Date: Fri, 16 Apr 1999 15:42:27 -0600 (MDT) From: "Katherine R. Freymuth" Subject: Mirror - part 29 Message-ID: Quantum Leap Mirror of Deception by Katherine Freymuth and Gary Marsh Copyright 1998, 1999 Part 29 It wasn't difficult for Pole to reenter the offices of Senator Hatcher. Having worked many years for the man, he knew his habits - like where the Senator kept the extra set of keys to his office. It helped him greatly that Keith had been occupied with his old school chum as Pole quietly retrieved the keys from Keith's glove compartment and placed them in his own pants pocket. He didn't have to break into the car either. He'd found a way to get an imprint of the Senator's car door key. He entered the office quickly and quietly, avoiding being seen by the on-duty security guard. Not that he couldn't be in the building but if he had been seen, the suspicion would, rightfully, fall on him once the document was found to be missing. Political espionage was a dangerous business; he could be caught at any moment. But there was always some senator who wanted to know what another senator was doing and was willing to pay for Pole's services. This time was definitely different. An anonymous high-bidder wanted Hatcher's government project funding proposal. He didn't say why but what did it matter for two million dollars in prepaid cash? He didn't have too much trouble finding the document. Still written in Keith's handwriting and as yet untyped, it was well-labelled and filed in Keith's desk. Pole quickly read through it to make sure he had the right document. Satisfied that he had, he folded it carefully and slipped it into the inside pocket of his suit jacket. Then, making sure everything was in its proper place, he quietly sneaked back out of the office and the building. When he finally felt safe in his upscale apartment, he allowed himself to relax a bit. He slipped out of his jacket, removing the document from it before tossing the jacket onto his couch. He followed the jacket, sitting on the couch with a small sigh. He certainly didn't expect the telephone to ring at the same time. He let it ring for a while before picking up the receiver. "Did you get it?" a man asked without giving him the chance to say hello. Pole didn't answer right away, surprised by the question and the fact that his latest employer even had his phone number much less called him. "I said, did you get it?" the man repeated. "Yes," Pole finally said. "I have it right here." "Good. Just follow these next instructions and you will have earned your pay. Put it in a manilla envelope and take it to Senator Hatcher's house. Put it in his mailbox and leave." Pole frowned. "Wait a minute. You have me steal this thing just to give it back to him?" "Just do it," the man ordered. "I'll be very unhappy if I don't get what I paid for." "Hey, I was just curious," Pole told him. "I'll do it." "Tonight," the man ordered. Pole huffed. "Come on! It's practically midnight and I live on the other side of town." "Tonight," the man repeated firmly. "You can't expect me to pick up my package in broad daylight." Pole exhaled. "All right. Tonight. I'll take it right now." "Good," the man told him. "It was a pleasure doing business with you, sir." "Likewise," Pole answered politely. His response, though, was interrupted by the sound of a telephone being hung up. Pole frowned at the sound before hanging up as well. He exhaled in annoyance and gathered his things once again to complete the task for which he had been paid. Project Quantum Leap seemed remarkably calm on the surface but it was, in fact, in chaos upon the news. Only the senior staff knew that Al was working for "the Dark Side", as Al had once jokingly referred to them. Now, however, the evil project was no laughing matter, if it ever had really been. The confirmation of Al being the other leaper sent Ziggy into a frenzy, if a computer could have one. The odds of Sam surviving the leap had dropped drastically. Ziggy knew that, if there was one person who had the skills and the knowledge to successfully end Sam Beckett's life, it was Admiral Albert Calavicci. The news had sent Tina into an emotional tailspin. She had locked herself in her quarters and cried herself to sleep, unwilling to accept the situation. Mark had tried to give her some assurances but failed. No one could blame Tina for her reaction. Everyone felt as if their world was about to come to an end - everyone except Verbina Beeks. "So, what are we going to do about this?" Janet questioned firmly of the rest of the senior staff. Everyone, minus Tina, sat around the same conference table as before. Mark sat in somber silence as did Vebrina and Dan MacArthyr. Gushie fidgetted nervously with a pen as Donna wrapped herself in her shawl, seeming to want to protect herself from the disaster that was progressing around her. None of the above answered Janet's question. It was Sammy Jo Fuller who answered promptly. "We might be able to retrieve Al, if he hadn't been leaping for a great deal of time. We already have his DNA and brainwave patterns encorporated into Ziggy. If he is from our time, we should be able to retrieve him." "Why not retrieve Sam while we're at it?" Donna asked quietly. Sammy Jo got a sad look in her eyes. "He's been leaping for far too long for the current retrieval program to work. And I can't guarantee the program will work on Al, especially if he's been leaping for a long time." Janet exhaled. "That's not much of an option." "It's all we've got," Sammy Jo told her. "That's unless God, Fate, Time, or Whatever sees fit to send him back to us." Gushie had stopped fidgetting with his pen and looked at Sammy Jo with question. "What if they don't let us retrieve him? And what if he doesn't want to be retrieved?" Mark answered the question. "If we can't get the Admiral back, Dr. Beckett may have to kill him for self-protection." All looked at him in shock. Mark quickly defended himself. "It's obvious that the Admiral is not himself and Ziggy has already confirmed that it is very likely that he could kill Dr. Beckett..." "He won't," Verbina interrupted calmly. "Al isn't capable of murder." "Tell that to Aaron Lomar, Dr. Beeks," Mark said firmly. "I find it hard to believe myself but the fact is the Admiral has killed." Verbina looked at him firmly. "There's murder and there's manslaughter, Captain. Do you honestly think that Al meant to kill him?" "That is not the issue," Mark told her. "The fact is Admiral Calavicci has the skills and is not in his right mind at the moment." "You can't change a person's personality, no matter what methods you use. The Al Calavicci we know is still there and the proof is in the fact that he didn't kill Sam when he had the chance." Janet raised her hand to silence the two. "Enough. You both have your points and you're both right. He may or may not try again; it depends on how much control they have over him. And if he does try again, Sam may have to act in self-defense. We need to pray for the best but prepare for the worst." She thought for a moment. "We know Sam can hear zoe, Al's Observer. Isn't it a reasonable conclusion that Al could hear me?" Gushie looked at her with interest. "It's very likely, Admiral. What did you have in mind?" "If we can't retrieve Al, we should be able to at least free him," she answered. "If I can talk to him, show him that we're not the enemy and that he's being used, we'd have a better chance of this succeeding either way." She looked at Verbina. "And it would be less likely that Al would even think of hurting Sam." Verbina nodded in agreement but said nothing while Janet turned to Gushie. "Can you adjust the Imaging Chamber so that Al could see me as well as hear me?" Gushie thought for a moment. "I'll work on it," Gushie assured. Janet nodded. "All right, then. Let's go save Al."