From: Sean Smith X-From: rkwong@engin.umich.edu (Roberta Chi-Woon Kwong) Newsgroups: alt.ql.creative Subject: "Quanta" part 3 Date: 17 Apr 1995 22:00:02 GMT This is being posted for Sean Smith , who is having some difficulty posting from his account. Please direct all comments to him. Apologies if any line noise remains in these posts. -------------------------------------------------- * * * The FordUs gloss green paint was transformed into a pool of blackness, a spot darker still than itUs surroundings. Both occupants were firmly wrapped in hiking jackets and the grip of sleep. The distant horizon to the east of the vehicle seemed perhaps a shade lighter than the rest of the sky, and the stars there perhaps a shade less intense. When the cold glare of a spotlight pinned the car, and flashed across the faces of the occupants, it caught both FBI agents completely unawares. Fox MulderUs head snapped up from a vague dream about a woman he could not quite reach. For an instant, all he could see was the blinding light above the car. He heard ScullyUs voice rising above the loud hum, yelling his name as she, too awoke. Then his surroundings seemed to fade into a blue-white glow. For an instant, he felt his chest tighten, and his stomach drop out from under him. He awoke to find himself lying on a cold metal table. His eyes snapped open as he tried to cry out, but the name faded from his mind before he could summon it. He pushed himself off the table, and looked about nearly panicking. He was in a square room with three glowing white walls, and one that glowed blue. Fox closed his eyes, and pounded a fist on the table. The only memory clear to Fox came to him in a flash; the one that had haunted him for twenty-two years. Fox opened his eyes, and saw a face reflected in the mirror surface of the table top. It was distorted by the tears, but it was wearing a pure white body suit. And it had a streak of graying hair. He looked down, and saw a face that was not his own. Fox cast his head back, and cried out. * * * Dr. Sam Beckett had leaped into a lot of times, and a lot of people. In doing so he had also managed to leap into a number of surprising situations. Certainly, this was one. A bright light flared through the car windshield, and he raised his arms to protect himself from it. He could hardly hear himself think over the deep pounding thrum that filled the cabin A hand touched his shoulder, and he looked over to his right. There an angry young woman with red hair, wearing a green hiking jacket and slacks, was drawing a large, heavy-looking pistol. * * * Before Scully could do more than jump awake and draw her Glock, an amplified voice rang out from the helicopter. RThis is the Sacramento County Police Department. Drop your weapon. Now.S This seemed perfectly reasonable to Dr. Scully, so she did so. Calmly. While breathing hard. RNow, step out of the vehicle, and place your hands on the rooftop.S Scully grimaced; she knew where this would go. She was, needless to say, quite accurate. The Huey settled onto the grass in front of the car, seeming almost skittish as the runners touched down. A black-clad officer hopped out from one side, and held a service revolver trained on the two agents, while the pilot continued to blind them with the spotlight. Scully and Mulder both kept one hand on the car, using the other to shield their eyes from the light and wind. RIUm Federal Agent Dana Scully. WeUre here on an investigation,S Dana yelled in order to be heard over the roar of the helicopter. The officer was not convinced until she showed him her badge. And when she went to get her badge, he became extremely alert. The officer apologized briefly, and suggested that the next time the Feds decide to drop down and start staking out an airfield, they might wish to inform local law enforcement officers. And, just as quickly as it had arrived, the police helicopter lifted off. Dana turned toward Mulder to read him the riot act for tricking her into coming out here, but stopped short. She was surprised to find him reading his own FBI identification. RGuess we should be glad it wasnUt the military, huh Mulder?S RUh, sure. Lucky.S He gave her a blank look before he walked forward toward the spot the chopper had occupied moments before. RWell, what do you want to do now?S RWell, since there wasnUt anything going on all night at the airbase, and since Holland hasnUt called, we ought to go back and find him, right?S The breaking dawn just began to light up the field, and return the color to the scene. Mulder paused a moment before replying, RRight. Well, then, letUs go find...Holland. Why donUt you drive.S Scully flashed him a look as he headed for the passengerUs door. RIUm just a little tired,S he said as he dropped in and closed the door. Scully looked around with a confused expression. * * * By the time the Ford was halfway to the motel, Dana had turned her rearview mirror so she could watch Mulder. HeUd been smiling, and asking her about how she was doing. It was when he asked what she thought they ought to do about their case that she got concerned. On the last leg of the car ride, Mulder simply looked out the window. With one hand on the window ledge and his face turned away, he looked completely different than the partner she had talked to last night. He seemed lost. ROkay, Mulder, here we are at the motel. IUm going to sleep; donUt even think about getting up and investigating before I wake up.S RI donUt think you have to worry about that; IUm exhausted. What time do you want to start out tomorrow?S Mulder flashed her a friendly smile. RLetUs try to get going by nine,S Her brows came together as she got out of the car. She turned just as Mulder closed the passenger side door, RWhat's going on? YouUve been acting different ever since we ran into the police.S RNo, IUm fine,S he said as he searched his pockets for his room key, RMaybe IUll feel better in the morning. See you then, okay?S He looked down at the key in his hand, then headed off toward his room. He unlocked the door and pushed it open. Then he turned, and waved to Scully, who hadnUt yet moved from the car. She blinked, and slung her purse over her shoulder. * * * Adm. Al Calavicci (Ret.) was smiling as he drove. He was driving a new, slick, beautiful sports car. Smiling would be natural in that situation. But he was driving home after a long evening with Cynthia, and that was a much _better_ reason in his opinion. He pulled a fresh cigar from underneath the black lapel of his somber suit. It was drastically different than the gaudy attire that was his trademark, but it was what Cynthia wanted him to wear. Of course, she also wanted to call him Daddy, so he didnUt mind. Al chuckled to himself as he clipped the end off his cigar, and drove one handed. The New Mexico Desert was a great place to be at night, and the clear sky overhead was reminding him of that fact. His mellow mood was quickly dispelled by the ring of his phone. He stuck the unlit cigar in his mouth, and quickly picked up the small receiver. There was only one reason he would receive a late night call anymore; Dr. Sam Beckett must have leaped in somewhere. And somewhen. "Hello. Is he okay?" A pause. Then he began slowly accelerating toward the project off ramp. "Well, have you located Dr. Beckett.?" A longer pause. He brought the wheel over one-handed, and leaned into the curve. "What information has Ziggy got?" Al blinked several times while he listened to the voice on the other end of the phone. His foot dropped the pedal much farther down, and the engine revved, nearly obscuring his conversation. "Okay, Gooshie. I'll be there in ten minutes. Call the main gate and tell them I'm coming through; I'm not slowing down." As Al's car squealed through the desert night, he wondered why a catatonic young man sat in the waiting room, and no location for Doctor Sam Beckett had been determined. "I'm coming, Sam." * * * Al could see a young man with short, light brown hair crouched in the near corner of the waiting room. He turned away from that blank expression, and saw Drs. Donna Alisee and Verbena Beeks still looking through the one way window at the new arrival with concern in their eyes. Al knew that when Sam and this man traded places, each picked up the magnafluxed appearance of the other. Donna Alisee, Sam BeckettUs wife, could only see her husband curled up in a fearful ball, and her eyes were tight with emotion. Al was glad that the process that allowed him to communicate with Sam also allowed him to see the leapee as he really was. He just wished Donna could be spared some of the heartache. All three stood in the antechamber, viewing their new leapee through the seamless window set in a marble wall. Al leaned up against the metal plated door, and took another puff from his cigar. The lines in his forehead had only deepened since he'd arrived. RI have good reason to believe that this manUs condition is the result of some kind of organic damage caused by the leaping process. But i canUt get close enough to thouroughly examine him,S Dr. Beeks motioned with one manicured hand at the unresponsive man in the other room, and returned the group to the topic at hand, "and I don't want to try and sedate him without first knowing the state he's in. If this is some form of shock..." No one replied, so she continued, "But Ziggy hasn't been able to figure out who this person is, and hasn't locked on to Sam yet. We need more information, and I don't know if he," she gestured toward Fox's huddled form, "is in any shape to provide it." "Poor kid. God knows what we leapt him out of." Al continued to pull on his cigar. He didn't mention that Sam would have leapt _into_ whatever situation this leapee had left behind. "I'm going to have to talk to this guy." "It can wait until Ziggy locks onto Sam's position. Talking to this young man now might hurt his psyche and-" The retired Admiral rounded on the small doctor, cigar held at chin height, and one eye half closed. "Not knowing where Sam is could hurt a lot more than his psyche. We need to locate him _now_. Besides which, if we get this kid out of here quickly, he'll never remember any of this. When we leap him back, it'll Swiss-cheese his memory of this time, so it's not a problem. Right?" AlUs dark eyes burned intensely as he said this. "Well, theoretically yes, but-" She was being railroaded, and she knew she was being railroaded, but decided not to fight too much. RGood, then stand aside. And make sure nothing goes wrong." REasy for you to say.S TBena still wasnUt happy about this. Al picked up a small device that looked like nothing more than an assemblage of small glowing plastic cubes, roughly the size of a pocket calculator. He stabbed two buttons, using the same hand he held his cigar in. Suddenly, the metal door whooshed open, and bright light spilt into the Waiting Room. "Al," For the first time tonight, Dr. Donna Alisee spoke up. "be careful with him." He looked at the pain in her eyes, and could only nod. Fox's head snapped up as the door rose. The light pouring from the doorway pulled him from the dark place he was mired in. It was not a warm light; it instead reminded him of what he'd hunted all his life. He thought he could remember oppressive heat, humidity. He blinked. It was then that Al Calavicci stepped through the doorway. Fox stared at the doorway as a man became visible through the light. He was an older man with a dark black suit hanging from square shoulders. The short curly hair, going gray at the temples, did nothing to camouflage the authority in his dark eyes. In one hand he carried a cigar. For a moment, Fox recalled in perfect clarity the smell of smoke. He remembered the men in the dark suits. Then he uncoiled from his crouch, driving forward to cover the three meters between them. He completed two full sprinter's steps, his legs driving into the floor, before he barreled into Al. It was all Al could do to roll with the impact and turn aside. He was knocked sideways as Fox threw himself through the still open doorway. He crashed blindly into the far wall, and fell to the ground. Looking up, he could see two figures, dressed in white. Adm. Calavicci called out as he swayed to his feet, "Donna, 'Bena, lookout!" Donna took a step toward the man who looked like her husband, and Dr. Beeks turned to grab a syringe from the dull metal case behind her. Fox scrabbled across the floor in a blind panic and flung the door open. Before either woman could get to him, he was out in the hallway at a dead run. He'd never even looked over his shoulder at them. Al tapped his glowing handlink, and called for help, "Gooshie, our guest just clobbered me and escaped into Project Quantum Leap. Warn everybody and start locking down the doors!" "Yes, sir, but you realize the interior of the facility isn't as secure as it's outside. He won't be able to leave, sir, but there are some unsecured doors-" "Crappola! Then start gathering people in all the secure areas. In groups Gooshie! God knows where this psycho is going." "Uh, Admiral Calavicci, I think I've located the psycho, sir." "Great. Where is the pipsqueak?" Al chewed his cigar and pulled his coat off. "He's in the control room staring at me, sir. Uh, can you get here quickly sir?" Gooshie sounded more excitable than he usually did. Tina, Donna, Verbena, Al, and three other members of Project Quantum Leap met one another as they ran toward the main door of the control room. Verbena reached the stainless steel door first, and placed her palm against a touchpad nearby. Everybody else arrived in time to hear the door lock blat out a negative. RWhy the hell would Gooshie lock the door?S Donna had good reason to sound upset. "Why the hell would Gooshie have had the control room doors open in the first place?" Al was winded, and that didn't improve his mood. "He doesn't like to be alone at night in that big room." The crowd turned on itself, and all eyes were on Tina as she squealed with her high-pitched voice. "Well, it's not like _I'd_ have any reason to _know_, but-" "Never mind that Tina! Just open the door!" Al was leaning over toward her in his impatience. "You've got the handlink to ZiggyUs main processor. You can do it yourself." Her Bronx accent came out as she spoke in her capacity as the System Architect. Al looked down at the handlink heUd forgotten, and paused. Had he remembered, he could have had the door open before they got there. "Right. Ziggy, open the control room!" The Project team stood and stared at the door for a space of a few seconds. Al looked at Tina. She looked confused, and shrugged. Al cursed a blue streak as he fumbled with his keychain. Shortly, he found the right key, and opened the manual lock. He gestured for one of the technicians to begin pumping the hydraulic handle, and waited for the door to rise It rose slowly and jerkily, revealing the tableau inside. The new leapee, still dressed in a white bodysuit, stood opposite a smaller balding man with curly red hair and a lab coat. Both leaned on Ziggy's brilliantly colored main control console facing one another. The entirety of Project Quantum Leap stopped in the doorway, transfixed by the apparent standoff. Gooshie, the computer programmer held out his hand, palm out. ROf course you can go, young man. Just _please_, take your hand off that panel.S RI donUt believe you. Where am I? Where is she?S Fox demanded. He slapped his hand down on the table top. RYou are in the control room of-S GooshieUs explanation was cut off by AlUs shout from across the room. RNo! You canUt tell him anything about the project!S He waved the handlink in the air, venting his frustration. RWhat project? Whose?S RIf he doesnUt lift his hand soon, it wonUt matter!S Gooshie and Fox were speaking simultaneously, fighting with a passion. RAdmiral...thatUs the accelerator control panel. I had to take Ziggy off line. Now she canUt countermand his inputs. An if he keeps playing with that...he could fire the accelerator _now_.S GooshieUs face was flushed red up to his retreating hairline. RThis is some government project, isnUt it? YouUre in charge here, arenUt you?S Fox pushed away from the control panel, and came to bear on Al. RWhere is she? What did you do with her?S Behind Fox, Gooshie began frantically typing commands into the Project Control panel. He figured he had less than a minute to spin the accelerator down, and begin discharging the main capacitors. He was afraid the power surge from the shutdown could cripple the project. Certainly it could destroy the New Mexico Central Power Grid. RLook kid, we donUt know who youUre talking about. YouUre gonnaU be okay. If we can get our computer back on line,S Al gestured to Gooshie, who was typing with sweat running down his face. Rthen we can try and help you. But youUve gotta help us.S RWhat the hell did you do to my mind? I donUt remember _anything_! I just want her back _now_!S There was stark fear in his voice. RI know this is hard for you, but youUre going to have to trust me.S While Al tried to talk to Fox, the rest of the researchers began working frantically to reconnect Ziggy and power down the Project reactors. Fox slowly backed away from the people milling about him, a trickle of sweat visible at his temple. RKid, donUt go anywhere, okayS AlUs brow knit in frustration as Fox continued to back toward the Accelerator room. RNO! DonUt-S AlUs yell was enough to spook Fox, and he bolted. He ran up the ramp toward the accelerator, and the lights in the hallway came up. As Fox pounded on the steel door to the Acceleration Chamber, Adm. Calavicci cried out. RDONUT GO IN THERE! The AcceleratorUll fire, dammit!S The handlink dropped from AlUs hand, forgotten. The door to the Chamber came up, and Fox ran through in a blind panic. He stopped short, finding himself in a darkened area. RTina,S Gooshie yelled across the control room, RGet Ziggy back on line...the accelerator is counting down to fire in thirty seconds!S Al ran toward the Acceleration Chamber, but Donna sprinted by him. She skidded to a halt in the doorway of the Acceleration Chamber, and locked the door open. Faintly, she heard Al yelling at her, and the calls from the Project crew counting down the time to firing. But her attention was focused on the young man trapped in the darkness of the accelerator. The man who might be the key to getting her husband back. Fox saw nothing but the dark, cold walls around him, and the metal grating below him. Instinctively, he felt a presence behind him, and spun around. He was crouched low, and the fear dripping off him seemed in ghoulish contrast to the sheen of his whi te jumpsuit. Fox was distracted as the very grating beneath his feet began to glow blue-white. He raised his eyes from the pulsing glow of the floor grating, and saw a figure outlined in the light of the doorway. She wore a pantsuit, and he could see from where she stood in the doorway that she was much shorter than he. The radiance behind her obscured her face, and tinged the halo of hair about her head with red. Quickly she held out a hand and called to him. RCome on, we donUt have time.S Her voice rose at the last. In the midst of his panic, her words cut through the noise blaring in the control room. Then a constant rush of wind blew white smoke up through the floor, almost blinding him. He threw his arms up, trying to shield his eyes. RTen.S RPleaseS RNine.S RTrust me...S Blue light glinted of the necklace at her throat. REight.S Somewhere, deep inside, Mulder felt a memory snap into place, and he nearly fell from the impact upon his psyche. RSeven.S He remembered being...what? RSix.S That figure, who was she? RFive.S He shook his head, confused by the images of...hope? RFour.S Suddenly weary, Fox ran to the door, and the woman standing there. He gathered her in his arms, and started to run from the gathering light in the room behind him. RThree.S She stopped him, and pulled him down to her shoulder. RTwo.S Keeping one arm around Fox, she palmed the control to drop the door. ROne.S She put her hand over his eyes as the corridor lights flared to brilliance. Fox felt a subaural hum, and then silence. Suddenly, voices sprung up all about him, but he was miles away. He felt the soft cotton, and the thin body underneath. He buried his head in her hair, and smelled flowers. Agent Fox Mulder never felt the injection that rendered him unconscious.