Date: Wed, 9 Jun 93 11:22:33 EDT From: Tracy Finifter To: alt-ql-creative@cisco.com Subject: "A New Face to Reality" Part 6 Message-Id: "A New Face to Reality" by Tracy E. Finifter Part 6 It took Dr. Beeks nearly ten minutes to calm Tom down enough to eat. He was pacing the Waiting Room like a caged animal, desperate for some fresh air and sunshine. But as much as she wanted to, she couldn't oblige, no matter whose brother he was. "Won't you please sit down and eat something?" Verbena prodded with her unique mixture of sternness and kindness. Tom eyed the doctor suspiciously, then looked down at the tray of food that had been brought to him. He reluctantly sat down and started shoveling the cereal into his mouth. "So," he said between the spoonfuls of Rice Krispies, "when are you going to tell me what's going on around here?" "I told you, Commander, we can't tell you anything that you don't already know." "Which isn't a hell of a lot," Tom sneered. "I can't even remember my own name. Some dream this has turned out to be." "It's not a dream, Commander," Verbena tried assuring him. "No, more like a nightmare," Tom mumbled. "Why don't you tell me about the dreams you've been having?" "What dreams? I don't know what you're talking about," Tom said in between sips of orange juice. If they weren't going to tell him anything, then he certainly wasn't going to tell them anything. "You just had one. That's why you woke up in a panic." Tom glared at the doctor before throwing his spoon down on the tray. "Jesus, what is it with you people? Don't you have anything better to do with your time than to keep me here and spy on my every move?" He shot out of his seat and began pacing the room again. When the Waiting Room door opened, Tom tried to make a break for it but was blocked by a Marine guard accompanying the strange man who called himself Al. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, sailor. It's not what you think it is out there." "Yeah, well, I'll take my chances," Tom challenged. Al simply sighed and dropped his head. This definitely wasn't the brother that Sam knew, but how could he explain that to Sam? Sam had always held Tom in some idealized place in his mind, placed high on a pedestal. But the man who stood before Al now had somehow fallen, and become painfully human. And perhaps that was the worst thing that he could have ever done to Sam. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that," Al said. Tom calmed down just enough to start challenging Al without seeming overly aggressive. "What am I doing here and how did I get here?" he asked with a quiet yet stern voice. Al looked in Tom's eyes, but all he saw was Sam. Over the past five years he had become so used to seeing strangers in those familiar eyes that he rarely, if ever thought of that face as being his friend's. But now, it was Sam again, almost. It was Sam's brother, hurt and confused after a decade of trauma, suddenly pulled into another time by a twist of fate, the same fate that kept the other brother jumping around in time with never an end in sight. Whoever it was behind the aura, he had the right to know the truth. "Sit down, Commander. I have something to tell you." "Admiral, you're not going to tell him everything, are you?" Verbena asked in alarm. "What about the Committee? What about the rules?" "To hell with the Committee and all of their damned rules!" Al snapped and turned his attention back to Tom. "Admiral?" Tom asked, thoroughly confused by the behavior of his two captors. This was a government project after all, a fact which provided some, but little, comfort to the career naval commander. At least he wasn't losing his mind, maybe. He looked to the strange man again, and again he was hit with a vague feeling of familiarity. However, as it had before, the feeling left before Tom could put his finger on it. "Yes, Commander. My name is Admiral Albert Calavicci and I'm the observer on a government project called Project Quantum Leap." "Listen, Admiral," Verbena interjected, the alarm gone from her voice, "I don't think telling him everything is really a good idea." Her tone conveyed the meaning that went beyond her words. "It's all right, Verbena. I'm going to tell him just what he needs to know and," he turned back to face Tom, "that's all." With a defeated sigh, Verbena left the room leaving Al and Tom alone. "So, what is this 'Quantum Leap'?" Tom asked. Al paused, and considered just how much he should reveal. "Quantum Leap was developed by a scientist to allow him to travel in time." Al stopped and waited for Tom's reaction. After absorbing the information for a second, Tom suddenly burst into laughter. "Time travel? Oh, that's a good one, Admiral." His tone conveyed more than disbelief at Al's story but disbelief in Al as well. "Listen, if you don't want me to know what's going on, then just tell me so, but don't make up these wild stories and expect me to believe them just like that." He finished with a snap of his fingers. "You can believe it or not, Commander, but it is the truth," Al persisted. "The scientist travels in time by 'leaping into' other people's lives in the past. And they, in turn, leap here, into the Waiting Room. And through it all, I maintain contact with the scientist by appearing as a hologram tuned to his brainwaves so that only he can see or hear me." Tom had not completely recovered from his laughter when he spoke again. "So now, what, he's 'leaped' into my life?" "That's right," Al answered flatly, doing his very best to maintain his patience. Tom's laughter finally subsided completely. He looked at Al with an expression of mock-sincerity. "Do you have any idea what that sounds like?" "Oh, trust me, we know." Al couldn't tell if Tom was starting to believe him or not. He doubted it, but Al had divulged all that he was willing to for the time being. Now it was up to Tom as to whether he was going to cooperate or not. "So where am I?" Tom asked. "Or should I say, when am I? 2001?" "Uh, no, not quite yet. 1999." Al didn't think that that helped his case any, but if Tom wasn't buying it, he was at least calming down. Al's heart went out to the man in a way it rarely did for other 'guests'. Tom was scared and confused, all because of his brother's creation. Of course it wasn't Sam's fault that he had landed into Tom, Sam had no control over his destinations, but the irony of the situation was not lost on Al. "What is it?" Tom asked. "Huh?" Al just realized that he had been staring at Tom, lost in thought. "Oh, nothing. Sorry. Listen, if there's anything you'd like to make yourself more comfortable, just let me know..." "I want to go home." The interruption shocked Al into silence. It wasn't as much what he said but rather how he said it: quiet, softly, and exactly like Sam had so many times before. "I know." Al stopped himself from saying 'kid'. "And we're doing the best we can. But it's not that simple." Al could see that Tom wasn't satisfied with that answer, but to his credit, he didn't press for more information. Instead, he stretched out in his chair, resigning himself to the fact that he was going to be there for a while. With a sigh, Al left. *** * Tracy Finifter | "Life is what happens to you while * * finifter@gandalf.rutgers.edu | your busy making other plans." * * Douglass College, Rutgers University | - John Lennon *