Re: Inspired by the June '08 Challenge - BTTF - The Lazerus Experiment
Back to the Future
The Lazarus Experiment
Chapter 1
Linda McFly walked into the office. “You wanted to see the guest list for tonight?” she asked.
"Yes, thank you Linda,” Professor Lazarus said, taking the list from her outstretched hand. He then slid up close to her.
“Interesting fragrance,” he said, with a seductive undertone that Linda could not help but notice. He was also staring into her eyes, which definitely made Linda uncomfortable.
“It is soap!” she said, snidely. The Professor backed off but still maintained intense eye contact. Linda then turned and left the office. She may have had appeared to be calm as she left, but her anxious fear and discomfort showed on her face, as soon as she had exited the door. The Professor's creepiness was far more than a simple annoyance...
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
“Remind me again, why are you interested in what is happening here tonight, Doc?” Marty asked. They were approaching the building where the party was to be held and the 'incredible device' to be revealed. Doc had already told him something about it earlier, several times, but Marty wanted to be sure that he understood what lay behind Doc's unease.
We are here because I don't remember references to an invention that could change 'what it means to be human' being developed in the latter part of this decade, especially not in Hill Valley! We must have changed something in the past to make what is happening tonight possible, and fairly recently in our time journeys too,” Doc Brown said.
“Can't we go back in time and change whatever it is back?” Marty asked.
“No Marty, you are not thinking fourth dimensionally or fifth in this case. We can’t take a risk at changing things until we know what has happened to cause this,” Doc Brown said.
“Like Biff with the Sports Almanac?” Marty asked.
“]Exactly, Marty,” Doc said.
They went into the Lazarus Laboratories Building. Marty saw Linda approaching as they entered the lobby.
Hello,” she said.
“You look great, Linda,” Marty said, as he hugged his sister.
“Impressive, isn't it?” Linda asked.
“Looks like it,” Marty said.
“Mom and Dad are coming as well, and Dave,” Linda said.
“Dave in black tie? I must see that,” Marty said, impressed. He then introduced Linda to Doc.
“Doc Brown, Marty has told me a lot about you,” Linda said.
“I can imagine-” Doc was then distracted as they walked through an inner set of doors, enabling them to see into the area where the device that would ‘change what it means to be human’ was located. “Look at that, Marty! It looks like a primitive version of the rejuvenation clinics in the 2010's,” Doc Brown exclaimed.
“It does?” Marty asked, concerned. From what Doc had described to him about the rejuvenation clinics, they were beyond what was possible in the '80's.
Marty looked around the room. There was equipment with many dials and switches sitting near the back wall, and a chamber around which a large device was installed. He supposed that this was the 'incredible device' that was supposed to 'change what it means to be human'. The lighting in the room was accentuating the device, making it stand out much more than anything else in the room. He also saw that the room was getting crowded as more people arrived to see the revelation of the device and the 'miracle' it was supposed to produce.
“I do not know what this portends, but someone from the future has altered the past, though admittedly, not as much as Biff did,” Doc said in response to Marty's question.
“Could it be Lazarus himself?” Marty asked.
“I don't think so. He is in his 70s and has ill health. No, it has to be someone else,” Doc said.
“I knew you would go all nerdish about this, you are almost as bad as Dad when it comes to Science Fiction,” Linda said. Though she had heard about Marty's trips to 1955, 2015, 1985-A, 1885 and elsewhen, she didn't quite believe it. Though she had to admit that if one were to build a time machine into a car, a DeLorean would be a good choice.
“So Lazarus is your boss?” Doc Brown asked.
“Yes he is. I am part of the executive staff,” Linda said.
“I thought you were in the Public Relations Department? That is what you said earlier?” Marty asked.]
“Yeah, I am the head of the PR Department,” Linda said.
Marty took this in. Obviously there had been even more changes to the timeline. He knew that Linda did not have the education nor work history required for such a position...
]Dr. Emmet Brown took this in also; he knew that something was afoot. Maybe someone who didn't like the McFly family was manipulating things.
"Really?” Marty asked.
"Yeah, I put all this together,” Linda said.
Incredible!” Doc said, not quite believing it.
“I delegated, obviously!” Linda said, as if that was obvious. “I have to get back to work,” she said and went off.
“Obviously, someone is manipulating things behind the scenes. This may not bode well, you may have to be vigilant, Marty,” Doc Brown said.
"You mean that there is more to this than that device?” Marty asked.
“Yes,” Doc Brown said.
“This is heavy!” Marty said, after some thought.
He could then see Lorraine, his mom, come over with Dave. He hugged her. “You miss me, Marty. Have you been traveling again? Like that weekend in ’85?” she asked.
Marty was surprised that she would ask him that in the middle of a crowd like that. He still answered her though. “I didn't travel for as long as that Mom, though there may be changes to the timeline,” Marty said indicating Doc.
“This device may be using technology that should not be possible in this decade!” Doc Brown said.
Lorraine looked thoughtful. Obviously something was going on, something that she was not going to like.
Then there was tapping on a glass and the lights dimmed. Everyone looked towards the podium where an old man stood, leaning on a cane.
“Ladies and Gentlemen. I am Professor Richard Lazarus and tonight, I am going to perform a miracle!” the Professor said, in an aged, thin, voice. “I believe that this is the greatest advance since Roentgen discovered X-Rays and the biggest leap since the launch of Sputnik. Tonight you will watch and wonder. Tomorrow you will wake to a world which will have changed for ever!” he continued.
He took in the crowd's applause and adulations, before walking slowly over to the device and stepping into the chamber in the center.
Technicians flipped switches as the device powered up and began to spin around the chamber, seeming to produce some sort of visible vibrations in the air.Suddenly alarms blared and the smell of burning electronics permeated the room. With mechanical squeals growing louder as it spun, the device was clearly beginning to overload! “What is happening?” Marty asked, with alarm.
“Overloading!” Doc Brown exclaimed. He leapt into action, dodging through the startled crowd. He leveraged himself over the outer ring of equipment surrounding the chamber to access the controls. He flipped a few of the switches that he had seen the technicians flip earlier as he watched several dials and monitors. From his investigation into the clinics when he had first traveled into the future he knew that something was very wrong...
Then he kicked the machine with the biggest dial as the dial continued to move further into the red!
“Somebody stop him!” Lazarus’s executive secretary, Ms Thaw, shouted frantically. She ran up to the outer ring of equipment and pointed an accusing finger at Doc Brown. “Step away from there” she hissed.
“Would you rather the whole thing overload and take the entire building and everyone in it?” he shouted, waving his arms about frantically. He moved to another machine and pulled a lever. Some of the dials on that machine began to move down towards more reasonable levels.
“You tell her, Doc!” Marty shouted in encouragement. He then hugged Lorraine as the alarms continued blaring and hoped that Doc knew what he was doing.
Doc nodded in acknowledgement and then flipped down another lever, watching another dial as he did so. But then he noticed that Miss Thaw was scrambling over the equipment, trying to get at him. “These dials are showing that the energy levels are too high!” shouted towards her.
The device continued spinning around the chamber, although the mechanical whine was not as bad as it was when Doc Brown had reached the machine. Linda hoped that Doc knew what he was doing; people were panicking around her despite her efforts to keep them calm.
Finally Doc Brown found what he had been looking for since he had started to guide the machine to safety. The emergency shutdown switch! Ms Thaw saw that he was looking at it and moved to intercept him. Doc Brown pressed the switch before she could get in the way and the machine began to spin down. It had been less than a minute since the alarms started blaring.
Everyone stood in stunned silence, staring at the front of the chamber in anticipation of what was going to be revealed.
Eventually the door opened. And as Doc Brown, the McFlys and everyone else looked on, an impossibly young man stepped out.
“My name is Richard Lazarus. I am 76 years old and I feel alive!” he said in a clear voice.
He held up his arms triumphantly, a smug look on his face.
He looked decades younger...
Thoughts?
