Marty unintentionally fell asleep several hours later. Despite sitting up and leaning against the rather uncomfortable side of the DeLorean, Marty nodded off and almost immediately was pursued by strange and weird dreams, all that seemed to have the common theme of dinosaurs. In one, a dinosaur that was owned by Biff Tannen was holding Jennifer hostage in a tree. The dinosaur looked like nothing Marty had seen before--it resembled Biff a bit, but it had a forked tongue and hissed when Marty would try to get to his girlfriend. Soon the hissing was all he could hear; the sound was nearly deafening.
Marty opened his eyes, dazed. He was back in the stuffy cave with Doc, a terrible crick in his neck. Doc was still working on the DeLorean, but he had moved from the inside of the car to the outside, fussing with the remains of Mr. Fusion. Marty looked up at Doc, watching him work for a minute. "How long have I been out?" he muttered.
Doc stopped his work for a moment to consult his watch. "About an hour--not long," he answered, returning his attention to his task. "Go back to sleep."
Marty sat up, rubbing his neck and trying to get the kinks out of it. He stared out at the cave's opening, still seeing only darkness. But instead of the rain, Marty heard something else, something familiar. It was the sound from his dream--a faint hissing that rose and fell like a breeze.
"Do you hear that?" Marty asked softly.
"Hear what?" Doc asked, preoccupied.
"That hissing noise." Marty paused as he strained his ears for it. "It almost sounds like...I dunno, a snake, maybe."
Doc frowned, listening. "I hear it," he said after a moment. "It sounds like one of the tires has a leak."
Marty leaned towards the tire closest to him--the left back one--and listened hard. The sound didn't seem any closer, nor any further away. "I don't know...." he said doubtfully.
"I'm positive that's what it is," Doc said decisively. "It's likely the dinosaur punctured a small hole in one of the tires. An inconveniency to be sure, but it's not going to affect us in terms of delaying our trip." Doc plucked a screwdriver from his pocket and bent over the modifications at the back of the car. "Don't worry."
Marty did worry, however. The sound was really eerie--it sounded like a large snake was coiled nearby. He got to his feet and leaned inside the DeLorean, picking up the flashlight Doc had left on the passenger seat. Marty switched it on and shone it outside, into the blackness. Instantly, he saw a couple dozen glowing eyes staring at him, narrowed in reptilian coldness.
"Doc!" Marty gasped, his voice hardly above a whisper. "Look outside! We have company!"
Doc Brown glanced in the direction of the cave's opening. His eyes widened at the sight of the eyes. "What the hell are those?" he muttered, taking a step forward. Marty grabbed his arm.
"Don't!" he said. "They might be whaddayacallits."
"Carnivores?" Doc supplied. He backed away from the eyes, towards the rear of the cave. "I think it would be wise to have Verne's opinion on this development."
Marty kept the flashlight trained on the creatures outside. He could see more of them now, aside from the iridescent eyes. They looked reptilian and familiar--then Marty realized he had seen these same dinosaurs before earlier, as they had flown around in the train searching for the DeLorean. They were the same ones that had been feasting on the dinosaur carcass.
A couple minutes later a sleepy Verne, accompanied by Doc, joined Marty's side. "What are those dinosaurs?" Doc asked his son softly, pointing to them. Verne rubbed his eyes, squinting.
"I think they're Troodons," the boy said after a moment.
"Are they dangerous to us?" Marty asked.
"Well, they're carnivores," Verne said, shrugging. "I think they ate baby dinosaurs, eggs, and smaller dinosaurs." Verne frowned, a sudden light dawning on his face. "They musta been brought here from Eddie."
"Can they smell him?" Doc asked.
Verne shrugged again. "I don't know. But maybe this is just their hideout or something. After all, something had to of made that trail up here from the forest that Jules an' I took."
Doc arched an eyebrow. "I never thought of that!"
Marty wanted to get back to the question that Verne hadn't yet answered. "Are those things going to eat us?"
Verne looked at the Troodons grouped outside the cave, still hissing. "I don't know. We're bigger than them but since people weren't alive now, who knows if they would've hunted them."
Marty swallowed hard, not liking the answer at all. "So what'll we do then?"
"Stay away and avoid provoking them," Doc said. Verne looked up at his father, his face worried.
"Can we put Eddie in the train until they go away? I don't want them to grab him!"
Doc sighed, rolling his eyes heavenward. "Verne -"
"Please! I'll keep an eye on him in there and make sure he doesn't chew anything or whatever!"
Doc rubbed his forehead, as if he had a headache. Marty glanced over at the Troodons again. They hadn't moved any closer, but they hadn't moved further away at all either. "Hey, Verne, what are these dinosaurs like?"
Verne looked away from his father, distracted by the question. "Whadda ya mean?"
"Well, are they smart? Slow? Fast?"
Verne stared at the big eyes outside. "Well, my books said that they were large brained and very intelligent, with sharp eyesight. Similar to Velociraptors, except smaller. And they move fast, yeah."
Marty stared at the dinosaurs, about three feet tall. The large claws they had on their hands were particularly disturbing to him. "They're ugly son-of-a-bitches. I wonder how long they've been standing there."
"Who knows." Verne looked back to his father. "Can we keep Eddie in the train now?"
Doc sighed again. "I think the risk is too great that he may do harm to the time vehicle."
Verne pouted and gave his father another look that would melt ice--but this time Doc remained firm in his decision. Verne sulked back to bed, shooting his father wounded looks the entire time.
"What do you think we should do about those dinosaurs," Marty asked when things were quiet again.
Doc pulled some lamps out from the train and carried them over to the DeLorean. "We can't set a fire in here, but I think these lamps will do nicely."
"For what?"
"For creating a barrier--a fire break, in a way--to keep the animals away," Doc explained. "I think they're reluctant to come in here because of the light. To them, they've never seen such a thing--light in the night."
Doc lit the lamps and spaced them out, creating a line between the DeLorean and the exit where the dinosaurs lay in wait. The Troodons continued to hiss, but Marty noticed they seemed to back away a bit at the light.
"What if this doesn't work?" he asked doubtfully.
Doc picked up the tranquilizer gun from the ground, the one Marty had forgotten all about bringing out. "We've got this."
The remainder of the night passed maddeningly slow for Marty. Unable to relax with those dinosaurs several feet away, he spent most of his time nervously walking around the cave or watching the Troodons. Doc managed to distract him for minutes at a time with assisting on the repairs to the DeLorean. Finally, as dawn started to creep in, the dinosaurs left, vanishing like ghosts in the fog that had rolled in overnight.
Around eight, an hour after the dinosaurs had left, Marty risked a look outside the cave. The dust that covered the rocks was filled with prints from the dinosaurs. By the look of the prints, there had been a lot of them!
"Man, if we're here another night, I'm locking myself in the train," he muttered under his breath as he returned to the cave. Doc was in the middle of rehooking the now-repaired flux capacitor back in the DeLorean. Marty watched him for a moment, then asked the question.
"Will we be able to leave tonight?"
Doc finished making a connection, then leaned back. He turned his head enough to look at Marty over his shoulder. "I hope. The repairs are coming along well, but we won't know if they'll be enough until we try to go through time."
Marty frowned. He wanted more definite answers. But before he could press for them, Jules and Verne--with Eddie in his arms--interrupted. "Dad," Verne said, worried, "I think Eddie is sick."
Doc exhaled slowly at the news. "What makes you think that?" he asked finally, his voice weary.
"Look at him," Verne said, holding the dinosaur out. The animal's eyes were glassy and he let out what sounded like a very weak mew. "His nose is all warm, too."
Doc set aside his tools and got out of the DeLorean. He knelt before Verne, looking into the dinosaur's face. The animal didn't protest as Doc gently touched him, looking into the eyes that humans were never supposed to see. "What did you feed him?"
"Some plants," Verne answered. "They were safe. Jules and I even chewed the food first."
Doc shot the kids a sharp look. "I don't want you to do that again! Who knows what toxins the plants around here contain!"
"We spit it out," Verne said, unconcerned.
"And allowed Eddie to eat it?" Doc shook his head. "Verne, even that was dangerous! Humans may carry some illness that, while it may not be felt to us, could be death to dinosaurs!"
Verne's face crumpled. "I didn't know!" he insisted, hugging Eddie close.
Doc sighed again, glancing outside. "I think it would be best to locate his family now. Today. Before we leave."
Marty couldn't help but groan. "Oh great, how long is that going to take? A week?"
Doc glanced at him, standing up. "I should hope not." He looked to his sons again. "Do you boys recall where you found Eddie?"
Jules answered the question this time. "Yes. It shouldn't be hard to find. But the dinosaurs had moved yesterday, and if they are still absent, it may be a challenge."
"All right." Doc paused a moment, visibly thinking, then started speaking rapidly. "I must stay here to repair the time machine if we want to leave by nightfall tonight. So I'm going to send Marty with you to return Eddie to his natural habitat."
The teenager protested immediately. "But -"
Doc cut Marty off with a sharp gesture, continuing to speak. "I'll send a walkie-talkie with you, so we can keep in contact. If Eddie's family is not at the site where you found him, just leave him there. I'm sure they'll pass through eventually again."
Now it was Verne's turn to object. "No way! He'll get eaten or something!"
Doc looked at Verne sternly. "I'm sorry, Verne. Eddie being with us is worse, and you know it." Before the blond boy could say anything more, Doc went on with the instructions. "Once you leave Eddie, return here immediately! I'd prefer to have us all separated for as little time as possible. And while you're all out there, stay together! Do not allow anyone to go off on their own! Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes," Jules and Verne said as one. Marty decided it was his turn to put in a few words.
"Wait a minute, Doc! Who said I wanted to go along with them? I never said so, and if you thought I implied it, you're crazy!"
Doc shifted his gaze off his sons to Marty for a second, then looked back at the kids. "Why don't you both have something to eat before you leave."
The boys knew when they were being dismissed. "All right," Jules said, tugging on Verne's arm for him to come along to the back of the cave. Verne stared at his father and Marty for a moment, curiosity visible on his face, then turned around to concentrate on Eddie and food.
Doc turned to Marty. "I am aware you did not volunteer your assistance with returning Eddie, but you must go with them. I'd do it, but if you want to be back home by tonight, I have to stay here and finish the repairs."
Marty sighed angrily. "Jeez, Doc, I wish you'd let me have a say in this! Why can't Jules and Verne go off on their own?"
"I don't want them to get lost," Doc said, his voice soft. "And, frankly, I don't trust them to leave Eddie behind and return straight here. I'd like someone to go with them who will make sure they get their job done as quickly and efficiently as possible."
Marty nodded stiffly, though inside he continued to fume. I wish Doc would stop assuming I'll help him out all the time! Don't I have a say in it at all?
Doc went back to help the boys and, minutes later, Marty, Jules, Verne, and Eddie we on their way towards the trees below.
"We're almost there, I believe," Jules announced later to Marty, as Verne trudged a few feet behind with Eddie. "I believe it's just beyond the trees up there."
Marty grunted, frowning. "Good," he said shortly, his eyes set straight ahead and his stride fast. Jules wondered if there was something either himself or his brother had done to anger Marty; he'd been acting a bit cool to them all morning. But as much as he thought about it, Jules came up with nothing.
Maybe he is just tired, Jules mused, looking at Marty as he hurried to keep up. He wondered if Marty's behavior had anything to do with the private conversation that his father had sent both himself and Verne away for. Jules didn't know what they had talked about, though Verne had tried his best to find out. Whatever the topic was that had been discussed, Marty had come away from the conversation acting as he did now--silent and crabby.
"I think we're here," Verne said a couple minutes later, his voice glum. "Those are the dino nests over there."
Jules looked around, recognizing their surroundings from the day before. But while yesterday they had been surrounded by dinosaurs--Edmontosauruses, Jules reminded himself--today there was nothing but puddles of water and muddy footprints. Jules looked at Verne, warning bells going off in his head as he did so. Verne had that look on his face--a look that meant he was up to no good!
"This is the place?" Marty asked, shifting the strap of the tranquilizer gun he had slung over one shoulder. Without waiting for positive confirmation, he looked at Verne. "Okay, put Eddie down and lets get the hell out of here."
Verne turned his head enough so he could see the baby dinosaur's face. Eddie, who had been quiet and listless during the hour's hike, let out a weak squeak at the sight of Verne's face. The boy turned back around, his face full of stubborn intent. "No," he said clearly.
Marty looked irritated. "What do you mean, 'no'? Put him down and lets go!"
Verne shook his head. "I'm not leaving him here without his family. I want to find them first!"
Jules spoke before Marty had a chance to. "Father said to leave him, regardless," he told his younger brother gently. "I know you like Eddie--he is a nice little animal--but we've already put Father through enough. Eddie wasn't meant to interact with humans, either. It's better to leave him here and let nature take care of things."
Verne scowled, unmoved by the speech. "I'm not having Eddie be a meal for a T-rex!" he exclaimed. "I'm gonna find his family!" With that, Verne turned around and hurried down the pathway the dinosaurs had gone the day before.
"Verne!" Marty yelled, starting after him. "Come back here right now!"
"No," Verne called back. "I'm gonna find Eddie's family. You can go back without me."
"Oh, right," Marty said sarcastically. "Sure. Doc'll really like that!"
Verne didn't answer, walking steadily down the path.
Marty turned to Jules, scowling at the older Brown child. "Can't you do something?"
"Not really," Jules admitted, a bit stung by Marty's behavior. "Once Verne gets his mind on something, he does it, no matter the consequences."
Marty chuckled once, without humor. "Just like Doc, isn't he?" He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Damn. I guess we have to follow him, huh?"
Jules nodded. "Do you want to inform Father of this development, or should I?"
Doc Brown clutched the walkie-talkie in one greasy hand, sitting bolt upright in the driver's seat of the DeLorean. "He's doing what?!"
"Going after the dinosaurs that Eddie belongs to," Marty said through the tinny speaker. "You owe me big for this, Doc. I didn't know I was going to be trampling through the jungle all day. This makes me nervous."
"You're not the only one!" Doc muttered, his mind whirling. Am I going to have to tie down that kid? he wondered about Verne. "You still have the gun, right?"
"Yeah, but I don't like it," Marty said. "I don't think I even know how to use this kind!"
"Have you seen any dinosaurs yet?" Doc asked.
"No, not yet. And I think that might be a problem now, since Verne isn't going to leave until we find Eddie's family!"
Doc looked at his watch, then glanced outside. He lowered his voice. "Marty, if you haven't found this family by about two PM, turn around and come back here!"
"Not likely," Marty said, his voice crackling with static. "Verne will keep going!"
"Then I want you and Jules to do something to him--distract him and pick him up bodily if that's what it takes! The way things are coming along here, I should have the repairs completed by around four this afternoon. If you want to be back home by then, it would be in your best interest to be here by then!"
There was a pause from the other end of the radio. "Okay, Jules and I will try our best. But I can't promise anything."
Doc sighed; that was the best he could hope for at this point. "I understand. Be sure to tell Verne that he is going to be in supreme trouble when we return to the future! I'm still trying to work out a punishment strong enough for his behavior the last few days!"
It sounded like Marty laughed on the other end of the radio. A positive sign, in Doc's eyes. He knew that the teenager was a little miffed at him for the way he had needed his help so much the last couple days. That Marty was laughing could only mean one thing--Doc was forgiven, at least this time around.
"I'll do that," Marty promised. "Over and out."
"How did he take the news?" Jules asked as they followed Verne, Marty pocketing the walkie-talkie.
"All right," Marty answered, picking up the pace a little. "Though he wanted me to tell Verne that he's basically dead meat when we get back home. Man, that kid'll probably be grounded for a month!"
"I dunno...." Jules said doubtfully. "Father is actually not as stern with disciplinary matters as Mother is." Jules was quiet for a moment, a question suddenly occurring to him. "Did you know him when you were our age?"
"Who? Doc?" Marty frowned. "No, not really. But I knew of him--everyone did in Hill Valley."
Jules was curious. He didn't know much about his father's life before he had moved back to 1885 and met his mother. "How did you both meet, then? If you don't mind me asking."
"Why would I?" Marty scratched his head, his eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "I think I was about thirteen or fourteen when I got to know Doc real well. It wasn't long after I'd gotten into music and I'd been looking for a job, since I wanted to buy this guitar in the music shop real bad. My parents thought I should learn 'the value of money' and all that crap. But I wasn't old enough to get a job, since I wasn't sixteen yet.
"Anyway, in a small town like Hill Valley word gets around. I had sent out a lot of flyers asking people if they needed someone to mow their lawns, clean out attics or garages, that sorta stuff. I'd gotten a few odd jobs, when there was a knock at the door one day. I opened it, and there was Doc."
Marty smiled at the memory. "I didn't know what to think at first. Most people in town, as I'm sure you've heard, think your pop's got a few things missing in the attic."
Jules nodded sagely. He'd heard the rumors at school from other kids--and even some of the teachers!
"But there was Doc, in one of those offbeat outfits he always wears, on my doorstep," Marty continued. "He had one of my flyers--I'd posted those things everywhere!--and asked if I was Marty McFly. I said yeah, I was, and then Doc asked if I'd want the job of cleaning up his garage and assisting him with some of his projects for a couple hours after school."
Marty's expression changed. He looked almost guilty now. He glanced at Jules, listening intently to the story. "I know it was stupid, but I didn't really want to at first. I'd heard the rumors like everyone else in town, about how Doc Brown was some mad and reclusive scientist. And it really was weird, the way he showed up unannounced at my door. Everyone else had called me. But before I could say no, Doc said that he'd pay me $50 a week--and that was all I needed to hear! The guitar costed $250, plus tax, so I figured I'd only need to work a couple months or so, then I'd quit."
"So what happened?" Jules asked. "You obviously changed your opinion about Father."
Marty shrugged. "I got to know him better, working at his place every day for a few hours after school and sometimes on Saturdays. My parents were a little nervous about me going over to Doc's place by the Burger King alone, but they were the ones who wanted me to get the job in the first place. And my friends thought I was crazy! But after talking to Doc, I realized he was kind of cool. A little offbeat, yeah, but no crazier than you or me. Doc just wasn't afraid what people thought of him, and that's considered weird for some reason. He wasn't one to pretend to be someone he wasn't. He also had this enthusiasm and energy for his projects and stuff that would really scare people off. But I liked it."
"Did you stop working there once you got enough money for the guitar?"
"Not exactly." Marty looked like he was going to tell more of the story, then stopped. "There's Verne. Hey Verne!" He ran after the boy, now in sight up ahead. Jules followed.
Verne turned around at the sound of his name. "I thought you guys didn't wanna come," he said.
Marty caught up with him and put a firm hand on his shoulder. "You didn't give us much of a choice! I called Doc about your little idea."
Verne looked a little worried. "What did he say?"
"First off, that you're gonna be in big trouble when we get back to the future," Marty told him. "Second, he wants us to turn around and head back to the cave at two this afternoon. If we haven't found Eddie's family, then he stays where we turn around. Got it?"
"Maybe," Verne said, shrugging. Marty tightened his grip on Verne's shoulder, his face growing more serious.
"That's not a choice, Verne, it's an order. If you don't come back with us willingly, I'll carry you back there myself!"
"And if you put up a big struggle, we'll shoot your with the tranquilizer gun," Jules added as a further threat. He knew how much Verne hated to get shots.
The threat had some effect. Verne nodded solemnly, his eyes locking on Marty's. "Okay, we'll turn back by then."
Marty seemed to be about ready to let go of Verne's shoulder, then decided it was a good time to add some more restrictions in. "We're not veering off this path into the woods, either. I don't want to get lost out here."
"Jules and I didn't get lost coming down here alone yesterday," Verne said.
Jules rolled his eyes. "We also didn't stray from the path, Verne! Accept it--it's not an unfair request."
"Alright, fine," Verne muttered. "Can I go now?"
Marty took his hand off Verne. The boy quickly hurried down the muddy pathway, his pace more hurried now that he knew there was a time limit to the day. Eddie peeked out of his backpack, looking like a small plastic toy.
"So, what did you do when you had earned enough money for the guitar?" Jules asked after a couple minutes of walking with Marty in silence. "Did you quit the job Father gave you?"
"No," Marty said. "Doc knew of my intentions, of course. I'd told him all about what I planned to do with the money. On the day that I'd earned enough and planned to quit, he told me that he had a surprise for me--and brought out that guitar I'd been planning to buy! I was shocked--I mean, even my parents wouldn't buy me that! But Doc told me to think of this as a gift for helping him out, and that he wanted to be kept up-to-date on my progress on learning the instrument."
Marty paused thoughtfully. "The thing I really liked about Doc back then, aside from the stuff I said earlier, was that he didn't think my dreams of being a rock star were funny. He took them seriously. And when he gave me the guitar, he told me something that I--and I'm sure you and Verne--have heard a million times since: If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything."
"Did you go back to see him when you had learned how to play, then?" Jules asked, fascinated with this story he had never heard.
"Before," Marty answered. "I felt a little weird for accepting such a gift from him--I mean, I also got the $50 a week--so I started coming to his place after school and weekends, sometimes helping him out with some odd project or another, other times just hanging out. And we just sorta became friends."
Marty shifted the gun he was carrying. "I don't know if you know about this, but my dad used to be a real loser and wimp. He wasn't always the writer you know him as. I changed things for my family accidentally when I time traveled the first time. Anyway, I kind of looked up to Doc. My dad had this kind of 'why bother?' attitude with life. But Doc would tell me that nothing was impossible. I liked hearing that a lot more!
"Then the time travel thing came in. Ever since I knew Doc, he'd been working on some secret project he never told me about. I tried to find out what it was, but Doc is pretty good at keeping secrets. He'd keep the notes and plans of what was probably the DeLorean and flux capacitor in a safe that I could never break into--no matter how much I tried! Around the start of '85 he started leaving town for long weekends. When I asked him what he was doing, he'd just tell me he was working. If I'd press him for more information, he'd find some way to change the subject or be extremely vague. It was really frustrating, but I was busy with school and the band and stuff, so I didn't really think about it much."
"How long did this go on? When did you know what Father's project was?" Jules asked.
Marty stopped a moment to take a drink from the canteen he was carrying with the gun. "Months. I think Doc didn't tell me about what he was doing because it sounded so impossible. I mean, time travel--he was probably afraid I'd write him off as a nutcase and never see him again."
"Would you?" Jules asked softly.
Marty was silent for a moment, thinking hard. "I don't know. Doc did so much for me by that point that I probably wouldn't have. I would have probably thought of his time travel thing as another little quirk about him, but I wouldn't have ditched him." Marty shook his head firmly. "No, I wouldn't have.
"Anyway, In late October 1985, Doc vanished without a word. I was a little worried about that, but when I stopped by his place to check things out, he called and contacted me. He told me he'd been working, again, and that he'd made a big breakthrough and needed my help. Late that night, I saw the DeLorean for the first time, watched Einstein time travel, then I did a little of it myself after -" Marty stopped talking and looked at Jules. "After that," he finished abruptly.
Jules got a weird feeling suddenly. Was Marty hiding something from him? "After what?" he asked. "You were about to say something else."
Marty shrugged uncomfortably. "If you want to know, ask your dad."
"He might not say." Jules grabbed Marty's arm, stopping him in his tracks. "Tell me," he said softly. "I think I have a right to know. I'm Emmett Brown's son, after all."
Marty bit his lip. Before he could say anything, however, there was a scream from Verne, now out of sight around a bend in the trail.
"Hey! Let go!"
Marty and Jules took off at a run, towards the sound of Verne's cries.
When Marty reached Verne, with Jules in tow, he could only stop and stare at the scene before him. A enormous bird-like dinosaur had grabbed Verne's backpack, with Eddie inside, in it's large claws. The dinosaur had a huge wingspan--about the size of a small airplane. The creature was so strong that Verne was actually lifted off the ground a few inches. But the dinosaur was having trouble taking the boy higher than that, maybe because he was kicking and fighting like mad.
Verne noticed his brother and Marty on the scene then. "Help me! This Pteranodon wants to take Eddie!"
"The what?" Marty said aloud. Jules grabbed his arm.
"You've got to use the tranquilizer gun!" he said. Then, without waiting for an answer, Jules bent over and started to pick up rocks, chucking them at the flying dinosaur. The animal didn't let go from the blows, flapping it's large, leathery wings in agitation and emitting a loud squawking not unlike the birds of the future.
Marty took a step back, trying to dodge the wings that were flapping madly. "I don't know how!" he cried, panicking.
"Do something!" Verne yelled, ducking his head to avoid the sharp beak of the flying dinosaur.
Jules tugged the gun off Marty's shoulder and dropped it in his hands. "Point and shoot!" he exclaimed. "I think it might be loaded already!"
Marty stared at the gun. "I haven't used one of these in a long time! And never a rifle tranquilizer gun! What if I hit Verne by mistake?"
"Marty, help!" Verne yelled, overhearing the conversation. "Get this thing off me! He's hurting Eddie!"
He's more concerned about that baby dinosaur than his own safety! Marty realized in shock. In a kind of daze, he rose the tranquilizer gun up and aimed the crosshairs on the thrashing flying dinosaur. Marty took a deep breath to steady himself, then pulled the trigger. Nothing happened.
"What the hell...." he murmured, lowering the gun for a look.
"The safety is probably on!" Jules pointed out.
Marty looked at the gun and noticed Jules was right--the safety was on. He flicked it off and raised the gun again.
"Shoot him!" Verne yelled, trying to bat the animal away from him.
"Duck!" Marty called.
Verne threw his arms over his head and face. Marty lined up the crosshairs on the dinosaur again, swallowed hard, then pulled the trigger.
The recoil was sharp. Marty stumbled back, unprepared for it, and fell to the ground. The tranquilizer dart that had shot out of the gun was now embedded in the back of the Pteranodon. The dinosaur let out a shriek of rage or pain and let go of Verne's backpack. The boy hit the ground, falling to his knees. The dinosaur, still shrieking, flew off across the body of water that was to their left.
"Whoa, that was close!" Verne said, getting to his feet almost immediately. He slipped his backpack off and took a look at Eddie. The baby dinosaur seemed unhurt by the ordeal, though he was shaking and whimpering softly. Verne took him out of the badly ripped backpack and held him in his arms, close to his body. "What a jerk," Marty heard him mutter, looking at the receding form of the Pteranodon.
Shaken, Marty got to his feel slowly, his clothes now splattered with mud from the fall. "What happened, exactly?" he asked Verne, bending over to pick up the gun that was now lying in the mud.
"I was just walking, when all the sudden that Pteranodon divebombed me!" Verne explained. "He latched his claws onto the backpack and tried getting it--he wanted Eddie--but I held on and yelled for help." Verne glanced at his pack. "I should write that company and tell them how strong those packs are!"
"You're lucky you weren't badly hurt," Jules commented. "Is your forehead giving you much pain?"
Verne reached up with one hand to his forehead, bleeding from a cut caused by the flying dinosaur's struggle. "No," he said, touching his fingers to the wound and drawing them away, staring at the bloodstain with surprise. "I didn't even feel it!"
Marty picked up Verne's baseball cap, which had fallen to the ground in the struggle, and set it back on the boy's blond hair. "You're brother is right," he agreed. "You're lucky nothing worse happened. What if that thing was able to carry you away, or dropped you from the air?" Marty shuddered. "I don't like this place. I think we should turn back now."
"Not 'til we get Eddie to his family!" Verne swore. "How much time do we got?"
Marty looked at his watch, which was still set on Hill Valley time. 7:06PM. According to the watch, they had been gone for about 24 hours. Which put the current time....
"It's around ten now, I think," he told Verne after a moment. "So we have about....four more hours. But it'll take that many hours to walk back to the cave if we go much further. We're going to turn around at noon."
"But Dad said we had until two!" Verne protested immediately.
Marty remained firm in the decision. He was the oldest, after all, and he felt he should have some say in this entire thing. "Well, I say noon. Which still gives you two hours to find Eddie's family."
"I'm not leaving him behind alone!" Verne said stubbornly.
"Sorry, Verne," Marty said, the words not coming out as gently as he wanted them to. The combination of lack of sleep, the heat, and the constant fear of meeting up with a dinosaur was making him unusually short-tempered. "Odds are, if we don't find Eddie's family by then, we aren't going to."
Verne scowled at him from under the brim of his hat. "What do you know about dinosaurs?" he snapped. Before Marty could say anything in reply to that, Verne turned around and hurried down the path.
Marty watched him go, clenching his hands into fists. This is insane! he thought angrily. Why are we letting him do this?! It's dangerous, stupid, pointless -
Jules broke Marty's train of thought by touching him on the arm. "Are we going to continue to follow him?"
"We don't have much of a choice, do we?" Marty muttered.
The next hour was fairly uneventful. They didn't have any more surprise dinosaur attacks, although Marty heard all sorts of unnerving sounds from in the trees. And there was constant noise around them, the calls of dinosaurs from different parts of the area. With each cry, Marty jumped. His nerves were stretched close to the breaking point. He had the constant feeling of being watched and frequently turned around to make sure they weren't being stalked by a dinosaur. Each time he looked back, he saw nothing but empty space at their backs.
"One hour left, Verne," Marty warned when his watch told him it was 8PM--or about 11AM Cretaceous Time. "We're turning back at noon."
Verne didn't answer, continuing to walk a few feet ahead of Jules and Marty. He had been carrying Eddie in his arms since the Pteranodon incident, and though Marty suspected his arms were now killing him, Verne never complained.
"He is obsessing over this dinosaur situation," Jules observed aloud.
Marty sighed. "Why? I mean, I can understand why he might like dinosaurs, but I think he's taking this Eddie thing a bit too far. It can't be because he doesn't have a pet."
"But perhaps he wants a pet dinosaur," Jules said sagely. "Einstein is a wonderful pet, but we weren't there to raise him from puppyhood. And this is a dinosaur, on top of it all."
"Well, I wish he'd leave us out of this," Marty muttered. He pulled out the walkie-talkie from his backpack and thumbed the switch. "Yo, Doc, come in."
There was a moment of static, then Doc came on the radio. "Marty. How are things progressing?"
"Still no sign of Eddie's family," Marty reported. "Verne refuses to stop looking, but we're turning back at noon. It'll take us about two or three hours to hike back to the cave."
"Have you run into any problems?"
Marty hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should mention the Pteranodon incident. "Well, sort of. But we're alright, don't worry. If history is changed when we get back to the future, though, I think I know where we'd need to fix it. How are the repairs going?"
"I haven't run into any unexpected problems. Everything is going according to schedule."
"Okay. I'll let you get back to them, then."
Marty was about to close off the connection when Doc spoke again. "Marty, let me know when you are heading back here."
"Will do. Over and out."
Marty put the two way radio away and looked at Verne, still moving steadily down the path. He was about to say something to Verne when a roar of an animal--very very close--came off to their right, where the thick foliage was. The sound stopped the three of them dead.
Verne spun around to look at his brother and Marty, his eyes wide. "That's a T-rex!" he cried. Jules paled at the announcement as the roar came again.
"He's correct," Jules said to Marty. "I recognize that cry!"
Marty slipped the tranquilizer gun off his shoulder, reaching into his pocket for a new dart to load into the chamber. "Okay," he said softly as he snapped the new dart into place, trying to stay calm. He looked to the expert in these matters--Verne. "What should we do?"
"Get outta here!" the boy responded promptly, starting to run. Jules and Marty didn't hesitate to follow.
Something crashed through the brush behind them. Marty risked a look back and saw a Tyrannosaurus step onto the path they had been following. It was huge--the size of a small building! The head alone was bigger than the DeLorean! Marty felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle at the sight. It was almost supernatural, being so close to an animal that had long died out.
I'm seeing something no human has ever seen before, he realized with a touch of awe.
The T-rex growled, sounding like an idling chainsaw. Marty whipped his head back to the front, adding more speed to his run. Soon he passed both Jules and Verne, who were pretty fast themselves. Behind, Marty heard the T-rex roar, loud enough to silence the other creatures around. Then there was the sickening sensation of the ground shaking as the carnivore started after the three human beings.
"How fast can they go?" Marty shouted out to Verne as they ran.
"Twenty," Verne called back.
"Miles an hour?" Marty asked in disbelief.
"Right," Verne said.
We'll never out run that thing! Marty realized in despair. His eyes scanned the path up ahead, looking for something they might be able to use for a dinosaur distraction, or a place they could go that the animal couldn't follow. He saw the same muddy path stretching what seemed to him a distance of forever. But on the shore of the river that was to their left, something caught his eye. It looked like a dinosaur graveyard of sorts, with huge bones littering the area. Including some large rib cages.
Marty veered off towards the bones, hoping the boys would get the idea and follow him. He wasn't sure how much further he could run at this speed. Already his side was cramping up and he was gasping for air. The pounding of his heart sounded like thunder in his ears.
"No!" he heard Verne cry from behind. Marty turned his head instinctively, wondering if the dinosaur had caught up with them, when he stumbled. He hit the ground hard, his knees taking most of the impact. The tranquilizer gun slipped off his shoulder and landed a couple feet from his hand.
"Ah!" Marty gasped, unable to say much more than that. He heard another roar from his back, the ground trembling beneath him. A second later Jules and Verne had caught up to him.
"Go!" Verne urged, grabbing Marty's left hand. Jules took the right and both boys pulled him to his feet. Marty's knees ached from the fall, but he was hardly aware of the pain as he struggled to run towards the large rib cage just a dozen feet away.
The boys slipped into the bones a moment later. The space between the ribs was about one and a half feet--just enough. Marty tripped again, falling to the ground six feet short of his goal. He looked over and noticed it was the gun that had caused his fall.
"Marty!" Verne shouted, gesturing to him with his one free hand. The other one clutched Eddie firmly against his shoulder. "Come on!"
Marty grabbed the gun and started to climb back to his feet. The T-rex roared again, louder than loud. Marty raises his eyes up and found the animal standing right above him.
"Holy shit!" he breathed, freezing in a crouch. The T-rex looked down at Marty, snorting. One foot was planted inches from Marty's own feet. Large claws with dried blood caked on them protruded from the foot. The largest claw was the size of Marty's hand. Then the stench hit him. It smelled like rotting meat.
The boys had grown silent. Marty wondered if he should try to make a break for it, but decided against it almost immediately. The dinosaur would probably grab him the second he made a sudden movement. So Marty stared up at the dinosaur in shock, his mind trying to find a way out of this problem.
The T-rex lowered it's head towards Marty. Automatically he tried edging away and lost his balance, falling back to the ground. His hands remained firmly clenched around the gun, however. The dinosaur let out another growl and continued to lower it's head towards Marty.
He's going to eat me! Marty realized in horror. He swiftly moved the gun, pointing the nozzle up . The dinosaur roared at the movement, then started towards the teenager. Marty braced the butt of the gun against the ground, then pulled the trigger.
The tranquilizer shot out from the gun, flying into the open mouth of the T-rex. The animal staggered back, sounding as if it was coughing and choking. The small hands waved wildly in the air, in a gesture of panic. Marty decided it was the best distraction he was going to have, then and ran for the rib cage where the boys were waiting.
"Nice thinking," Jules said softly as Marty slipped between the ribs to relative safety. A dozen feet away the T-rex was thrashing around, emitting a high pitched squeaking. The noise agitated Eddie and the baby started wiggling around in Verne's arms, making noise as well. Verne had his hands full, trying to keep Eddie from falling to the ground.
"I hope I didn't kill it," Marty murmured as he watched the T-rex.
"I'd doubt it," Jules said. "The drug amount in one of those tranquilizers won't cause any adverse effects, and it's certainly not strong enough to knock a creature of that size out."
"But won't having a plastic syringe and needle in it's throat hurt it?" Marty asked doubtfully.
"It's causing it a lot of pain, that's for sure," Verne said, still trying to calm down Eddie in his arms. The boy scowled. "I wish it'd stop making that noise. It's scaring Eddie!"
"Are we going to be safe here?" Marty wanted to know.
Verne continued to frown. "I wouldn't know! You shouldn't've come here. The bones mean that this is a feeding place of some kind, or maybe the territory of a big dinosaur that has it's species die here."
"Sor-ry!" Marty muttered. "I didn't know."
Jules looked at him for the first time, his face growing concerned. "Are your knees all right?"
Marty looked down. His knees--which had been aching a little since the fall--were scraped up pretty bad. Blood trickled down his legs, though it appeared the scrapes had finished the majority of their bleeding already. "It looks worse than it feels," he said to Jules, frowning at the mess.
"That's not good," Verne declared. "Carnivores can smell blood real well."
"Well, I can't help it," Marty snapped. "We don't have any bandages with us now, do we?"
The T-rex finally lumbered away, still making faint cries of pain. When the animal had vanished back into the brush and the last of it's cries had faded away, the three time travelers finally slipped out from the rib cage. They had just gotten back on the path, when the ground started to shake again.
"What's that?" Marty whispered. "Earthquake?"
"No," Jules murmured, cocking his head to one side. "I don't believe so."
"Not another T-rex!" Marty groaned softly.
"No," Verne said, a strange tone to his voice. "It's not."
Marty and Jules looked at Verne, staring at a ridge up ahead. They shifted their eyes over to it and saw a group of dinosaurs lumbering towards them. They were large ones, easily twice as large than the T-rex. They looked familiar to Marty, though he was quite sure he had never seen them before--and then he realized why they looked so familiar. They were the same kind as Eddie, but all grown up.
"It's the Edmotosauruses," Verne said aloud. In his arms, Eddie was kicking his feet and fighting wildly to get down. Verne finally bent over and set him on the ground. The baby dinosaur waddled towards the approaching herd, squeaking. At the sound, the adults started honking and making noise of their own.
"Shouldn't we get out of here now?" Marty asked nervously as the huge animals got closer.
"They won't hurt us," Verne said softly, his eyes on Eddie. "They're herbivores."
"I'm worried more about getting trampled to death," Marty said, stepping to the side of the path. Jules followed his example, but Verne remained standing in the middle of the path.
"Verne!" Jules called as the herd grew closer. "Get over here!"
Verne remained rooted where he was, staring at the dinosaurs and they drew closer. Marty watched as one of the adults reached Eddie. The two nuzzled each other, Eddie chirping merrily. Then the adult lifted Eddie by the scruff of his neck and carried him in it's mouth. Verne finally stepped aside and let the herd pass by, watching Eddie being carried at the front.
"Bye Eddie," he whispered, waving to the baby dinosaur.
It took about ten minutes before the herd finished migrating and the path was open again. When things had cleared, Jules and Marty stepped out of the brush. Verne walked to the center of the path and watched the last of the Edmontosauruses vanish in the dust.
"He's back with his family now," Marty said gently, patting Verne on the shoulder. The boy turned around, finally, and looked up at the teenager with eyes bright from unshed tears.
"Let's go back now," Verne said softly. "I'm ready."
Doc Brown tightened the last connection and stepped away. "There," he said softly, pleased with what he was able to accomplish. He looked at his watch. Marty had contacted him hours ago, informing him that Eddie had been returned to his own kind and the three of them were on their way back to the cave. They had yet to show, and Doc was a tad bit worried.
The scientist pulled the walkie-talkie out of his pocket. "Marty, can you read me?" he asked. "Come in."
"Hey, Doc," Marty said--but not from the speaker. Doc spun around in surprise and found Jules, Verne, and Marty in the doorway of the cave. All three were covered in dust and looked hot and exhausted. Marty, in particular, looked pretty beat up. His shorts and t-shirt were splattered with dried mud and his knees were all scraped up and covered with dried blood. Doc set the walkie-talkie down and rushed to meet them.
"Are you okay?" he asked all of them. "What happened to you out there?"
"We're fine," Marty assured him. "My knees are a little sore, but I think it looks worse than it is. We just had a couple run in with dinosaurs." He sighed wearily. "It's a long story."
Doc turned to Verne. "You returned Eddie to his family?"
Verne nodded, his face glum. "Yeah, he's back with them. I wish we could've kept him, though."
"It was quite impossible," Doc said. He changed the subject. "I've finished the repairs on the time machine, and I think we're ready to leave. All that's left to do is move them outside."
Marty walked over to the DeLorean and leaned against the car, closing his eyes and tilting his head back. "Let me guess--you need my help with that," he sighed.
"Yes," Doc said, seeing no reason to deny the obvious. He turned back to his sons. "Why don't you boys take a snack outside and rest while we do this. And don't you dare wander off again!"
"I want to go home," Verne said, heading towards the train where the food was stored. "Why would I want to stop that?"
Doc Brown looked at him skeptically, then shifted his eyes to Jules. "Make sure he means what he says."
"I don't believe that will be a problem, Father," Jules said, trailing after Verne. "We're all exhausted after the events of today and the last thing we want to do is hike some more."
Doc headed back to the DeLorean, where Marty was still waiting. "It'll be a bit tricky to get everything outside now that the time machines are hooked up together."
Marty yawned. "Sounds like it'll be one big headache. Where do we start?"
They waited until Jules and Verne were outside, then started with the DeLorean. Doc put the car in neutral, closed it up, then he and Marty pushed it towards the entrance of the cave. When the cable that was trailing from the train and the space where Mr. Fusion had been was stretched nearly taut, Doc got into the train, switched everything on, and eased it forward until the front of the train was mere inches from the back of the DeLorean. Marty made sure the cable didn't get crushed as Doc moved the train. After the train was advanced as far as it could get, Doc jumped out, pushed the DeLorean out of the cave, then got back in the train and moved outside.
The time machines were out in the sunlight half an hour after they had started. But the job wasn't over yet. Doc brought out the chain again, hooking it up to the train, then securing it around the DeLorean. Then he got inside the car and slowly turned the time circuits on. The display and the flux capacitor lit up. Marty watched from the doorway as Doc set the destination time for August 23, 1986 at 7:10PM in Hill Valley.
"We left at 7:05, according to the display in the train," Doc explained. "I told Clara we would be back within five minutes."
"Aren't you afraid of people seeing the time machines in the air, then?" Marty asked. "It's not really dark yet at seven."
"It will be a problem," Doc admitted, "but if we come back later, Clara will go mad with worry. I can't put her through that after today."
Doc did a final check of the meters and displays in the DeLorean, saw that everything appeared to be in as good as working order as it would get, then got out of the car and shut the door. "I guess that's everything. Keep your fingers crossed that this will work."
"You got it," Marty said, starting for the train. Doc looked around, trying to be certain they weren't leaving anything behind that would indicate humans had been around now. Except for the numerous foot prints and tire tracks in the dust, he thought he had everything.
"Jules, Verne!" he called out to the boys, both sitting near the edge of the cliff. "Time to go!"
The boys jumped to their feet and hurried over to the train. Doc was the last to board the locomotive, making sure all the connections were tight and secure. Finally, he got inside and closed the door, setting the train's time circuits for the identical time and place that the DeLorean was set for. Then he took the train to the air, slowly, carefully. The vehicle groaned a little as the DeLorean was lifted aloft and cleared the ground.
"Brace yourselves for a cautious acceleration," Doc warned the passengers. Jules and Verne both sat on the bench, buckling up without being told to. Marty remained standing by the windows, looking outside at the prehistoric landscape below. Doc made certain to rise up high enough for the DeLorean to clear the tallest of the trees, then started the acceleration up to eighty eight. He took it slowly, adding about five additional miles every minute. By the time they were approaching 80, the train was groaning, not used to pulling the additional weight of the DeLorean. Marty looked pale at the unusual noises.
"Will this work?" he asked nervously, grasping the handhold in the wall tightly.
"We hope," Doc said, easing the throttle forward inches at a time. He watched the speedometer needle creep towards 85. The train started to shudder and shake, as if it was ready to come apart at the seams. Doc held his breath as the needle headed towards the 90 mark. 86....87....88.
Triple flashes of light flooded the inside of the train, then they were speeding in the air above civilization again. Marty let out a tremendous sigh of relief from behind Doc. "We're back! You did it!"
"Not quite yet," Doc cautioned, peering outside to get a feeling for where they were in the town. They had arrived fairly close to his home, over what was mostly an area of undeveloped land. Thank goodness for small favors!
Doc expertly brought the train closer to the ground, cutting the speed from 80 to 20 in a couple minutes. The train stopped making unusual and unnerving noises, but Doc still would feel better when they were on the ground once and for all. The clock read 7:17 when he finally reached the backyard area of his property and was able to start easing the train downward, getting the DeLorean to the ground, then landed the train itself. It would have to be moved to it's proper storing location later, of course, but first the DeLorean would have to be detached and ushered into the lab for repairs to be made.
Doc Brown hadn't even shut off the train when the door opened and Clara ran inside. "Boys!" she exclaimed. She headed straight for Jules and Verne, smothering them with a hug. "I was worries sick about you!"
"Mo-om!" Verne moaned, struggling to break free of Clara's grip. "Stop it!"
Clara finished her hug then her face turned serious and angry. "I want you both in the house right now! You're in big trouble!"
Jules and Verne exchanged a look, sighed in unison, then shuffled out of the train. Clara turned to Doc for the first time, kissing him on the cheek. "Oh, thank you Emmett! Was it a rough trip? Is the DeLorean broken?"
"I'll give you the whole story later," Doc promised. "But first Marty and I have to get the time vehicles moved off our lawn."
Marty sighed at the words. A moment later, however, Jennifer peeked into the train and his attitude considerably brightened. "How did it go?" she asked.
Marty grinned at her and headed for the door. "It was a little rough."
Jennifer caught sight of his knees and gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "My God, Marty! Are you okay?"
"It's fine, I just didn't get bandages on these things," Marty insisted, giving his shocked girlfriend a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll clean up at home."
Marty and Jennifer left the train, leaving Doc and Clara alone. Clara looked outside, at the DeLorean. "Is the other time machine broken?"
"It'll need extensive repairs," Doc said. "It had a run in with a dinosaur."
"No one was hurt, were they?" Clara asked, worried.
Doc shook his head. "No, thank God. No one was in the car at the time."
"How long were you back there?"
"About 36 hours or so--it could have been worse," Doc added upon Clara's horrified expression. "I had to fix the DeLorean up a bit before we could go back--it's a long story." Doc stepped out of the train, Clara following him, and prepared to move the time machines for the last time.
Jennifer Parker watched for nearly an hour as Marty and Doc Brown detached the DeLorean time machine from the train, took the chain off the car, detached a cable that ran from the back of the DeLorean to the back of the train, then pushed it into the lab a hundred feet away. Once that task was completed, Doc decided to wait to move the train, until darkness had fallen, and took the time to drive Marty and Jennifer back to Marty's house.
"I really appreciate all your help in the last couple days, Marty," Doc said as he drove through the neighborhood streets to the McFly residence, a mile away. "I hope you don't feel as if I'm taking advantage of you."
Jennifer saw her boyfriend, seated beside her in the backseat, frown faintly at the words. "Don't mention it," Marty said after a moment. "I'm glad the kids were okay."
"Yes," Doc agreed. "I don't expect that they'll be taking any more unapproved trips for a while. It'll probably take a month, at least, to repair the DeLorean!"
"What happened to it?" Jennifer asked.
"A dinosaur attacked it," Marty said casually. He yawned, resting his head on the back of the seat. "A Tyrannosaurus."
"My God!" Jennifer murmured, trying to picture the scene. "Was anyone in the car at the time?"
"Thankfully, no," Doc said. He turned into the Lyon Estates neighborhood and, a moment later, pulled into the McFly driveway beside Marty's truck. He turned around to look at the Marty as he reached for the doorlatch. "I'll see you later."
"Sure," Marty said, opening the door and helping Jennifer out. Jennifer shut the door and Doc pulled out of the driveway, driving away. Marty let out a sigh at his departure and fished around in his pockets for the housekeys.
"Should I go?" Jennifer asked as he unlocked the front door. "It looks like you've had a rough time back there and if you want to rest, I understand."
"No, no!" Marty said firmly, opening the door and stepping inside. "I feel like I've hardly seen you since you got home! Just let me get a quick shower to get this grime off me and we can pick up where we left off."
Jennifer watched as he went down the hall. A moment later she heard a door shut and the water start to run. She turned around and headed into the dining room, looking at the now-cold pizza that remained in the box, between extinguished candles. She took it into the kitchen and put it in the refrigerator, figuring that Marty might want the leftovers at some point. Then she cleaned off the rest of the dining room table and helped herself to a can of pop.
Once that was taken care of, Jennifer went over to the stereo and looked through the albums, trying to find something to play. After a moment she came across the soundtrack for that new movie, Top Gun, and replaced that with Bryan Adams on the stereo. Kenny Loggins came through the speakers a moment later, singing about the highway to the danger zone.
Marty returned to the living room a few minutes later, his hair still wet from the quick shower, dressed in a clean t-shirt and shorts again. Jennifer noticed him limping a bit, band-aids now on his knees.
"Are you knees okay?" she asked with concern as Marty went into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and pulled out a can of diet Pepsi.
"They're fine," he said, pausing to open up the can and take a long drink from it. "That shower just kind of woke up all the bruises my body picked up back there."
Jennifer stepped into the kitchen. "Are you sure you want me over now? You look exhausted!"
Marty leaned back into the fridge, poking around. He glanced up for a moment at Jennifer, appearing as she had said a second earlier--exhausted, looking like he hadn't slept in a couple days. But he shook his head at her words. "No, I'm fine. Really, Jen, I want to see you, spend some time with you. I've missed you like crazy the last couple days and months!"
Jennifer was confused for a moment, then remembered--because of the time travel, a couple days had passed for Marty, while she felt only a few minutes had gone by. Wow, talk about changing time zones! she thought. "All right."
Marty pulled out what looked like leftover turkey and a loaf of bread. "Want anything?" he asked. "I'm starving!"
Jennifer shook her head. Marty quickly whipped up a large sandwich, then carried it into the other room with his Pepsi. He took a seat at the dining room table, Jennifer sitting next to him. "Hey, did you clean things up?" he asked, noticing the bare tabletop for the first time.
Jennifer nodded. "You don't mind, do you?"
"Mind? Are you crazy! Thanks." Marty gave her a quick kiss, then dug into his snack. Jennifer watched him eat, realizing how much she had missed him herself. A whole summer was a long time to be apart. By the time he had finished eating, Marty noticed she was staring at him and reached out, giving her hand a squeeze.
"It's been too long, huh?" he said softly, reading her mind.
Jennifer smiled. "Too long," she agreed, squeezing his back. "I'm glad neither of us are leaving town for college. Can you imagine being apart for nine months?"
Marty shuddered at the thought. "That would be hell," he said, standing up and taking his empty plate into the kitchen. "You know," he began, leaving the kitchen, "it would be fun if we went on a little time travel trip by ourselves sometime."
Jennifer got up from the table and wandered into the living room. "I don't know," she hedged, sitting on the couch. "It seems like the few times I've done time travel, something bad has happened."
"Maybe, but you've also gotten the chance to see things no one else has," Marty said, yawning. He sat down close to her on the couch, putting an arm around her shoulders. "I mean, you've seen Woodstock in person and your own future that'll never be. Not everyone can say that. Hell, even I never got to see my own future face-to-face, 'cept our future son."
"It's wasn't as great as it sounds," Jennifer said, snuggling closer to her boyfriend in an attempt to erase those unpleasant memories. "I'm sorry, I wish I was more excited about time traveling, but I think it's kind of scary."
Marty looked at her, his expression wounded. "Even with me to protect you?"
Jennifer smiled and laced her fingers through his. "Even then, buster. Sorry. But maybe I'll change my mind if you ask me during finals or something."
"Will do," Marty agreed, kissing her on the cheek. "Is there any place you'd want to go?"
Jennifer shrugged. "I don't know. I never really gave it much thought."
"Well, now's your chance." Marty yawned again, shaking his head slightly. Jeez, he looks beat, Jennifer thought. I wonder what he went through back there?
"Care to tell me any details about your latest trip?" she asked after a moment. "Did you get the chance to see any dinosaurs up close?"
"Too close," Marty sighed. "I don't know why Verne wanted to go back there. But I guess all kids have this fascination with dinosaurs."
"Did you?"
"Mmmmm no, not really. But I remember Dave liked 'em for a while. He'd tell me all these gruesome stories about them, which scared me more than anything else. Musta been about five or so then."
Another moment of silence passed, then Jennifer changed the subject slightly. "How are your parents handling your brother moving out?"
"Okay, I guess. But I think my mom is a little nervous about it. You know how moms can be."
"Especially with the firstborns," Jennifer said. "It's worse if you're an only child, though. My parents can be incredibly paranoid sometimes. If they knew your parents weren't here now, they would flip out!"
Marty smiled at her, a little wearily. "What do they think might happen?"
"Maybe this," Jennifer said coyly, kissing Marty on the mouth. He kissed her back, gently, hugging her close. Jennifer leaned back, pulling Marty with her as she lay down on the couch. Their kisses were soft, tender. Jennifer slipped her hands around the back of Marty's neck, tugging gently on the strands of hair at the nape of his neck. Marty ran his fingers down her cheek.
Then, slowly, as they continued kissing, something happened. Jennifer couldn't pinpoint what it was at first then, finally, she realized what it was. Marty wasn't doing anything anymore. He had grown still and she became aware of how heavy he was all the sudden. His head fell forward, onto her chest.
"Marty?" she whispered, freezing. He didn't answer her, his head inches from her nose. She couldn't see his face, just the top of his head. Her heart started to pound hard as a wealth of possibilities rushed through her mind. I killed him! He's dead from food poisoning! Maybe he's just playing a joke? Maybe he passed out!
Jennifer reached for Marty's hand, resting by her side, and felt for a pulse. A moment later she found one, slow and steady. So he wasn't dead. Jennifer gently slapped his arm. "Marty? Marty, come on, this isn't funny anymore!"
The room remained silent, save for the sound of the music on the stereo. Marty didn't move. Jennifer decided it was time for her to. She slowly sat up, easing Marty off her and onto the couch, then got to her feet. When she was standing, Jennifer turned around and looked at her boyfriend, sprawled on the couch. He was lying on his stomach, his face was turned towards her now, out towards the center of the room. Jennifer knelt down on the floor, her face inches from his. Marty's eyes were closed and his breathing deep and relaxed. He wasn't passed out or dead--he had merely fallen asleep!
"You were exhausted, weren't you?" she said softly, kissing him on the cheek. After a moment, Jennifer got to her feet, found a blanket folded on a shelf nearby, and draped it over Marty. Next she shut off the stereo, turned off the lights and left the house for the night to walk home.
The telephone rang, the noise sounding as if it was coming from far away. But gradually, as the ringing persisted, the noise grew closer and more irritating. Without opening his eyes, on instinct, Marty reached out to his left and felt around for the telephone by his bed. Air met his hand. Frowning, still not looking, Marty rolled over and leaned out further....
THUD! He hit the ground, hard, his body coming painfully to life. Marty groaned, finally opening his eyes. Squinting and blinking in the bright sunlight, it took Marty a moment to realize where he was--not in his bedroom but on the living room floor, next to the couch.
"Huh?" he muttered, confused, sitting up slowly. His knees ached, his back ached, his neck ached--Marty had to wonder if there was one part of him that wasn't aching or bruised in some way.
The telephone continued it's shrill, persistent ring. Marty climbed to his feet, nearly tripping over the blanket that had fallen with him, and dragged himself over to the kitchen, where the closest phone was located.
"Hello," he mumbled into the receiver a moment later.
"Marty, it's Doc," the voice said over the line, sounding entirely too fast and alert for Marty's tastes. "I didn't disturb you, did I?"
Marty sat down in one of the chairs at the bar, resting his forehead in one hand. "I was sleeping, I think," he muttered.
"I'm sorry. I thought you might be up by now."
"After the trip we had? You're kidding, right?"
"I'm sorry," Doc said again. "Listen, are you doing anything this afternoon?"
"Why?" Marty asked suspiciously.
"I need your assistance," Doc said, quickly adding, "with the DeLorean repairs. No time travel this time."
Marty clenched his teeth together for a moment, rubbed his eyes, and tried to hold onto his temper. "Gee, Doc, I don't know...."
"I'd really appreciate it. Jules would normally help me, but he and Verne are being punished right now, so...." Doc left the sentence unfinished. "I'd like to have the DeLorean back in working order by mid-September."
Marty sighed softly, feeling trapped in a corner. "All right," he said finally. "What time do you want me over there?"
"Is ten too early for you?"
"Ten'll be fine."
Marty hung up, staring across the room for a moment. "Christ, what did I just do?" he moaned.
The telephone rang again. Marty snatched it up. "What?" he snapped, figuring Doc was calling back. Probably wants me to bring my own tools or something!
"Marty? It's Jennifer. I didn't wake you, did I?"
"Doc already did the honors," Marty said. He frowned suddenly, realizing something. "Hey, I didn't fall asleep on you last night, did I?"
"Well, yeah ,you did." Jennifer laughed softly. "Quite literally. But it's okay, really. You looked pretty tired."
"I was up for a while," Marty admitted. "Those dinosaurs made it hard to relax. I'm sorry about last night, though. It was supposed to be this nice romantic evening, but nothing turned out the way I had planned!"
"Well, we can try again later," Jennifer said. "Are you doing anything today?"
Marty got a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Uh, yeah, sort of. Doc wanted me to help with the repairs, but I could always call back and tell him -"
"No, no," Jennifer said firmly. "You go help Doc!"
"But I really really want to spend some time with you," Marty said sincerely. "I'm sure Doc would understand...."
"No, Marty, it's okay. Really. We can do something tonight."
"I can't. The band has a rehearsal."
"Well, what about tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow I have to work," Marty said glumly. "Are you busy Monday?"
There was a pause on Jennifer's end. "Yeah, I have to baby-sit for the neighbors. Tuesday?"
"Work again." Marty sighed, tangling the phone cord in his fingers. "This is stupid! I can't believe Doc! He's just assuming I'll help him out all the time! He never really asks me anymore if I even want to!"
Jennifer was silent for a moment. "Have you told him how you feel?" she asked softly.
"No," Marty said, sighing. "That would hurt his feelings, and I don't want to do that." Marty pounded his fist on the counter. "There's no good way to handle this!"
"Marty, if you feel this way, I think you should tell Doc," Jennifer suggested. "I think he would understand. He knows that you're getting busier, now that you're out of high school and in college and working on top of it all."
Marty shook his head, though Jennifer wasn't there to see the gesture. "I can't, Jen. I'll just grin and bear it now, I guess. Anyway, maybe he'll let up a bit once school starts up for me. Doc's always respected education."
"Maybe," Jennifer agreed. "But if this continues to bother you -"
"Go see Doc," Marty finished. "Okay, okay, fine. But let's wait and see first. In the meantime, I guess I'll be at Doc's today."
"Love you," Jennifer said. "Have fun!"
"Love you, too," Marty said. He hung up the phone.
I'll give it a month, he thought. If Doc is still breathing down my neck in a month, then I'll tell him!
After all, what was the worst that could happen with a little talk like that?