Date: Fri, 28 May 1993 19:02:15 -0400 (EDT) From: Brian Willard Subject: A Leap For Al (Revelations 2) To: alt-ql-creative@cisco.com Message-Id: <01GYPT7ODDAA9D4H2M@UNCA.EDU> Organization: University of North Carolina at Asheville This is the second part of the story "Revelations." In case you missed it, the first part was titled "The Leap Back, Part 2", and it was comprised of two postings. The second part of the story is titled "A Leap for Al." A Leap For Al or Revelations 2 by Brian Willard Sam awoke to find himself in a large room filled with children asleep on old iron beds. The room was dark and cold, and the air seemed rather stale. The only light came from the bed next to him, where a teenage boy sat reading a book by flashlight. The boy looked over and saw that Sam was awake. "What are you doing up, sis?" the boy whispered, "It's four-o-clock in the morning" "I should ask the same of you," Sam responded. "Yeah, well I'm 13. You're only 8. Now go back to sleep." "What are you reading?" "Jules Verne. You know, I want to travel in time. I want the name Albert Calavicci to go down in history!" the boy said excitedly. "You're Al Calavicci?" "Yeah, and you're my baby sister. Uh...are you feeling okay, Trudy? I can go get sister Anne if you don't feel good?" "No, I feel fine," Sam sighed, "Oh boy, I'm Trudy Calavicci." ********************************************* "I suggest that you go into the Imaging Chamber now, Admiral Calavicci," said Ziggy, "I've almost got a lock on Dr. Beckett." "Not now, I'm talking with Trudy!" Al yelled from the Waiting Room, where he was talking with his sister, whom he had not seen in over forty years. Dr. Beeks, Donna, and Alia were still in the back of the control room discussing what had happened to Sam just a few minutes before. "Somebody needs to let Sam know what's going on," Verbena said, "Come on, Al! Sam needs you." "I can't," Al shouted back, "I'm busy! Get someone else to do it!" ********************************************** Dawn was rapidly approaching. Young Al had fallen asleep over an hour ago, but Sam had been unable to do so. He still had not heard from his hologramic friend, nor did he know why he was Al's sister, who had died at a young age, though Al had always been hesitant to talk about Trudy. "You really should try to get some sleep Sam," a soft feminine voice said, "Trudy's body isn't as strong as yours." Sam turned around on the bed. He recognized the woman. "Alia? Wuh... Where's Al? Is he okay?" "He's talking with his sister in the Waiting Room. He was afraid that he'd get too emotional over this leap, so I volunteered to come. Anyway, Ziggy calculates a 96% chance that you're here to save Trudy's life. You are in the Manhattan Orphanage, and the date is December 4th, the year...fifteen ninety-three? What is this?" "Oh, you've got to hit it," Sam said, obs ing her unfamiliarity with the handlink, "It sometimes doesn't work quite right." Alia gave the handlink a light blow. "Ah, that's better. The year is 1953, and Al's sister Trudy is killed in approximately twelve hours. We're still trying to get the official coroner's report, and we can't very well ask Al with his sister there. Just watch out and I'll be back as soon as we get that report. Take care Sam. Oh, I forgot to mention that you need to use the wheelchair. Poor Trudy nearly collapsed when she arrived in the Waiting Room. She has Down's Syndrome, and her legs are unusually weak." "Alia," Sam said just as the door to the Imaging Chamber opened, "Tell Al that I think God intended to leap me here." "Yes," Alia responded, smiling, "I think so too." "Who are you talking to, Trudy?" the young boy said, rising from sleep. "Oh...nobody. I'm just thinking aloud. You can go back to sleep." "No I can't. I've to get up to go to school soon anyway. We might as well go down and see what's for breakfast. Probably just oatmeal again. I hope Sister Joanna gets better soon. Meals don't taste good unless she makes them." Al got up out of bed, pulled on a shirt, and went over behind Trudy's bed. He came around pushing a small wheelchair. Al reached out his hands and helped Sam into the wheelchair. Sam really didn't need any help getting into the chair, but Trudy did, so he let Al help him. They went to one end of the room and through a narrow doorway. Sam found himself in a smaller room with a large table in the center of it. "Yep, it's oatmeal again. This is going to drive me ca-ca." The morning went by quickly for Sam. Being confined to a wheelchair, his/ Trudy's chores consisted of folding bed sheets and amusing the others. Al, meanwhile, was busy cleaning windows and floors. The work load seemed awful hard, but at least the people there were nice. One of the nuns walked in and smiled at Sam, who was almost done folding the sheets. "Trudy, would you like to come with me to go pick up a package?" she asked. "Uh, I don't know," replied Sam, wondering what kind of accident Trudy was involved in, "how far do we have to go." "Oh, not far. Come one, it'll be fun," the nun said with a big smile. "Okay, sister. Can I just finish this a second?" "Why of course. Let me come help." The older lady walked over and helped Sam fold the rest of the clothes, and then she pushed him into the other room and put some shoes on his feet. As he rolled out the front door of the orphanage, Sam saw that he was indeed in New York. Tall buildings surrounded him in all directions, and he felt very short in the wheelchair to which he was confined. "Come, Trudy. It's just down the street. Would you like me to push you?" "That's okay, sister. I think I can do it," Sam said as he carefully rolled the wheelchair down the ramp onto the sidewalk. He followed the nun for about a block until they came to an intersection. They waited until the sign read Walk and then proceeded to cross the street. When Sam was about halfway across the street Alia appeared. "Sam, watch out! That car is going to hit you!" she screamed, noticing a big yellow taxi headed straight for Sam. Sam looked to his right and saw the car. With all of his might he thrust the wheelchair forward. He turned around and saw the car screech to a halt, but past where have been. Suddenly one of the wheelchair's tires popped off and it tipped over. Sam hit his head against the pavement, and then he blacked out. ************************************************ When Sam woke up again he found himself in a hospital room where a nurse was checking his temperature. "Where am I? What happened?" Sam was suprised at how low and grainy his voice sounded. "You're in the hospital, dad," a familiar voice said. Sam looked over and saw a young man of about twenty standing beside the bed. "Everything's going to be okay." Tears were coming to the man's eyes. "I'm dying, aren't I?" Sam asked. "Dad, why? Why do you have to die? You aren't old enough to die? Please, please." The man broke down and began to weep heavily. "Oh boy." To be continued... "Like Father, Like Son" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brian Willard | "Revenge is mine, thus sayeth the hologram!" UNC-Asheville | Sam Beckett - "The Leap Back" --------------------------------------------------------------------------------