Title: Future History
Description: Once Again, It's October 21 of 2015
bttf44 - February 17, 2007 01:58 PM (GMT)
October 21, 2015
6:00 AM PST
"Hey, honey," Jennifer McFly called out, as she gently shook her husband. "It's time to wake up! You don't want to be late for work today."
"Yes, darling," Marty replied, as he stretched his arms. "So do you know what day it is today, Jennifer?"
"Uh, I'm not sure," replied Jennifer. "So what is special about today?"
"Well, remember back when we were seventeen?" Marty asked. "Doc had taken the two of us forward to this date. It's hard to believe that our son was very different in that timeline. At least, he's not in any danger of going to jail today."
"Okay, okay, now I remember," Jennifer said, smiling. "Yeah, our son is a lot more confident in this timeline. I believe it was today that he and Harmony were planning to watch Jaws 19 at the Holomax Theatre. It's amazing that the Jaws series caught on so well."
"Now, don't forget, dear," Marty reminded his wife. "You had a major part in coming up with the script for Jaws: Rising - which was the fifth film in the series."
"Oh, yeah, that will always remain my favourite film," Jennifer replied. "Well, I guess I should get up now - and make breakfast for all of us. What do you think I should make this morning?"
"How about pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream?" suggested Marty. "We know the kids love that a lot."
"Sounds good then," Jennifer said, smiling. "So should we head over the Cafe '80s at 4:30 this afternoon? It would be interesting to see if Doc or your younger self shows up. Should we do it, or do you think that's too risky?"
"Well, we could be discreet about it," Marty said, smiling. "I have to say, it would be real interesting to see my younger self again. I kinda miss being a teenager."
"Well, our son reminds me a lot of you as a teen," Jennifer commented. "Speaking of which, we'd better make sure he's up now. We don't want him to be late for school, again. Then I'll be in the kitchen, making the pancakes. We do still have some batter left over the other day. I can't imagine the instant stuff would be as good."
"Yeah, this may be 2015 now," Marty replied, "but newer isn't always better."
Marty threw his arms around Jennifer, and hugged her tightly. He kissed her on the top of her forehead.
"I love you, honey," purred Jennifer.
"I love you, too, sweetheart," replied Marty, huskily.
oooooooooo
"It's time to wake up, Junior," called Jennifer, as she entered the bedroom.
"Yes, Mom," Marty Jr mumbled, sleepily. "I'm getting up."
"I'm making strawberry pancakes for breakfast," added Jennifer, "your favourite."
Marty Jr immediately sat up, as his stomach growled with hunger. He was looking forward to this day for a long time. He was a huge fan of the Jaws series. He was especially a fan of Jaws: Rising, which his mother wrote the script for. That movie had also starred his favourite actor, Michael J Fox.
Marty Jr wasn't exactly looking forward to school, though. He shared the same luck as his father and grandfather of being called a "slacker" by the school principal. Jeb Strickland was just as disagreeable as his grandfather, Steve.
Marty Jr just finished getting dressed, as the telephone on Marty Jr's goggles began to ring. He checked to see who was calling - and he realized it was his best friend, Harmony Brown. Marty Jr slipped on the goggles, and he took the message.
"Oh, hello, Harmony!" gushed Marty Jr. "How are you this morning?"
"Oh, so you are awake!" gasped Harmony. "I gather you must be excited about this afternoon. It's hard to believe that the Jaws series has become so successful."
"Yeah, it's really awesome," replied Marty Jr. "Well, Mom saw to it that I got up this morning. She decided we should start having breakfast together as a family, again."
"Oh, good for her," Harmony said, smiling. "As much as I really hate to agree with Strickland, we have to admit that he does have a point. If you don't take school a little more seriously, you might have problems later in life. You really cannot expect to become a rock star yourself, just because your father was one."
"Oh, Harmony," groaned Marty Jr, "why are you being so discouraging."
"I'm not meaning to be discouraging," replied Harmony. "It's just that we need to be realistic about this. Not everyone who dreams of becoming a rock star actually ends up becoming one. I mean, don't get me wrong, Marty. I hope you do get discovered someday, but there is always the possibility that it might not happen."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Marty Jr said, sighing. "It's just that music really means a lot to me, you know. Well, I smell Mom making pancakes, now."
"Hey, Junior," called out Jennifer, "I really need to use the phone. Could you wrap it up, please? Breakfast is almost ready."
"I need to hang up, now," Marty Jr told Harmony. "See you at school."
Marty Jr then went into the kitchen, where Jennifer was placing pancakes onto four different plates. Marty Jr's stomach growled again.
"Why can't you just use your cellphone, Junior?" insisted Jennifer.
"It's because I want to be able to see Harmony," replied Marty Jr.
"Oh, wow, pancakes," breathed Marlene, as she went to join everyone at the table.
"It's so nice that the four of us can eat together in the morning," said Marty Sr.
"You make great pancakes, Mom," Marty Jr said, admiringly.
"Thank you, honey," replied Jennifer, as she kissed the top of Marty Jr's head.
Marty Jr smiled to himself, as he thought of how fortunate he was to be able to have a loving family. He still wasn't looking forward to school, though.
oooooooooo
Marty smiled to himself, as he saw Marty Jr and Marlene head off for school.
"Sometimes, Marty," Jennifer said, "I wonder if there's something more to our son's relationship with Harmony, than just being best friends."
"Oh, Jennifer," Marty said, laughing, "they've been best friends ever since they were babies. You and I didn't meet each other until we were sophomores in high school. I am pretty sure there is nothing going on between our son and Harmony."
"You know what this would mean, though?" Jennifer said, smiling. "If Junior ended up marrying Harmony and having a kid, we'll finally be related to Doc."
"Uh, no, not really," Marty said, quietly. "I see what you mean, though. We would finally have a common descendant. We shouldn't try to push it, though. Maybe they are fated to marry someday, or maybe they aren't."
"Well, Junior never dates anyone for very long," Jennifer pointed out. "At any rate, it's great to see that we did end up having a happy family life. I now do remember the first time we did visit this day. We ended up living in Hilldale, and you ended up being fired from your job, and you never did become a rock star."
"It seems surreal to think that we're living this day twice," Marty replied. "I mean, it seems even more surreal than when I went back to November 12 of 1955 - because we ended up reaching this day again through the natural course of time."
"Maybe I should see my younger self again," suggested Jennifer, "if it turns out that our younger selves do end up coming to this date again."
"I really don't think Doc would recommend it," Marty said, sighing. "Even heading over to the Cafe '80s might be a bit risky, but I do have to admit that I'm curious."
"I am still so proud of our son," Jennifer said, smiling, "when he took a stand up to Griff Tannen a couple years ago. Griff has since then stopped harassing Marlene and Harmony. Maybe we should do something a little special tonight."
"Speaking of Griff Tannen," said Marty, "I wonder if he and his gang plan to show up at the Cafe '80s tonight. It's amazing to see that Griff and his gang look the same as they did, when we first came here. I have to admit that it would be nice to see them crash through the window of the Courthouse Mall and get arrested again."
"I still remember how we married at the Chapel O' Love," Jennifer recalled, "when we first visited this date. It's nice to know that we actually did have a big wedding this time around. So other than our family life, everything else stayed the same?"
"Yeah, it sure does," replied Marty. "The Cafe '80s is still there, the pond in front of the Courthouse Mall is still there, so is the Holomax Theatre. I have to say that the 3D shark hologram there still looks fake."
"Oh, Marty," Jennifer said, laughing, "at least that shark doesn't terrify you this time, right? We should maybe catch Jaws 19 tomorrow."
"Come to think of it," Marty said, "I also wonder if that little girl that I 'borrowed' the hoverboard from will be boarding by in the Courthouse Square this afternoon. I wonder if she'll even be wearing the same clothes this time."
"Well, Marty," Jennifer said, sighing, "we should maybe head to work, now. We'll be meeting at the Cafe '80s at around 4:30 this afternoon."
"Right, darling," replied Marty, as he hugged his wife.
As the two of them headed off for work, Marty smiled at the thought that he was able to make a better future for himself.
bttf44 - February 19, 2007 03:31 AM (GMT)
October 21, 2015
5:05 PM PST
Marty was feeling a little nervous, as he walked to the Cafe '80s with Jennifer. What if he did end up running into his younger self from 1985? Remembering what Doc from that era would say, he would not want the two of them to talk with each other - as he would be rather concerned about creating a paradox. As they stepped into the Cafe, the song Beat It by Michael Jackson was being played.
"Just beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it," Michael Jackson was singing. "No one wants to be defeated... Showin' how funky strong is your fight... It doesn't matter who's wrong or right... Just beat it, beat it... Just beat it, beat it... Just beat it, beat it... Just beat it, beat it...'
As Marty looked around, he felt a sense of deja vu. Two girls were inside, one of whom was Melinda Kirby, as they were pedaling on exercise bikes. She was dating Brent Maxwell - who was the son of Marty's sister, Linda. One of the video waiters looked like Michael Jackson, and it was talking to a woman customer who was sitting at the counter.
"...or you might want to go south western with our la bamba fajita tortilla pita," the video waiter was suggesting. "It's got a hot salsa, avocados, some natural mix with your choice of beans, chicken, b-b-beef, or pork."
Then a video waiter who looked like Ronald Reagan zoomed up towards Marty. It then said, "Welcome to the Cafe 80's, where it's always morning in America, even in the aftern-n-noon. Our special today is mesquite-grilled sushi..."
"You must have the hostage special!" interrupted Ayatollah Khomeini video waiter.
"Cajun style," argued the Ronald Reagan waiter.
"You must have the hostage special! You must have the hostage special!" insisted the Ayatollah Khomeini waiter.
The two video waiters kept talking over one another, making it hard for Marty to work out what they are saying.
"Hey, hey, hey, hey, guys," protested Marty, as this sounded very familiar to him. "Hey, hey!" As soon as the video waiters went quiet, Marty added, "All we want are Pepsis."
The bottles of Pepsis then came out of the counter.
"This time, I know how to work these things," Marty said, smiling, as he pressed his thumb to the logo. "So what do you think, Jennifer? I don't notice my younger self in here anywhere. I see Biff standing over there in the corner, with that cane. He's even wearing the same clothes that he was, when we came here before."
"Well, what do you know?" Jennifer asked, smiling. "So far, it appears that our younger selves did not come to this date in this current timeline. I do wonder if Griff and his gang might be showing up this evening."
"Oh, speak of the devil," Marty said, as he saw Griff Tannen and his gang pull up outside. "I wonder who it is they plan to torment today. Our son is at the Holomax Theatre with Harmony."
"I dunno what to say," Jennifer said, quietly. "I guess we don't have to worry about them, though.
"Hey, Gramps," Griff yelled out. "I told you two coats of wax on my car, not just one!"
Biff got up and said, "Hey, hey, I just put the second coat on last week."
"Yeah, with your eyes closed?" sneered Griff. "What the hell am I paying you for?"
"Now, Griff," Biff said, a bit timidly. "Why are you so..."
"Get out of there, Gramps!" Griff ordered his grandfather, pulling him out of the cafe.
"Hey, take it easy!" Biff protested.
Marty smiled at Jennifer, as this whole scene seemed so familiar to him.
Just then, Griff came back in and shouted, "Hey, Collins, don't go anywhere! You're next!"
"He might be referring to Herbert Collins," Marty whispered to Jennifer. "His grandfather, Lester, was best friends with my father - while his father, Norman, was best friends with my brother."
Marty then glanced towards the Wild Gunman video game, and saw two familiar little boys next to it.
"This is a video game!" remarked one of the boys. "I got it working!"
"My dad taught me about these," replied the second boy.
"They're the ones who think it's a baby's toy if you have to use your hands," Marty whispered to Jennifer.
"How do you play this thing?" asked the first boy.
"Here, I'll show you," said a taller boy, as he walked up. He then fired at the game, and he ended up being a Crack Shot at the game.
"Is that Herbert Collins?" asked Jennifer, stunned.
"I believe so," replied Marty. "I know he always had a crush on Marlene, but Marlene isn't the least bit interested in him. I think Marlene could try being a little nicer to him, you know."
"You mean you have to use your hands?" asked the first boy.
"That's like a baby's toy!" scowled the second boy.
Then the two small boys left. Herbert just rolled his eyes at them.
"Yeap, talk about deja vu," Marty said, as he smiled at Jennifer.
oooooooooo
Having just travelled forward in time from November eighth of 1985, Dr. Emmett Brown - who his close friends always affectionately called "Doc" - was feeling a little nervous. For the first time in almost nine years, he had decided to re-visit that fateful day in 2015, and check to see if Marty's future had improved any.
Everything about the future looked the same as he remembered it, which he was not too surprised about. He hoped and prayed that Biff Tannen would not spot the DeLorean, and remember the sports almanac from sixty years ago. At least he came alone this time, so he didn't have to worry about keeping track of Marty and Jennifer.
Doc felt himself getting a little jittery, as he walked into the Cafe '80s. Marty Jr wasn't anywhere to be found in the Cafe. He did notice and Griff and his gang were in there, harassing some other poor soul. He was shocked to see what appeared to be the older versions of Marty and Jennifer sitting by one of the tables. They were in much better shape than they were, when Doc visited this era before.
"Marty! Jennifer!" called out Doc, as he walked over to their table.
"Doc?" Marty asked, stunned. "What are you doing here?"
"Why don't we go outside together?" suggested Doc. "Did the two of you forget about the significance of this day?"
"Uh, no, not really," Marty said, as he was blushing. "I do admit that we were rather curious to see if our younger selves might have showed up on this date - and what would happen, if that was the case."
"Yeah, all right, I guess I can't really yell at you guys," Doc replied. "I actually came here from November eighth of 1985, the day right after we fully moved our family forward from the Old West. All right, without telling me too much about the future, is your son in any trouble today?"
"Oh, no, not at all!" replied Marty. "He's at the Holomax Theatre watching Jaws 19 with Harmony."
"I suppose I shouldn't ask who Harmony is," Doc said, smiling. "So does Griff Tannen and his gang pretty much leave your children alone? Did you end up becoming a successful rock star?"
"Griff Tannen leaves our kids alone," Marty replied. "I did end up becoming a rock star, but I more or less retired about ten years ago - so that I could spend more time with the family."
"That's good to hear," Doc replied. "It will be so hard to not tell your younger self about this, but I have always said that one should not know too much about their own destiny. Anyway, I'd better start heading back home - before Biff manages to get his hands on the sports almanac and the DeLorean. Anyway, at least I have Einstein guarding the DeLorean for me. He would do a good job taking care of Biff."
"You know, Doc," Marty said, as tears came to his eyes, "I really do miss Einstein a lot. It was such a sad day for us when he passed away. Tell Einstein that we said 'hi', okay?"
"I will, Marty," Doc replied. He was tempted to ask Marty when and how Einstein died, but he knew that he shouldn't know too much about the future. It was risky enough decided to find out about Marty and Jennifer's future.
"Have a safe trip back home, Doc," Marty said, as he hugged his friend. "I should admit that I sometimes miss being a teenager. Sometimes I find myself envying my own children, if that makes sense."
"I understand, Marty," Doc replied, gently. "I sometimes feel that way with my own children."
Doc then hugged Jennifer, and he said, "You take care, too, Jennifer. It looks like you're happy with Marty."
"I certainly am," replied Jennifer, smiling. "Tell Einie I said 'hi', too."
"I'll do that," replied Doc, as he began to head back to the alleyway behind the Courthouse Square. Doc felt really happy for his friend. He was glad that his friend did finally conquer the whole "chicken" problem.
bttf44 - February 20, 2007 05:39 PM (GMT)
October 21, 2015
10:00 PM PST
It was late at night, and Marty and Jennifer were sitting in the living room - and they were snuggling on the couch together, as they were wearing their fleece pajamas. On the stereo, one of Marty's CDs was softly playing.
"Well, Jennifer," Marty said, smiling, "I remember when we first visited this day, our family life was not anything like what we had dreamed of. I guess Doc is right, though, when he said that our future is whatever we make it. Our future really is not written yet."
"At least our personal future isn't," Jennifer replied. "Although, I tend to wonder how much truth there is to that idea. After all, we wouldn't have all the inventions that we have today - if Doc wasn't around to create them. Then there is also the fact that I came up with the script for Jaws 5, as well as naming the baseball team in Miami."
"Yeah, you've been pretty disloyal to our home team," Marty ribbed his wife, slugging her playfully.
"I really couldn't help it," Jennifer protested. "I thought that the name 'Miami Gaters' had a nice ring to it, and I just took so much pride in the fact that the team liked my suggestion for their team's name so much. I never even realized that, when I became good friends with Tracy Holt, I would actually influence the script for Jaws 5 and the name of the Miama baseball team. You never even told me the name of the Miami team in 2015 before that happened."
"Well then, I guess I can't really blame you," Marty said, smiling. "Although, if Doc did choose to stay in the Old West, the technology of this year might be very different. Although, considering that Doc did use the Mr. Fusion to power the flux capacitor, we might have ended up with a paradox on our hands. I guess it's good that he had decided to build that time train, and then move his family back to the 1980s."
"Of course, your music career had probably changed the music scene in this timeline a bit," Jennifer suggested. "So maybe Doc's assertion that your personal future is not written is still true. We're also considerably more well off in this timeline, as you did end up becoming discovered. We can even remember our wedding with pride, as we did get married in a real church, instead of that tacky Chapel O' Love."
"Oh, yeah, I am so glad I decided not to race Needles," Marty replied. "It's so amazing how that one incident could have drastically affected my own future. I still remember how, when I was stranded in 1955, Doc's gravestone was in Boot Hill Cemetery. I guess, when Doc was sent back to 1885, the timeline then changed around me - as I was outside of my own time. When Doc and I were hopping through different realities, it turned out that the timeline with Doc's gravestone in Boot Hill Cemetery had spawned a different universe. That same Doc that I had briefly visited in 1955 of that reality had managed to prevent his own death from occurring, and he took Clara back to 1985 with him."
"I wish I could have joined the two of you," Jennifer said, wistfully. "It appears that the two of you had a lot of fun. I would have liked to have met other versions of myself. It must have been quite a surreal experience for you, eh? I mean, they're all pretty much versions of your life could've been like, if some circumstances had changed."
"Well, it did get a little frustrating," Marty said, sighing. "We weren't sure if we would ever return home. I have to admit that it was rather interesting to meet all those other versions of me, though. It was really unsettling to visit that universe where I ended up getting shot by those Libyan terrorists, though. That was quite a scary moment of my life, as that was the moment when I had my first brush with death. At least he was brought back to life."
"Yeah, I guess it was just luck that the gun jammed when it did," Jennifer said, smiling. "Maybe we'll be even able to live a long and plentiful life - as our distant relativess, Martin and Juniper, did."
"Remember what originally happened to Martin and Juniper, though?" asked Marty. "I'm still convinced it was Seamus' spirit begging for us to go back in time to prevent his brother's death. It's rather amazing to think that to think that our family lines have crossed in the past. As Martin and Juniper were not our direct ancestors, we could still legally marry. I have a feeling that we are destined to live a long and plentiful life, as they were able to. Also, when you think about it, we both were also able to prevent terrible tragedies from happening to us."
"I think Seamus was a really good mentor to you," Jennifer said, smiling. "It's like both you and Doc were fated to go back to 1885. I wish I had gone back with you both. I also remember that Juniper's sister, Clara, had died that year - before we went back in time to save Martin and Juniper."
"It's amazing the one incident had led to the other," Marty remarked. "As nice as it was to save a few lives, though - we have to keep in mind that we can't go back in time to save everybody. Remember how tragic the September 11 bombing was? I was so tempted to want to go back in time and prevent that terrible tragedy from happening, but Doc had given me a really long lecture on that. The Pearl Harbour tragedy was so terrible, as well - but preventing that incident could have possibly made things worse. For all we know, one of those people in that ship could have ended up becoming the dictator of this country. You never know."
"You're right, Marty," Jennifer replied, sighing. "We do have to be careful whenever we travel through time. It's a good thing that Doc decided to put the time machines to rest in 2005. Of course, that was the same year you retired from touring full-time - so that you could spend more time with the family."
"Of course, it's inevitable that Junior and Harmony will eventually discover the time machine," Marty commented. "I don't think we should even try to prevent that from happening, as we might have a paradox on our hands. Besides, it seems like the time machines has kind of taken a life of its own."
"I know Doc did consider destroying the time machines a few times," Jennifer added, "but he always ends up deciding against it, insisting that he might need them again someday."
"Well, anyway, darling," Marty said, as he stood up, "should we start baking some brownies? Junior and Marlene will be coming home in about an hour or so."
"They shouldn't stay up too late," Jennifer said, with concern. "I want to be able to see Junior graduate from high school this year. Of course, Junior does remind me you as a teenager - but there is still his future that we really need to consider. You sure did manage to improve the lives of your parents, and you also managed to improve our own lives. We don't our son to end up having a future of bad luck, you know."
"That's very true, sweatheart," Marty said, as he threw his arms around his wife and kissed the top of her head. "I think we should start baking some brownie, as I am pretty hungry. I have to admit I'm rather glad that Junior isn't home right now. That way, we can lick the bowls and spoons ourselves."
"Yeah, I agree," Jennifer said, smiling. "We may be adults, now - but we do still have our sweet teeth."
"Mom! Dad!" called out a familiar voice. "I'm home!"
"Uh, shucks," Marty mumbled, "I'm afraid I just jinxed us. Now he'll want to lick the bowls and spoons."
"Don't worry," whispered Jennifer. "I have a plan." Then she called out, "Hey, Junior, I just bought you a huge box of butterscotch ripple ice cream. Would you like some?"
"Yes, Mom," called out Marty Jr, as he stepped out of his bedroom.
"Works like a charm," Jennifer whispered. "He can have his ice cream, while you can lick the bowls and spoons."
"Thanks, sweetie," Marty whispered. "Gee, it's so hard to believe that our son looks exactly the same way as I did, when I was his age. I have to admit that I kind of miss being his age."
"Our children are so lucky to be able to take after you," Jennifer said, sighing wistfully. "I sometimes wish I had a daughter who took after me. Oh, well, our son does look very cute."
"Mom, Dad," Marty Jr said, as he stepped into the room. "I almost forgot. I have a little present for you both."
"Oh, what is it, honey?" Jennifer asked, smiling.
"Harmony and I were making some lemon drops with her parents," Marty Jr explained, "and I figured you'd like some."
"Thank you so much, honey," replied Jennifer, as she grabbed a bag from her son. "You are so wonderful."
"Thanks, Mom," replied Marty Jr, as she hugged her mother. She then hugged her father.
"Thank a bunch, sport," Marty replied, smiling fondly at his son. "I really love you a lot."
"I love you too, Dad," Marty Jr said, as he left the room.
Marty and Jennifer smiled, as their watched their son bring a heaping bowl of ice cream to his bedroom.
"Like father, like son," Jennifer whispered to her husband. Marty just smiled back.