Date: Tue, 10 Dec 1996 00:10:35 -0700 (MST) From: Cathy Laughlin Subject: He Also Serves 5 Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII He Also Serves, part 5 Sam blinked as the disoreintation of the Leap faded. He was standing in a grey corridor. There was a bright yellow stripe that ran along the wall where it met the ceiling, and he could see wooden doors here and there. At the end of the corridor was a large metal door which seemed terribly familiar. An instant later his mind placed it- it was an elevator, the one that led down to the Control Room. He was in the area where senior staff's offices were located. "I'm home," he whispered, running his hands along the wall. He felt that he had to feel it, to be sure that it could truly be real. After all his years of Leaping, he was finally able to see his Project again. He looked down at himself and frowned; he had the uniform of a Marine guard, complete with gun. It reminded him of something, something that nagged at his mind. A feeling of urgency filled him: he was forgetting something important, but what? He tried hard to remember his last Leap. *It was cold,* he thought, racking his brain. *It was cold, and I was lonely. I thought I would die, and then...AL!* The memory clicked into place like the hammer of a gun. *How could I have forgotten?* Sam thought bitterly. *Al needs me, and here I am reminiscing about an elevator.* Sam sprinted down the corridor, searching desperately for Al's office. He rounded the corner where he knew the office to be and skidded to an undignified halt. There stood Gooshie at the door of Al's office, armed with a handgun. *Zoe. It could only be her- Gooshie would never try to hurt Al.* Sam knew he only had one chance, he had to tackle Zoe before she noticed him, or he and Al would both be as good as dead. Sam drew his gun and ran toward Zoe, hitting her with all his momentum and knocking her off her feet. They both skidded into the wall and collapsed into a heap. Zoe snarled and grabbed for Sam's arm, and he could see that she'd lost the handgun. The moment she touched his skin, Gooshie seemed to change, and Sam could see the evil Leaper before him. "Beckett!" Zoe howled, and began to claw at him, screaming with rage. Sam tried to raise his gun, but Zoe bit his wrist, and the intense pain and shock caused him to drop it. Zoe slammed Sam into the wall, and he gasped as he felt the breath blast out of his lungs. Sam rolled over, chest hitching for air, and was powerless to stop Zoe as she locked her hands around his throat and began to squeeze. Spots swam before his eyes, as his body desperately fought for air. His vision seemed to recede into a black tunnel, and the only thing he could see was Zoe's triumphant grin as her fingers dug into his throat. *I'm sorry Al,* he thought. *I've failed you. I tried to stop her... she's just insane. God, I hope you'll be all right, Al.* Suddenly the sound of a gunshot filled Sam's ears; to him it was louder than thunder, louder than the end of the world. Zoe's hands released their grip, and Sam gasped, taking air in large, gulping breaths. He lay in the corridor, breathing hard, until a welcome sound came to his ears. "Sam?" It was the familiar, raspy voice of his best freind, and Sam wondered if he had ever heard a more wonderful sound. "Sam, you all right? Oh, God, please let him be okay." Al's rough hands supported Sam, helping him to sit up. "Can you breathe, Sam?" Sam's vision was still very hazy, but he could see Al's face, lined with concern. "Al," he groaned, and hugged his freind tight. "I thought I'd never see you again." Al smiled, though worry still showed in his dark eyes. "You won't get rid of me that easily," he joked, and then pointed to the corner, "That was close. She was gonna kill you!" Sam's eyes followed Al's gesture, but the moment he saw he shut his eyes tight. Zoe lay sprawled in the corner, bleeding heavily from a hole in her chest. Although she was badly hurt, Sam saw that she was still breathing. "Hell, I almost killed you myself," Al muttered. Sam stared at his freind until he explained, "When I first heard the struggle I came out here to see what was goin' on. I thought one of the guards was attacking Gooshie, so I picked up the gun and I was gonna shoot you. But when she screamed out your name, I knew she couldn't really be Gooshie. He'd never be able to yell like that... I just put two and two together. Are you all right now?" Sam's breathing had returned to normal, though he knew his neck would be sore for days. He nodded, and hugged Al tight. "I thought I'd never see you again," Sam told the Observer. "What would I do without you? You're my best freind, Al. Thank God you're all right." "Aw, Sam," he said softly. "You saved my life. Zoe sure as hell wasn't waiting outside my door with a gun just to sell Girl Scout cookies." Al clasped his freind tighter and said, "I missed you so much, pal. I know you can't stay; Ensign Stonecrop has to come back sometime. But I want you to know how much I love you. Everyone here is rooting for you, Sam. I know you'll come home for good sometime." A soft cry of pain interrupted their reunion, and they both turned to see Gooshie lying in the place where Zoe had been. Sam knelt beside the small programmer and looked him over, searching for signs of injury. Gooshie groaned, and put a hand to his head, Blood seeped between his fingers, oozing from a cut on his temple. "I won't tell you anything," he muttered. "I don't care if you hurt me again, I won't betray Dr. Beckett." Al's eyebrows shot up at this. *I think Gooshie's earned a promotion,* he thought. *I guess I underestimated him.* "It's all right, Gooshie," Sam said softly. "You're home now." Gooshie's eyes fluttered open, but he squeezed them shut and winced with pain. "What happened? I thought they would kill me." Gooshie opened his eyes again, and this time he kept them open just long enough to catch a glimpse of Al's white uniform. "Admiral Calavicci?" he cried, and Al knelt by his side and took his hand. "You'll be all right," Al said firmly. "The medical teams should be on their way up here right now." Even as he spoke, the elevator door opened and three medics emerged. Within minutes they had Gooshie safely on a stretcher and carried him out of the corridor. Sam watched him go, but a pang of sadness gripped him as he felt the first tingles of the Leap. Al noticed his friend's sudden tension. "Time to go, huh?" he asked sadly. "I guess it had to come sometime." He smiled and clapped his partner on the shoulder. "Good luck, Sam," he said. "Don't worry. We'll get through it together, just like always. Just promise me one thing: Don't go wrestling any more time-traveling psychopaths, OK?" Sam couldn't help it, he had to smile. The last thing he saw as he Leaped was Al's answering grin. Stay tuned for the very last bit, which should be on its way sometime soon! ************************************************ * "Make the most of the Indian Hemp seed, sow it * everywhere!"- George Washington * * Free Kaneh Bosm-the world's safest medicine! * Cathy Laughlin: Hempster@nmt.edu * http://www.nmt.edu/~hempster ************************************************