Back to the Future Fan-fiction

Chapter Twenty-One || Matching Memories

It mustn't had been too long after the arrival of Doc and Marty back to the future that they were hanging out yet again. After all, the two were inseparable, even through the shifting sands of time. They usually hung out with each other's families, but this time Doc wanted to clarify into the specifics of time traveling since Marty was so confused all the time. Not only was his head getting used to this new reality and his memory shifting, but at the same time learning the rules of time travel were confusing. It could only be taught by the one and only, Doc, which is why Marty had brought him over on the specific day.

"So, Doc," Marty had said. "Explain this to me one more time. I don't get it."

Doc sighed as he pulled a chalkboard up. He grabbed a thin white piece of chalk and started to scribble onto the board furiously. "This here," he said, drawing a line. "Represents our current 1985. However, if we move backwards in time, our mere existence in the past changes the outcome of the future. Therefore, when we return to the future, we came back to—" he drew an alternative line. "—another form of 1985, which is what I like to call 1985a."

Marty stared at the chalkboard, following his brows. He was having a hard time understanding this, but he was trying his best to understand. "Right," he agreed, slowly nodding his head. "And next thing—- what about all that stuff, huh, about thinking fourth dimensionally?"

"Ah, right!" Doc exclaimed excitedly. That was another thing Marly hadn't understood. "Fourth dimensionally simply means an alternative dimension. In our scenario, it commonly refers to time travel. Here, I'll show you how it works." He grabbed a toy model DeLorean and led Marty to his older model of the Hill Valley Courthouse. "So," he started again, motioning movements of the car. "This is you." He pointed to the car. "And this— is a wall." He pointed to a wall on the map; It appeared to have indicated some kind of check point. "When we accelerate this car to 88 miles an hour, under normal circumstances the car would crash into the wall because of its momentum. However, the fourth dimension prevents this! Just as when I sent you off to 1885 for the first time, the wall in the drive-in prevented you from running into Indians. This was because of the fourth dimension! And when we devised a plan for sending us back to 1985 by using the train carts— that was yet another example of the fourth dimension. Even though The railroad wasn't completed at the time, it didn't matter because when you arrived back in 1985, you were instantly transported back to the future." Seeing Marty's bewildered expression, he added, "Does that make sense?"

Marty gave a small nod. He knew he would never understand the exact logic behind it, but he relied on the Doc for most reliable answers out there. "You're the Doc, Doc," he complied. "But I still get my memories. Why is this happening— the change, and shift, and all?"

Doc tsked. This would be a rather rough one. "Well," he started, like he was about to begin a big lecture. After all, Marty was sitting at a desk, so it felt fitting to receive a lecture. Maybe he'd get a nap in between. "When we arrived back to our current 1985, changes occurred within a second, as it exemplifies that our past lines up with our future. The ones you who belongs in your alternative timeline, the one where your parents didn't like each other, was you, with the same brain— but with different memories of a different Marty McFly now." He let out a long sigh. "There's no easy way to explain it, Marty," he expressed. " but to catch up with this current timeframe, your brain is slowly trying to piece past memories into a new, different brain of you, the current Marty McFly. Fascinating, isn't it..?"

Fascination was one way to describe it. But not in Marty's case. He collapsed his head into his arms and let out a groan. He was never going to get it. Not with his best friend, Doc Brown.

"Or heavy..." He added, before dozing off.

Doc chuckled lightly before he drifted away.

Well, maybe in the future...