Date: Thu, 14 Nov 1996 17:29:45 -0700 (MST) From: "Katherine R. Freymuth" Subject: Coup d'etat - Chapter 8 Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Chapter 8: Leaping into New Situations Al had left Beth in the cafeteria, assured that Beth would be in good hands as she continued her inspection of the complex. He went down to the tenth level, wanting to check on Ziggy. As he entered the Control Room, he saw Gushie standing be4hind Ziggy's console. "No, that's not it," Gushie said to someone out of Al's sight. Al's suspicions that it was Tina were confirmed a moment later. "Try it now," she told her husband. Gushie nodded. "That did it. That's one less system we have to worry about." Tina stood up from the floor. "So," Al asked as he walked closer to the two scientists, "what systems are operational?" "Hi, Al," Tina said. "Not much. We only just got started on the repairs. We've only been able to get a couple of minor systems up. We're having trouble with parts of the security system but nothing major." She shook her head. "Boy, when Ziggy crashes, she really crashes!" "I hope she can run normally despite these repairs," Al asked more than said. "She should," Gushie said. "As soon as Dr. Beeks gets her over her depression." "And she'd better get over it soon," Tina added, her eyes on Ziggy's console. "Looks like Sam's leaped. We're getting a guest in the Waiting Room." "Confirmed," Gushie put in, looking at the console. "We have a guest." "Where's Dr. Beeks?" Al asked. "In her office, counselling Ziggy," Tina told him. "Open a channel to her," Al ordered. ************ "Tell me about the odd coincidences," Verbina urged Ziggy. "What are they and why do they bother you?" "I'm afraid, Dr. Beeksm that it would take the entire day to tell about these coincidences," Ziggy told her plainly. "I have plenty of time," Verbina told her. "The first," Ziggy started, "occurred on March 5th when I noticed an unusual entrance into the system from the Pentagon. Admmiral Calavicci believed that it was the bi-annual systems check. However, the Pentagon performed the bi-annual systems check twelve days later, thus confirming my suspicions. The previous entry was not explained adequately." "What do you mean?" "Admiral Calavicci believed that Admiral Fairbanks, whose authorization was used, was procuring information for the President. I have been unable to confirm this theory." "I see," Verbina stated, standing from her desk and moving to a more comfortable chair. "What else?" "Verbina?" Al's voice broke into the conversation. Verbina sighed. "I'm with a patient right now." "I know," Al told her. "Did your patient tell you that we have a guest in the Waiting Room?" Verbina frowned slightly. "No, she didn't. How long ago was this?" "Only a couple of minutes," Al told her. "Still I think you should get down here with Dr. MacArthyr. The guest came in completely awake and I don't think he's going to like it very much if he's alone in there for too long. I'd go in myself but not a lot of people react well to a Naval uniform when they show up in the Waiting Room. I don't want to accidentally freak out our guest." "I'm on my way," Verbina told him. "Let Dr. MacArthyr know that he's needed." "Right away," Al assured her. "We'll take this up later, Ziggy," Verbina said as she left her office. "Of course, Dr. Beeks." ************** "As you see, Doctor, everything we have is state-of-the-art," Dan explained. "The best medical equipment and a fully-equipped operating room." "An operating room?" Beth questioned. Dr. Dan MacArthyr looked at her in the eyes. "We're miles away from the closest hospital. If we have an emergency situation, there isn't enough time to get a military helicopter to take a patient to the nearest hospital. When Dr. Beckett designed the complex, he knew we'd have a serious problem if something serious happened." Beth smiled. "May I see Dr. Beckett?" Dan hesitated. "You'd need to talk to Al about that." Beth nodded slightly. "How busy does this place get most of the time and how big is your crew?" "It depends on the time of year," Dan answered. "Most of the time, we get people with allergies or colds and sometimes an electrical burn. The worst we actually had was when Al broke his ribs." Beth laughed. "I remember. He'd said he'd fallen down the stairs at Holloman's Air Force Base, where he supposedly worked." Dan laughed. "Don't tell Al I told you but it wasn't the stairs." "Then what was it?" Beth questioned. "I'm afraid I can't tell you." Dan shrugged in self-defense. "Would you like to inspect the operating room?" Beth let the subject drop. "Please," she requested. "This way." He led her towards the operating room. "I think..." He was interrupted by Al telling him about the guest in the Waiting Room. "On my way," Dan answered. He turned to Beth. "I'm sorry, Doctor, but if you would wait..." "Is what you're about to do part of your medical operations here?" Beth interrupted. "Yes but..." "I have clearance to view _all_ medical aspects of this project, Dr. MacArthyr," Beth told him gently. "Lead the way." Dan took a breath. "Very well. Follow me." ******************* "Beth, what are you doing down here?" Al questioned. "Part of my inspection, Al," Beth told him. Al looked at Dan. Dan nodded. "She has the right to inspect all medical aspects of the project," he explained. Al sighed. "Terrific," he said sarcastically. He looked at his wife. "You can't go in there." Beth looked at him in surprise. "Why not?" "Because it's a classified area," Al told her. Beth gave him a winning smile. "My clearance comes from the President. Remember?" Al closed his eyes. "All right," he allowed. "On one condition. You have to swear to me, as your husband, that you'll keep all of this a secret." "As my husband?" Beth questioned with great curiosity. "You'd never break a promise to me but you might break one to a Naval admiral." Beth smiled in amusement. "Then I swear I won't tell a soul or even put it in my report. At least, not in any kind of detail." Al nodded reluctantly. He turned to Dr. MacArthyr. "Get going, Dan." "Shouldn't we tell her?" Gushie questioned, his meaning clear to Al. Al sighed. "We'll answer her questions after the fact." He turned to Beth. "Honey, what you're going to see is going to shock you so you might want to assist Dan as a distraction. Just keep cool, do what you have to do, and get out. I'll explain everything when you get out." He gently held her by the shoulders. Beth smiled at him. "Aye, aye, sir." Al smiled slightly. "This is serious, Captain. Treat it like a military operation. I'd prefer you didn't go in at all but, as Surgeon General, you have authority over me on medical operations." Beth became concerned. Al released her shoulders slowly, knowing Beth would obey him, regardless of what happened. "Let's go, Doctor," Dan told Beth. Beth folloed Dan into the Waiting Room. She stopped in shock while Dan moved to have Ziggy raise the medical supplies they needed, which were hidden under the Waiting Room floor. Verbina was talking to the guest in a gentle voice.. "Oh, my gawd!" Beth exclaimed quietly at the sight. Dan looked towards her at her words. *Geez, Al! You never told me she knew Dr. Beckett!* "Doctor," he called out. He went over to her. "Do you want to leave or would you rather help me with the physical?" Beth took a shaky breath. "I'll help you," she whispered. She needed time to calm herself from the growing rage in her heart. "Physical?" the guest questioned. "Just to make sure you're okay," Verbina assured him. Beth was shaking slightly. *How could Al..." She took a deep breath and gathered herself together quickly to help Dan. Once the physical was done, the equipment was put away, and the guest was declared healthy, Dan and Beth left the Waiting Room. Dan went to Al to give him the diagnosis. Beth, on the other hand, quickly left the Control Room for the hallway. Once there, she dropped to the floor and began to cry. Al, having seen Beth's storming out of the room, excused himself from Dan and the others and followed Beth. He lowered himself onto the floor to sit beside his wife. "I know how you feel," he started. "Do you?" Beth said angrily. "How could you, Al?! He's your best friend! Did you see him in there? How pale he is?" *Damn! I knew I should have told her first!* Al thought. "Beth," he started calmly. "Here I was, wondering why I haven't seen Sam for so long and wondering why you wouldn't let me see him and I learn he's been locked up in the basement of some underground secret project!" Al waited patiently for Beth to finish before standing and extending his hand to her. "Let's go," he told her. "Where are we going?" Beth asked, not taking his hand. "My office," Al replied, his hand still waiting for Beth to take it. "You want me to explain this? Then, let's do it somewhere private." Beth took Al's hand hesitantly and followed Al to his office on the same level. "Take a seat," Al told Beth. "What the hell is going on, Al?" Beth demanded. Al looked at her carefully. "Sit down, Captain," he ordered. "And listen." Beth took a calming breath and obeyed. Al sat down. He took a breath and began. "I know I should have told you this a long time ago. I know I gave you the story that Sam was in another country, working on a project. It's the general public story and I knew that, if you knew the truth, you'd want to get involved. I didn't want you involved. Not that I don't trust you. It's just that certain things have to be a certain way." "I don't understand," Beth told him. "Neither do I," Al muttered softly. "I really have no excuse for keeping this quiet to you." He took a breath. "Six years ago, in the fall of 1995, Sam and I finished building Project Quantum Leap. We were ready to test the experiment." "I knew you and he were working together on something secret," Beth commented. Al nodded slightly. "Sam only needed to finish one program and we'd have been set. See, Sam theorized that, if we use the proper equipment and equations, he would be able to travel through time. But Congress didn't believe him. They wrote Sam a letter and threatened to cut off funsding if he didn't prove his theory." Al closed his eyes. "So he jumped the gun." "What do you mean?" Beth asked, seeing Al's expression. "He tested the experiment before we were ready. But he proved his theory. He's been leaping - travelling through time - for the past six years. The problem is that the program that could bring him home was never completed." Beth eyed Al suspiciously. "If Sam's travelling in time, then who's in that room?" "When Sam leaps, he replaces a person in that time. That person goes into the Waiting Room. That person in there isn't Sam, even though he looks and sounds like him." Al paused. "Look. I know how you feel. It still bothers me and I've been here six years." "After six years, I would have thought you had gotten used to it," Beth said softly, bitterness still in her voice. Al closed his eyes. "You think I haven't? I have. And that's what bothers me." He leaned back in his chair. "It scares me that I'm getting used to the idea of Sam's Quantum Leaping." Beth suddenly understood what had been bothering Al. He had often come home in a melancholy mood but wouldn't talk about it to her. She understood why Al had never told her about Sam's leaping. He hadn't wanted her to be worried with him. "Can't Sam come home?" she asked. Al shrugged. "I don't know," he told her with a distant look in her eyes. He shook his head and sat up straight. "Listen. I really have to get back to the Control Room. Sam will be needing me." He stood up from his desk and came around to her. "I hope you'll forgive me. I know it's a lot to ask." Beth nodded. "Go to him, Al. If he really needs you, go to him. I'll get the details later." Al kissed her on the forehead solemnly before leaving the office and heading back for the Control Room. Beth sat in his office, thinking about all that Al had told her. ************** "Again?" a man to Sam's right said. "Don't you ever lose?" Sam looked about himself. He found he was in a large room, sitting at a square table. Sitting at the table with him were five men, two of them sitting at the table's corners. To the left of the table was a long table, on top on which were a coffee maker and other coffee accessories. To the right was a very comfortable couch upon which a man lay asleep. In front of the square table was a milky-colored glass door. "Not when I can help it, Aaron," another man, this one to Sam's left, told the man to Sam's right. "Ahhh, man! Another five bucks!" Aaron complained. "Todd, Can't I pay you tomorrow?" "Last time you said that, you didn't pay for three weeks," another said. Aaron glared at him. "Shut up, Mike. So, come on, Todd," he requested. "No way. You snooze, you lose. Right, Dan?" Sam looked around to see who would answer. Instead of someone answering, everyone looked at him. It was obvious that Sam was Dan. "Yeah," Sam said. "Sure." "See? Everyone else is a good sport except you," Todd told Aaron. "So, come on. Pay up." "Okay! Okay!" Aaron relented. "But I'm going to get you back some day." "Yeah. Sure you are," Todd said as he accepted a five dollar bill from Aaron. "Anyone for another hand?" he asked, "How about you, Dan? You're pretty good for another game." "Well," Sam hesitated. "I don't know." "Ah, come on," Todd encouraged. "What else are you going to do? Fight non-existent fires?" Right at that moment, a loud alarm echoed through the room. "Whoops!" Todd said, standing up quickly. "Spoke too soon. Come on, Anderson!" he told Sam, who remained seated while all the others stood up. "Shake a leg!" Sam slowly followed the others as they hurried out of the room, slipping on thick red jackets. Everything was finally coming to Sam. "Oh, boy! I'm a fireman!" ---------------------------------- Feedback! Dang it! We need feedback! Hope you're enjoying it! Rob and Kat Freymuth