From: Coast2C@aol.com
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 21:33:33 -0400
Message-ID: <960430212516_387222389@emout12.mail.aol.com>
Subject: Convergence:  Part 17 of 25

Convergence
by
Dana Anderson

Part 17 of  25      (Author's Notes and Disclaimer found in Part 1) 

*               *               *               * 

Ziggy was every bit as reluctant to run the search through the past as 
Jenna had thought she would be, and then some.  It took every bit of 
persuasive power that Sam and Al together possessed to convince 
her they were serious.  And a good swift kick at the base of Ziggy's 
main console, Al thought.  His foot still ached.

Sam had been enduring a nanosearch for three hours when he 
reached the point where his nausea had overwhelmed him.  Al had 
helped him out of the Imaging Chamber and deposited him in a 
chair in the Control Room with his head between his knees.  While 
a janitor worked on the floor of the Imaging Chamber, Al worked on 
Sam.  He retrieved a cup of water and had Sam drink it slowly.  
When Sam put his head back between his knees, Al draped a cool, 
wet towel over the back of his neck.

"How far did he get, Gushie?" Al asked.

"December 23rd, 1957, Admiral" Gushie responded.

"A year and a half in three hours" Al grumbled.  At this rate, it 
might take months to find Jen, Al thought.  He looked down at Sam.  
Al didn't see how anyone would be able to endure more than one 
session like that a day, if that much.  He still wasn't sure how long it 
would be before Sam recovered sufficiently from this state to try 
again.  

Sam stirred slightly and leaned back.  He had a glazed look in his 
eyes.  Sam swallowed and blinked.  "Al, could I have some more 
water?" Sam asked.

"Sure, pal.  Hang on" Al replied.  Al walked out to the water cooler 
in the hallway.  He returned with a full cup and handed it to Sam.  
"Slowly," he cautioned "you don't need to see it twice."

Sam took a careful sip.  He looked at Al.  "I think I'll be ready for 
another go in a few minutes" he said.  His voice was even less 
certain than the look on his face.

"Not likely" Al shook his head.  No one knew better than Sam what 
that denial had cost Al to make.

Sam took another small drink of water, then cocked his head.  A 
glimmer of an idea shone in his eyes.

"Maybe we're going about this all wrong" he thought out loud.

"What do you suggest?" Al asked.

"Jenna ran the calculations on the retrieval program herself; by hand 
she said.  They were obviously correct.  If she wrote the calculations 
down, where would they be?"  Sam asked Al.

Al thought for a moment.  "In her lab" he answered definitely and 
bolted for the door.

Al returned in a few minutes with a thick sheaf of computer paper 
that was covered with precise, neat mathematical equations written 
with a thin leaded mechanical pencil.  He deposited the stack on a 
counter near the main console and barely got out of the way in time 
to avoid being knocked over by Dr. Sam Beckett's charge to throw 
himself into the problem.

Hours later, he looked up from the last page of calculations.  Al's 
heart sank at the fact that he saw no confident glow of triumph in 
his friend's hazel eyes.  "No dice, huh?  Do you think it would work 
for me to try the nanosearch?  It would cut the search time in half" 
Al said hopefully.

"Maybe," Sam said "but hold on a minute."  He patted the stack of 
papers.  "This didn't give me an answer, in fact I have some 
questions about her notation, but it did give me another idea."  He 
turned back to the main console.  "Ziggy" Sam began.  "Have you 
completed an analysis of the observations you made during the most 
recent activation of the Accelerator Chamber?"

"Yes, Dr. Beckett" the computer replied.

"Display, please" Sam said, and nearly stumbled trying to get to the 
screen fast enough.

Al took a peek at the screen as well, but the symbols displayed there 
meant nothing to him.  They obviously did to Sam, though.  He was 
running his finger down the screen and scrolling forward and back 
through the data like a bloodhound on a difficult trail in a dense 
forest.  When Sam's head jerked suddenly and his eyes widened, Al 
jumped back to his side.  

"What did you find?" Al asked.  Sam didn't answer him, but he 
picked up a light pencil and circled a line of symbols on the 
photosensitive screen.

"Ziggy, the vector I circled on screen one; can it be projected in a 
meaningful dimension?"  Sam asked.

"Yes, Dr. Beckett" the computer repeated.

"Do so.  Then scan along the vector for any sign of brain wave 
patterns that match Admiral Calavicci's" Sam ordered.

"Dr. Beckett," the computer began "There is no rational..."

"I don't care if it's the most insane request you've ever been given" 
Al roared at the computer.  "Do it!"

"Complying" the computer responded.  Silence descended over the 
room.  Sam and Al stood motionless, barely breathing.  Long 
moments later the computer's voice announced, "Brain wave pattern 
confirmed."

Sam and Al locked glances.  "Come on, Al" Sam said.

They entered the Imaging Chamber together.  Al had expected to see 
a scene from somewhere in the past forty years.  Instead, there was 
only a formless pattern of pale blue light upon which the eyes could 
not focus.  Sam had halted as the Imaging Chamber door closed 
behind him.  His eyes were wide and staring.  Al spared him a 
glance, but only that.  His concern, at the moment, was almost 
wholly for the figure lying, apparently unconscious, on the floor.

Al knelt next to her.  Her eyes were closed and the muscles in her 
face were working as though she were in the throes of some kind of 
fit.  Al howled at the ceiling of the Imaging Chamber.  "Ziggy, 
confirm brain wave lock and run the retrieval program."  He did not 
receive immediate confirmation of his order.  "Do it now!" Al 
roared.  "Or, by God, I'll personally melt every one of your 
components down to slag!"

"Brain wave lock confirmed.  Retrieval program running" Ziggy 
confirmed.

A pattern of blue light, like a visual display of electrical discharge, 
surrounded Jenna's prostrate form and she disappeared.  The plain, 
white walls of the Imaging Chamber reappeared.  Al leaped to his 
feet and charged past Sam, who was shaking his head as though to 
clear it.

Al left the door of the Imaging Chamber open and ran to the 
Accelerator Chamber.  Jenna's body lay motionless on the floor.  Al 
threw himself down next to her.  He lifted her carefully and cradled 
her body in his arms.  Al shifted the support of her to his body and 
one arm.  He put his ear next to her nose and mouth and his free 
hand on her chest.  She was breathing, but very slowly, unevenly 
and faintly.  Al checked for a pulse at her neck and just as he was 
about to decide there wasn't one, he felt a faint throb in her carotid 
artery.  At that moment, Sam knelt at Al's side.  "She's alive" Al 
said in a strangled voice "but just barely."

When they arrived at the infirmary, Dr. Ambrose lifted Jenna out of 
Al's arms and carried her into the exam room.  When Al attempted 
to follow, Sam held up one arm to block his way.

"Stay here" Sam said.  "I'll come back as soon as I can and tell you 
what's going on."

Al was enraged.   He tried to push his way past, but Sam put his 
back up against the door and refused to budge.  The battle of wills 
went on and Sam was at the point where he thought he might have 
to deck his friend when his final appeal to reason sunk in.  

"Please, Al" Sam implored.  "You're just delaying her getting the 
help she needs."

Every trace of combativeness disappeared from Al's expression.  
Behind it were eyes full of despair and fear.

Sam put his hands on Al's shoulders and gave them one quick 
squeeze.  "We'll do everything we can, Al.  Don't worry."  Sam 
released his grip on Al, turned and entered the exam room and shut 
the door.

When Sam reemerged from behind the door, Al leaped to his feet.  
Sam held up a hand.  "You can go in, but wait a minute" he said.

Al gulped.  "How...how" he couldn't finish.

"I don't know, Al.  I just don't know" Sam admitted.  "She's in a 
deep state of shock."  Sam walked over to the coffee maker, poured 
two cups and handed one to Al.  "She's in good physical condition 
and Dr. Ambrose tells me she has a will of iron" Sam said, then 
sighed deeply.  "There just isn't much in the way of precedent in a 
case like this."

"But she is there, right?" Al managed.

Sam nodded.  "Oh, she's there all right."  Sam watched Al's eyes 
close in relief.  They snapped open again when Sam added, "And if 
there's anyone who can reach her and bring her all the way back it's 
you, Al."

By the time their conversation had ended and they crossed through 
the exam room to the ward room beyond, Dr. Ambrose had settled 
the patient into one of the two hospital beds the room contained.

Fear clutched at Al's heart as he was confronted once again with 
Jenna's condition.  Her face was pale and had a pinched expression, 
as though she were in pain.  There were tubes and wires strung 
from, seemingly, every part of her body.  Al recognized the ones 
designed to monitor her heart beat, respiration and brain waves.  
There was an I.V. tube in her right forearm and an oxygen line 
across her upper lip.  He decided he didn't care to know what the 
rest were for.

As Al approached the bed he heard Sam tell Dr. Ambrose that he 
would stay in the office for the night.  Dr. Ambrose agreed and said 
he would be in by eight a.m. to relieve him.  Al sat down in the 
chair next to Jenna's bed, took her left hand in both of his and 
settled his gaze on her face.  

*Now it's Al's turn to wait,* Sam thought, as he walked back to the 
infirmary's office.  Sam activated the remote alarm that would notify 
him of a dangerous change in any of the patient's vital signs and 
settled himself at the desk with Jenna's medical records.

Sam checked on her at frequent intervals during the night.  Every 
time he entered the ward room, he could hear Al's voice speaking 
softly and gently to the patient.  As he became aware of Sam's 
approach, Al would fall silent and remain so while Sam examined 
Jenna for any sign of a change in her condition; but his voice would 
resume before Sam closed the door behind him as he left.

Dr. Ambrose arrived at the infirmary at seven thirty the next 
morning.  "How did she pass the night?" he asked.

"No change at all" Sam answered, handing him the chart on which 
he had recorded identical vital signs throughout the night.  "Pupils 
fixed, no response to light, sound or pain.  Minor reflex reactions.  
No signs of consciousness.  I've been reducing the oxygen flow 
gradually all night.  I ran a blood gas on her half an hour ago and 
it's normal."

Dr. Ambrose nodded.  "I can discontinue the oxygen then.  I'll run 
another blood gas this afternoon just to be on the safe side.  Well, at 
least she's stable."

"Don't try to tell Al that" Sam suggested.

"I'll leave the Admiral to you, Dr. Beckett" Dr. Ambrose replied.  
"And you can start now.  Do you think you could drag him out of 
here for an hour or so while I make the changes in her treatment?"

"There's only one way to find out" Sam said.

Al was not pleased, to say the least, with the idea of leaving Jenna's 
side for a second.

"I don't want her to wake up alone, Sam" he insisted.  "She needs to 
know I'm here."

Sam decided to use the tactic that had succeeded the previous night.  
"She needs you period, Al.  And if you don't take care of yourself, 
you won't be able to take care of her.  I doubt you've checked the 
mirror this morning.  If you keep this up she'll wake up, take one 
look at you and go back into shock."

Sam received only a deep sigh for an answer, so he continued.  "I'm 
not talking about taking a day trip to Santa Fe, Al.  Grab a shower 
and a change of clothes, then I'll meet you for breakfast."  When Al 
began to object, Sam held up one hand to cut him off.  "If, and only 
if, I see you eat a healthy breakfast I'll know you're serious about 
being a help instead of a hindrance to her care."

Al had dealt with his share of doctors over the years and knew that 
human considerations came in a far distant second to the care of the 
patient.  If he didn't go along he was pretty sure Sam would find a 
way to kick him out of the infirmary.  Dr. Ambrose would be even 
less sympathetic.

"Okay, Sam," Al agreed.  "You're the doctor."

"How good of you to remember" Sam said.

*               *               *               * 

When Al caught sight of his reflection in the mirror of his bathroom 
he saw Sam's point.  He had almost scared himself.  His eyes were 
dark pits with red rims.  They, along with his two day's growth of 
beard, gave him a decidedly Satanic appearance.  Al showered 
thoroughly and shaved.  When he opened his closet, the vivid color 
combinations of his wardrobe assaulted his weary eyes in a mockery 
to his state of mind.   Al decided to dress for comfort instead of 
style.  He pushed his way to the back of his closet and pulled out a 
pair of tan slacks and a navy blue open necked shirt.  *I hope the 
marine guards know they're supposed to challenge strangers first 
before they open fire,* Al thought to himself.

*               *               *               * 

If Sam was surprised at Al's choice of apparel, he didn't show his 
reaction.  The same could not be said for Al's reaction to the 
breakfast Sam had selected for him.

"You don't expect me to eat all this, do you?" Al gasped, as he 
seated himself opposite Sam.

Sam nodded.  "Yes, I do.  You don't see the inside of the ward room 
again until I see the surface of those plates."

Al looked back down at the table in front of him.  Sam had loaded a 
tray with half a grapefruit, a large bowl of cereal, two soft boiled 
eggs, several pieces of toast, pancakes, some orange juice and a huge 
glass of milk.

"No coffee?" Al questioned.

"You don't need it" Sam said.

Al picked up a spoon and started in on the grapefruit.  

Sam returned to his own breakfast and they ate together in silence 
for a time.  Then Al broached a subject he had been mulling over all 
night.

"What was that place she was in when we found her Sam?" he 
asked.  "You recognized it, didn't you?"

Sam washed down a mouthful of pancakes with several swallows of 
milk.  He put the glass down and stared at it for a moment before he 
answered.  "Yes, I've been there many, many times."  He looked up 
at Al.  "It's the place I went between leaps."

Al gave him a startled look.  "You never told me you were aware of 
where you were between leaps."

"I didn't remember it while I was leaping.  In fact I didn't remember 
it until I stepped into the Imaging Chamber yesterday, then it all 
came back in a flash.  The pale formless patterns of light, complete 
silence and then the voice." Sam explained.

"Voice?  What voice?" Al inquired, looking at Sam's face closely.

"The voice that kept asking me over and over if I was ready to leap 
and telling me, when I asked, that I wasn't ready to go home yet"  
Sam intoned softly.  He kept his eyes locked with Al's, hoping to see 
belief, if not understanding, in his friend.  What he saw was alarm.

"Did you hear the voice when you were in the Imaging Chamber?" 
Al asked.

"No" Sam said.  "But we weren't really there."

"It would have been asking Jen if she was ready to leap" Al said, in 
a horrified whisper.

Sam closed his eyes briefly in relief.  He had hoped Al would accept 
his word.  To return the same support he had received from his 
friend he nodded.  "Evidently," Sam answered simply "she said 
'No'".

Al finished his breakfast and Sam nodded approvingly.  "I'll walk 
down to the infirmary with you" Sam said.  "I want to talk to Dr. 
Ambrose again before I get some sleep."

"I'll meet you there" Al said.  When he arrived at the infirmary a 
few minutes later he had an overnight bag with him and a 
determined look on his face.

"I know you just want what's best for Jen," Al said to the two doctors 
"but I'm not planning to be shooed out of here so easily next time.  
Can we make a deal?"

Sam and Dr. Ambrose held a quiet consultation in the corner while 
Al stood near the doorway that led through the exam area to the 
ward room.  Finally, Sam turned back to Al.

"Okay Al, here are the rules" Sam said.  "You can stay here, use the 
bathroom adjacent to the ward room, eat your meals here and even 
sleep in the extra bed.  But, if either Dr. Ambrose or I feel it's 
necessary for you to leave the room you'll go, with no argument, and 
not come back in until we say it's all right."

Al agreed.

*               *               *               * 

When Sam returned to the infirmary at six that evening, Dr. 
Ambrose's first question was "What did you slip him?"

"He slept?" Sam asked, relief evident on his face.

Dr. Ambrose nodded.  "He fought it, but he dropped off about two 
hours after you left this morning.  Got about three or four hours rest.  
It must have been something mild."

"A hearty breakfast and a huge glass of milk" Sam replied.  "I didn't 
want him to wake up feeling groggy and doped up, that would have 
put him on his guard.  We might have to sedate him before this is 
over."

"We might at that" Dr. Ambrose sighed, picking up Jenna's chart.

"She's worse?" Sam asked.

"The changes in her condition are slight, but all negative" Dr. 
Ambrose said, handing Sam the chart.

Sam looked the chart over and was no more pleased with the trend 
than Dr. Ambrose.  Jenna's respiration,  temperature and brain wave 
activity had remained at a below normal, but steady, level for nearly 
twenty four hours.  Over the past eight hours, her heart rate and 
blood pressure had dropped slightly but steadily from the readings 
Sam had been getting the night before.  None of her involuntary 
reactions had improved and her reflex action was marginally 
weaker.  Sam looked at Dr. Ambrose and neither of them liked the 
prognosis they saw in the other's face.

Sam was careful not to let his reactions to the test results he got over 
the next fourteen hours show in his face.  That, in itself, was enough 
to give Al an answer to the question he couldn't bring himself to ask 
out loud.  Al remained in the chair next to Jenna's bed all night, 
holding her hand, stroking her face and hair and speaking softly but 
insistently in her ear.

When the shift of doctors changed in the morning, the look on 
Sam's face was enough to tell Dr. Ambrose what to expect on the 
chart.  

Twelve hours later, Sam saw the same look reflected in Dr. 
Ambrose's face as he wordlessly handed the chart over and left the 
infirmary.  Sam got a cup of coffee and sat down at the desk before 
subjecting himself to the news.  All of Jenna's measurable responses 
and vital signs were further depressed.  Sam rested his head in his 
hands for a moment.  He prepared himself for the fact that, in the 
next few hours, he would likely be faced with what was sure to be an 
angry and severe bereavement in his best friend.  Sam finished his 
coffee, rose from the chair, straightened his shoulders and headed 
for the ward room.

The obvious signs of a clean shave and change of clothes were the 
only evidence that Al had moved a muscle since Sam had seen him 
twelve hours earlier.  He sat in the same position in the chair next to 
Jenna's bed.  When Al met his eyes, Sam saw that exhaustion was 
starting to overcome the hope that had once held sway there.  

Suddenly, Jenna went rigid for a moment.  Her body shuddered all 
over and the vital signs on the monitors dropped off completely.  Al 
jumped up and Sam had to move him aside to get to the patient.  
Slowly, the muscles in Jenna's body relaxed slightly and the vital 
signs resumed, but at an even lower level.

"What's going on?" Al said.  "Is she waking up?"

Sam winced.  *I can't let him go on like this,* he thought.  *He has 
to hear the truth.*  Sam turned back to face him.

"No Al," Sam said.  "She's tired.  I don't think she can keep up the 
fight much longer."

Al stared back at him in shock.  "Then _do_ something!"

"There's nothing I can do" Sam admitted, waiting for Al to respond 
with even more fury.

Instead, Al regarded him with a calm but forceful stare.  "Yes there 
is.  You can help me take this crap off her."  He waved his hand to 
indicate the tubes and wires leading from the equipment to the bed.  
"Then you can leave us alone."  

Sam remained motionless, gazing at his friend uncertainly.  After a 
minute or two, Al moved past Sam and began to remove the wires 
from Jenna's chest.  Sam finally stirred and stepped over to the bed 
to help him.  When they had finished removing the medical 
paraphernalia from her body, Sam left the room and closed the door 
behind him.

"He may be a genius" Al said aloud to Jenna "but this time he's 
wrong.  I'm not giving up and you're not either."  Al undressed and 
climbed carefully into the bed.  He took her body gently in his arms 
and rested her head on his shoulder.  Al turned his head so that he 
was speaking directly into her ear.  "Please don't leave me" he 
pleaded.  "I need you.  I love you.  Come back to me."  He fell silent 
for a few moments then added, with a little more strength, "That's 
an order, Colonel." 

*               *               *               * 

End Part 17 of  25