Back To The Future, Part II

‘You’ve got a real attitude problem. You know that Tannen?’ The vice-principal stuck the Sports Almanac in his pocket. ‘Just watch it, because one day I’m gonna have you right where I want you - in detention.’ He pointed an accusing finger in Biff’s direction.‘Slacker!’

Strickland turned and marched away - and he still had the Almanac!

‘Butthead!’ Biff yelled after the retreating disciplinarian. He started to shake his fist, then decided to go back up to the dance instead.

Strickland was crossing the lawn, toward the school door closest to the administrative offices. Marty guessed he’d better follow him, instead.

But to tail Strickland, he had to walk right by the parking lot and the yellow Packard, with Lorraine and the other Marty both still sitting inside. Marty ducked down low as he scooted by, hoping neither of them would see him, then followed Strickland through the door to the administrative wing. He had to get that sports book before the vice-principal locked it away.

Doc could see the Lyon Estates billboard up ahead at last! His legs were heavier than lead. He felt like he’d been pedalling this bicycle all da

y. Come to think of it he had been pedalling all day, hadn’t he? But wait a minute. There were a couple of vehicles parked up in front of the billboard. Had someone discovered the DeLorean? Doc forgot all about the pain as the fear took over.

He pedalled twice as fast the rest of the way to the signs. As he got closer, he saw there was a pickup truck and a car parked near the sign. The side of the truck used to read TWIN PINES RANCH, except now the S in pines was x-ed out, as was the word TWIN, with LONE scrawled above it. Something must have happened to one of the rancher’s pine trees. Under the ranch name, in smaller letters, were the words: ‘Otis Peabody, Proprietor’. Oh, yes. Old Man Peabody, the pine tree breeder. Yes indeed, this might be trouble. Especially because the second vehicle here was a police car!

Doc stopped his bike a few feet away.

The farmer, a thin, hyperactive sort, was waving his arms and shouting. In one hand he held a shotgun, in the other some sort of magazine.

‘It was a flyin’ saucer, I tell ya!' Peabody yelled at the cop. ‘From Pluto! Just like this one!’ He shook the periodical, which Doc realised was a comic book, titled Tales from Space!

The cop, a bit more heavy-set and a whole lot calmer than the farmer, looked sceptical.

‘I seen it come down here before dawn!’ Peabody insisted.

Great Scott! Doc suddenly realised. Flying saucer? Before dawn? They must be talking about the DeLorean! But, apparently, that meant they hadn’t found it yet, even though it was sitting on the other side of this very billboard!

‘And I’m tellin* you there’s nothing out here, Mr Peabody,’ the cop answered patiently. ‘It must have been your imagination.’

But Peabody shook his head stubbornly.

‘No, sir!’ he insisted. ‘It’s around here somewhere. It’s the same mutated son of a bitch that wrecked my barn last week and I’m stayin’ right here til I spot him!’ He waved his shotgun at the cop. ‘And then I’m gonna blast him!’

Staying right here? Blast him? Not, Doc Brown thought, if he had anything to do with it. He dismounted and walked his bike forward, greeting both farmer and police officer with a friendly grin.

‘You mean the flying saucer?’ Doc asked helpfully. 'I saw it, too! It went way over there’- Doc pointed back the way he had come -‘a couple of miles!’ He waved back that way to indicate the immense distance. ‘Way - out - there!’

Peabody grinned, happy to be in on the chase. ‘Thanks, mister!’ he called to Doc as he climbed into his truck. ‘C’mon, flatfoot, let’s go! ’

The cop jumped into his cruiser, and both of them took off toward town.

Doc waited until they were out of sight before he looked behind the billboard.

Yes, the DeLorean was still there.

But what could be keeping Marty?

Chapter Eighteen

Strictland had disappeared. The hall inside the school was deserted. But then Marty noticed there was a light on behind one of the office doors.

He crept to the door, and opeoed it a crack. The office beyond was broken into halves by a glass partition. The half closer to Marty was where Strickland’s secretary had her desk. Strickland had gone into the far end of the room, which was his office.

Marty stepped into the outer office. silently closing the door to the hallway behind him. He could see Mr Strickland moving around behind the smoked glass. It looked like the vice-principal's back was to Marty.

Marty quickly crossed the room, and tilted his head just enough so that he could see around the partition.

Strickland threw the Almanac down on his desk, then sat down himself in his swivel chair. He opened a drawer and pulled out a whiskey bottle.