Chapter 13 – Repairs and Preparations

The next part of the video showed Marty driving the unconscious Doc home and carrying the scientist into the mansion, which was followed by a scene of them sleeping in the main room, while Doc's dog Copernicus was resting on the floor. George and Lorraine found the scene cute and peaceful. They were glad their son finally got to have some well-deserved rest after everything he had gone through since the trip to 2015. As Doc woke up with a start to Howdy Doody suddenly playing on the television, the children's program from their youth filled George and Lorraine with a wave of nostalgia.

After turning off the television, Doc rushed over to a recording device and spoke into it. "Date: Sunday, November 13th, 1955, 7:01am. Last night's time travel experiment was apparently a complete success. Lightning struck the Clock Tower at precisely 10:04pm, sending the necessary 1.21 gigawatts into the time vehicle, which vanished in a brilliant flash of light leaving a pair of fire trails behind. I, therefore, assume that Marty and the time vehicle were transported forward through time into the year 1985."

Did Doc Brown remember Marty's return right before he passed out at the sight of the teenager? George and Lorraine wondered. If not, the scientist was in for another shock once he noticed that their son was in the mansion. The McFly couple really hoped that Doc would move past his denial and be willing to help their son once more. Hopefully, if anything would convince Doc that Marty was in trouble again, it would be the letter from his own future self.

"After that..." Doc trailed off for a moment. "After that, I can't recall what happened. In fact, I don't even remember how I got home."

George and Lorraine tensed, worried that Doc would freak up again once he saw their son. The last thing Marty needed was for Doc to pass out again.

"Perhaps the gigawatt discharge, coupled with the temporal displacement field generated by the time vehicle, caused a disruption of my own brain waves, resulting in a condition of momentary amnesia."

"I'm afraid that isn't the case, Doc," George mused knowingly.

Just as Doc recalled seeing Marty moments after the time vehicle had disappeared into the future and shrugged it off as a "vision" or "some sort of residual image", the scientist freaked out with a loud scream upon hearing Marty call his name. Doc tripped over the hoverboard and fell back against the piano, genuinely terrified as if he was seeing a ghost.

George and Lorraine were just as startled as their son in the video was by Doc's outburst.

Marty tried to convince Doc that he'd indeed come back from the future. Doc, still in denial, insisted that it didn't make sense for Marty to still be 1955 and ran into the bathroom, shutting the door as he vehemently refused to accept Marty's presence. George and Lorraine felt a pang of sympathy for their son and frustration towards Doc for his stubbornness. They expected the scientist to be smarter than that and at least give Marty a chance to explain the situation. Doc wasn't going to be a liability to their son, was he? If so, the older Doc from 1985 would be so disappointed in his younger self.

"Doc, I am here, and it does make sense!" Marty insisted. "Look, I came back to 1955 again with you – the you from 1985 – 'cause we had to get a book from Biff. So once I got the book back, you – that is, the you from 1985 – were in the DeLorean and it got struck by lightning, and you got sent back to 1885!"

"Let's see if Doc believes Marty now," George observed with anticipation.

"Hopefully, Marty's explanation will be enough," Lorraine thought with some uneasiness.

Opening the bathroom door, Doc looked Marty directly in the face and said, "It's a very interesting story, future boy. But there's just one little thing that doesn't make sense. If the me of the future is now in the past, how could you possibly know about it?"

The letter, George and Lorraine mused at the same time Marty in the video revealed it to Doc. To the McFly couple's relief, the video shifted to Doc reading the letter his future self had written.

"Dear Marty, if my calculations are correct, you will receive this letter immediately after you saw the DeLorean struck by lightning. First let me assure you that I'm alive and well. I've been living happily these past eight months in the year 1885. The lightning bolt that hit the DeLorean caused a gigawatt overload, which scrambled the time circuits, activated the flux capacitor, and sent me back to 1885."

That gigawatt overload explained how the DeLorean traveled through time even though it normally required the vehicle to move at eighty-eight miles per hour, George figured.

"The overload shorted out the time circuits and destroyed the flying circuits. Unfortunately, the car will never fly again," Doc continued reading his future self's letter as the scientist was amazed that the DeLorean actually flew.

George and Lorraine felt a sense of disappointment on hearing that the DeLorean had lost its ability to fly, especially since the time machine being able to defy gravity was what had allowed Doc to save their son from Biff in both the alternate 1985 and 1955. However, that wasn't the most important part of the situation. What truly mattered was if the time machine itself would still work so that Marty could finally return home.

Doc continued reading the letter. "I set myself up as a blacksmith as a front while I attempted to repair the damage to the time circuits."

Doc Brown as a blacksmith? That was one thought that never would've occurred to George and Lorraine in a million years if it hadn't been for all the video had shown them.

"Unfortunately, this proved impossible because suitable replacement parts will not be invented until 1947."

1947? That was eight years ago from 1955, George and Lorraine noted. It was certainly a good thing their son was in a time period when those parts for the time machine had already been invented. The thought of Marty being permanently lost in a different time period and unable to return to the eighties was quite depressing to the McFly couple.

"However, I've gotten quite adept at shoeing horses and fixing wagons," Doc continued, excited by the fact that he would end up as a blacksmith in the Old West.

George and Lorraine likened Doc's reaction to his future self's fate to that of a small child who had just discovered the largest toy store in the world.

"I have buried the DeLorean in the abandoned Delgado Mine, adjacent to the old Boot Hill Cemetery as shown on the enclosed map," Doc went on with the letter.

George and Lorraine shuddered at the mention of a cemetery, which reminded them of the former's gravestone at Oak Park Cemetery in that thankfully erased Biff-ruled version of Hill Valley.

"Hopefully, it should remain undisturbed and preserved until you uncover it in 1955."

So, the DeLorean would've been buried in that mine for seventy years. That was longer than George and Lorraine had been alive! While the McFly couple were optimistic that Doc and Marty would be able to repair it, a part of them couldn't help but worry that the time machine may be beyond repair.

"Inside, you will find repair instructions. My 1955 counterpart – that's me – should have no problem repairing it so that you can drive it back to the future. Once you have returned to 1985, destroy the time machine," Doc paused, confused as to why his older self would want that invention destroyed.

Having witnessed all the trouble that the time machine had caused, George and Lorraine didn't feel the need to question Doc's decision. But how exactly was Marty going to destroy it? Lorraine, in particular, was concerned that it could be dangerous for their son. On the other hand, she and George understood that it wouldn't be a wise idea for Marty to simply leave it sitting around somewhere at the risk of the time machine ending up in the wrong hands again.

"Do not – I repeat – do not attempt to come back here to get me," Doc went on. "I am perfectly happy living in the fresh air and wide-open spaces, and I fear that unnecessary time travel only risks further disruption of the space-time continuum. And please take care of Einstein for me." As Doc wondered who Einstein was, Marty responded that it was Doc's dog in 1985. Continuing with the letter, Doc added, "I know you will give him a good home. Remember to walk him twice a day and that he only likes canned dog food."

Did that mean Marty was currently taking care of Einstein? If so, the McFly couple were more than willing to let the dog live with them. That was another matter they eventually needed to talk to their son about.

"These are my wishes. Please respect them and follow them. And so, Marty, I now say farewell and wish you Godspeed. You've been a good, kind, and loyal friend to me, and you made a real difference in my life. I will always treasure our relationship and think on you with fond memories, warm feelings, and a special place in my heart."

"That's so beautiful of Doc," Lorraine mused, feeling like she was on the verge of tears.

"This explains why Doc Brown has been missing for the last few weeks now that I think about it," George realized. "He's living in the past. Or, accurately, lived in the past."

"Your friend in time, Doc. Emmett L. Brown, September 1st, 1885," Doc concluded the letter, impressed that his future self had written something so touching while Marty agreed that the words were beautiful.

George and Lorraine's heart went out to Copernicus as the dog whimpered. The McFly couple knew exactly why he was sad and figured that Copernicus, given who his owner was, more than likely understood the contents of the letter. Lorraine felt like wrapping the dog in a warm, comforting embrace and not letting go until all his pain was gone.

Marty apologized for the fact that Doc's future self was stuck in the Old West, feeling like it was his fault for letting Biff get to him. George and Lorraine disagreed with that – while their son did lose his temper when Biff had called him 'chicken', there was no way that Marty could've known that Doc would've been struck by lightning and sent seven decades into the past.

"There are plenty of worse places to be than the Old West. I could've ended up in the Dark Ages. They probably would've burned me at the stake as a heretic or something," Doc pointed out, while George and Lorraine didn't even want to imagine the idea of the scientist and/or especially their son traveling that far into the past.

"All right, according to this, the time vehicle's sealed off in a side tunnel," Doc noted as he and Marty looked at the provided map. "We may have to blast."

George and Lorraine winced at the sound of a loud, deafening explosion as the video shifted to Boot Hill Cemetery, where Doc used dynamite to blast an opening into the sealed entrance of the Delgado Mine. The McFly couple shared their son's sentiment when Marty joked that Doc had woken up the dead with the blast.

As the scene shifted to Doc, Marty, and Copernicus marching through the tunnel, George and Lorraine thought it was cute that Copernicus was wearing his own miners' helmet. The McFly couple learned something else new about Doc Brown as the scientist told Marty that he had once attempted to reach the center of the Earth at age twelve after being inspired by his favorite author Jules Verne to go on the expedition. However, he hadn't made it very far in his journey. Doc added that Jules Verne's writing had a profound effect on his life ever since he first read Twenty-Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. It was then that Doc had decided to devote his life to science.

"Fascinating," George mused. He, of course, was familiar with some of Jules Verne's works.

As Marty discovered that one of the planks on the wall near him was marked with 'E.L.B.', Doc immediately recognized his initials and realized that the time machine was hidden right behind that area. George and Lorraine were impressed that the older Doc had practically thought of everything to help their son.

After Marty and Doc tore through the wall with rock pick hammers, they discovered the DeLorean, which was completely sealed in a tarp. George and Lorraine were astonished by the thought it had been buried for a little over seventy years. Or, as Doc put it, seventy years, two months, and thirteen days!

The scene shifted to Marty reading some instructions. "As you can see, the lightning bolt shorted out the time circuit control microchip. The attached sch... schem..." After Doc pronounced the word for him, Marty continued, "schematic diagram will allow you to build a replacement unit with 1955 components, thus restoring the time machine to perfect working order."

George and Lorraine were certainly looking forward to the time machine being restored to its former glory, or, at least, as close to its former glory as possible.

"Unbelievable that this little piece of junk could be such a big problem," Doc commented as he examined the microchip with a magnifying glass. "No wonder this circuit failed. It says 'Made in Japan'."

As Marty countered that all the best stuff was made in Japan, George and Lorraine had no comment, since that was a subjective topic.

The video shifted to Doc loading the DeLorean, which was now uncovered and missing its tires, onto a tow truck. "You know, when I was a kid, I always wanted to be a cowboy. And now, knowing that I'm going to spend my future in the past, sounds like a wonderful way to spend my retirement years."

"At least Doc Brown is happy about what he wants," Lorraine thought.

"I wonder what became of Doc in the Old West," George pondered curiously. "Well, I highly doubt he'd still be alive in 1955."

"Just occurred to me, Marty. Since I end up in 1885, perhaps I'm now in the history books," Doc pointed out. "I wonder, could I go to the library and look myself up in the old newspaper archives?"

That would be quite an interesting point, George and Lorraine mused. Also, it was an odd thing to think about, considering that Doc Brown would've been part of history even before the McFly couple and, in fact, the scientist himself were even born.

"I don't know, Doc. You're always saying it's not too good to know much about your own destiny," Marty reminded the scientist, while George and Lorraine knew their son wasn't wrong about that. Doc responded that Marty was right and that he knew too much already, meaning it was better that the scientist not attempt to uncover the circumstances of his own future.

Doc called out to Copernicus, who was whimpering sadly next to a tombstone as Marty went to retrieve the dog. George and Lorraine tensed with shock and disbelief as the tombstone read: Here Lies – Emmett Brown – Died September 7, 1885. Emmett Brown? That was Doc! September 7th, 1885? That was only six days after the scientist had written the letter to their son! Granted, the McFly couple expected that the older Doc would've already dead by 1955, but they wouldn't have guessed that he had died so soon! What happened? Had the Doc been killed?

"First me, and now Doc..." George mentally trailed off. "As Marty would say, this is heavy."

"Doc! Doc! Come here! Quick!" Marty called out in a mix of shock, horror, and disbelief upon seeing the tombstone. Doc immediately rushed over, noting that Marty looked like he'd seen a ghost.

Doc panicked at the sight of his future self's tombstone, looking like he was going to collapse from a heart attack at any moment. George and Lorraine noticed what the tombstone read under the date: 'Shot in the back by Buford Tannen over a matter of 80 dollars' and 'Erected in eternal memory by his beloved CLARA'.

Buford Tannen? That was Biff's great-grandfather, whom George and Lorraine remembered seeing a still of in the documentary video from the alternate 1985. Doc Brown killed by a Tannen of all people? Typical. And who was Clara? Was she a girlfriend of Doc's, judging by the word 'beloved' before Clara's name? Perhaps the Doc had found love while he was living in the Old West? That was something the McFly couple could never imagine, not that they weren't happy for Doc in that aspect.

As Marty took a picture of the tombstone, a frantic Doc read, "Shot in the back by Buford Tannen over a matter of eighty dollars? What kind of a future do you call that?!"

George considered the possibility that Doc, after learning about his death, may take measures to prevent himself from ending up in the late 1800s in the first place, while Lorraine felt sympathy for Doc and mused that maybe it wouldn't be a good idea for the scientist to be stuck in the Old West after all.

As the video shifted to the next scene, George and Lorraine started at the image of Buford Tannen that appeared. The outlaw's facial features heavily reminded them of Biff, and it was quite unsettling.

"Buford Tannen was a notorious gunman whose short temper and a tendency to drool earned him the nickname 'Mad Dog'. He was quick on the trigger and bragged that he had killed twelve men, not including Indians and Chinamen," Marty read an article as he and Doc were looking up information in the library.

"That's a fact that Biff's documentary video in that alternate reality 'conveniently' overlooked," George mused, not that he was surprised in the slightest.

"I guess this explains why Biff and other members of his family turned out as they did," Lorraine thought. Granted, she wasn't one to judge individuals based on who their family members were, but the truth was that Lorraine had yet to meet a Tannen who wasn't a troublemaker. Even Biff's daughter Tiff wasn't exactly a saint, considering the way she had treated Linda back in middle school until the latter eventually stood up to Tiff by making it clear she would no longer tolerate any more of her crap.

As Doc wondered if he was one of Buford's twelve murder victims, Marty continued reading the article. "However, this claim cannot be substantiated, since precise records were not kept after Tannen shot a newspaper editor who printed an unfavorable story about him in 1884."

Lorraine was thankful her son would never have to worry about encountering Buford Tannen. Biff and Griff had been dangerous enough, but Buford was clearly more violent and murderous than either of them.

As Doc showed Marty an old photograph of William McFly and his family, George immediately recognized it. In the photo were George's grandparents, William and Eliza, who appeared to be in their early thirties. Eliza was holding her and William's youngest child Douglas, who was around two years old. Standing next to William was his younger brother Jim McFly, while William's parents, Seamus and Maggie, were sitting down in front of William and Eliza. Seated on Maggie's lap was six-year-old Arthur, William and Eliza's middle child and George's father. Sitting next to Seamus was nine-year-old Martha, William and Eliza's eldest.

Lorraine was stunned by William and Eliza's resemblance to Marty and herself respectively. In the photo, William looked like an older and sophisticated version of Marty, while Eliza was almost the spitting image of a younger Lorraine. The mother of Marty McFly found the resemblances even more uncanny due to the knowledge that her high school dreamboat 'Calvin Klein' and her own son had been the same person all along. Perhaps the McFly men were attracted to similar-looking women. Even Jennifer, Marty's girlfriend, reminded Lorraine of herself in several ways.

"My great-grandfather's name was William," Marty said to Doc as he pointed at the man in question in the photo. "That's him. Good-looking guy."

No disagreements there from George and Lorraine.

As Doc was disappointed that there didn't seem to be any information about his own family, Marty suggested the possibility that the Emmett Brown on the tombstone could've been a namesake who had no relation to Doc. Lorraine wondered if Marty could be right, while George had the feeling that their son's comment was likely nothing more than wishful thinking.

Doc, however, told Marty that his family hadn't moved to Hill Valley until 1908 and that they were the Von Brauns until Doc's father changed their name to Brown during the first World War.

Marty stumbled upon another old photo. It was of 1985 Doc Brown standing next to the clock that eventually ended up on the local Courthouse!

George and Lorraine recognized the scientist too! It was him, indeed! On September 5th, 1885!

"Great Scott," Doc uttered in complete astonishment. "It's me! Then it is true. All of it. It is me who goes back there... and gets shot."

George and Lorraine were suddenly concerned when Marty responded, "It's not gonna happen, Doc. After you fix the time circuits and put new tires on the DeLorean, I'm going back to 1885 and I'm bringing you home."

On one hand, Marty's parents understood how much their son cared about Doc Brown and wouldn't be too surprised if he had to go to Hell itself it meant saving his inventor friend's life. On the other hand, they were worried about their son ending up in trouble, especially if Marty were to encounter Biff's great-grandfather or other outlaws like him. The proud mother in Lorraine admired her son's bravery and determination even in the face of potential danger, while the worried mother in her wanted Marty to simply return to 1985 as Doc wanted him to. She could only hope that, whatever would happen, her youngest child would turn out well in the end. As much as Lorraine and George wanted to hope that Marty's trip would be as simple as him quickly retrieving Doc and heading home, they had seen enough of their son and the scientist's time-traveling adventures to know that events did not always turn out as originally planned.

The video shifted to Doc putting finishing touches on the DeLorean, which was now fully repaired, while Marty was trying on a cowboy outfit for his trip to 1885. They were outside the Pohatchee Drive-In Theater.

Upon seeing Marty's attire, George and Lorraine weren't quite sure that Doc had chosen the best set of clothing for their son. George figured that Marty would be at risk of sticking out like a sore thumb while in 1885, while Lorraine prayed that the outfit wouldn't get her son in any trouble. Marty's parents definitely agreed with his comment that Clint Eastwood had never worn anything like that. In fact, the actor himself would highly likely criticize what Marty was wearing.

"Marty, you have to wear the boots. You can't wear those futuristic things back in 1885. You shouldn't even be wearing them here in 1955," Doc insisted as he noticed the teenager still had on his Nike tennis shoes. In response, Marty promised Doc that he would put the boots on as soon as he got to 1885.

George and Lorraine doubted that Marty would keep his promise to Doc.

Announcing that everything was ready, Doc stated that he'd put gas in the DeLorean's tank, packed up Marty's future clothes, and provided fresh batteries for the walkie-talkies.

As Marty put the hoverboard in the DeLorean, he told Doc it was going to be a long walk back to Hill Valley. Doc pointed out it was the safest plan, not wanting to risk sending Marty to 1885 into a populated area or a spot that was geographically unknown. "You don't want to crash into some tree that once existed in the past. This is all on completely open country, so you'll have plenty of runoff space when you arrive. Remember, where you are going, there are no roads."

George and Lorraine recognized the irony of Doc's last statement, recalling 1985 Doc's "where we're going, we don't need roads" remark to Marty right before they literally flew into the future.

"There's a small cave over there which will be a perfect place to hide the time vehicle," Doc pointed out to Marty. Turning the time circuits on, Doc decided to send Marty back to the day after the former's future self had written the letter: SEP 02 1885 08:00AM.

That made sense, George and Lorraine understood. Marty traveling back in time to a point before Doc had written the letter would potentially and unnecessarily disrupt the timeline.

"I get shot on Monday the 7th, so you'll have five days to locate me. According to my letter, I'm a blacksmith, so I probably have a shop somewhere," Doc stated to Marty, while George and Lorraine, despite their confidence in his success, still weren't fully comfortable with the idea of their son going back to the Old West.

"All you have to do is drive the time vehicle directly towards that screen, accelerating to eighty-eight miles per hour!" Doc instructed, indicating a mural painting with a tribe of Indians on horses behind the movie screen in the distance.

Marty was worried about crashing into the Indians on the mural if he drove straight towards the screen, while Doc, acknowledging Marty's lack of fourth-dimensional thinking, reminded the teenager that he would instantly be transported to 1885 and the Indians won't even be there.

"Obviously," George mused, quite familiar with how the DeLorean time machine worked.

"Well, good luck for both of our sakes. See you in the future," Doc said. As Marty responded with "you mean the past", Doc agreed with an excited "Exactly!".

"Would Doc, the older one, remember Marty once they reunite in 1885?" George wondered. "Logically, he should, since, even thirty years later, I can't imagine Doc forgetting something like this."

"A part of me still wants Marty to go home, but at the same time, Doc Brown doesn't deserve to get killed by that... that monster," Lorraine mused with some lingering worry. "All I hope for is that Marty will be very careful when going back there."

As Marty got in the DeLorean and backed the time vehicle up, Doc wished the teenager "Happy trails!". On Doc's cue, Marty accelerated the DeLorean towards the mural painting, while Doc enthusiastically shouted "Vaya con Dios!" before firing a pistol in the air.

For a few seconds, George and Lorraine were tense, worried that their son would crash into the mural before the DeLorean reached its required speed to go through time. Thankfully, the DeLorean hit eighty-eight miles per hour and broke the time barrier before that could happen, though the scene that George and Lorraine saw next only exacerbated their concern for Marty's well-being. The mural painting that had been right in front of the DeLorean vanished with a flash of light, only to be replaced by a tribe of real war Indians whooping and riding directly towards Marty and the time machine!

"INDIANS!" a horrified Marty shouted at the top of his lungs as he wasted no time reversing the DeLorean and driving away in the opposite direction.

"Doc was certainly off the mark when he assured Marty that those Indians won't even be there," George mused, while Lorraine was worried that the Indians would target their son.

The science fiction author and his wife finally relaxed when their son spotted the cave that Doc had mention earlier and backed the DeLorean into it, while Indians continued on their way. Once the coast was clear, Marty climbed out of the DeLorean and went out of the cave, only to notice about a hundred cowboys riding directly towards him!

The United States Cavalry! That was what George and Lorraine realized.

Marty also realized such as he rushed back into the cave, while the Cavalry, oblivious to his presence, rode past him. After the coast was clear again, Marty noticed a problem: one of the Indians had fired an arrow into the DeLorean's engine and the fuel line was damaged, causing gasoline to leak out.

"Oh, no," Lorraine mused about the DeLorean having problems when it had just been repaired.

"Looks like things aren't gonna be so simple after all," George noted with disappointment.

Their concerns about the damaged fuel line shifted to horror as the McFly couple heard a vicious roar from what was obviously a wild animal. Pure terror flooded through George and especially Lorraine as Marty found himself face-to-face with a black bear, which stood on its hind legs and let out another furious roar as if challenging the teenager. Letting out a bloodcurdling scream, Marty bolted out of the cave, while the bear gave chase.

Their son had just arrived in 1885 minutes ago and he was already in deep trouble, George and Lorraine observed. Lorraine started to genuinely wish that Marty had obeyed Doc's instructions and returned to 1985 right away. George felt the same way as well, but at the same time realized that Doc would still die at Buford Tannen's hands had Marty not gone to 1885.

Marty threw the boots that 1955 Doc had given him and continued off. To George and Lorraine's relief, the bear stopped to sniff the boots. The McFly couple's relief quickly went away as Marty tripped, slid, and fell down the other side of the hill before crashing into a wooden fence, out cold.

"Poor Marty. He's been attacked and harmed so much over the course of his adventures," Lorraine mused with a pang of sympathy and sadness. That thought made her wish that Doc had never brought Marty into the time travel situation in the first place.

"Whoever that is better be friendly," George thought with some concern as the video showed a man patting the unconscious Marty's face.

"Maggie! Fetch some water! We got a hurt man here!"

George and Lorraine were taken aback as the man's face was revealed. The man looked quite a bit like Marty! But with a mustache, reddish hair, a hat, and farmer's clothes! He also spoke with an Irish accent! That had to Seamus, George realized. His great-grandfather! The man looked so young and it was so surreal!

Lorraine recognized the man from the McFly family photograph that Marty and Doc had seen in the library in 1955. But he was much younger than what he was in the picture. The resemblance to her youngest child was so striking, though not quite to the same extent as Marty's great-grandfather, William, or his future son Marty Jr.

Thankfully, the man who found Marty was clearly an ancestor and seemed like a very pleasant gentleman, so the McFly couple were fairly certain that their son would be in good hands.