From: LauraM3017@aol.com
Message-ID: <43d82c3b.366aeb90@aol.com>
Date: Sun, 6 Dec 1998 15:39:44 EST
Subject: Quantum Pretender (2/2)

                             Quantum Pretender
                                (continued)
                             by Laura Michaels

     Jarod stopped to stare at his reflection in the metal
component.  "So that's what Dr. Beckett looks like."  Ziggy
didn't bother to reply.  Jarod sat for a moment, deep in thought. 
Pretending he was Dr. Sam Beckett seemed somehow easier than
other pretends now that he actually looked exactly like the
person he was pretending to be.  He felt Sam's pain of being
trapped, not in space, but in time, and driven much as Jarod
himself was, to put right the injustices in the world.  The one
thing that still seemed strange to him was Ziggy's mention of her
theory that a higher power was causing these events.  Hearing a
program talk about believing in a higher power was strange in
itself.  Jarod also had trouble believing that anything he
himself had been through could ever possibly have been exactly
what some benevolent higher power had planned.  Jarod thought of
how easy it was to get into Dr. Beckett's head.  He reflected
again on Dr. Beckett's dilemma.  Then he redoubled his efforts to
fix what he was working on, for Sam's sake.

                             *   *   *   *   *

     Al stopped by in the evening to check on Sam.  "I made some
calls.  Dr. Beeks and her staff have been busy talking to various
humanitarian organizations.  I've been meeting with people in the
government all day and have appointments for tomorrow too." 
     "I've been doing the same with the press.  So far Ziggy's
recommendations as to professionals in the journalistic fields
who would be sympathetic to the cause have been right on the
mark.  You can see the looks on their faces when they watch the
disks."
     "Ziggy says we don't have much more time...."
     "I can't leap before I'm finished here."
     "Not with the leap.  ...Before the Centre finds out. 
They'll fight back with everything they can throw at us. 
According to Ziggy, we really have to make tomorrow count."
     "We will."  Sam thought over all the appointments and
contacts he had lined up with the help of Ziggy and all the
people behind the Quantum Leap Project.  "...What do you suppose
will happen to Jarod after this?"
     "We can't tell for sure.  It's not like Ziggy's predicting
outcomes for things that have already happened.  We're not even
sure if what we're doing will fix what's wrong.  And if we mess
up, Ziggy says not only Jarod, but all of Quantum Leap could be
affected."
     "I can't believe I'd be sent here, have the chance to stop
the Centre from hurting more children like Jarod and not be meant
to take that chance.  I couldn't stand by and let this happen
once I knew about it, no matter what happened to me."
     "Providing you remembered it," Al added seriously.
     Sam painfully recalled his swiss cheese memory from leaping. 
Once he leaped out, he probably wouldn't even remember the
Centre, Jarod or any of this.  The thought made him feel even
more depressed.

                             *   *   *   *   *

     Jarod was making final preparations on his modifications. 
He had made the necessary hardware changes.  He just had to
double check the new software he'd created to work with it.
     "That partial amnesia effect I had when I got here...  Does
that happen every time someone leaps?"
     "Yes," Ziggy replied.
     "Then I'll have trouble remembering what I was doing when I
get back?" Jarod asked.
     "The usual result is that the memory of the events that Dr.
Beckett lived through will gradually become integrated with your
own memories and you will forget everything that happened here."
     "That's convenient.  I won't have to pretend to be me,
pretending to be Dr. Beckett, pretending to be me."  Jarod smiled
at the idea.  "Ziggy, do you remember the historical changes?"
     "I track and record the changes in almost every
circumstance.  This is a rather unique case.  Dr. Beckett has
never leaped into his own time before."
     "I need you to do me a favor."  Ziggy didn't reply.  Jarod
added an e-mail address and some contact information to Ziggy's
data banks and some encryption/decryption code for using it.  "I
need you to e-mail me when I 'leap' back and remind me what
happened.  I want to know the outcome."
     "Project data is classified...."
     "Ziggy!  I've already had access through you to some of the
most crucial project data.  I need to know," Jarod pleaded. 
"It's a human thing," he added after a silent pause.
     "There's a 92.3% probability that giving you such data will
not further interfere with the Project's goals.  If the outcome
of our work here is successful, I will e-mail you with the
information you requested once the leap is over."  Ziggy didn't
bother to point out that the classified data Jarod currently had
access to would be forgotten after the leap.  They both knew
that.  However, something about the odds of the situation
justified Jarod having access to the final results if the outcome
was positive.

                             *   *   *   *   *

     Jarod strolled casually into the heart of Project Quantum
Leap, the main operation center where most of the work was done. 
Surprisingly no one noticed him.  They were all gathered around a
flat screen TV waiting for something.  "Hello."
     Upon hearing the out-of-place voice, Al and many of the
others turned and found themselves staring at the image of Dr.
Sam Beckett.  Al quickly pulled out a gun.  He didn't want to use
it and found himself cursing at the lack of security people with
tranq guns in the area.  They'd concentrated much of their
personnel at other vital areas including several locations Jarod
needed to pass to get to where they were.  They hadn't assumed
their visitor would make it this far.  Considering the ease with
which he escaped the waiting room, they should have.
     Jarod lifted his hands showing he was unarmed.  "I need to
talk to you about Dr. Beckett."
     "How do you know about Dr. Beckett?" Al asked.
     "Ziggy told me.  I need to explain something to you before
he exchanges places with me again."
     "I'm perfectly capable of handling the situation in that
event," Ziggy cut in with a superior tone.
     "All right.  You tell them," Jarod said to Ziggy.
     "Jarod and I have fixed the retrieval sequence."
     "Could it be true?" Dr. Elisi burst out hopefully.
     "You and Jarod?  Ziggy, exactly what has Jarod done to you?"
Al asked suspiciously.  "You've been helping him avoid security
all this time, haven't you?"
     "There is a 100% probability that correcting the retrieval
problem is more important than some minor difficulties with your
security, Admiral."
     "Gooshie, get a team down here and start running
diagnostics, manually," Al ordered.  He had no idea what Jarod
might have programmed into Ziggy.
     "That is not necessary.  I'm functioning at peak
efficiency," Ziggy countered.
     "Well, we'll just check it out if you don't mind," was Al's
retort.  "You'll want to see this, Jarod."  Al motioned with the
gun for Jarod to walk over and sit down by the TV monitor.
     "You are going to try the retrieval program?" Jarod asked,
concerned.
     "As soon as we check it all out thoroughly."  Gooshie, Tina
and several others were already hard at work manually going over
diagnostics.
     Jarod continued trying to explain.  "I had to make some
changes to the hardware...."
     "You what?" Gooshie replied in alarm.
     "It was necessary for Jarod and me to access other recent
technologic advancements and drastically change the design of the
retrieval system in order to make it operational.  It seems my
father didn't spend enough time working out the appropriate
details before he leaped.  However, with recent technological
advancements and a few innovations of Jarod's, we were able to
come up with a design which has a 98.8% probability of working."
     Dr. Elisi was thrilled with the idea.  "If Sam could...."
     "Let's not get our hopes up," Al interrupted.  "Not until we
check things out."
     Jarod could sense the mixed feelings of hope and suspicion
in the air.  He could also predict with some certainty that if he
and Ziggy were successful in helping retrieve Dr. Beckett these
people would be much more willing to trust him.  Jarod's
attention was drawn away from observing the Quantum Leap
personnel when his subconscious made out the words 'Blue Cove,
Delaware' coming from the TV monitor.  He replayed the last two
sentences spoken by the news announcer from his short term memory
and then turned to give the broadcast his full attention.  The
newsman went on to discuss humanitarian organization groups,
press personnel and government committees being set up to fully
investigate the dealings of the Centre.
     "What have you done?" Jarod asked in shock.
     "We're setting any future victims of the Centre free," Al
replied.  
     A blue haze slowly began to envelope Jarod.  
     Al, whose neurons and mesons were tied to Sam's, could see
the blue glow spread.  His relief was quickly dampened when he
heard Ziggy's next statement.  
     "Activating retrieval sequence."
     "No, Ziggy.  Not until we've checked it out."  Al was across
the room standing by Ziggy before he finished the sentence. 
"Gooshie, shut it down."
     Gooshie looked up at Al.  "I can't."
     "Oh boy," Sam whispered.  "What's the problem?" Sam asked Al
and Gooshie.
     Al turned to stare at his friend's aura wondering who had
leaped in now.  "Verbeena, let's get him to the waiting room."
     Sam looked around the room.  When he saw Dr. Elisi, memories
flooded back.  "Donna!"  He reached out and hugged her.
     "Sam?" she asked, unsure.
     "Who else would I be?"  He laughed.
     "Oh my...  Sam!  Is that really you?" Al asked.
     "Of course it's Doctor Beckett," Ziggy admonished.  "I told
you there was a 98.8% probability of retrieval."
     Sam turned to Al and Gooshie.  "You fixed the retrieval
problem?"
     "Jarod did," Al replied.
     "Who?" asked Sam.
     "Long story," Al answered.
     Ziggy made a sound almost like a human clearing one's
throat.  "I believe I had everything to do with that."
     "Thank you, Ziggy," Sam said.  "Now what was that problem
you and Gooshie were talking about before," Sam asked Al.
     Al shook his head.  "No problem."
     "Welcome home, Doctor Beckett," Ziggy said.
     The whole Project had reason to celebrate now.  The reunion
soon turned into a welcome home party.
     
                             *   *   *   *   *

     Jarod found himself staring at the TV set.  He couldn't
remember how he'd gotten there.  He only remembered a bad feeling
of impending disaster.  Jarod only partially listened to the TV. 
They were discussing something about a place called the Centre,
but he was having trouble remembering why the name sounded so
familiar.  He looked around the room to get his bearings.  Jarod
noticed his laptop computer and went over to check it.  He had e-
mail.  Looking at the subject, he saw the word refuge.  Memories
began to pour back into place.  He opened the mail, the feeling
that something was wrong overwhelming him.  He read through the
explanation from Ziggy.  He couldn't remember who Ziggy was or
the things Ziggy said he'd done, but he was beginning to remember
spending the last few days with reporters.  From what Ziggy said,
the reason it felt like someone else going through the motions
wasn't because he had been pretending this time, but because they
were actually Sam Beckett's memories.
     Sam had made it home safely.  The changes they had made to
the retrieval system had worked.
     There was a P.S. to Jarod at the end.  Ziggy said there was
a 100% probability that the Centre would be restructured and
revamped so that it would be unable to hurt anyone else in the
future.  There was a 96.7% probability Jarod would be free.
     "Only 96.7%?" Jarod thought.  "We'll have to do something
about that."
     Jarod tapped into a NSA computer and dug up some data and a
private e-mail address for Dr. Beckett.  Then he sent off a short
e-mail of his own with a welcome home to Sam and some information
on the retrieval system that he thought Sam might want and Ziggy
might take a while to get around to explaining.
     Jarod picked up his cell phone and used the auto dial. 
"Hello.  Sydney."

                             *   *   *   *   *

     Sam put down the phone just as Al walked in.  "They're so
busy with this Centre scandal, it's hard to get in touch with
anyone."
     "Tell me about it," Al grumbled.
     "Looks like everything's still a go with our project. 
Funding looks good.  I hate to say it, but the military's so
preoccupied with the Centre's records, they're not paying much
notice to us."
     "Maybe this was part of his," Al pointed upwards, "plan
after all."
     "Just think of it, Al.  We can explore any historical event
in a person's life time, have Ziggy remember it and come back
home safely afterwards."
     "That's the way Project Quantum Leap was supposed to be back
in those days when we were just starting out."
     "And we may even fix a few things along the way."  They both
smiled at the thought.  Both were sure there'd be plenty of
incidents to change for the better.
     "I just got an okay for some expanded funding," said Sam.
     "Funding for what?" Al asked.  Seemed like everything was
finally in place and working perfectly.
     "For more leapers and observers.  My daughter, Sammy Jo,
mentioned she'd be interested in taking over your job once in a
while.  I figured you might like an occasional vacation and I
really want to spend some time with my family."
     Al couldn't blame him for wanting to stay home for a time
after what he'd been through.  "Speaking of family, shouldn't we
be with them now?"
     "Just have a few things to finish up," Sam told his friend.
     "Don't take all day.  You only just got home yesterday."
     "I'll be right there."
     Sam started typing at his computer terminal.  He sent a
reply to Jarod's message.
     
                             *   *   *   *   *

     Jarod had been monitoring various government computers and
phone lines.  He wanted to make sure no snags occurred in the
investigation of the Centre and was more than willing to make a
few changes to official reports to ensure the government knew
exactly where to look for dirt on the Centre.  He wanted plenty
of time to prepare if something went wrong and the Centre
personnel found a way to take reprisals out on himself or Project
Quantum Leap.  From his conversations with Sydney over the past
day it sounded like everything was going better than he could
ever have hoped for.  Sydney felt sure the Centre was on their
way to being converted back to doing the humanitarian work they
had once done so well.  Only this time, their authority and power
would be greatly curtailed to avoid future abuses.  Jarod was
distracted from monitoring communiques by the familiar sound of
e-mail arrival.
     It was a reply from Dr. Beckett.  Jarod assumed it was
probably a thank you note, but stopped to read it anyway.  It
actually turned out to be more of a job offer.  Sam was asking
Jarod to become one of the Quantum Leapers in his project.  It
came along with his assurances (and Ziggy's) that any historical
data they gained would only be used for the benefit of mankind. 
Jarod immediately started figuring the odds of how true a
statement like that might be and what scenarios might affect that
statement.  They'd have much better odds if he were there to help
Ziggy and Dr. Beckett keep that promise.  And of course there was
the fascination of leaping into all those people and getting a
chance to pretend he was them.
     He could catch up on all those experiences throughout his
childhood that he missed due to his isolation.  He could actually
be there and experience them first hand.  Maybe he and the people
at the Project could do something about the memory problem.  He'd
have to talk to Sydney and Dr. Beeks as well as Ziggy and Sam
about that one.  Jarod also thought about Ziggy's theory that
they were guided on their leaps by some unknown power to change
events for the better.  He wanted to know what that felt like. 
Maybe he'd even have a chance to leap into some time where he
could find out who his parents are and eventually be reunited
with them again.  Maybe he could save his brother's life.  The
more he thought about the possibilities, the harder it seemed to
resist the offer.
     /Well I guess I know what my next pretend will be./  He
started gathering his belongings and booked a plane to New
Mexico.  /I'm going to be a Quantum Leaper./