Ford accidentally got sent back in time with the time tape a few days after being brought back to his home dimension. The time tape somehow makes him end up not only in an earlier time, but also in another state. He’s disoriented and confused, but he tries to get his bearings and begins trying to piece together what happened, where he is, and when he is. He’s walking down a maze of alleys, trying to find a way out when he hears a fight. He comes upon the scene and it’s six to one. The one is not faring well.
His instincts and fighting skills were honed during his time in the portal. Ford’s gut tells him he has to intervene, so he does. He steps in, makes some threats, and then ends up beating the six thugs to a pulp, who all limp off into the night. Ford goes to help the man, who’s face has been shrouded in the shadows and covered by his own dirty hair up until this point. Ford swears under his breath when he’s met with the face of his (now much, much) younger brother, Stanley.
Ford can’t just leave Stan like this. He does what he can for Stan with the supplies in his coat pockets (bc Ford of course carries first aid equipment everywhere, his habits for 30 years wouldn’t allow him anywhere without it–it’s the same for his magnet gun and any piece of technology he feels he needs or finds along the way) but it’s not enough to help Stan fully. He helps his brother into consciousness again, finds his brother’s keys, and they make for the car.
Stan (under an alias that Ford has just barely remembered to use each time) tells him they’re in California, and if he knows anyone that could help,, that’d be a real dream, Gramps. (Ford does not appreciate the nickname, but he can’t deny he doesn’t resemble their own actual Grandpa at his appearance of age, especially to Stan who is at most 25 at this moment while Ford is currently pushing 60).
Ford realizes McGucket would be in California at this point, and hopes his old friend would accept his old roommate’s twin brother at face value. He knows Fiddleford has the sort of heart of gold that couldn’t let the man suffer his injuries without trying to help (and Ford winced when he thought over the severity of Stan’s injuries….all these years he thought his brother had been just fine out on his own..but without Ford’s interference tonight, it seemed like Stan was on the fast track to death! Ford didn’t know what to make of that, so much was challenging his carefully held notions and assumptions about life..).
And even if he was eventually forced to explain who he actually is, Ford had a plan for that eventuality as well…he was still carrying the mind-wiping device his partner would create in the future…if the need arises, he can explain it all, and then wipe everything from their minds. He felt guilty at that, for he always viewed losing his own memories as a form of murder, but it was for the best. The timeline would suffer irreparable and untold damage if he allowed his brother’s and Fiddleford’s acquaintance to have happened so early, as well as their knowledge of his existence and experiences so early on.
But maybe it wouldn’t come to that…as Ford drove through the night, he looked over to the sleeping form of his brother. So much had changed since he arrived through the portal nearly a week ago…
When he came through, he couldn’t imagine forgiving what Stan had done. But now, he felt as if he was starting to understand his brother a little bit better. Maybe he’d been too harsh, maybe he’d been to brash…
Ford banished the introspective thoughts and focused on theories around fixing the broken device in his pocket. How would he get back to his own time? And would things be different when he arrived?
Ford allowed the silence to build as he purposely ignored his own awakening conscience, and did what he did best. Let the motivation of the past keep him moving forward.
