From: Sean Smith X-From: rkwong@engin.umich.edu (Roberta Chi-Woon Kwong) Newsgroups: alt.tv.quantum-leap.creative,alt.ql.creative Subject: "Quanta" part 15/17 Date: 7 May 1995 22:16:55 GMT Message-Id: <3ojgsn$s7n@srvr1.engin.umich.edu> This is being posted for Sean Smith , who is having some difficulty posting from his account. Please direct all comments to him. The following re-formatting has been done in this section: Replacement of smartquotes Replacement of tab spaces Adjustment of line length The actual text remains untouched. -------------------------------------------------- "Mmm..Mulder." Dana stirred faintly on the bed, her legs kicking on the sheets. One hand absently pushed her hair back, as she rolled onto her back. "Mulder, you awake." Her eyes opened, and she waited a moment. "Hey, Mulder. We shouldn't both be asleep." After a pause, she sat up in a state of total disarray. She rubbed her eyes and cast about the room. As she realized that the room was empty, her eyes widened in shock. Then they narrowed. She stuggled to disentangle herself from the covers, and ran to the window. She pressed herself against the wall, and lifted the drapes slowly. Peering out into the rain, she saw that the space her car had occupied was empty, and her lips tightened in anger. "Dammit Mulder! I can't believe you did that." Dana tried to prepare herself quickly. She drew her hair back into a pony tail again with a quick, fluid motion. She slid on a pair of shoes, and nearly lept to her feet. Rushing, she grabbed Mulder's trenchcoat, and pulled it on. The hem fell to th e floor, but she paid it no mind as she headed for the nightstand. She grabbed her identification and money, and slipped them into the coat's outer pockets. She hefted her pistol, and chambered a round before locking the safty on it. Dana slid the pist ol into the right outer pocket, and her spare clips into the left. Nearly running, she went through the door, slamming it behind her. It bounced open again as she disappeared into the rain. * * * Donna was nearly dragging Fox through the corridors of Project Quantum Leap. He hung from her shoulder, sweat beading his face. "It can't possibly be this urgent Mulder. For God's sake, you're sick!" Donna was huffing as she hefted him again to her shoulder. "You don't know Dana. She'll run right into the line of fire. Ziggy?" Mulder's voice came in gasps. "Yes Agent Mulder? You know, you're files are almost, but not quite completely preposterous." The computer continued to scold Fox from Donna's bracelet. "No time. Where's Scully now?" He was breathing heavily, his skin clammy. There was complete silence for a moment, before the computer replied. "Oops." The voice over the link sounded embarassed. Both people stopped dead in their tracks. Donna looked down to where Fox hung from her shoulder, and Mulder looked up, alarm etched into his face. Dr. Alisee realized she was holding her breath. "Ziggy," Donna said softly, "what exactly do you mean by 'oops?'" "It would appear Agent Scully has awoken, and is chasing after Sam. Oh dear. Her odds for survival are dropping precipitously." "Great, thanks for the warning Ziggy." Donna picked up Mulder's sarcastic tone. "No problem. Remember, I don't have a conscience." * * * Dana rapped on the glass box surrounding the night-manager's office. There was no response, so she smacked the window harder. When nobody was forthcoming, she drew her weapon and used the butt to knock on the door. When she heard movement from inside, she slid the gun back out of view. A frail looking young man with red hair hove into view. He was tall and akward looking, with a thin nose and high cheekbones. His dress shirt and slacks were rumpled, but his face lit up when he saw Scully at the door. He swung the safety door open. "Can I do anything for you?" He looked her up and down quickly. She stared him straight in the face, flushed. "Do you have a car?" He smiled as though the gates of heaven had opened before him. Quickly he whipped a set of keys from his pocket, a pink rabbit's foot dangling from his hand. Scully whipped out her identification, and flashed her badge at him. "Wonderful," she purred. "I'm a Federal Agent, and I'm requisitioning your vehicle." She snatched the keys to his car, and jogged to a nearby 1971 Cadillac with missmatched body pane ls. "Is this your car?" She looked back to where the night manager stood staring at her. "Uh...yes. What...?" The door to his office closed behind him as she revved the motor up, and backed away, the driver's side door still open. "Hey, wait, what the hell!" He was unable to keep pace with the huge machine as Dana floored the gas as she pulled out of the driveway. The smell of burnt rubber filled the air as the lumbering white car fishtailed around the corner. The force of the turn slammed the car door clo sed. "Wait! Please come back! You've got my office keys! I can't get back in! Wait!" Finally, the tall young man sat down on a curb in the rain, and tried to figure out how he would explain all this to the owner. * * * Sam had learned many skills during his many leaps, and he'd overcome many of his own fears and sorrows. He had also learned that nearly all of nature's random accidents seemed directed against him, personally. He knew it was simply a function of the de manding times that he'd leapt into, but he couldn't help but feel that way. Dr. Beckett was plowing his little Honda through the large puddles covering the highway. The car's radials were kicking up sheets of water as they spun, sprays that sounded like malevolent hissing to Sam. The rain had reduced visibility to the extent o f his headlights, and his progress was little more than a crawl across the deserted road. He had nearly plunged from the road twice, and didn't want to hear his tires ride gravel anymore. Out of nowhere, a voice floated over Beckett's shoulder, "Bad news, Sam." Sam nearly lost control of the car, crabbing sideways as his tires hydroplaned. He hung onto the wheel, and turned into the skid, barely recovering control of his car. "Nice job there kid. You nearly lost it for a minute." Al leaned over Sam's shoulder from where he sat in the back seat. "Only because you scared me half to death. What, is this some obsession of yours?" "Hey, you didn't want me popping in next to you. I thought this might help." Calavicci nodded thoughtfully. "Behind me? Good idea, _Al_!" Sam rolled his eyes. "So what's the news? You come up with another way for me to stop them?" "Sorry, Sam. Dana woke up. She's following you now in a used cad..." Al looked at his handlink, puzzled. Then he hit it, causing it to squawk. "Lack? Oh, Cadillac, a used Cadillac. Sam this isn't good, her chances are dropping fast." Sam chanced a look at Al over his shoulder. "What should I do, Al?" Al tried to speak, but his image began crackling anmd hissing. For a moment, he snapped into a two dimensional image, and then returned. "Sam, we're having a problem here. Gooshie, shut down the chamber!" Al disappeared in a flash. Sam kept driving, and began fidling with his headlight controls. He couldn't understand why they were fading in and out. * * * The old Cadillac groaned as it bounced over the frequent bumps in the highway. Dana had the highbeams on, as well as the hazard lights. She hoped they were enough for everybody to see her, because she had the pedal down, and was roaring through the fas t lane, the needle, bouncing through seventy. The huge chromed facade of the caddie threw yet another wavefront of water through the air, nearly blinding Scully despite the wipers. Driving one handed, she managed to grab the worn seatbelt, and fasten it about her. The shoulder strap hung loose, bu t she couldn't afford to fix it. Flashing lights from it's large tail fins, the low slung car roared into the night. * * * Al stormed out of the imaging chamber and down the ramp, a svowl on his face. He looked up at the swirling globe of Ziggy's inferface connection, scowling. "Ziggy! What's going on?" "Admiral Calavicci, there seems to be some interferrence at Doctor-" Just then Fox stormed through the main door, being held errect by Donna. He went straight to the Control Panel, and braced himself on it. "Ziggy! What's going on?" "Agent Mulder, it would seem Agent-" Gooshie spoke up, the only rational sounding voice in the room. "Excuse me, but wouldn't it make sense to give everybody all of the information at once? Just a thought." He went back to working on his computer. All eyes were locked on Gooshie for a moment. Al looked back at the group, blinking. "Great. Go to it Ziggy!" "Wonderul. Now everybody wants to snap at the hybrid computer." Ziggy sounded martyred. "As I was saying, there seems to be some interference with your projection, Admiral. And it's on Sam's end. I'll draw more power, and try to stabilize the image, but we'll cut into the Colorado Power Net to do it. And Agent Scully has left to follow Doctor Beckett in a stolen car." "What?" Gooshie didn't manage to chime in with everyone. "And she's now five minutes behind him, and doing seventy-six miles an hour." * * *