From: Coast2C@aol.com
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 21:32:44 -0400
Message-ID: <960430212352_387220821@emout12.mail.aol.com>
Subject: Convergence:  Part 16 of 25

Convergence
by
Dana Anderson

Part 16 of  25      (Author's Notes and Disclaimer found in Part 1)

*               *               *               * 

The next morning, Jenna declined to accompany Al when he went to 
inform Sam about their plans to retrieve him.  Al was as close to 
being angry with her as he had ever been.

"What if Sam has questions about the program?" Al demanded.  
"You know you're the only one who can explain it to him."

"Al, it's going to work.  Ziggy says so and I say so, too.  Dr. Beckett 
will have all the time in the world to scrutinize the program when 
he's back here.  He's in the middle of a leap right now, he can't just 
stand there for a week or two talking to invisible people while I 
answer all the questions he's likely to come up with" Jenna reasoned.  
"And I have some other things I need to take care of."

"More important things than helping us prepare to retrieve Sam?" 
Al asked in disbelief.

Jenna nodded.  "To me and at the moment, yes" she said, a 
determined look on her face.  "Please, Al.  I'll explain later."

Al hesitated.  He could see from the look on her face that she was 
desperately hoping he wouldn't ask any more questions.  There was 
a mute plea in her eyes that asked him to trust her.  There was no 
question in his mind as to whether or not he trusted her.

"All right, if you say so" he agreed.  Jenna heaved a sigh of relief.  
Al put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her forehead.  He 
stepped back and looked closely at her face.  "Boy, you geniuses are 
a strange bunch.  But maybe you're right.  If you were with me Sam 
might forget all about the leap and be stuck in 1968 forever."

"We can't have that" Jenna said.  "He might single-handedly put a 
stop to the Summer of Love."

The idea of Sam stemming the tide of free love for an entire 
generation hit Al squarely on the funny bone.  He started to laugh.  
"Oh my God" he said, his words punctuated with guffaws "I'd better 
hurry, before he changes history for both of us."  He let go of Jenna's 
shoulders and stepped toward the door.

Jenna intercepted him and kissed Al on the cheek.  "See you later" 
she said softly.

"Okay" Al said, still chuckling.  "Sam and the Summer of Love.  
Sounds like a bad romance novel."

Jenna watched Al as he departed.  She stared at the door he had 
closed behind him for a few moments, then turned to begin the tasks 
she had been planning since the previous day.

*               *               *               * 

"You're going to try and retrieve me?" Sam breathed in a stunned 
whisper.

Al nodded, a wide grin lighting his entire face with cheerful 
exhilaration.

"What are the chances of success?" Sam asked.

Al reached into his pocket and pulled out the results from Jenna's 
test run.  He unfolded the paper and held it up for Sam to read.  He 
watched Sam's face as his friend ran his eyes down the list of 
projections.

When Sam reached the bottom of page, his eyes widened in 
astonishment.  He shifted his gaze to Al.

"Ninety nine point three percent?" Sam queried.

Al nodded again.  "Jenna and Ziggy agree it's correct."

"Can the program parameters for set two be met?" Sam wanted to 
know.

"Only if you leap" Al replied.  "That's the difference between the 
two sets of parameters.  Set one is the percentage if we try to retrieve 
you from the past.  Set two is if we retrieve you when you're between 
leaps."

"How did she do it?" Sam inquired.

"Jenna thought you'd ask that, and about a thousand other questions.  
She said that's why she didn't want to come with me when I told you 
about it.  Somehow she got the idea that you'd stand here for a week 
or two talking to invisible people and forget you're supposed to be 
changing history so you can leap and we can retrieve you.  Don't 
know what ever gave her that idea" Al explained with a smile, 
watching those thousand questions come and go on his friend's face.  

Al looked back down at the page of projections.  "The most likely 
negative effect is an eight point four percent chance that you'll have 
some memory loss" Al continued.

"That's a ninety one point six percent improvement on my current 
situation" Sam said, a grin beginning to spread across his face in 
imitation of Al's expression.

"So" Al said in an offhand manner.  "think we ought to give it a 
shot?"

"If you and Ziggy and Jenna don't have something better to do" Sam 
said.

"I think we can fit it into our schedules" Al confirmed.

"Well" Sam said, rubbing his hands on the knees of his jeans in 
anticipation "let's get on with it.  What do I have to do so I can 
leap?"

*               *               *               * 

Al stayed in the Imaging Chamber for three hours.  Sam was close 
to leaping and the two of them sensed the tension in themselves and 
each other grow steadily.  When Al read the latest set of projections 
from Ziggy, confirming that Sam had successfully changed his 
hosts' life for the better they locked gazes.  Sam interrupted Al's 
recital.

"See you in a few minutes, Al" he hoped aloud, and leaped.

The walls of the Imaging Chamber reappeared around Al and he 
bolted for the door.

As Al entered the Control Room he walked briskly to the main 
control panel.  "Is everything ready?" he asked Gushie.  

The head programmer nodded.

"Where's Jen?" Al inquired.

"I haven't seen Colonel Tyler all day" Gushie replied.  "Have you?" 
he added, turning to Tina.  Tina shook her head.

"Ziggy, where is Colonel Tyler?" Al asked the computer.

"Colonel Tyler left the complex forty seven minutes ago" the 
computer informed him.

*Damn!*  Al thought.  *What's bothering her?*  Well, he'd have to 
talk to her later.  "Gushie, get ready to activate the retrieval 
program."

"The accelerator chamber is on-line and at optimal power.  Retrieval 
program standing by" Gushie advised Al.  "We're ready."

"Run the retrieval program" Al ordered.

Al listened to the power level in the accelerator climb until it 
hummed in tune with his nerves.  Suddenly there was a louder 
whine of sound and a deflected flash of light.  The power levels 
dropped abruptly and the noises in the Control Room dropped to 
their normal hushed intensity.

Al swallowed convulsively and stepped over to the door of the 
Accelerator Chamber.  He undogged the latch and swung the door 
open.  Sam was standing in the center of the room, his head flung 
back, arms outstretched and eyes closed.  Al stood staring in 
disbelief.  Sam lowered his arms slowly and tilted his head forward.  
He opened his eyes and looked directly into Al's dumbfounded gaze.  
Sam took a few quick steps forward and flung his arms around his 
friend in a bear hug that lifted Al completely off his feet.  

For once, Al was not self-conscious about Sam's propensity for 
hugging.  He pounded Sam on the back with his fists in pure 
jubilation.  Sam set Al down and they grasped each other's forearms 
and grinned foolishly at one another.

"What took you so long?" Al said.

"You know how easily I get side tracked" Sam responded.

They laughed at the reversal of roles in the common complaint.  
They both released their grip on the other and stepped into the 
Control Room.  Gushie and Tina were busy at the main panel and 
didn't even look up at Sam.  Al had a sudden, weird, but familiar, 
feeling.  

Sam strode over to the console.  "Tina, Gushie!  Boy, is it ever good 
to see the two of you again" Sam exclaimed.

The programmers gave him a pair of startled glances, then looked at 
each other.  Al had seen those looks before.  He stepped toward Sam 
and put a warning hand on his arm.

"It's nice to see you, too, Dr. Beckett" Gushie stuttered lamely.  He 
had a tentative, unsure expression on his face.

"Sam, come over here for a minute" Al whispered tensely, tugging 
at Sam's arm.  Sam allowed himself to be pulled into a corner of the 
room.  "I've seen that expression a hundred times, Sam" Al 
continued quietly, glancing back at the confused programmers.  
"History's been changed again.  They don't remember that you 
leaped."

Sam stared at Al in shock.  "What?  You mean they think I've been 
here all along.  How can they?"

"Trust me" Al said.  "Come on.  Let's go to my office so we can talk 
to Ziggy without anyone overhearing and we can find out what's 
been changed."  Sam nodded mutely.  

They left the Control Room and headed for the elevator.  Al 
suddenly grinned once more.  "I've got a better idea.  Let's go to your 
office.  I want to see you sitting in your chair again."  Sam smiled as 
Al slapped him on the back.  He was relieved that _someone_ was as 
excited as he was that he was back.

As they entered Sam's office, Al shouted at the ceiling.  "Ziggy, give 
me the lowdown.  What's changed this time?"  Sam looked around 
as he settled into his desk chair and Al plopped down in the 
armchair against the wall.  The office was clean and dusted.  
Everything was just as he had left it.  He gave Al a grateful look and 
Al cleared his throat and blushed slightly.  Sam smiled inwardly.  Al 
was reverting to type, showing his embarrassment that Sam had 
realized he had kept everything this way out of sentiment and hope.

"Ziggy, answer up!" Al demanded, covering his chagrin.

"Please restate your question, Admiral" the computer requested.

Al rolled his eyes and gave Sam a long suffering look.  "I said, 
what's changed this time?"

"I'm sorry, Admiral.  I have no context for comparison in order to 
answer your question" the computer intoned.

Al sat up straight in frustration and glared at the ceiling.  

"Let me try, Al" Sam suggested.

"Be my guest" Al said in an aggrieved tone, resuming his relaxed 
position in the armchair and reaching in his pocket for a cigar.

"Ziggy, this is Dr. Beckett" Sam began.

"Yes, Dr. Beckett" the computer responded.

"What changes have occurred in our history due to my retrieval from 
the past?" Sam inquired.

There was a long pause before the computer spoke again.  "I cannot 
formulate an answer to your question, Dr. Beckett.  It contains 
assumptions that I cannot reconcile" Ziggy said.

"Which assumptions are you having a problem with?" Sam asked.

"That history has been changed and that you have been 'retrieved' 
from the past" the computer replied.

Sam had a queer feeling in the pit of his stomach.  He was 
beginning to appreciate how difficult it had been for Al over the past 
five years, constantly having his reality altered around him.  Sam 
looked over at his friend.  Al shrugged expressively.  What do you 
expect of a computer?, his gesture said.

"Ziggy, where was I one hour ago?" Sam said, trying another 
method of attack.

"You were in the Imaging Chamber observing events in April, 
1968" Ziggy responded smoothly.

"Where was Dr. Beckett at three a.m. this morning" Al asked the 
ceiling.

"At three a.m. this morning, Dr. Beckett was asleep in his quarters" 
Ziggy informed them.

Sam and Al exchanged glances.  "Uh, oh" Al exhaled.  "I think she's 
having a breakdown.  She always remembered all the pasts before, 
no matter what changed."

"Maybe it was something in the retrieval program" Sam suggested.

"We'd better find Jenna then" Al said.  "Ziggy, where is Colonel 
Tyler?"

When Ziggy did not answer immediately, Al felt a shiver of dread 
course through his body.  He concentrated his stare on the ceiling 
and prayed that, just this once, the finely tuned survival instinct that 
told him when something was terribly wrong would prove to be 
incorrect.

"I'm sorry, Admiral.  I have no data regarding the whereabouts of 
anyone by that name" the computer said.

"Ziggy, who is currently assigned as Deputy Director of Project 
Quantum Leap?" Al managed to ask.

"There is no such function listed in the personnel directory" Ziggy 
answered.

Al swallowed several times, then leaned back in his chair and closed 
his eyes.  "Ziggy" he almost whispered.  "Please query whatever 
sources necessary and find the most current reference for Tyler, 
Jenna, no middle name, US Army, serial number 385623506."

Sam sat quietly in his chair.  He could see that Al was hanging on 
by a thread.  Several long moments later, Ziggy spoke.  "Tyler, 
Jenna, no middle name, Lt. Colonel, US Army, serial number 
385623506, born May 25th, 1956, died September 1st, 1989.  
Interred in Arlington National Cemetery, September 8th, 1989" the 
computer intoned and then fell silent.

The silence dragged on for many long, painful minutes.  Al 
remained in the same position; but Sam observed his hands 
tightening into fists, crushing the cigar he had been holding.  
Finally, he uttered a single word, forced from between clenched 
teeth.  "No" Al said.

Sam continued to watch Al, unsure of what he could say or do.  Al 
shifted in his chair and opened his eyes to look at Sam.  Sam was 
appalled at the combination of denial, anger and absolute 
desperation in his friend's gaze.

"She's not dead, Sam" Al insisted, rising from the armchair and 
approaching the desk.  "She can't be.  If she had died in 1989 we 
wouldn't have been able to retrieve you."

Sam swallowed and continued to watch Al's eyes.  "Maybe she 
leaped back when I was retrieved" Sam said cautiously.

"NO!" Al shouted, slamming his hand down on Sam's desk.  His 
face and eyes were suffused with a violent rage.  Sam flinched, but 
did not shift his gaze away.  Al saw a look of pity surface in Sam's 
eyes and it fueled his anger.  "She's not dead!  You're wrong and 
Ziggy's wrong!  I know she's alive and you can save your damn 
pity!" he choked out.  Al flung the shredded remains of his cigar on 
Sam's desk and stalked out of the room.

"Oh, Al" Sam whispered.  "What do I do now?"  He sat silently in 
his office for fifteen minutes, staring at the mutilated handful of 
tobacco on the desk top.  Sam closed his eyes and immediately 
received a mental image of the look Al had on his face before he had 
left.  It was so close to insanity that Sam's eyes snapped open and he 
jumped up from his chair.  *I can't leave Al alone with that much 
pain and fury,* he thought.  *He might...no,* Sam shook his head.  
*Al wouldn't...he couldn't.*  Sam gulped.  In Al's current state of 
mind he could and he just might.  "Ziggy" Sam shouted.  "Where's 
Al?"

"Admiral Calavicci is in his quarters" Ziggy replied.

Sam bolted for the door.  When he reached Al's quarters, he found 
them empty.  He checked with Ziggy and found that something else 
had changed while he 'hadn't' been in the past.  Frustrated with the 
delay his error had caused, Sam ran up the nearby stairs instead of 
retracing his steps to the elevator.  By the time he reached the top 
floor he was both frantic and out of breath.  He ran down the 
hallway to the southwest corner and entered Al's quarters without 
knocking.  Sam glanced around wildly, then caught sight of Al 
standing by the wall at the edge of the balcony.  Sam walked quietly 
outside and continued until he was standing next to his friend.

Al was smoking a cigar and gazing out into the desert.  He removed 
the cigar from his mouth, allowing a cloud of smoke to escape.  "I 
never thought I'd hear myself say this, but go away and leave me 
alone, Sam" he said quietly, without looking up.

Sam shook his head.  "I can't, Al"

Al sighed and his shoulders slumped.  He turned and stepped back 
toward one of the chairs, but did not sit down.  Sam turned as well. 
He watched Al's back, waiting; hoping for any sign that he could be 
of some help or comfort.

Al reached over to put his cigar butt in the ashtray which stood on a 
small table, then froze.  He stared at the ashtray and blinked several 
times.  "Sam, come here" Al said.

Sam moved to stand next to Al and looked down at the ashtray that 
lay an inch or so beyond Al's pointing finger.  "What do you see in 
the ashtray?" Al almost whispered.

"A cigarette butt" Sam answered.

Al looked up at Sam.  "Thank you" he said, as though Sam had just 
granted him a stay of execution.  "I thought maybe I was 
hallucinating."

Sam was still confused and even more concerned about Al's state of 
mind.  Al recognized the look on his friend's face.

"Don't you see, Sam" Al said, his expression brightening steadily.  "I 
don't smoke cigarettes; but Jen does.  This proves she was here.  
How could she have been here this morning if she died over ten 
years ago?"

Sam could understand the paradox that Al was pinning his hopes 
on, but he was still worried that this didn't prove that Jenna hadn't 
leaped back into past and died.  Al saw the hesitation in Sam's face 
and ground out his cigar in an angry movement.

"Come on, Sam.  We can't take Ziggy's word that Jenna's dead.  
She's also saying that you didn't leap back in time!" Al reasoned.

Sam had to admit to himself that this was true, but how could he 
support Al in his crusade of denial?

"Well, you can stand here wondering when I'm going to lose it 
completely if you want, but I'm going to see if there's any other 
evidence of Jen's presence here that's still around.  Maybe there will 
be something that will help us figure out where she is" Al stated.

Sam followed Al back into his quarters, out the door and down the 
hallway.  Al opened the door at the northwest corner and entered.  
He went straight to the bedroom, Sam still on his heels.  Al opened 
the closet and stepped back, allowing Sam a view of a row of 
uniforms hanging neatly there.  Al turned and walked over to the 
dresser.  There were folded clothes in every drawer.  Al went into 
the bathroom and returned with a hairbrush.  He held it out for Sam 
to see and pulled several dark hairs out of the bristles with his 
thumb and fingertips.

"She was here, Sam" Al repeated.

Sam sighed.  "I'm not going to argue with you about that, Al" Sam 
agreed.  "I know she was here.  The question is where is she now?"

Al tossed the hairbrush onto the bed in frustration.  As his eyes 
followed the movement of the brush he noticed that Jen had not 
made the bed this morning.  The sheet and blanket were flung back 
on both sides.  Al was struck suddenly by the fact that, only a few 
hours ago, he and Jenna had been lying there together.  He realized 
that if he were to walk over to the bed and put his nose to her pillow 
her scent would still be there.   He was seized by the desire to further 
confirm Jenna's existence in this manner, but was restrained by the 
fact that Sam was standing there watching him.  

Sam sensed Al's change of mood and, considering the fact that Al 
was staring at a bed which had clearly been occupied by two people 
very recently, decided he should give him a little space.  Sam 
retreated to the living room and sat down on the couch.  

About ten minutes later, Al wandered aimlessly into the living 
room.  He reached up and ran his hand through his hair a few times 
as he approached the shelves which stood against the far wall.  Al 
ran his finger along the edge of the top shelf, then shoved his hands 
into his pockets.  He stood silently for a few moments, glancing at 
the items resting on the shelves.  As his eyes moved back and forth, 
his attention was abruptly caught by the sight of his name, written in 
Jenna's handwriting.  Al turned his head to look at Sam, who had 
continued to watch him intently.  Al pointed wordlessly at the 
stereo.  Sam followed the direction of Al's gesture.  He could see 
what was written there from where he sat.

The tape in the cassette deck was labeled 'For Al'.  Al turned on the 
power and started the tape.  When Jenna's voice emanated from the 
speakers a ragged sob escaped him before he could think to be 
embarrassed that Sam might overhear it.  Al decided he didn't care.  
His legs felt weak and he staggered the few steps that were necessary 
for him to reach a point where he could drop onto the couch next to 
Sam.  Al focused on the sound of Jenna's voice as though it were his 
one remaining link to sanity.

"Al, if you're listening to this, I have disappeared from Project 
Quantum Leap.  When you asked where I was, Ziggy disavowed any 
knowledge of Colonel Jenna Tyler.  When you had her look up my 
history she probably told you that I died on September 1st, 1989.  It 
isn't true.  I'm alive out there, somewhere, and I'm waiting for you to 
find me."

Al caught his breath at the similarity in phrasing to what he had 
once said to an unheeding Beth Calavicci.  He had told Jenna about 
the soliloquy he had delivered to his first wife, but had never told 
her what he had said.  The tape Jen had left continued to play.  

"There is an error in Ziggy's programming that I have not been able 
to find.  When I ran the beta test on the retrieval program and 
Ziggy's calculations showed less than a point two per cent chance of 
it affecting anyone other than Dr. Beckett I didn't believe the results.  
I ran the calculations myself, by hand.  While I got the same positive 
results for the chances of Dr. Beckett's return, I got a ninety six 
point four per cent probability that I would disappear from our 
present."

"WHAT?" Al stormed.  Sam stifled the impulse to shush him.

"You're probably really pissed off at me for not telling you about this 
before" Jen's taped voice went on, and Al could tell by the inflection 
of her words that she had been smiling.  "But if you want to do 
anything about it, you're going to have to find me first.  In my own 
defense, I couldn't support my data without the proof of finding the 
error in Ziggy's program."  

"I would have believed you!" Al whispered vehemently.

Jenna's voice continued.  "I know what you're going to say; you 
would have believed me."  She had paused at this point and sighed.  
"But I couldn't ask you to choose, Al."  

Al closed his eyes in pain.  She understood him so well, and this 
time her understanding had hurt them both.  Al hoped to God they 
could find a way to get her back.

"Tell Dr. Beckett I expect him to return the favor.  He needs to order 
Ziggy to lock his brain waves onto your pattern in the past.  He'll 
find you, of course, but what Dr. Beckett will have to make her 
search for are two brain wave locks at the same point in time.  One 
will be you, the other me.  Ziggy won't want to do it, because it 
won't make sense to her programming.  Kick her in the butt for me, 
Al.  I hope I'm somewhere between May 25th, 1956 and September 
1st, 1989.  When you find me, make sure Ziggy locks onto the 
correct match and run the retrieval program.  It should work.  I'm 
waiting, love."  

>From that point on, the tape was only a hiss of white noise.

Jenna's final words galvanized Al into action.  He rose from the 
couch, stopped the tape and turned to his friend.  His eyes were 
moist, but his voice was firm.  "She's waiting, Sam" he said.

*               *               *               * 

End Part 16 of 25