Back to the Future - AR

IX

Chapter 9

He examines the envelope and reads what I wrote on the front, Don't Open Until 2048, he looks at me panicked.
"What the hell is this?!" He shouts while holding the letter out at me, I freak out for a moment as his hand trembles before me.
"You'll find out in thirty years!" I shout as he walks away in a panicked state, I get out of the car as he begins yelling.
"This is about the future isn't it?!" He cries out. "This is information about the future!"
I run up to him and attempt to calm him down.
"Wait, let me explain!"
"The consequences Cienna, this would have major consequences."
"Professor, listen to me! You have to take this risk, your life literally depends on this letter!" I shout as he looks at the envelope in his hands, he stares at it for a moment before he begins ripping it to shreds and placing the scraps in his pocket again.
"Fine! If you won't listen to my letter, then I'll tell you myself! On the night I left 2048, you were-"

Just then, lightning strikes the tree beside us, making the branch land on the wire which disconnects it from the one atop the clock tower, the professor and I look at each other.
"Shit!" We both shout at the same time.
"You get the cable and I'll throw the rope down to you from the top!" He says.
"I got it!" I respond and we both run un the direction of the clock tower, the professor makes his way to the top quickly and soon throws me the rope, I catch it and tie it to the the cable.
"Pull it up!" I shout as he begins pulling quickly, he signals for me to go but I can't just leave him here without him knowing what's gonna happen to him.
"Professor!" I shout, he looks down at me.
"What?!" He shouts back.
"I have to tell you about the future!"
"What?!"
His voice is barely audible over the wind that's rapidly picked up.
"I have to tell you about the future!" I try shouting again but it's no use, I can barely hear myself, I try getting a little closer to the tower to see if he can hear me better.
"On the night I go back in time, you get-"

The chiming of the bell interrupts my sentence and signals that its the top of the hour, 10 o'clock.
"You must go now!" He shouts while covering his ears.
"No professor!"
"Look at the time! You have barely any! Go,
go now!"
He points at the car as I nod, I run towards it, speedily making my way to the white line he mentioned earlier.

❖

Professor White thought hard about how he was going to plug this cable back into the other, not knowing how he would get close enough without meeting an immediate death, but managed to get across the medium size gargoyle statue in one piece, until lightning struck that is. The flash startled the man making him latch onto the statue as his feet dangled below him, his screams could be heard faintly from where Cienna was. Cienna looks at the time on the timer, she has about 3 minutes until she needs to go, giving her enough time to set the hook up on the car and send her back home.

❖

"Wait, if he didn't listen, then how's he gonna know?" I say to myself as I sit back in the car.
"Oh wait! I have a time machine, I'll just set this back a few minutes and warn him!"
I type in the time as about ten minutes earlier and smile to myself until the car stalls again, that's when I begin to stress.

❖

Professor White builds up enough strength to get himself to level ground on the side of the clock tower, his hand reaches for the second cable as his feet slip in the slightest.
Meanwhile, Cienna is still struggling with the car, but has some time to spare as Professor White is still figuring everything out.

❖

The timer goes off, and here comes the anxiety.
"Come on! You piece of shit!"
I slam my hands on the steering wheel which makes the car start, I look at my hands amazed for a minute before slamming on the gas pedal.

❖

"Almost there." Professor White says while struggling to plug the cables into each other, but one of them is stuck, he looks to his right and gasps at the sight of the branch.
"Really should've moved that thing when Cienna was here." He says to himself before pulling the bale apart again but from a different place, smiling as he plugs these two parts together until he realizes that he unplugged a different part.

He speedily zip lines down the line as he sees the car getting closer and closer, being sure to plug the wire in just before she reaches it, he smiles at himself as the clock tower is struck by lightning sending the energy through the wire and sending her home to the future.

❖

I lose control of the car again, this time crashing into the theater, not like anybody uses it anyways, but its still not good for my record. I get out of the frost and dust covered car and look around, I'm back.
"I'm back!" I shout as I pat myself down.
"Beautiful, its just great." I say as I check the time.
"Ok, 1:24 perfect, there's still enough time."
I try pushing the gas, and now of all times is when I didn't need this damn car stalling, I start to
stress again.
"No, no, no, no please no. Come on."
I slam my hands against the wheel again but nothing, guess that was a one time thing.

The same van that killed the Professor passes me,
I don't even hesitate to chase after it. I'm running as fast as I can only to see the sight I had already seen again, they shoot him right then and there,
I couldn't save him.
"NOOOO!" I hear myself scream, how is that possible? I then see the exact actions I had on this night in this moment, all the way up to the car going to 2020.
"What the hell?" I ask myself before I run over to the professors lifeless body.
"Professor! Professor..."
I flip him over to see his eyes are still open, I cant help but break down, he was the whole reason I'm back here today and I couldn't even save him.

I pity myself for a minute until I see him sit up, we look at each other at the same time with the same exact facial expression.
"You're alive?" I question as he unzips the hazmat suit to reveal a bullet proof vest, I smile with tears in my eyes and tackle him to the floor.
"How did you know?" I ask frantically, now sitting on my knees as he pulls the letter out of his internal pocket, it's completely taped back together.
"I got curious." He says with a smirk making me smile at him again.
"Let's get you home, it's late."