Date: Fri, 16 Apr 1999 16:42:48 -0600 (MDT) From: "Katherine R. Freymuth" Subject: Whale ch 22 Message-ID: Chapter 22 Al had fallen asleep to the feel of Tina's massage. It wasn't very late in the day; in fact, it had only been a couple of hours since he was last in the Waiting Room. Still, Al was exhausted from everything that had happened in the past three hours: a meeting with two Sams, a visit back to the infirmary only an hour and a half after he had left it, and the news of the communication lines being jammed. Sometimes being in charge was a definite pain in the neck. Unfortunately, this was definitely one of those times, Al realized. He was awakened and summoned to the Control Room, interrupting his peaceful rest. It was now growing late in the day for the entire complex. "This had better be good," Al warned as he wheeled himself into the Control Room. "We were able to break through their computer's jamming for a brief moment," Gushie answered him. "But it was tough. They're really trying hard to keep those lines jammed." "How did you break through, then?" Al asked, glad to hear even the slightest bit of good news. "We had Ziggy do two scans at the same time. She did a high profile scan on one line while doing a low profile scan on the other. Their computer didn't notice the low-profile scan for approximately twenty minutes. We were able to gain some important information before their computer discovered the break and started to jam all our scans. I'm afraid that we probably won't get another chance." "So, what did you get?" Ziggy replied to the question. "I have discovered when and how Dr. Beckett will be killed." "So, you know who Zoe's leaped into," Al concluded. "I'm afraid I do not." Al closed his eyes. "What do you mean you don't? You just told me that you know how he's killed." "I was only able to discover how he is going to be killed. I did not discover who actually killed him, or rather into whom Zoe has leaped." Al exhaled slowly. "I'd better tell Sam right away." He started to wheel towards the Imaging Chamber. "The scans drained a lot from Ziggy's energy supply," Gushie warned "We don't have enough power to create an image." Al stopped. "There's no power to the Imaging Chamber?" Gushie shook his head. "Not even to create just Sam's image?" Gushie shook his head again. Al sighed. "Okay," he decided. "Divert as much non-essential power as needed to run the Imaging Chamber." "That won't last very long," Gushie told him. "It'll last long enough for me to tell Sam what we've learned," Al replied firmly. "Ziggy, do it." "That will take approximately thirty minutes," Ziggy informed. "Fine," Al answered. "I'll be in my office." ****** Sam had spent most of the day reliving the past in his mind. He knew precisely what was going to happen tomorrow. He would wake up. Al and he would go to breakfast and then, at about ten o'clock, they would go before the Congressional Committee to present Sam's theory of Quantum Leaping. After a brief recess for lunch, Sam would give his presentation. The Committee would adjourn to make their decision and Project Quantum Leap would become a reality. At least. that's how it was supposed to be. Now, sometime tomorrow, Zoe was going to kill him. The Project would not exist and, as a result, the world as they knew it would be completely destroyed. Planets and galaxies might not exist. And all because Sam Beckett died before his time. The thought made Sam understandably tense. "What's the matter?" a familiar voice asked. Sam jumped slightly at the voice. "Hey. Relax," Al told him gently. "It's only me." He smiled as Sam looked up at him. It was the Al of 1990. Sam could tell from the lack of gray in the hair. "You're pretty wound up, aren't you?" "I guess I am," Sam answered with a slight chuckle. "You're worried about getting approval," Al deduced. "Well, we have been rejected too many time already." "Relax. There's no way that's going to happen again." Sam smiled. "How do you know?" Al shrugged. "I just have a feeling about it. After all the work you've done, you're finally going to get what you deserve. Trust me," he told him with a smile. Sam smiled in return. Despite Al's assurances, though, something was bothering him - something more than the facts which the holographic Al had given him. Yet, Sam couldn't quite put his finger on it. Al was in the Control Room within five minutes of receiving Ziggy's call, informing him that the transfer of power had been completed. All the hallways and rooms were now dimly lit because of the power transfer to the Imaging Chamber. "We have full power to the Imaging Chamber?" Al asked Gushie as he wheeled himself to Ziggy's console and took a handlink. "For now," Gushie told him. "But it won't last long. We'll need some time to recharge our power cells. We should have full power tomorrow if we shut down most systems." "How long can we keep contact?" Al asked. Tina, who stood at Gushie's side behind the console, looked at Al. "Not long. A half an hour at the most, but that's no guarantee." "Thanks for the warning," Al replied. "So, this is it for the night?" Tina nodded her head. "If all goes well with the power recharge, we'll be back in business tomorrow morning." Al sighed and looked around. Something was wrong and he didn't know exactly what it was. "Ziggy?" he asked, turning to Gushie. Gushie and Tina looked confused. "Gushie, Admiral," the programmer corrected. "Gushie?" Al asked in confusion. He snapped his fingers. "That's right! Ziggy's the computer with the big ego!" He looked around the room at each of the four doors that led out of the Control Room. "Gushie, which door is it?" "Which door is the Imaging Chamber?" Gushie repeated the question with incredulity. He stopped and frowned. "I'm not sure." "What's the matter?" Tina asked with concern, looking at both Al and Gushie. "What's happening to us? I can't remember where I am!" "You're in the Control Room, Dr. Martinez-O'Farrell," Ziggy spoke up. "As for what is happening, it is quite probably that the closer we come to the time at which Dr. Beckett will be killed, the more likely you and all those involved in the Project will have occasional gaps in memory. It is a highly unusual event which is probably due to the fact that everyone in the Project is being affected by the changes in the timeline rather than a small handful of individuals, as usually occurs within a leap." Al sighed. "Could you put that in one sentence?" "The staff, since they are directly connected with the events occurring in 1990, will most likely suffer further memory loss as the time of Dr. Beckett's death comes closer," Ziggy shortened. "What kind of memory loss?" "Recognizing someone but not being able to name them," Gushie answered. Al turned to him for an explanation. "All of a sudden, I can't remember your name," Gushie told him. Al shook his head. "Oh! This is just great! So, we might actually forget where we are and who everyone else is?" Al asked. It is quite possible, considering that such loss of memory is already occurring in Dr. Conelf," Ziggy answered. "However, I suggest that this conversation be taken up at a latter time. I now have only twenty minutes of power available. I suggest that you go directly to inform Dr. Beckett what I have discovered." "Right," Al answered. "Now, which door is it, again?" "It is the door directly to your right, Admiral," Ziggy answered. Al wheeled himself to the Imaging Chamber door. He stopped, looking very confused. "How do you open it?" The door opened automatically upon his question. Al smiled slightly. "Thanks, Ziggy." "You're welcome, Admiral," the computer replied as Al wheeled himself into the Chamber. The door slid closed behind him as he positioned himself, almost out of instinct and waited to be centered on the time traveler.