End of the Future, Part 41

Rei Ayanami's Day Off/Abe Froman Rides Again

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).

Saturday

Hill Valley, California, USA
Brown industries
Anti-Conspiracy HQ
11:23 AM

Ritsuko Akagi paced around, under Lisa and Clara's vigilant eyes. It didn't bother her. No judgement from them would be harsher than her own regrets.

"We are missing something, I'm sure. It's like I have a voice right behind my eyes (1) telling me we're forgetting an important detail, or even worse, multiple important details." She grumbled, eventually stopping to drink a sip of coffee. "Now, let's say we can get the exact time and place the alien Scrolls were found. Then what? How do we get them away from SEELE?"

Clara cleared her throat discreetly. "I trust they will find out that eventually. All of you seem very capable."

"Thanks, but we have been blindsided by the obvious before." Ritsuko threw her hands on the air.

"M/m/more t/t/than once/ce/ce." Lisa admitted, "We have an excess/cess/cess of fissionable st/st/stuff st/t/t/stored, along w/w/with a telep/p/p/port/porting syst/tem that can mutate/te the user/user into a mom/monster." She seemed to shrug, at least as much as she could being just a set of head, shoulders, and a bit of torso. "T/T/Think of green glo/glo/glowing poisonous rocks/ks, and magic/cal doors, Clara. It's not exactly that/that/that, but it's the closest I c/c/can think of that you c/c/can understand."

The ghost nodded, not fully understanding, but accepting the explanation. "Um, why green?"

Ritsuko exchanged a look with Lisa, "Right, you died in 1885. Well, around that time, arsenic got really popular in Europe, especially England, and was used in all kind of pigments, later on, it was found that arsenic-base dyes were very poisonous. One of the most popular arsenical dyes was a very vibrant shade of green, and was used everywhere, in all kinds of stuff, even wallpaper and clothing. Once it was found the dye was killing the customers, the color green became synonymous with poison." She sighed, "but that's not important now. Let's go back to the matter at hand." Ritsuko rested her hand on the long table. "Okay, let's work it out as if it was an already running op. Say we know where the scrolls are before SEELE takes them away for analysis. How many of them there are? How big? How much do they weight?"

Clara gasped. "How will they move them? I mean, for all we know, the scrolls could fill a train car completely!"

"Right. And how will we transport them, if we acquire the lot? And to where, exactly? If SEELE gets the scrolls back after we take them, all we have managed to do is to postpone Second Impact."

"Can't you use one of your flying machines? I watched them pass over the ravine many times."

Ritsuko tapped her chin before pushing a stray strand of brown hair back into its place. "One of ours, uh? Where are we going to get a plane during the early 20th Century, and who will fly it? I don't know how to fly a plane, all my training…" she looked vacantly ahead for a moment. "Damn it…" She struggled in vain to contain a grin.

"Oh, I see/see/see." Lisa smirked. "I m/m/may have t/t/to take back s/some of the t/t/things I've said about/ut/ut you."

"Um… thank you, I guess…" Ritsuko conceded. "Any way, we will have to go Back to the Future. Lisa? Do you know what parts would Doc need to make another Time Machine?"

"I have detailed files." Lisa answered, managing to contain her stuttering and to affect an Austrian accent at the same time. (2)

"Place the orders right now, and charge the lot to Lightning Bolt Studios. Time to play up the SFX cover. Now, let's review the files you got from the MAGI, okay? I need to plan a trip to the day after Third Impact here in the USA, I'm not in the mood to go back to Tokyo-3 or visit Germany; Nevada would be a waste of effort, there's nothing there."

"You bett/tter not be think/k/king of borrowing the DeLorean or the T/T/Toyota."

"No. Not without having a detailed plan. Which we are going to work out before the others come back from Chicago." She cracked her knuckles, an uncharacteristic gesture in her previous life. "Once we can discuss it with the whole group, we will organize a trip to Massachusetts. Hmm… I'll go get some maps, I know the location, and my clearance should be enough to get access..."

"Anyway, Dr. Brown is the only one of us who knows how to install the time circuits."

Chicago, Ill., USA
Professor Henry Jones Jr.'s House.
Kitchen Table

"Just like old times, isn't it, Shorty?" Professor Jones chuckled to himself. "Like planning an old-fashioned expedition. I have no idea why Doc wanted to know how to contact me back in 1936. He would have to have a Time Machine if he wanted to contact me back then."

His aide shook his head. "Just like then, but with less pants-wetting escapades, Doctor Jones." Wan Li raised a mug of coffee. "Neither of us is really in any shape to go around the world chasing treasures. I prefer to organize things anyway."

Jones grinned. "Agreed!" He rubbed his left hand. "Losing my eye really put an end to those adventures. Grabbing hanging vines to flee a crumbling temple is not so easy without depth perception."

"Yeah, maybe we should, you know, go back to the Everglades." The Chinese man offered.

"Not me, Shorty. Not me." He sighed. "I'm happy with my family, and have no wish to overstay in the world. Once was enough, I have buried too many people. I can go with a clear conscience. And anyway, I think the place got paved years ago."

Wan Li grinned in turn. "I'll miss you, Doctor Jones." He patted the old man's hand. "Thank you. If it wasn't for you, I would almost certainly have met a bad end back in Shanghai. But I got to come to the states, get an education, a family…" He palmed a trinket from the desk, and put it back with his other hand. "All because you were not an easy mark."

"It was the right thing to do." Jones shrugged modestly.

"Yeah, and you did it." Wan Li stood up, his vertebrae cracked into place. "Are you in the mood for Mexican food?"

"Hmm… no, all that talk about the Dead Sea Scrolls put in the mood for something less spicy… ah, remember Sallah? May his soul rest in peace. He taught me the recipes for some of his favorites so I could sneak some to the hospital that time he got a really bad scare. Let's go to get some groceries and I'll pass on the recipe. It would be a shame if it got lost to time."

Chicago, Ill., USA
"Chuck's"

"Sorry, sir. Your reservations have been confirmed. Must have been a mix-up. The system is new and well… you know, it takes some time to fix all the little problems. Please accept my apologies."

"Of course!" Ferris, erm… Mr. Abe Froman the Third smiled magnanimously. "Grandfather is always complaining about computers. I understand completely., He slipped a 20 into the man's hand as they shook. "Now, if you excuse us, my friends and I would like to make use of your installations."

"Of course, of course." The man made a sweeping gesture with his arm, inviting the kids. "Will you need equipment?"

Ferris turned back, a wide smile in his face, "Now that you mention, yes. First time and everything."

20 minutes later, Rei Ayanami howled her lungs off, chasing Ferris like a positron shot aimed at a crystalline Angel.

Behind them, Shinji struggled to catch up to them.

At the lead, Ferris Bueller made a sharp turn to the left, Rei did the same, actually getting closer. Shinji was close to skid off, but managed to take the curve by slowing drastically. He was left behind. With determination, he leaned forward, and sped off.

Ferris jumped around, bouncing on the balls of his feet, raising Rei's right hand. "And the winner; by seven yards and chaaange, Rei Ayanaaaaamiii!" He made crowd noises and clapped enthusiastically. Shinji smiled, seeing his sister blush at the attention, her usual demure face now had a big, warm smile.

Who could have known a go-kart race would be what Rei needed?

Chicago, Ill., USA
Outside Chuck's Go-Kart Track

"And here's the best girlfriend in the world!" Ferris hug a pretty girl with dark, shoulder length hair and a contagious smile, Ferris kissed her quickly and turned around, passing an arm over her shoulder, "Guys, allow me to make the introductions, Sloane, these are Shinji and Rei Ayanami; Shinji, Rei, meet Sloane Peterson. Their uncle came to consult Professor Jones, and asked me to give them the Chicago tour." He guided Sloane in an improvised dance step, making her giggle. "Now, what do you say to a very Chicago-style lunch?"

Sloane took Ferris offered arm, and said, "I'm famished! C'mon, guys! Ferris knows the best places to eat!"

Shyly, Rei raised a hand, "Um… I don't consume meat…"

Ferris turned around, walking backwards for a few steps. "That is absolutely no problem. I know a very good place with so many options you'll have no lack of choice! Are you okay with cheese?"

"Yeah." She said, inadvertently falling into coloquial slang.

"Well then, onwards!"

Chicago, Ill., USA
30 minutes, a taxicab ride, and a quick shouting match later

"Ferris, my man!" The burly cook shook Ferris' hand with a very fast and complex dance of hands and fingers. The man wore the stereotypical sleeveless shirt, over a well used apron, a white cap turned backwards, and short salt-and-pepper stubble. "Why haven't ya come around? School bugging ya or what?"

"Nah, Benny, intern job at the museum!" He laughed easily. "My friends here are visiting town, and I promised I'd bring them to the best pizza place in the city, but it was closed, so here we are!"

The man leaned threateningly over the counter, almost eye to eye with Ferris, stabbing his thick index finger on Ferris's chest. "Yer gonna eat those words!" And then he burst into a booming laughter. "Yer a kidder, kid!"

Ferris looked down in false embarrassment. "You know it, Benny!" And both laughed. "You know Sloane, and these are Rei and Shinji Ayanami. Good kids, a bit on the shy side." He shrugged. "Do you still prepare the Big Veggie? Rei here is vegetarian."

"Acchually, I discontinued it last month, but a frend of yers is a frend of mine, so, Fer limited time, I will happen to have one Big Veggie in the over. Take that table and gimme a few minutes." He slapped Ferris' shoulder so hard he almost bowled him down.

As they took their seats, Ferris rubbed his arm. "Man, that Benny doesn't know his own strength!"

Rei spoke softly. "His name is not Benny. His tag says J. Jackson."

Ferris leaned back on the cushioned seat, "Ah, right, good eye. It's a nickname. He's from a bad neighborhood in New York, used to run with a gang, got in the Air Force, was in the space program for a while. And he's built like a brick house."

He chuckled. "He's basically the Thing (3), but without the orange stones all over. So, everybody calls him Benny, after Ben Grimm."

Surprised, Rei blinked twice.

Ferris continued. "Benny says the Thing is his favorite character, and plays up the role. He even does the voice and all. 'It's clobbering' time!' It's all in good fun."

"I'm not familiar with the character." Rei admitted.

Shinji laughed nervously, "Ah, um… we were raised in a very isolated village, back in Japan." He explained.

Sloane shook her hair, "Are you exchange students?"

Rei shook her head. "No. We… lost our family, and Uncle Emmett is our closest relative, so he adopted us."

"I'm sorry." Ferris and Sloane said in unison. Benny's arrival with the Chicago-style pizzas broke the uncomfortable silence.

"Here ya you! A Big Veggie with extra toppings, and a New York panther bait. Right out the oven!" He put the two pizza platters on the table. "First round of drinks is on da house!"

Chicago, Ill., USA
Field Museum of Natural History

"Amazing…" Shinji exclaimed, looking at the sheer amount of fossils in the exhibit. Uncountable stone remains of all kinds of animals were neatly arranged in well lit showcases.

"Isn't it?" Ferris commented, Sloane by his arm. "It was my favorite field trip in Elementary School! There are more dinosaurs than the last time I visited! Come! The tyrannosaurus is over here!"

"He loves that pile of bones!" Sloane commented without rancor just as Ferris dragged her by the hand. Ferris enthusiasm was why she had fallen in love with him. He just knew how to enjoy life.

Shinji and Rei followed them at a more sedate pace. "Lilith…" Rei hesitated. "All this variety of creatures. Of life." Her voice cracked, "I never knew…"

"And to think most animals didn't even fossilized…" Shinji mused.

"The people who works here… they put such work on trying to understand… to know… just because they want to know."

Shinji kept silent. He knew when Rei needed to work what her feelings were.

She switched to Klingon, the guttural words sounded even stranger coming from her. "(And SEELE stole all that.)" Uncharacteristically, she closed her fist in deceptively calm anger. "(I won't allow it. SEELE must fail.)"

"(That's the plan, Rei. We will stop them from killing the world.)"

A very short woman with thick, round glasses stopped them. "Excuse me. Are you German?"

"Um, no. We have a friend who was raised in Germany, and we try to practice so she can talk in her native tongue." Shinji answered, a bit nervous.

"Ah, admirable attitude. Though you need to practice more, your accent is very noticeable. I couldn't understand a word."

Shinji smiled nervously. "Yeah, she has told us the same. Um…"

Rei rescued him. "It's actually a little known dialect, not exactly German." Resorting to the lie they had prepared in case they met a German speaker.

"Even better!" The woman smiled widely. "I wonder if you'd like to share your insights. I'm. Dr. Ann Cuthbert (4). I have just started my new job here, administration."

"Pleased to meet you, Dr. Cuthbert." Rei shook her hand. "My name is Rei Ayanami, this is my brother Shinji. I fear we are just visiting the city for a brief time. We will go back home tomorrow morning."

"A pity. Anyway, should you come back again, I'd be delighted to hear more of your friends dialect. She's also invited, of course. Here's my card." Shinji took it reverently with both hands, and bowed respectfully.

Ferris returned then. "C'mon, guys! It's almost time to go back to your hotel!"

"Well, here's where we part ways." Ferris said at the hotel lobby. "It was a pleasure to meet you two. I hope you had fun."

"We did. Yes." Rei said. "A very good day."

"You two looked quite intense yesterday, so I thought you'd need to relax a bit."

Shinji smiled. "Yeah, the last months have been tiring, school and other things, you know."

"Sure I know, but if you don't stop from time to time, and smell the roses, you'll just get an ulcer or something. Take some time off from time to time, that's my motto!" (5)

Author Notes

To Sabaku-no-Yokho: I briefly considered adding a version of Nadia to Doc's Instrumentality, but discarded the idea, as Doc wouldn't have any idea of the character. The series was released in Japan in 1990, a time he has not stopped by.

(1) Patrick Cowley used "voice behind your eyes" as a recurring motif in his last album, Mind Warp (1982), but in the context of having an alien life form fused with a human body. Shinji will get a copy of that album later on. Let's just say that the Pinheads repertoire will include a really creepy song for Halloween.

(2) Being from the future, Lisa is familiar with Terminator 2, Judgement Day.

(3) Ben Grimm, better known as the blue-eyed idol of millions, the Thing, debuted in Fantastic Four issue 1 (Aug, 1961), and has been featured in multiple media. In Benny's case, he took his cues from the Hanna-Barbera Fantastic Four cartoon from 1967, with the Thing voiced by Paul Frees. Personally, I am a big fan of the Latin American dub, where the Thing (renamed as La Mole, instead of the literal La Cosa) was usually voiced by Armando Gutierrez.

(4) Dr. Ann Cuthbert was played by the unmistakable Linda Hunt in The Relic (1997), it's one of my favorite Monster-in-the Prowl movies. She won't have a major role in this story, but I couldn't pass the chance to reference the movie.

(5) "Um, guys? What are doing in this Author Note? My part in the story is done. At least this chapter. Shoo. Shoo. Go read some other fanfic or something. This chapter is over."