Chapter 3
Sunday, May 4, 1986
Hill Valley, California
11:30 a.m.
AFTER Doc finish his story, he gave a letter to Marty saying "This is for you." Marty read it.
Dear Marty:
I'm writing to inform you that I have been stranded in the year 44 B.C. In experimenting a new feature for the time circuits, I forgot to bring enough manure for Mr. Fusion. When I realized my error, I was in the year that I have informed you about. The new feature is the "AD-BC" indicator. "AD" means Anno-Domini or "Year of our Lord", and the "BC" means "Before Christ". That way, if you want to go to any particular year you could specify if you want it "AD" or "BC". Once I realized what I did, I went out to find some work to get enough money to buy the manure I need to load Mr. Fusion. Winning the appeal of Julius Caesar, I started on improving the public works of Rome as a front while I earned enough money. And, when I did, I learned that it was impossible to run the fusion generator because it required a special kind of manure. It had to be from America. Since America was not to be discovered for the next 1536 years, 4 months and 27 days, I realized that I was stranded for good. However,I have become adept in in using my own genius in improving the outhouses and draining sewers without disrupting future events. And now for the hard part. Brutus and Cassius has enlisted me in joining the conspirators against Caesar. So I wrote the notes, got a map, and put them all in an envelope with some of my earnings worth millions in 1956 and put it in the DeLorean. I have hidden the time machine in an abandoned catacomb that not even the Christians would be using. There, it will wait two thousand years when a 1956 counterpart of mine will recover it and have it restored using the money I put in there. Once my other self gives you the time machine, set the circuits for March 14, 44 B.C. and go there. Once there, set the time circuits for one day later so you could spend the day in Rome looking for me. And use the mapping device location arrow to have the DeLorean reappear outside the house of Julius Caesar so when I show up with the conspirators, it would show up and you could get me out of here. Once there, ask for someone named "Emmettus". That's the name I'm using here in Rome. And don't forget to bring a translator with you. It's another new device that I have invented. It resembles a hearing aide so your could put it in your ear. I adapts your brainwaves to translate whatever foriegn tongue you hear and when you say something to that someone, it translates into that person's language. One more thing. Don't forget to bring the remote control with you. It too has a new feature. A garage door opener for the lab roof. And now, I await your arrival. See you on the Ides of March.
Your friend in time
Doc Emmet L. Brown
March 14, 44 BC
After Marty read the letter, he looked up at Doc who said "44 B.C.! I'm actually in Ancient Rome. Isn't that amazing?" "Sounds heavy, Doc." said Marty. "And imagine," said Doc, "I got to see the future before actually inventing the time machine. That's incredible." "Don't let it go your head, Doc." said Marty, "You still have to invent the thing." "Of course." said Doc, "Marty, has anyone else other than you, me, Clara and my future boys traveled through time?" "Yeah." said Marty, "Jennifer. You remember, the girl you saw at the take-out window at Burger King." "Oh." said Doc, "And how did she take it?" "Not well at first." said Marty, "She ran into her future self and passed out. And a few weeks later, she went time-travel happy. Wanted to go back in time to see her parents on their honeymoon. You and me had to go back there to get her." "Great Scott." said Doc, "But she's over it now." "Yeah." said Marty, "You could say that. Then, there was the time when I had my tonsils removed and she went back in time to buy me a get well gift only to break up her parents romance and find herself in a reality where she didn't exist. Had to go back there again to straighten that out." Turning to Clara, Marty asked "Does Doc still have those the VCR tape of Jennifer making off with the DeLorean and the tape of her second trip to 1966?" "Yes he does." said Clara, "Here." She went to the lab. When she returned, she had the two tapes. Marty placed one of them in the VCR machine and turned on the television. There it was. Jennifer, in her mother's "mod" outfit, getting into the DeLorean. "Stop the tape." said Doc. Marty did. Doc studied the screen. "What is that she's wearing?" he asked. "Oh, that's her mother's 'mod' outfit." said Marty, "On both occasions, she wore it to blend into the style of the sixties." A smile came to Doc's face. "Yes." said Doc, "This will do." "What will do?" asked Marty. Doc pointed to the outfit Jennifer was wearing saying "That. What time is your girlfriend off?" Marty looked at his watch saying "Her lunchtime's about noon." "Call her up." insisted Doc. "Why?" asked Marty. "Just call her up." said Doc, "And tell her to go home and pick up her mother's old outfit and bring it here." Whatever reason Doc wanted that outfit for, Marty wouldn't question that reasoning.
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Jennifer arrived at the Brown house a quarter after twelve with her mother's mod outfit. Jennifer herself was still wearing that Burger King uniform. When she was welcomed in, Marty introduced her to Doc. "So you're the girl I met at that...what is that place you're working again?" "Burger King." said Jennifer. "Alright." said Doc, "Do you have your mother's outfit with you?" "Yes I do." said Jennifer. She took it out of the box and showed it to Doc. "Perfect." said Doc. "Doc." said Marty, "You're not sending Jennifer back there are you?" "Of course not." said Doc. "Then", said Marty, "What does her mother's mod outfit have to do with going back to Ancient Rome?" Doc turned to Marty and said "Think!" Marty thought. Then he said "On no! Now wait a minute, Doc. Are you trying to say that I'm going back there wearing...That?" "Of course." said Doc, "Remember, you're going back to Ancient Rome." He grabbed the outfit from Jennifer and shoved it into Marty's hands saying "Put it on, future boy." Marty looked around. Then, he went into the bathroom.
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Doc was readying the DeLorean for Marty's trip into the past. Clara was in the lab. She had agreed to take Doc back to 1956 while Marty went back to Ancient Rome to get her present husband. While waiting for Marty, Doc asked "Clara. Do you have any books on Ancient Rome?" "Why do you ask, Emmett?" asked Clara. "Well," said Doc, "Being in Ancient Rome and winning Caesar's favor, I might be in the history books. Or, the Roman Archives." He approached Clara saying, "Wouldn't be something if I go through old Plutarch and look myself up?" "I don't know, Emmett." said Clara, "You told me, Marty, Jennifer, and my boys that nobody should find out too much about their future." "You're right, Clara." said Doc, "It's better that I don't find out too much of my own destiny. As I understood, after Mark Antony's oration during Caesar's funeral, the conspirators were driven out of town on a rail or torn to bits. That's not the kind of future I want." Then, a snicker was heard. Then a voice said "Stop laughing, Jennifer." It was Marty. "Are ready?" asked Doc. "I don't know." said Marty from outside the lab, "Are you sure that this is the way the Romans dressed?" "What's the matter, Marty?" asked Doc, "Haven't you seen a movie that had to do with Ancient Rome." "Yes I have, Doc." said Marty, "I saw Julius Caesar. And Charlton Heston never wore anything like this." He entered the lab wearing Jennifer's mother's mod outfit. Doc looked the outfit asking "Charlton Heston?" "Yeah, Doc." said Marty, "Don't you remember? He played Mark Antony in the movie." "Marty." said Doc, "Marlon Brando played Mark Antony. Charlton Heston wasn't even in the movie. He was playing Moses in the Ten Commandments." "Doc." said Marty, "That was 1956 that Charl...Oh yeah,I forgot. 1956. That's where you came from. And Charlton Heston hasn't done that yet." Doc looked down at Marty's feet. He was still wearing those Nike shoes. "Marty." said Doc, "You got to wear sandles." He gave Marty a pair of them saying "You can't be wearing those shoes back in 44 B.C. In fact, where I came from, you wouldn't be wearing them in 1956." "Okay, Doc." said Marty taking the sandles from Doc's hand, "As soon I drop you off in 1956, I'll put them on. I promise." "Marty." said Clara, "I'm taking Emmett back to 1956. You go back there and get my Emmett." "You are?" asked Marty. Then, he shot a glimpse at the time train and said "Oh yeah." Jennifer came in and said "Marty, I've got to go back to work soon. How long will you be in the past." "I'm afraid all day." said Marty, "Back there, that is. Remember this is a time machine. I could return back to the same moment I left just to make it look like a few seconds had passed. Right Doc?" "Precisely!" said Doc. Getting into the car, Doc activated the time circuits saying "Alright. I've set the time circuits for March 14, 44 B.C. 8:00 a.m. And the destination location for outside of Rome." He pointed to the map locator that was showing the vincinity of Rome. "I found the time machine on the eastern side of the city." he said, "So I'm putting you on the western side. That way, you don't run into me too soon when I'm burying it." "Gotcha, Doc." said Marty. "And when you're in the city just concentrate on one thing and one thing only: Look around to find me. Don't do anything else while you're there. Don't interact-you know the routine." "Yes I do, Doc." said Marty. "Good, Marty." said Doc, "Anything you do beyond what I want you to do will have a profound effect on future events." "Understood, Doc." said Marty as he studied the locator. "You know," said Marty, "you're putting me pretty far away from the city." "It's the only way." said Doc, "You don't want to appear in a populated area in 44 B.C. You don't want to land in an area that's geographically unknown then. And you don't want to run into a tree that existed in the past. This is open space in 44 B.C. so you could have no problems landing the time machine when you arrive there. And remember, where you're going, there are no roads" He gave Marty the remote control with the new features and an object resembling a hearing aid. "Here's the remote control", said Doc, "and the translator." Marty got out of the DeLorean to accept them. "Well, that's all." said Doc, "Good luck for both of our futures." "Thanks, Doc." said Marty as both of them embraced. Then, Marty turned to Clara saying "Don't worry, Clara. I'll bring Doc home safely." "Godspeed, Marty." said Clara. Then, turning to Jennifer saying "I'll be back." "Take care, Marty." said Jennifer as they both kissed. After petting Einstein and Copernicus and saying goodbye to Jules and Verne, Marty turned to Doc saying "I'm ready, Doc." "Good." said Doc as Marty got into the DeLorean, "See you in the future." Marty was about to close the gull-wing doors when he said "You mean the past." Doc paused for a few seconds before saying "Exactly!" The door closed, the roof opened, and the DeLorean lifted off the ground into the opening. Doc went out to the back by way of the lab door producing his starter pistol. Doc looked up to the sky where the DeLorean was and said "Ready?" "Ready!" said Marty. "Set?" said Doc as he held his gun up in the air. In the DeLorean, Marty said "'Friends, Romans, and countryman...'" Doc poised as if he was looking at his watch and shot off a piece. The car sped off into noon sky as Doc said shooting his starter pistol again "Voya con Dios." Minutes later, the DeLorean vanished in a brilliant flash of light leaving behind a pair of fire trails.
End of Chapter 3