From: aa811@cleveland.freenet.edu (Terri M. Librande)
Newsgroups: alt.ql.creative
Subject: No Escape From Reality Part 14
Date: 24 Apr 1993 18:43:27 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA)
Lines: 122
Message-Id: <1rc1of$ss@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu>
Nntp-Posting-Host: slc5.ins.cwru.edu


Sorry took so long between posts, gang.

Part 14

They gathered in Crusher's small office, Al reluctantly leaving Sam, after
being persuaded that he would receive the best of care.  The little
woman, he thought, seemed more in charge here than the Captain.  It was 
interesting to note that Picard respected her opinion.  The sight of
Sam's still body unsettled him, reviving old fears.  He slumped in the
nearest chair, feeling exhaustion and nervous tension wash over him like
a bad day.

Standing before them, Guinan leaned over the desk the Captain had seated 
himself behind.  Her quicksilver dark eyes glanced from her commander to 
the Admiral, riveting their attention on her.  "Whole starships disappearing,
disturbance being felt all the way across the Galaxy.  A direct line from
the is planet we're orbiting to Earth.  Wrap around and back, all over
the place."  She gripped the table as the ship rocked again, ending as
soon as it had begun.  "Admiral, you and Dr. Beckett are the direct
cause of all of it.  Sam Beckett has been using the wrong magic, messing
around and directing the quantum energy in a way that's caused this mess
six hundred years in the future.

The dark eyes across from her slitted angrily.  "He's only done good with
it.  Sam Beckett wouldn't harm a fly, let alone..."

"Admiral,"  the Captain said gently, not wanting to start a fight.  "Let
Guinan finish, although," he added, eyes glinting in a curious way.  "i
would very much like to know how you obtained this knowledge."

A small grin crossed Guinan's face.  "I'm not what I appear to be, and
other than that, I'm not at liberty to tell you much more.  Just take my
word for it, it's a real mes and we have the ways and means to correct it
if you pay close attention to what I say."  She smiled satisfactorily at
the Captain, then returned her attention to Al.  "Dr. Beckett programmed
something into Ziggy--your computer.  He called it the string theory, tht
lifetimes are like a string, at one end, life, the other, death.  If you
ball the string up, all the ends...."

"I know all this," Al interjected, leaning back in the chair.  "SO?"

"Sam Beckett's theory limits the Traveller...himself.  By doing so, he's
thrown a block into Time itself, clogging up the works like a bad plumbing
system in your time, Admiral.  When he downloaded that theory into your
computer, as part of the Quantum Accerlator programming, it jammed Time
up, causing a blockage of sorts.  You can't limit Time; it's infinite,
no matter what Dr. Beckett thinks.  As he travelled from one year to another,
the problem became worse and worse until suddenly, Time broke free.  The
Guardian, which is, accurately enough, the subway stop for the time flow
of the Universe...."

Picard frowned. "Subway stop?  Guinan, please explain."

"Well, I understand."  Al leaned forward a little, it all making sense in
some strange way. "You're saying that thingamagig I fell through on tht
planet down there, is a time flow device, where all time passes."

"Exactly.  As I was saying, the Guardian pulled Dr. Beckett from time,
knowing full well that the problem somehow had to be solved or allt his
time displacement, and the doors that are opening into Time itself--which
is where your ships are going, Captain--would permanently damage and
destroy life as we know it.  Sam was brought here becasue the time was 
right.  The cause of his 'illness' is directly connected with the Quantum
Energy/String Theory.  He has an implant which directionalizes so you can
communicate with him anywhere he may be.  Am I right, Admiral?"

"A small neural implant he designed.  I told him putting things like that
in his head would screw things up."

"It's not the implant, Admiral."  She sighed.  "No, it's the connection to
time, itself.  Even though he's here, and in this place, solid and real.
his implant is trying it's best to directionalize on the Project.  Part 
of that homing signal is causing our problems here, which is why
Earth is feeling the brunt of it.  He's not in the past anymore; he's
here, inthe 25th Century, and that implant is trying to focus on a place
in New Mexico that doesn't exist anymore.  Since it can't find Ziggy,
it's directing a rapid fire shot of energy towards Earth in the for
of a wide band time slash, causing a complete and total chaotic situation
there.  If the implant is removed and destroyed...."

"Now wait a minute."  Al stiffened a moment.  The implant was the only thing
they had to focus on, should Sam leap again.  "If we send him home through
that Guardian down there, which seems the only logical thing I can think of,
and he doesn't end up home, he'll be lost to us at PQL forever."

"We'll have to take that chance. It's Sam's choice, Al.  Not yours or mine,
or the Captain's."  She settled in the chair behind her, eyes steady.  "There's
only one problem.  Once the homing signal is gone, we still have disturbance.
I have a way of managing out of that, but first, we have to disrupt the
implant.  Secondly, we have to remove the defective programming from 
Ziggy."

"That'll be a neat trick," Al stated, glancing at the Captain.

"Considering that it's 600 (I know, Iknow, I have to fix this in the
rewrite--author note) years in the past, I'd say so."  Picard snorted.
"Do you propose we send this man back through the Guardian to accomplish
that?"

"We can't do that," Guinan said impassively.  "Not yet.  With the sudden
surges and flux points, we can't take that chance.  There's no way to
predict exactly what will become of whoever we send.  No, I haven't a better
solution, and one I'm perfectly capable of handling.  First, we deal with the
neural implant, and let me worry about Ziggy."

Data had listened to all the conversation from his place by the door, 
assimilating each word.  "How do you propose to deal with Dr. Beckett
's computer, Guinan?"  I am curious about that."

"I have my ways and means, and won't risk someone on board the Enterprise,
so drop it, Data."

"I was wrong before."  Al glanced at Picard, who looked like he was expecting
an apology.  "You're not the Wizard--She is!"

more to come...

-- 
"Girls who have glasses have lots & lots of energy!" Al--Single Drop of Rain
Terri Librande aa811@cleveland.Freenet.edu--Assistant Sysop
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Sig--Go SCIFI