Date: Tue, 18 Jun 1996 17:30:37 -0600 (MDT) X-Sender: krfreymu@brain.uccs.edu Subject: Slide Before You Leap - Part 6 Message-ID: Slide Before You Leap A Quantum Leap/ Sliders Crossover by Kat Freymuth Part 6 Al Calavicci lowered his eyelids in suspicion. "Okay, kid, start talking. What do you know about Dr. Beckett's project?" Quinn raised his eyebrows. "Nothing. It was just a hypothetical guess based on the articles he wrote. I mean, it's obvious from his articles that he has a strong interest in time travel. And when he disappeared from our world, there was a lot of indications that he hadn't even left New Mexico but he was nowhere to be seen. I just thought that, knowing his interest, he might have succeeded in travelling through time." Al relaxed a bit but didn't let down his guard. "Okay, so you know he has an interest in time travel. What makes you think that he can help you slide home?" Arturo started to pace the floor as if he were giving a lecture at his university. "It's quite simple, Admiral. Sliding and time travel are both related directly to quantum physics and inter-dimensional travel. Both are related to the fourth dimension - time. Time travel allows a person to travel along one timeline whereas Sliding allows him to travel from one timeline to another." He looked at Al. He could tell that some of what he was saying was being understood but it still needed some clarification. He looked at Quinn, who seemed to have an idea. "Admiral," Quinn said, "just imagine a ream of lined paper. Each line reporesents a time period and each sheet represents a possible reality. Sliding travels from one sheet to another whereas time travel travels from one line to another but it's still the same ream." Al smiled a bit. "Not bad of an allusion but it needs a little work," he told him. "So you think because Sam has a theory on how to travel from one line to another that he can help you find a way to travel back to your own sheet." Al took a breath. "Well, I can arrange a meeting with him but I can't give you any guarantees." "Fine, " Quinn said with an easy nod. "We'll be here." Al put his unlit cigar into his mouth and walked towards the door. "I'll call when I have something," he told them as he left. "Why do I feel like I've just be interrogated?" Wade asked sarcastically. "You can't blame him for being cautious," Arturo told her. "After all, if Dr. Beckett is working on a time travel project and the military is involved then the project is probably top secret as it is on our own world. In that case, the Admiral would be concerned about national security." "In fact, " Quinn added, "his uneasiness gives a little moire credibility to the idea that Dr. Beckett is working on an experiment with time travel." "I don't know about this, guys," Rembrandt voiced his uneasiness. "I mean, why are we going for help to this Beckett guy when we could find the Quinn of this world and see if he can help." "Well," Quinn started, "for one, no one knows quantum physics better than Dr. Beckett." "And?" Rembrandt pressed. Quinn looked at him. "Remember when we went to my house? I really think we'd have trouble finding my alter ego." Rembrandt sighed in frustration. "Why's that? What happened at the house?" Wade asked Quinn. Quinn hesitated. "We found my house completely empty and up for sale, understandable given that my other self doesn't live here anymore. What's more, your alter ego is gone too. I think they both left San Francisco. They could be anywhere." He smiled slightly. "The strangest thing is that there's a huge emphasis on coffee in this world. I counted at least twenty coffee shops between here and Golden Gate Park. And there's no tram system either. Seems the street cars were getting in the way of the traffic. It's like San Francisco turned into another L.A." "Yeah," Rembrandt commented. "You should have seen what the newspapers were saying. Aside from a war in Cuba, there's also a war in the Soviet Union..." "You mean Russia," Wade corrected. "No, I mean the Soviet Union," Rembrandt told her. "The Wall came down just like in our world but the country's been in a civil war ever since. On one year, off the other." "Terrific," Wade muttered sarcastically. "Any employment opportunities since we'll be here for another sixteen day?" Arturo asked. "Good point, Professor," Quinn replied. "We are getting a bit low in cash. We're all going to have to find some jobs around here. I don't think that'll be much of a problem given the number of coffee shops around here that have Help Wanted signs in their windows." Wade tilted her head slightly. "Would you like cream or sugar with that?" she performed. ------------------------------- Part 7 coming soon, probably next week. Give me comments! A writer is nothing without her audience. Kat Freymuth