From: Brian Willard Subject: QL : The Next Generation - Part 7(end) Date: Fri, 06 Aug 93 13:42:00 EST Message-Id: <2C625FB1@smtpgate.ncdc.noaa.gov> Quantum Leap - The Next Generation Part 7 "Moving On" by Brian Willard They arrived at Sue's house about ten minutes after leaving the campus. By that time Sammie Jo's headache was settled down to a dull throb, and the swelling seemed to have gone down some. She got out of the car and followed Sue into the house, which appeared to be just down the street from her...Jill's...house . Jessica, Sue's daughter, went up the stairs and out of sight. "See what I mean, Jill. She's impossible to talk to." "Ahhh, she'll be okay. You know, I think I'm just going to walk on home. It's just down the street." "Oh no you don't! You're going to stay for dinner and that's final. I'll drop you off at your house later." Samantha went over to the bay window in the dining room. The thunderstorm she had seen on the way over was even closer now, and she could hear the thunder in the distance. "Looks like it may be a good storm, Doc," said Sue from the kitchen, where she was preparing dinner. "Yeah, it does." "Hey, would you mind going up and telling Jess to unplug her computer until the storm passes over. I'm afraid that if there was a power surge..." "Oh, no problem," said Sammie Jo, and she departed for the teenager's room. The room was at the top of the stairwell, to the right and down the hall. The door to Jessica's room was wide open, but nobody was in there. Sammie Jo went back down the hall to the bathroom, but the girl was not in there either. Alice Jackson appeared at Jessica's door, looking rather worried. "Have you seen Jessica, Alice? Thirteen-year-old kid?" "Yeah, and you might want to hurry." "What? Why? Where is she?" "She's up on the roof. I don't know how she got there, but if you don't get her down in the next five minutes, she'll be struck by lightning!" "Go center in on her Alice! I'll find some way to get up there!" Sammie Jo began searching around upstairs, frantically looking for some way to the roof. She went into the master bedroom, where she found out how Jessica had gotton up there. Apparently she had just crawled out of one of the dormor windows and climbed to the top. Sammie Jo went outside the window, where afresh breeze was beginning to pick up. The slope upward wasn't that steep, but it could be bad if it started to rain. Dr. Fuller slowly and cautiously began to ascend the roof. When she had gotten about halfway up she saw Alice. The hologram pointed toward the north end of the roof, where the girl was laying back reading a book. "Jessica!" Sammie Jo called, "You've got to come down from here! Right now!" The young girl looked over in surprise. "Dr. Handras, what are you doing up here?" "I should be asking that of you. Come on, we've got to go inside! It's not safe to be up here!" "But it's the only place I have to myself. I don't want to be around them!" "Jessica! Please, we'll think of something. But you need to come in!" The wind was now blowing strong enough that it was getting hard to hear, and she knew that the rain would come any minute now. A few large raindrops began to splatter against the roof. Jessica yelped and then closed her book and scampered over to Sammie Jo. Sammie Jo took the girl's hand and slowly led her back down the roof and helped her back in the window. Sammie Jo flung herself inside and then closed the window behind her. "I'm sorry, Dr. Handras. I didn't mean to cause you any worry," said Jessica, with tears starting to come to her eyes, "Thank you." "Hey, no problem kid. Now let's go see what's for dinner." "Okay. Uhh, you aren't going to tell my mom and dad about this are you?" "No. Just promise me it won't happen again. And go unplug your computer -- that's a request from your mother." Jessica smiled and then ran to her room. Alice walked over to Samantha. "Good job, Sammie Jo. She goes on to have a normal childhood and eventually goes on to work for the E.P.A. as field researcher." "What happens to me...I mean Jill?" "She continues to work at the college for another five years, until she gets married and moves out to Idaho. As for you, Dr. Fuller, I think it's time that you be going. Congratulations!" Suddenly Sammie Jo felt a force take hold of her. The world around her began to vanish, and all she could see was a blue glow all around her. She was leaping. Something that she knew she would be doing quite a bit of from now on. And she really didn't mind. The End ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | Brian Willard | "Revenge is mine, thus sayeth the hologram!" | | UNC-Asheville | Dr. Sam Beckett, "The Leap Back" | ------------------------------------------------------------------------