Date: Fri, 16 Apr 1999 16:44:54 -0600 (MDT) From: "Katherine R. Freymuth" Subject: Whale ch 24 Message-ID: Chapter 24 "Did you break him?" Zoe asked as Thames entered the Holographic Observatory. Thames looked around with uncertainty. "Where's your partner?" Zoe stood from the bed in which she lay and led Thames into the bathroom of the hotel room in which she stayed. She looked at her Observer with raised eyebrows. "Happy?" she questioned sarcastically. "Ecstatic," Thames replied with equal sarcasm. Zoe leaned against the bathroom wall. "So, did you break him?" Thames smiled. "He's a tough son of a bitch but we broke him. It took all night. We had to hand him over to Lothos." Zoe gave a quick laugh. "You expected less?" "Not at all," Thames assured her. "It's just nice to know that even he can be broken." Zoe smiled. "Anyone can be broken once you've found their weakness. What, pray tell, is our guest's?" Thames looked at her with exasperation. "What else would it be?" Zoe laughed slightly. "Poor man. What did you get from him?" "Not much that we didn't already know. I can tell you, though. When he returns to this time, he'll be confessing to Dr. Beckett's murder gladly just before slitting his own throat." Zoe raised her eyebrows. "Literally?" Thames grinned evilly. "Now, would I do something like that?" "Yes, you would," Zoe told him. She paused, thoughtfully. "I like it, Thames. Too bad I can't be here to see it. Now, what about Dr. Beckett's computer? Do they have any idea into whom I've leaped? It would be very inconvenient for me if they did." Thames shook his head. "Lothos says there's only a 10% chance that they could possibly know. However..." Zoe frowned at his tone of voice. "However what?" she demanded. Thames exhaled. "They were able to get around our jamming for a few minutes so Lothos needs to re-evaluate the odds," he finished. "So you're not really certain if they know who I am or not," Zoe glared. Thames shook his head. "Lothos still insists that there's only a 10% chance." Zoe burrowed her eyes into his. Thames shifted slightly. "We'll find out what they know. They can't have found out too much." "You do that," she told him. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an appointment with destiny." ********** Sam went to the platform to give his presentation to the Congressional Committee. Al smiled from the presentation table provided for Sam and him." "Knock 'em dead," Al told his best friend, a smile on his face, lending Sam moral support. Sam began his presentation. "Mr. Chairman. Distinguished Senators. In making this presentation, I hope to better explain Project Quantum Leap and thus dispel some of the rumors about the dangers of the project. The dangers are, in fact, minimal and the rewards could be limitless." Suddenly, a pistol came up and fired three times! Sam writhed in pain as bullets hit his back. "Al!" Sam cried out in an agonized voice as he collapsed to the floor. Al could hear himself laughing and crying at the same time. He couldn't stop the laughter. He was standing over Sam, watching his friend bleed to death in front of him. He couldn't move, paralyzed, unable to respond. Someone laughed at Sam's pleads for Al to help him. Al could have sworn it was his own voice laughing loudly, joyfully, as if Sam's agony was the most wonderful thing he had ever seen. Yet, at the same time, Al wanted so desperately to help his dying friend. As Sam's breathing became weaker and weaker, as people pulled Al away from Sam slowly, as medics surrounded Sam in an attempt to save his life the laughter became louder and louder until it was the only sound anyone could hear in the entire hall. "Why did you do it?" one of the Senators asked. "Why? "NO!" Al screamed, sitting up in his bed quickly. He was sweating profusely. The sudden jerk upwards caused his ribs to hurt immeasurably. He gulped hard, wiping the sweat from his face with his hand. Exhaling, he slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed, still shaking from the nightmare. Al ignored the pain in his ribs as he stood up from the bed and slipped on a robe. He looked down at the bed and smiled slightly at the woman sleeping in the bed. He knew this woman very well. He loved her very much. But the smile faded from his face. He didn't know her name! He gently shook his head in confusion as he turned and limped into the bathroom. He turned on his faucet and filled the sink with cold water. He splashed some water on his face in an attempt to recall the woman's name or at least to try to remember why he couldn't remember her name. *What did that damned computer say? Something about Sam.* All of a sudden, the nightmare returned to Al. The possibility of Sam's death was becoming more and more real every day. Yet there was something else about the nightmare, something that gave Al an uneasy, sinking sensation in his gut. He had no idea what it was or what it meant but it plagued him. Maybe it was the realism of the nightmare but Al didn't think so. It definitely had something to do with Sam, something that made Al feel uneasy. Tina yawned as she woke up and stretched herself while still in bed. She thought about getting up and making herself and Alexander, her pet crocodile, some breakfast. Sitting up in the bed, she looked around at her surroundings. *This isn't my bedroom!* she thought in astonishment. She felt her forehead with confusion. *I don't have a hangover*, she confirmed to herself. *So, where the hell am I? How did I get here?* She looked down at herself. Her eyes widened when she saw that she was completely naked. *What the hell is going on here?* "Hi," a male voice said from her right. Tina gasped in shock and turned towards the voice. Standing in the doorway of a bathroom was a man, smiling gently at her. She had no idea who he was. "Are you okay?" Al asked with concern. Tina quickly got out of the bed and covered herself with a bed sheet. "What's wrong?" he questioned. "Stay away from me!" she exclaimed, putting her left hand towards Al to emphasize her demand. She backed towards Al's dresser and opened one of the drawers. Al gazed in astonishment as she brought out Al's service pistol and aimed it at him. "What's gotten into you?" Al exclaimed, starting towards her. "Please, put down the gun." "I'm warning you!" She tried to pull the trigger but it wouldn't budge. Al quickly went over and took the gun out of her hands. "You forgot to take the safety off, thank goodness," he told her. Tina quickly pushed him away and slipped towards the door. "What the hell's the matter with you?" Al exclaimed, putting the pistol back where it belonged. A sudden pain shot through his ribs, forcing him to bend over and clutch his chest. Tina seemed slightly concerned but was still very angry and confused. She wrapped the bed sheet closer around her body. "Let me go," she pleaded. Al limped over to the bed and sat down. "You can go anytime you want," he told her, very confused. He looked up at her. "You don't remember me, do you? Darling, please tell me you remember me." "I am not your darling!" Tina bellowed as she collected her clothing from the floor with her right hand. "I don't know who you are or where I am and I demand to be allowed to leave immediately!" Al exhaled. "I doubt it would be prudent for you to be traipsing about the complex dressed only in a bed sheet." Tina glared at him angrily. Al looked at her with gentle eyes. "Did it ever occur to you that, if you and I didn't know each other, you wouldn't know where I keep my gun?" he pointed out to her. Tina's frown slowly faded as she backed towards the door and opened it. The sight of the brightly-lit, sterile hallway caused her to back into the quarters with astonishment. She began to shake slightly. "Where am I?" she asked in a frightened voice. Al went over to her slowly and led her to the bed. "It's okay," he assured. "Everything is going to be just fine. You just need to relax and trust that you are where you are supposed to be." She cried into his shoulder. "But I don't know where I am! I don't know who you are! I don't even know where I'm supposed to be!" She sobbed slightly. "Gawd, I can't take this!" Al exhaled with sympathy. He knew the feeling. He was using all the control he could muster to keep in contact with the reality that had to be as opposed to the reality that was slowly taking over his memories. Slowly, his mind was becoming a blank slate upon which history could rewrite itself with the death of Sam Beckett. But he wasn't about to let it rewrite itself. He held Tina gently in his arms. "Just remember my name and that I love you." Tina looked at him. "You do?" she whispered. Al nodded, a loving smile on his face. Tina returned the smile. "Yes, you do." She hesitated. "What is your name?" "Al," he told her softly. "My name is Al." She hesitated. "Do you know my name?" Al hesitated before shaking his head. Tina looked into his chocolate brown eyes. "Then you'd better do the same for me. My name's Tina." Al gazed into Tina's eyes. "I love you, Tina." He stood up slowly. "Now, promise that you'll stay here until I get back." "Where are you going?" she asked. Al took a breath. "To save the world as we know it and should remember it."