Date: Sat, 24 Jul 1993 13:54:03 -0400 (EDT) From: Brian Willard Subject: QL - The Next Generation, Part 5 Message-Id: <01H0X8LT2N4291W3G3@UNCA.EDU> Organization: University of North Carolina at Asheville X-Vms-To: IN%"alt-ql-creative@cisco.com" Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7BIT Quantum Leap - The Next Generation by Brian Willard Part 5 (Chapter 4) "Talking Serious" "Tonight?" asked Dr. Fuller, "I'm not so sure tonight is such a good idea. I'm not feeling so great right now." "What?" replied Jim, "Hey, just yesterday you said you wouldn't miss tonight for the world. What's going on Jill?" "I think it would be better if you referred to me as Dr. Handras, Jim. Now go have a seat. We'll talk about this later." Jim Watson stormed away, noticably annoyed. Here he had been planning a date with this lady - okay, so she was his professor - and now she was saying she wasn't sure. Jim knew she wasn't much older than him, he was a graduate student working on his masters. Until today, she had always treated him as if he were more of a friend than his professor, and he wasn't sure that he really liked her as his teacher now. He picked up his books from the seat up front and moved to the back corner of the classroom and sat down. Dr. Fuller got up from her desk and went up to the podium to start the lecture. Alice Jackson stood beside her and gave her instructions and the material to cover. "If there's something you don't know, pretend like you do," said Alice, "And then ask your students. If none of them answer, I will. Are you ready?" Samantha nodded yes and began the lecture. ********************************************************* The class had gone reasonably well, at least in Dr. Fuller's opinion. Luckily, it was Friday and that hopefully meant that she could do what she had to do and leap out before class on Monday. She walked over to her desk and slumped back in her chair, watching the students as they left the classroom. Alice, who had been watching out one of the windows on the far end of the room, came over to the desk. "Good job, Dr. Fuller. But unfortunately, you're troubles are not over. The situation has not changed. You still have the affair with Jim," she said, pointing over to Mr. Watson, who was still seated, as if waiting for something, "You still get fired and he still dies. I might suggest you go talk to him." "Why?" "Because you need to tell him you can't go out tonight. I don't know, make up some kind of excuse. Tell him...your parents are coming in tonight and you have to stay home. No, that won't work. Jill's parents are both dead. Just...think of something." "Think of something," repeated Samantha, and she got up from her desk and walked over to Jim's desk. As she walked over he looked up. "Jim, I know that this doesn't seem fair. I'm just not sure that it's right for our futures, you know. These type of relationships have a history of failing, and we both know that." "You said this one wouldn't fail, that we'd make it work," replied Jim, "I gotta get out of here. I hope some sense comes to you before tonight." And he left the room quietly. "So now what?" asked Samantha Jo, "I've stopped the affair, so why haven't I leaped?" "Well, you did succeed in keeping Dr. Handras' job, but Jim there still commits suicide, only now it happens tonight when you don't show up for your date," Alice informed Dr. Fuller, "Somehow you've got to keep him from killing himself between now and then." Dr. Fuller scrambled to the door and out into the hall. She looked in all directions for Jim, but he was nowhere to be seen. "What time does it happen? When does he kill himself?" "Well, the official coroners report says that he died from carbon monoxide suffocation sometime between now and midnight tonight, they couldn't really tell exactly when." "He...dies in his car?" "Yes, he ran it in the garage while the doors were closed. It usually only takes about 10 minutes to fill up the garage that way. We'd better find him...and fast." "Okay, where does he live?" "1215 South Elmore Street. Lives with his brother Pete, who's on vacation right now. Jim's body didn't get discovered until Monday, when one of his friends called the police because he didn't show up at school." Alice and Samantha ran out of the building into the parking lot. They ran over to Jill's car and roared away. "So, nobody talked to him before he died?" "Apparently not. Just remember that it's noon now and you've got another class at two." "I do? Why didn't you tell me that earlier?" "I didn't think about it," answered Alice, "Sorry." "Oh...it's okay. I just wish I had a little more time to work with, that's all. Now what was that street number again?" "1215 South Elmore. That would be...that green house up there on the left. And I would presume that the car in the driveway is Jim's." "Good. At least it's still in the driveway." Dr. Fuller pulled Jill's car up in front of the house and got out. She walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. A dog came up to the door from the inside and began barking. A moment later she heard footsteps and the door opened. "Professor Handras?" "Jim, we need to talk. Now." "Uh...okay. Why don't you come in and have a seat? I was just making lunch. I'll be with you in a second." Samantha Jo and Alice walked into the small house and Dr. Fuller sat down on the sofa in the living room. Alice walked around the room, looking at the furnishings. "He's very neat for a college student," commented Miss Jackson, "That's a good sign." Jim reentered the room with a sandwich and a coke. "Oh, did you want something?" he asked. "No, I'm not hungry," replied Sammie, "but we do need to talk." "About what?" "About us, Jim. I think we need to clarify a few things." "Listen, if you don't want to get involved, just say so." "Jim, it's not that I don't like you. I haven't really been feeling quite like myself today. Really, I see no reason why we can't be together...after this semester. I'm just not sure it's good for us to be doing anything when you're in my class. What if one of your friends decided to tell somebody about it?" "My friend would never tell anybody about something like this. I can't believe you're questioning their loyalty." "I'm not sure it's a matter of loyalty, Jim. If the school board had any reason at all to believe that I was involved with one of my students, rest assured that they would investigate. And if they asked one of your friends, do you think he would risk his future at the college by lying?" "I don't want to hear any more of this!" yelled Jim, "It's obvious that you don't want to see me, so why don't you just leave." "Listen, Jim..." "I said leave!!" Samantha Jo got up slowly and walked over to the front door and then looked back at Jim. He motioned for her to get out, and then she left. "I really screwed things up back there, Alice." "No, but you didn't help them. Except now Jim leaves a suicide note. Good thing about that is that he left a time on it. He wrote the note at four-o-clock this afternoon, which gives you time to get over here after your last class. I think this is gonna work, Dr. Fuller." "Alice, you can call me Sammie. I have a feeling were going to become real close friends." "Okay, Sammie," Alice said smiling. To be continued... ***************************************************************** Brian Willard | "Revenge is mine, thus sayeth the hologram!" UNC-Asheville | Dr. Sam Beckett, "The Leap Back" E-Mail : bwillard@unca.edu *****************************************************************