Quantum Leap: The Return

Moviefan2k4

Project QL Intern
Sep 14, 2007
17
0
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I started this a few years ago, but never completed it. There's not much beyond a first act, but I thought some feedback from other fans might help me finish the story. Enjoy, and feel free to post any suggestions... :)

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FADE IN: INT. - QUANTUM LEAP CONTROL ROOM - DAY

The year is 2019. Hidden deep underground, in the heart of the New Mexico desert, lies the ultra-secret time travel project known as Quantum Leap. For the last twenty years, the project's team of scientists have been struggling to recover their lost founder, Dr. Sam Beckett, who in 1995 stepped into the Accelerator Chamber and for 4 years afterward, was transported from life to life, time to time, in an effort to put right what once went wrong. In 1999, Sam "leaped" one last time, and the Project's egotistical supercomputer, Ziggy, has been unable to track him down. On this particular day, Rear Admiral Albert "Al" Calavicci, still with the project, walks hopefully into the main control room...

AL
"Dear God, please let this be the day we find him."

Suddenly, Ziggy's voice floods the room, echoing off the walls in a somewhat prissy mood.

ZIGGY
"You say that every morning; good day, Admiral."

AL
"And likewise, you bucket of bolts, you never cease to remind me of your opinion. Now, do your job, and keep checking..."

The last word is uttered as a half-hearted attempt to contain Ziggy's ego.

AL
"...please."

Suddenly, Dr. Beckett's wife, DR. DONNA ELESSEE, arrives from down the hall, having heard the exchange. She is in her late 50s, yet still hopeful for her husband's rescue from the grip of time. She smiles at Al, as if recalling similar encounters over the last 20 years.

DONNA
"We'll find him, Al, one way or another."

AL
"Yeah...I just hope I'll be alive to see it. I'm getting old, you know...and this endless dilemma hasn't made it graceful."

DONNA
"Don't be so hard on yourself, Al. You have a wonderful wife, four daughters, and have had an amazing journey. This project is just as much yours as Sam's, and I have faith that you'll be here for its conclusion."

Al smiles weakly.

AL
"Thanks, Donna. I needed that. Beth's great, but this quest just gets the better of a man like me. I mean, I spend every day in that forsaken Imaging Chamber, trying with all my might to track down a friend I haven't seen in 20 years."

Suddenly, Ziggy's voice rings out in alarm.

ZIGGY
"Attention, Admiral Calavicci! Dr. Beckett located! Repeat, Dr. Beckett located!"

AL
"Thank God! First contact in two decades; Ziggy, bring-"

ZIGGY (interrupting)
"The Imaging Chamber will be online in ten seconds, Admiral...9...8...7..."

As the countdown continues, Al steps into the white glow of the Imaging Chamber door, while Donna simply clasps her hands in silent prayer and hope...

EXT. - NEW YORK CITY - DAY

As the swirling blue light of a Leap fades from around him, Dr. Sam Beckett's first recognition is the streets of New York. Standing next to him is a thirty-year-old man.

MAN
"What do you think you're doing?"

SAM (confused)
"Uh...can I help you?"

MAN
"You just finished the year-long McDermott case, and you're just standing there?"

SAM
"Well, I kinda just got here..."

MAN
"Rick, you gotta watch how you act around these types. You may be the biggest hotshot in the Apple, but if you're not careful, these boys'll stomp your career to death!"

SAM
"All right, uhm...I'll see ya later."

The guy simply shakes his head.

MAN
"Whatever you say, Rick; just watch it from now on, because I won't always be there to cover for ya with the boss."


Suddenly, a voice rings out from behind him, one that sounds all too familiar...

AL
"Still a kick in the butt, ain't it?"

Whirling around, Sam is so happy to see his friend, a tear begins to drip down his face. Al simply looks at him, on the verge of becoming emotional himself.

AL
"Let's go somewhere to talk. It's been too long, Sam."

INT. - PARKING STRUCTURE - DAY

Sam walks into the nearby building; shortly thereafter, Al's holographic form appears out of nowhere.

AL
"I gotta tell ya, pal; it's really great to see you. For a long time, I honestly thought..."

SAM
"I know. So, how long has it been?"

AL
"Twenty years, Sam; it's 2019 back at the Project."

SAM
"And Ziggy couldn't find me because..."

AL
"Well...we honestly don't know, Sam; I mean, it took us days to find you last time, when you wound up in that bar. It took us a long time to realize you'd Leaped into yourself on the day you were born."

SAM
"Well, that bartender did say the Leaps would get tougher; he wasn't kidding. I've both saved and lost lives in the last twenty years, Al. I've rescued people from the jaws of death, only to see someone else lose the battle because I wasn't there to stop it."

Al sighs, and simply stares at the floor. His look says it all: that he doesn't have any real answers for his friend, and he hates that fact.

AL
"I'm sorry, Sam; I don't know what to say. You know, Donna's been going nuts too. There were more than a few times when she was seriously wanting to just leave it all behind: you, me, the Project, everything."

SAM
"I would have understood. Al, you have no idea how much I want to go home. Ever since that Leap 20 years ago, I've retained every memory. Every laugh, tear, voice, face...all the lives I've both saved and lost. And now, I wonder if what I've done really matters anymore. I want to go home, Al. I want to go home and smile, as I destroy that damn accelerator. It's done nothing but screw up my life."

AL
"Well, you got my vote, pal, but that brainless contraption you invented has a
different story...and I'll bet you don't give a damn one way or another."

SAM
"Well, at least you're here again, Al; my friend by my side."

AL
"Yeah, well...do you really think you'd have lasted much longer without me? I mean, who'd stand up for all the other body-switching time-travelers in the universe? You think I do this for a hobby?"

His sarcasm finally brings a long-awaited smile to Sam's face.

SAM
"Well, I sincerely hope it's not another 20 years after this adventure is over."

AL
"So do I, Sam...so do I. Now, let's get this show on the road."

Pushing buttons rapidly on the familiar handlink, Al starts his usual delivery of facts and information.

AL
"Your name is Rick Owens; it's-"

SAM
"New York City."

AL
"Right, and the date is August 4th, 2008. You're a rather prominent assistant DA, and a few hours ago, you completed a case involving the apparent double-homicide of Peter McDermott and his wife Cecilia; everyone called her Sally."

Sam appears somewhat confused.

SAM
"Okay, so if Rick solved the case and convicted the murderer, then why am I here?"

AL
"Well...according to Ziggy, there's an 87.2% chance that one of your superiors was behind it all. You see, this guy Owens gets killed in the same manner as the McDermotts, five days from now. The police never blinked; they assumed he'd been taken out by a local mob operative named...Vitelli."

Suddenly, the handlink beeps, and Al looks exasperated.

AL
"Sorry, pal; Owens is in the Waiting Room; I gotta question him to get more information for you. But I'll be back...I promise."

The white "door" of the Imaging Chamber appears, and Al steps through it. He turns back briefly to look at his friend.

AL
"We'll get you through this one Sam, and then we'll bring you home.
Somehow, some way...we'll get you back."

The door closes, and Sam Beckett is once again alone.


INT. - QUANTUM LEAP WAITING ROOM - DAY

The familiar blue interior of the Quantum Leap Waiting Room was old news to the Project's staff, but to Rick Owens, it was depressing. Looking up, he noticed the door opening, as a man in slacks and a loud shirt walks up to him.

AL
"Hey, there. I'm Albert."

RICK (angry)
"What am I doing here?"

Noticing Rick's confrontational attitude, Al decides to forego the usual pleasantries.

AL
"Okay, pal. You want to know why you're here? A very good friend of mine is trapped in New York City, eleven years ago, and you're the only one with the information to get him back. It sounds crazy, but it's the truth. Now, you want the details?"

Rick, still clearly uncertain, nods his head.

RICK
"Yeah...I guess so. Who are you again?"

AL
"My name is Albert, and you are in Stallion's Gate, New Mexico.
The year is 2019, and this is what we call the Waiting Room."

RICK
"We?"

AL
"To put it simply, thirty years ago, my friend Sam created this project to help people.
It involves time-travel, and for three decades, has been classified above the highest
levels of security. Most don't even know we exist. Sam activated this place too early,
so he wound up moving around, from time to time...and life to life."

This news takes Rick completely by surprise. He looks away, not knowing whether to believe it or not.

RICK
"I can't deal with this. I don't even know you; what help can I possibly be?"

AL
"You can start by telling me everything you know about the murders
of Peter and Cecilia McDermott. After that, you'll get to go home."

INT. - QUANTUM LEAP MAIN CORRIDOR - DAY

Dr. Donna Elessee waits patiently, in the main hall just outside the Waiting Room. Suddenly, another woman rounds the corner.

ON DR. SAMANTHA JOSEPHINE "SAMMY JO" FULLER
A highly-intelligent and respected scientist at Project Quantum Leap, Sammy Jo is forty-five years old, but looks almost ten years younger. She is approximately 5'8" tall, with brown hair and blue eyes. Her clothes are of a professional nature: blue slacks with a matching shirt, and a white labcoat. She carries a file folder under her arm, and seeing Donna nearby, she approaches.

SAMMY JO
"Dr. Elessee."

DONNA
"Sammy Jo, we dropped the formalities when you became a department head.
Now, how can I help you?"

SAMMY JO
"I've been working on a new equation for returning Dr. Beckett to the present;
however, I'm reluctant for Ziggy to analyze it."

DONNA
"May I ask why?"

SAMMY JO
"Her ego. Last time, she couldn't process the data fast enough and went psycho,
reciting War and Peace in every known language."

Recalling the situation, Donna smiles, even laughing slightly.

DONNA
"I'd never seen Ziggy so distraught. She was almost...human."

SAMMY JO
"A little too human, if you ask me. I'd like you to check this one first."

DONNA
"Of course."

Sammy Jo presents Donna with the folder she carries. The older woman skims through it, and breathes a sigh of relief...until she notices something.

DONNA
"Sammy Jo...if I'm reading this right, using this would mean completely reworking
Ziggy's main access drive. The only one who knows how to do that is Sam."

Dr. Fuller smiles mischievously.

SAMMY JO
"Not anymore. I've spent the last few days in the Archives, examining the original blueprints. I've developed a new code that should almost triple her efficiency. She'd be able to process information much faster, including my equations."

DONNA
"Most impressive...but Ziggy's already capable of performing a million floating point operations at once."

SAMMY JO
"If this works, she'll be able to do a lot more than that.
In theory, she'd be able to Leap Dr. Beckett home herself."

This news catches Donna by surprise; so much that she drops the file. But a look of great concern crosses the younger woman's face, and Donna notices right away.

DONNA
"What's the catch?"

SAMMY JO
"The new retrieval process generates a massive EMP. There's an 80% chance it'll fry Ziggy's CPU completely. It'd take us 3 years and about $4 billion to repair her after a blast like that. So, if we do this, we only get one shot."

Donna briefly considers the consequences, then looks Sammy Jo right in the eye.

DONNA
"The potential's too great to avoid. Proceed with your preparations.
I'll inform the Admiral at once."

SAMMY JO
"Will do."
 
Intriguing start. I'd definitely like to see how this plays out.
$4 billion is probably cheap for such an undertaking! LOL
 
Intriguing start. I'd definitely like to see how this plays out.
$4 billion is probably cheap for such an undertaking! LOL
Well, I wanted a simple number that would be easy to remember. Don't forget, the whole reason Sam entered the Accelerator early was because the Project's funding was threatened...meaning he probably had to beg for everything he got. The present-day scenes in the Season 2 opener appear to follow that idea as well. So, if Dr. Fuller's new equation fails, its likely the permanent end of Quantum Leap.

Also, speaking of Dr. Fuller: I wrote this with Amy Acker in mind. She was the fan favorite for playing Sammy Jo after "Angel" ended...and before she did "Person of Interest".