town, and mumbled 'Lorraine, my density has popped me to you!'" (1)
He paused while the laughter abated. He grinned awkwardly. "I know, I know! Worst pick-up line ever!" He gestured with his hands, "I was terribly nervous! I had notes and even so, I fumbled it!" He shrugged, "What did you expect! As I said…" he caressed Lorraine's cheek for a few seconds, looking deeply into her eyes, making her blush like a teenager! "The most beautiful girl in town, or so I thought. Time has proved me absolutely wrong about that!"
He raised his glass, while Lorraine mock punched him on the arm, "She was, and still is, the most beautiful girl in this, or any other world!"
Everybody cheered and clapped. Especially their three children.
"Hard to believe we've been married for twenty five great years!" He kissed her. "But time flies when you're happy!"
"When you have fun!" Rollie yelled from the back. Andy elbowed him quickly.
George raised his glass, "Yeah, that too!" They toasted while Lorraine got her breath back.
"Whoa!" She fanned herself with her hands. "I… I don't really know what to say! A bit more than thirty years since our first date, at the Enchantment Under the Sea school dance!" (2)
George and Marty exchanged a signal, and the Pinheads began to play, Lorraine recognized the song immediately. She didn't even had to wait for Asuka to start singing. The notes of "Strangers in the Night" were very distinctive.
She dragged George to the center of the dance floor, and both danced to the music. Feeling like there was no one else in the world. Lost in each other's eyes.
At the back of the crowd, Ritsuko Akagi held a glass of punch, looking at the happy couple as the song wound down to the end. Everybody clapped while the kids began to play Mr. Sandman. Doc's raspy voice brought her out of her thoughts. "A cent for your thoughts?"
She shook her head, "Just remembering past mistakes. You know? If somebody had asked me if I would ever regret not dancing at a party, I would have laughed. I was always the cool-headed scientist. And now I find myself wanting to dance, but without a partner at hand… well…"
"Well indeed," Doc cleared his throat, "That's a problem with an easy solution, don't you think?" He extended his hand. For once, Ritsuko decided to go with her emotions. "I must warn you, Doc, I can't dance to save my life!" She half-smiled.
"Oh, don't worry. I always wear safety boots!" She looked down, to find a perfectly normal pair of black shoes. He chuckled softly. "Made you look!" He said playfully.
She couldn't help but laugh. It had been… too long since the last time she had actually laughed! "Well, in that case, I accept. Don't say I didn't warn you."
"I'm no great dancer myself, Miss Akagi, but let's just have some fun today. All work and no play, and all that."
On the platform, Asuka's brow twisted in incomprehension, and looked back at Shinji, who had a very similar facial expression. He shook his head, and managed to shrug without missing a single note. 'Not our business' he seemed to say. Asuka nodded, and continued the song.
After another two songs, Marty took the microphone, "We are going to make a pause, folks, we will continue in ten minutes." While he was about to put his guitar down and go get a plate for himself and Jennifer, Ritsuko approached the group.
She coughed softly into her left hand. "I wonder… do you guys take suggestions?" She had a 20 dollar bill in her hand.
Marty looked at the others for a moment, "It depends on if we know the song, Doctor Akagi."
"I'm sure you do. But I'd like to sing it, if you let me. And it's just Ritsuko."
The kids conferred quickly, and accepted.
"Ah, sure, which song?"
Afther the promised ten minutes (plus three), the Pinheads took back their places. Marty took the microphone. "Okay, people, we are back. We have a very special guest today, who asked to sing a song, for old times sake. Please welcome Miss Ritsuko Akagi!"
There was some polite clapping, Ritsuko adjusted the microphone, somehow avoiding the dreaded sharp noise. "Hello, everybody. I'd like to dedicate this song to a very dear friend of mine, whom I miss dearly. She always made some fun of me and my favorite song, but always sang it with me at the…" she was about to say 'karaoke', "…parties at work."
"So, Misato, this one is for you, wherever you are."
She nodded back at the others, who started playing. Shinji moved the cello's bow with the ease of long practice.
Ritsuko took breath, closed her eyes, and began to sing with a surprisingly well modulated voice.
"Fly me to the moon
And let me play among the stars…"
Principal Strickland couldn't believe his ears, as Marty McFly played Johnny B. Good with incredible energy. He half expected him to break into that same horrible, indescribable racket they had the previous year.
But contrary to his misgivings, young McFly and his group played a very normal rendition of the song. Evidently the parents had steered them into better musical choices. Or possibly the newcomers from Japan. Young Ayanami had a very classical formation, if Mr. Lewis (3), his music teacher, had informed him correctly.
Strickland sighed in relief, nodding to himself.
Despite their horrendous audition a year before, the… Pinheads… (what kind of name was that, anyway?) were doing a very good job with the old songs of the 1950s.
He thought they might have a chance for the next school dance. Halloween was getting close. If they limited their repertoire to relatively sedate songs, he would reconsider them for a second audition.
The Ghostbusters mingled among the other guests, Winston kept a watchful eye on his friends, as both had a certain tendency to fall back into talking about science, inevitably falling into technobabble in a matter of minutes.
Actually, Egon seemed quite happy to talk with Rollie, who was certifiably proud of Shinji and Asuka's work in a diorama they were still working on, and of course, of Rei's skill with make-up, she was now practicing making fake scars. Meanwhile, Ray clumsily danced with Andy. They made a strange couple, with the usually extroverted Ray being led by a petite, yet forceful, young woman
He smiled to himself. Things were going quite well on the Anti-conspiracy front. Heck, even the domestic front was quite at ease. He checked his watch.
'Ah, well,' he thought. 'Maybe I can find a gal to dance with. The floor isn't gonna polish itself.'
Somewhere in Nevada, USA
A jeep drove through the desert, raising a cloud of dust behind it. The headlights were darkly lit with an otherworldly amber light, barely illuminating the sand ahead.
The car stopped at the side of the road, as if hesitating to go back to the asphalt. Finally, it drove towards a dilapidated gas station, seemingly abandoned for years.
It parked inside the garage, unseen. No one would find it.
There was an old pick up truck, dirty, rusted, and motorless, left there by some mechanic who interrupted work and never returned.
Still, it would be enough for the entity's purposes. A puddle of ectoplasm oozed from one vehicle to the other.
Soon, silence wrapped the place, abandoned again.
Hill Valley, California, USA
Brown Industries
Third Impact Workshop
Not being able to actually go to the party, Lisa and Clara just spend some time talking. They spoke of their lives, though there had been a lot of explanations for context, from both of them.
"I wish I could have met all of you back when I was alive…" said Clara, wistfully.
"I'm sure you would have been/be/be/been a great addition to the t/t/t/team." Lisa stammered. Her digital face jerking in three different facial expressions.
"How? I'm just an elementary school teacher. What could I add to all their scientific knowledge?"
"C/c/common sense/sense? C/c/courage? You underestimate/t/timate yourself."
Clara floated around the ghost chamber, the structure had been tested, refined, tested, modified, tested, and refined again multiple times during the week she had been haunting the workshop.
Lisa continued, "Anyway/y/y, your help has been p/p/priceless. By the t/ts/time Third Imp/p/pact hits many peop/p/ple will be protect/t/ted. Humanity will survive/vive."
Clara sighed sadly, "I just wish I could do more."
Lisa echoed her sigh. "So do I/I/I…" She kept silent for a few seconds, "Have I t/t/told you about my b/b/boys?"
"You have family! I thought you were a…"
"Artificial/ficial inteligence. Yes/s/s. But the k/kids who made me were my kids t/t/too. Hard to exp/p/plain. They made me an adult/t/t, so I was their guide, their parent/t/tal fig/figure." (4) She laughed, "I keep tabs on them from/from time t/t/t/to time."
Hill Valley, California, USA
McFly House
(After the party)
"Well," Paul said, eating the last peanut from a bowl, "that was a great gig!"
"Yeah! Total success! Maybe we should play oldies more often." Marty added. "I think we should add the girls permanently. You were a great success, all three." He addressed Asuka, who had taken the lead singer spot.
Asuka shook her head. "Not me. It was nice, but not really my style. I'd like to keep singing but only as an ocassional hobby."
Jennifer nodded. "Same for me. My grades have not been up to standard, and Dad is getting disappointed."
Rei nodded. "I'll consider it. It was nice."
"That's okay," Paul said, a bit awkwardly, "Hum… Rei? I was wondering if, um…" she raised an eyebrow. "If I could take you to a movie or something next weekend."
She exchanged a Quick Look with Shinji, who nodded fractionally. "It's okay by me. You'll have to ask Uncle Emmet for permission."
"Um, yes, sure." Paul scratched the back of his head, a goofy smile on his face. He didn't really notice when the girls left the group.
Marty snapped his fingers in front of Paul's face. "Hey, man. Earth to Paul, you reached orbit."
"Uh?"
Even Shinji chuckled.
Paul shook his head, as if clearing it. "Um, hey." He changed subject. "Hey, we don't have to rehearse tomorrow, do we?"
Shinji shook his head. "I don't think so." He looked around, the others shook their hearts too in agreement. "We can take the day off and roll the dice."
"Exactly what I wanted to tell you. I have a new adventure planned. Nothing too big, just a quick investigation. Remember the cultist from last time? Same guy, but now he has some friends." (5) Lee rubbed his hands together in anticipation.
Hill Valley, California, USA
Paul's Home
Garage
"Ok, Johnny (Shinji's character), you watch the scene through the binoculars. The Cult is gathering at a clearing in the dark, sinister woods. They have made a strange circle in the ground, using some dust that glows with a sickly green light, and that somehow is not moved by the wind. You can clearly see the robes of the cultists fluttering in the wind, like the wings of some primordial creature." Lee paused his narration. "What do you do?"
Shinji played with the dice, thinking. "Johnny mumbles 'I'm an accountant, for Pete's sake! How did I end up in the top of a tree, watching some weirdos prepare some ritual to bring the end of the world?' Then I adjust the binoculars and try to find the leader." (6)
"Okay, roll for Spot Hidden. All these guys look the same with their robes and hoods."
"I have a Spot Hidden of 35…" Shinji rolled the two ten-sided die, they stopped next to a can of Pepsi. "28!" (7)
"Cool!" Lee said, "You notice the cultists look deferential to a skinny guy. The man holds an old book in his hands."
"Keeping the man in sight, Johnny informs the rest of the group." He mimed holding binoculars, and spoke from the side of his mouth. "Guys? I see the leader. The cult is preparing for something. A ritual. He's holding a book."
"Okay, Marty, your turn, what does Joe do?"
Marty scratched his chin, "Can you recognize the book, Johnny?"
"I roll for Occult." Shinji said, checking his character sheet. "Man, that one will be difficult, I only have 7%." (8)
"If you don't make it, describe the book. Maybe one of us can identify it." Paul said. "Frank knows a lot of stuff, being a crime reporter, sometimes I get a scoop about stolen property." He checked his sheet. "Frank has a 14% in Occult."
Marty checked his own sheet, "Sorry, I didn't put any points there, base 5%."
Bobby smiled, "O'Hara has a 15% in Occult. That flat-foot has seen some weird stuff in New York!"
Shinji failed his Occult roll with a terrible 87%, but his description was good enough for Bobby's cop to try his own roll. "A-ha! 6! What do I know, Lee?"
"The book fits the description of a stolen book from a private collector in New York. It's an old copy of the Unaussprechlichen Kulten (9), by von Juntz." He paused for effect. "It's the original 1839 edition. Not one of the expurgated copies printed later."
"Oh, Hell in a hand basket!" Bobby shook his head. "That one is reputed to actually have working spells!"
Lee grinned. "Yup. What do you guys do."
The intrepid Investigators paused to confer animatedly. Shinji noted that his character had climbed down the tree.
"Those cultists are preparing a ritual, that's obvious." Marty said, "Shinji, did you see any prisoners or animals?"
He turned to Lee, who simply shook his head. The former pilot continued, "No, just the cultists. The priest seemed to be ordering them around."
Marty asked, "Prisoners?"
Bobby nodded. "Yeah, or animals. For a blood sacrifice. Remember the news? There was a kidnapping of a young debutante. There was a report of strange hooded people in the area. I wouldn't be surprised if the girl is the sacrifice."
Shinji asked, "Can I draw the symbol they were drawing on the ground?"
"Sure." Lee ripped a sheet from his notebook, and passed it to the players. "It's this thing."
Bobby nodded, "I wanna roll to see if I recognize it. Profession: Police?"
"Sure, how many points?" (10)
"30." He rolled a 17.
"It looks like one from an unsolved murder case from three years ago. The victim was found in the center of the symbol, but the symbol itself had been carved on stone."
"I think we have some time." Marty said. "Do we look for the victim?"
Paul's next words would be the key for changing history. Not just in the game.
In the real world.
"Hey guys. Why don't we just steal that book and destroy it before the cultists can use it? Then the cultists won't have anything to work with."
In an ironically Lovecraftian moment of clarity, Marty and Shinji's brains correlated their respective contents. And with a Quick Look. Both reached the same conclusion.
Steal the book and destroy it.
Before the cultists could use it.
Shinji stood up brusquely. "I gotta go!" He said.
Marty stood up next. "Sorry, guys. We forgot something. Can we continue next week?" The two gathered their stuff quickly.
"Ah, sure, it's a good place to stop anyway." Lee said, secretly relieved, he had to make plans for the unexpected development. The party was supposed to search for the missing girl.
Hill Valley, California, USA
Brown industries
Anti-Conspiracy General Meeting.
"Are you guys okay?" Ray Stantz asked, worried. Marty and Shinji were out of breath, panting and gulping.
Marty made placating gestures with his hands. "Yeah, we… we realized we're…"
"We are doing… it wrong…" Shinji finished.
"How?" Doc asked. "We found a way to protect people from Instrumentality!"
Shinji slammed a hand on the table, startling everybody.
"That's not enough! We have to stop Second Impact, instead of mitigate the Third one!"
Egon adjusted his eyeglasses. "We don't know what SEELE did to iníciate it. We are lacking critical data."
Marty gulped, looking around. "That's the thing. We don't have to."
Shinji spoke, growling in Klingon. "[We stop SEELE from the beginning. We take that knowledge from them.]"
Asuka facepalmed, "[The Dead Sea Scrolls! Without them SEELE can't do anything!]" Everybody else followed suit, except for Lisa and Clara.
Author Notes
(1) Yep, he does say that! I misremembered it as "Lorraine, I am your density!" Luckily I went back and rewatched the scene.
(2) Of course, George and Lorraine are leaving out quite a few details…
(3) None other than Huey Lewis. The best known new song from the BTTF soundtrack was The Power of Love, played by Huey Lewis and the News. The Pinheads played a heavy metal version of the song at the beginning of the movie, and were rejected by none other than Huey Lewis himself! He was cast as part of the selection comitee.
(4) In a strange twist, Lisa was functionally much more mature than her creators Gary and Wyatt, despite being only a few seconds old. She was very well adjusted, socially able, an expert practical psychologist, and a reality-warper. Being very fond of her creators, Lisa put them in multiple situations so they could mature emotionally. At this point in the timeline, Gary and Wyatt are attending college, have two loyal and very loving girlfriends, and can make their own way in the world. The original Lisa is around, taking repressed kids under her wing, and helping them too. Max-Headroom-like Lisa, our Lisa, has kept well away from her younger self, for fear of causing a paradox.
(5) Actually, Paul is breaking the unspoken rules a bit. He shouldn't be giving spoilers or hints to his players. He's just a bit too enthusiastic.
(6) During play, each gamer has to narrate their actions and either speak for their character, or relay what they say. It depends on each player. Some are comfortable actually speaking their character's words, while others prefer to describe them as "My character says…" Shinji is in the first category. Also, it's normal to change POV. Shinji speaks in character, but narrates his character's actions in the third person.
(7) In Call of Cthulhu, and other games with the BRP system, each character has a percentile number for each skill, the higher the number, the better the skill. So any roll equal or under the skill number is successful. In this case, a roll of 28 vs a skill of 35 is enough for success.
(8) The characters already have some basic knowledge in several skills, called "Base skill", this represents general knowledge. During character creation, the player can assign point to any skill he wants. In this case, Shinji raised his character's Occult skill from5% to 7%.
(9) One of the madness-inducing books in the Cthulhu Mythos library. Not on the level of the Necronomicon, created by H.P. Lovecraft, but high on the scale. The Unaussprechlichen Kulten was created by fellow Mythos writer Robert E. Howard, for the short story, "The Black Stone" (published in 1931). Howard is best known as the creator of Conan the Barbarian, and his famous creation is firmly set in the same universe as the Mythos. Though he tends to not go insane at the sight of Eldritch monstruosities.
(10) There are several open slots in the character sheet for unlisted skills. In this case, Bobby assigned 30 points to his Profession; being a cop, he is familiar with the main aspects of police work.