Fixing Up A Car Turned Girl (backdated)

[clockwork_doc]

After meeting up with Clark in the Nexus, Doc's been getting things ready for him to come over and help him and Marty with the repairs on Dee's car form. He's been putting this off for far too long, thanks to some anxieties about what exactly Dee feels, and whether it's even right for him to do anything to her. Dee's assured him about fifty million times that she feels no pain, though, and she really wants to be fixed. And having Marty around now makes things rather easier than before. End result -- he's finally ready to get Dee back to full functioning condition -- or, at least, as close as they can get.

Finally, three days after Clark appeared, everything's set up. Tools and parts are in orderly piles in the parking lot, as are Dee, Marty, and Doc. "We all set, Doc?" Marty asks, looking around.

"I believe we are," Doc says, going over his mental checklist. "Dee? Anything missing that you can see?"

"Nope!" Dee bounces happily on her heels. This is gonna be fun! "Go ahead and call, Dad!"

"Okay!" Doc goes ahead and sends a text message to Clark's PINpoint: Clark -- it's me, Doc. We're all ready to get to work if you are. Let me know if you're in a position to come over.

Comments

[kalel-ofkrypton.livejournal.com]

Clark pauses in a moment, in concern, but not wanting to interfere unless he's needed. Marty and Doc know each other a lot better than he does, after all, and he wouldn't want to intrude.

"Ah." It reminds him a lot of meteor freaks back home, where their powers usually refer back to part of their personality, or hobbies, or some other aspect of themselves. But this was something that was done to Doc on purpose, sort of, so he won't bring up bad memories if he can get around it. "I know you're not the exact same as your... movie selves, but did you ever build that crazy Rube Goldberg dog food thing?" If anyone understands what it feels like to feel completely separate from your so-called "canon" self, it's Clark.

[clockwork-doc.livejournal.com]

Doc shakes his head with a sigh. "No. Not that I didn't have ideas for something like it, but. . . ." He sighs again, this time causing a little breeze to stir up. "A lot of what you see at the beginning of the first movie is stuff I never got around to doing. I was still teaching college when Andrew got me. It was 1965 the last time I saw Hill Valley."

"1983 when I got caught," Marty nods. "I guess I'm the one who's closer to -- movie-me." He shakes his head. "Does that ever not get awkward to think about?"

[kalel-ofkrypton.livejournal.com]

Well, so much for not stirring up bad memories. The problem with talking to people sometimes is that everyone has hidden land mines, dark areas that you might step into unwittingly, and sometimes it's impossible to tell where they are until you've already put your foot into it. Clark's getting better at it, but he's on a roll today, it seems.

"Speaking as someone who's apparently supposed to become the prolific superhero ever? No, not really." He frowns a little. "I'm working on trying to think of myself as Kal-El, though. Not... instead of Clark, but kind of... you know. It is my name."

[clockwork-doc.livejournal.com]

Sorry Clark, but these guys are just bundles of issues. Marty's better at hiding it than Doc, usually, but he's got his share of landmines. But hey, everybody's like that in some way or another.

"I know a bit of how you feel," Doc says. "Someone recognized me in the Nexus once. Actually wanted my autograph. I explained I wasn't the same Doc Brown as in the movies, but. . . ." He shifts awkwardly before getting back to his work. "It was both rather flattering and a little embarrassing."

"Yeah, but Clark's got comics and movies -- two different universes," Marty points out. "So he's got twice the weirdness following him." He frowns at Clark. "Uh -- actually, I don't know. I mean, I know Kal-El is your Kryptonian name, but I don't get how it relates to -- you mean, like focusing on that instead of Superman? 'Cause I think you're all Kal-El. Don't quote me on that, though."

[kalel-ofkrypton.livejournal.com]

He looks a little appalled at the autograph thing. "God, I know exactly what you mean. I actually had someone disappointed that I know how to drive a tractor, because apparently that isn't Superman-ly of me."

"Actually, it's three," he says, very very reluctantly. "There's a television show, apparently." But he's in agreement on how annoying it is to constantly be compared to people who aren't really you. "Well, before when I've gone by that name, it's had kind of the whole... world-conquering alien overlord thing attached to it. Like if I called myself that, it meant I was being a true Kryptonian and not caring about humanity. But it's what Jor-El calls me, and so did the Disciples of Zod, and I just... should probably get used to hearing it. It doesn't mean I'm leaving my human name behind. Just accepting more of myself. It's a work in progress, kind of."

[clockwork-doc.livejournal.com]

Both Marty and Doc give him a funny look for that one. "Not Supermanly -- I'm pretty sure you were raised on a farm no matter what version the person knows," Marty says slowly. "Sheesh, people. I'm glad I haven't met anyone who's a fan of the movie yet." Don't give your mun ideas, Marty.

"Now I have this horrible urge to go and see if our movies have any alternate continuities of that nature," Doc says. "A trilogy as successful as I've heard BTTF is, there has to be some sort of spinoff." (Setting up a future Marty post? The mun has nooo idea what you're talking about.)

"Oooh, I get it," Marty nods. "Sort of -- reclaiming it from the whole 'conqueror of the world' thing."

[kalel-ofkrypton.livejournal.com]

"That's what I thought," he agrees. "And you can hardly fault me for knowing how to drive a tractor or milk cows or put up a pasture in that sort of situation."

"There could be. When April and I had our first movie date, we found out her world's version of a film differed from the one I knew. Different actors, for one. And not all franchises exist in all universes. I haven't run into very many people who know about Warrior Angel, myself."

He thinks about that for a moment. "That's sort of it. It's a little weird, but being human actually made me want to be Kryptonian more. I've spent years denying who I am and pretending I'm human, even to those who're in on my secret. I've still been thinking of myself as human, but I'm not. And there's nothing wrong with that, but I need to come to terms with who and what I really am. And part of that is my name. I'm the last of my people and it's time I started honoring that part of me."

[clockwork-doc.livejournal.com]

"Precisely," Doc agrees, installing what he needs to install. He pauses again, but a reassuring rumble from Dee gets him moving once more. "Besides, who's to judge what's Supermanly and what isn't? Especially with three canons to choose from?"

"And all the craziness in the comics," Marty nods. "Never heard of Warrior Angel either, sorry. Is it any good?"

Both Doc and Marty nod. "Nothing wrong with that," Doc says. "Personal identity can be a tough thing to get a handle on, but it's always better to know who you really are." An issue near and dear to Doc's heart.

[kalel-ofkrypton.livejournal.com]

"Oh, yeah. Warrior Angel is huge in my world. Kind of like my world's version of... me, I guess." Which is still kind of embarrassing to think about.

"Speaking as someone who's had amnesia twice, I totally agree." It's a teensy bit of a joke, although it's still true. "I don't think I'm quite ready to put my family symbol on my chest or anything though. Seems a bit pretentious... which my people kinda were, granted."

[clockwork-doc.livejournal.com]

"What, with the cape and -- well, if he's Warrior Angel, I'd guess he'd have wings," Marty corrects himself. "But man, that's a little weird."

"Twice?! The once was quite enough for me," Doc says, looking rather stunned. "And yes, I've picked that up from what you've said. I don't think even Jor-El can force you into doing that if you don't want to."

[kalel-ofkrypton.livejournal.com]

"No, no wings, you were right the first time. Big red cape, kinda flashy... oh, and bald. Lex was a big fan."

Clark nods. "Once when I was brainwashed by Jor-El, and once when I got zapped by a meteor freak with the power to take memories. It kind of backfired and instead of taking a few minutes it wiped out everything." He looks hella uncomfortable when Doc mentions he doesn't think Jor-El could force him to wear the symbol. "Um, technically he already has once."

[museicalmarty.livejournal.com]

"A guy named Warrior Angel should have wings," is Marty's opinion. "And maybe armor."

"Once when you were -- what?" Doc stares at Clark for a long moment, wind startling to swirl up around them. "Why are you even--"

"Doc," Marty says, seeing the beginnings of a potential storm.

Doc forces himself to calm down a little. Sorry, Clark, you just managed to hit one of his major hot buttons. "Sorry," he says, turning back to his work. "I just -- he did that to you, and -- what? How?"

"Guessing it has something to do with the time he screwed with your head," Marty says, though he doesn't look any happier about it than Doc does.

[kalel-ofkrypton.livejournal.com]

Clark doesn't want to make Doc upset, or make anyone upset. "The thing about Jor-El... he may sound like my father and act like my father, but he's still a computer. Someone programmed him. And I'm guessing it was in a hurry, before the planet exploded. He can be a bit glitchy, and it doesn't make what he does okay but it does explain some of it."

He shakes his head. "No, this was actually before that. He wanted me to abandon my human life and go on some big Kryptonian quest, and since I was still under the impression his goal was for me to conquer, I said no. So he burned the symbol into my chest." He traces it out, where the scar was, and it's kind of horrifyingly large (http://redirectingat.com/?id=12593X700933&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.wikia.com%2Fsmallville%2Fimages%2Fe%2Fe6%2FSmallville-301-05.jpg&sref=http%3A%2F%2Fsmallville.wikia.com%2Fwiki%2FMark_of_El).

[clockwork-doc.livejournal.com]

Making Doc upset is a bad idea, yes, since "upset" can equal "hurricane" or "tornado" with him. "I know," he says quietly. "I said as much before, didn't I? I just. . .it's a bit of a sensitive issue with me. I wish it wasn't, trust me." Stupid Arcadia ruining everything. . . .

Doc and Marty stare. "That's not glitchy, that's psychotic," Marty says.

"I don't know if it can be truly psychotic if it's an AI--" Doc starts.

"It so can! Haven't you ever heard of HAL?"

"Who?" Doc's surprisingly modern pop-culture knowledge apparently still has a hole or two.

"2001: A Space Odyssey? Wait, maybe that came out later than Andrew got you -- it was in the 60s sometime. Crazy computer starts killing astronauts."

[kalel-ofkrypton.livejournal.com]

"I'm only handling this as well as I am because it was a few years ago, and I've had some help since. And Jor-El and I have come to an... understanding." Which isn't really the sort of father-son relationship that would be ideal, mind you, but it's something. "It was about a year before I found the Nexus, anyway. It was kind of disturbing for a while, seeing versions of me who wore it proudly by choice when I didn't have that."

[clockwork-doc.livejournal.com]

"Understanding," Marty repeats skeptically. "I don't know how you do it. I would have smashed the damn thing to smithereens."

"I can imagine," Doc says. "I don't know how I would have reacted in a similar situation."

Dee revs her engine, upset by all the unhappy surrounding everyone. Doc pats her dashboard as he fixes up the time circuit display. "I think somebody's requesting a change of conversation. How are you coming along there?"

[kalel-ofkrypton.livejournal.com]

"I actually did, after that. Put a kryptonite key in the ship and blew it to pieces. It just made things worse."

He'd almost forgotten Dee was there, and touches her side panel in apology. "Slow but steady. There are some parts I don't know what they do, but most of them look intact. All the wiring's burnt out though, and I've almost got that replaced."

[clockwork-doc.livejournal.com]

"You can't win," Marty says, shaking his head.

"Good, that's better than I'd expected," Doc says cheerfully. "I've got the new microchip in, and now it's just a matter of replacing some of the wiring in here. And making sure the flux capacitor and Mr. Fusion still work all right, of course."

"Don't think there should be anything wrong with either of those," Marty says. "Otherwise that other me wouldn't have been able to get back to 1885." Dee adds her agreement via honk.

[kalel-ofkrypton.livejournal.com]

"Makes sense," he agrees. "Once you're done with that, if I can prop her up, I can go under and see what I can do about the wheel mechanisms." He's not really picky about whether or not they use a jack or just rest her on something, so long as she's stable and comfortable. He can lift her up easily, either way.

[clockwork-doc.livejournal.com]

Doc's "borrowed" a jack, so that's not a problem. "Sounds like a plan. Here, Marty, give me a hand."

The boys set to work, checking the various bits of wiring, lighting, and all that other good stuff that goes into making a DeLorean into a time machine. Some stuff needs to be repaired or replaced, of course, but a surprising amount of it is okay. Either the repairs made by Movie55Doc were more extensive than shown, or the lightning strike really only took out the microchip and the flying circuits. Either way, it's a faster repair than one might think. Doc checks in with Dee as they finish up with a few wires to the flux capacitor. "How do you feel, honey?"

Dee rumbles her engine approvingly. This is much more like it. Doc grins, feeling better. "So long as you're good."

[kalel-ofkrypton.livejournal.com]

Clark finishes and then sits back to watch them work, using x-ray vision to see how it's put together so he doesn't have to crowd their space to see.

"Not as bad as you thought?" he asks, seeing that there really isn't that much that they have to do.

[clockwork-doc.livejournal.com]

"No, thank God -- or Zemeckis and Gale," Doc half-jokes. He wouldn't be surprised if the damage was limited to anything that was dramatically convenient because of them. "The damage was mainly in anything that ran to the microchip. A few other fried wires here and there, but nothing catastrophic."

"That other you gave her a look-over too," Marty adds. "He must have done a good job repairing you, right Dee?" Dee honks her agreement. "Let's get her up on the jack, then you can tell us what's wrong with the wheels."

"Right." Doc brings out the jack, and Dee is carefully lifted up. "It should be okay if you need to lift her more," he says, Dee honking again.

[kalel-ofkrypton.livejournal.com]

"Nah, I think this'll work for now." Clark's a big guy, but he has a lot of experiencing fixing farm equipment and getting underneath things without breaking them. Which is good, because if he accidentally dented Dee's frame he would be horrified.

He grabs a few tools he thinks he'll need and slides underneath, starting with the front driver's side tire and examining the mechanism in detail. It's a complicated little gizmo, not quite hydraulic in nature, but he can reason out how it works and what likely needs to be fixed. The melted parts are a giveaway, naturally, but he can see where some expertly applied heat vision could help free it up.

[dee-lorean81.livejournal.com]

Dee considers herself lucky that none of this damage seems to affect her human form. It's bad enough being a busted-up DeLorean -- being a busted-up kid would have been the pits. She very much appreciates everything everyone's been doing.

Doc takes a look under while Clark examines it. "Interesting device," he comments. "Or it would have been had it not had an encounter with intense voltage and heat. You know, you think they would have accounted for this possibility in the design. Flying cars in general would be more susceptible to lightning strikes. And you can't force people not to fly in the rain."

[kalel-ofkrypton.livejournal.com]

"Maybe it works differently with contemporary cars," he suggests, gently freeing a part with his bare fingers, better than any wrench. "She was a thirty-five year old design at that point, and I doubt they were still using so much metal. It was probably more designed for plastic or whatever they were making cars from then."