Date: Tue, 17 Sep 1996 15:25:21 -0600 (MDT) From: "Katherine R. Freymuth" Subject: Theresa- Chapter 16 Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Chapter 16 "One Giant Leap" "You did what!" Verbina exclaimed. She and Al were talking in the Control Room while Theresa waited in the corridor with Tina's company. "Verbina, don't give me that look," Al told her. "I told you before that I was going to take her in to see Sam. She had at least understand why he doesn't look that same as she remembers him." Verbina sighed. "Al, the Waiting Room is one thing. But the Imaging Chamber..." "I said I'd take her to see Sam, not Sam's aura. Besides, she deserves to know the truth, doesn't she? There's still that little bit of doubt. I know. I can see it in her eyes." He paused a moment. "I've sworn her to secrecy on this." "How do we know she'll keep that secrecy?" Verbina asked. "I hate to tell you this but she's still a danger to the secrecy of this Project and you know it. And you've broken that secrecy. If she doesn't keep it, you know what the government will do. They'll imprison her and court-martial you." Al shook her head. "She won't talk." "Are you sure?" "You're not?" Al looked at her with concern. "I just want to make sure you know what you're getting into," Verbina told him. Al sighed in frustration. "Drop your psychiatric facade and give me your opinion. As a friend. Do you really think Theresa would break my confidence in her?" Verbina sighed and smiled. "No, I don't think she would. Not unless she thinks that you have broken her confidence in you." Al smiled. "I thought you'd feel that way. I always did trust your opinion." He turned and left the Control Room to get Theresa while Verbina went into the Waiting Room to continue interviewing their guest. ************************ When Sam arrived at his destination, it was almost like deja-vu. The place seemed so familiar and yet he couldn't really remember where he was. He looked around carefully. He was in an apartment with two bedrooms, a living room, one bathroom, and a kitchen. He looked down at himself. He was dressed in a black tuxedo with a white dress shirt. He heard a door open and turned around. "I know! I know!" a familiar person said as he was coming out of a bedroom. "'You'd be late for your own wedding.' And so now I am." Sam suddenly recognized the man speaking. "Chris?" he asked mostly to himself. "Yeah?" the man replied as he finished adjusting his bow tie. "Oh, boy!" Sam exclaimed. Chris looked at Sam with slight concern. "Please, don't say that! I really don't look that bad, do I?" Sam hesitated. "No, of course not." "Are you sure?" Chris said, looking at the clock. "OH! We'd better go! Come on, Jeff!" he beckoned as he went towards the door. "You're my best man, aren't you? I'd better drive. You drive like a snail!" Sam made a mental sigh of relief as Chris spoke. It wouldn't do for Chris's best man to get them lost on the day of Chris's wedding. Sam smiled and followed Chris out the door. *Chris is getting married and he can walk again!* he thought happily. *And I've leaped into Jeff Sterling, his best man.* He got into the passenger's side of Chris's new car. The smile faded from Sam's face. *I'm Chris's best man!* he realized. Chris brought the car out of the parking garage and drove quickly towards his wedding. He smiled at Sam's expression. "Come on! I'm not that bad a driver!" ************************* "Where exactly are we going?" Theresa asked as Al escorted her down a hallway on the tenth level. "The Observation Room," Al answered. "It's the only place where we can watch our guests without actually being in the Waiting Room." "So, we aren't going to see Sam yet?" "Not exactly, no," Al answered. "What we'll be seeing is Sam's aura surrounding the person Sam's traded places in time with." He led her up a short set of stairs and through a door. "Here we are," he told her as they entered the Observation Room. The room was not very large. It looked more like a hallway than a special room. There was a long table with several chairs. In the surface of the table was a single large computer terminal in front of the center chair. The wall was free of obstructions. "This is the Observation Room?" Theresa asked incredulously. "There aren't even any windows." "It may not look much but it's very important for the Project. Usually Dr. Beeks is in here keeping an eye on the guest but she's in the Waiting Room right now." He pulled out one of the chairs. "Have a seat," he smiled. Theresa accepted and allowed Al to push the chair under the table for her. "Listen," I'm going to get Dr. Beeks. Would you wait here for a few minutes?" Theresa shrugged. "I guess so." "I'll be right back," Al told her and left the Observation Room. He went down into the Control Room and then into the Waiting Room. Verbina was standing near the guest, interviewing him with a handlink in hand. She had heard the Waiting Room door open and turned to look. She excused herself from the guest and went over to see Al. "Where's Theresa?" she asked. "In the Observation Room," Al told her. "I thought it would be better if she were up there than if I brought her directly into here. All I really want is to show him his aura. Then she goes to the Imaging Chamber." Verbina sighed. "I still don't like it, Al. There are certain rules..." "And they've already been broken," Al reminded her. "Now, what about our guest?" "Well, you'll be glad to hear that he's perfectly healthy and I think he's ready for you." Al nodded. "Good. How about you go and help Theresa while I talk to him." Verbina nodded, gave him the handlink, and left the room. "Where'd she go?" the guest asked Al after the door closed. "Oh," Al realized the guest had spoken as Al fiddled with the handlink. "She had work to do elsewhere." By this time, Al was quite used to the fact that the guest always looked and sounded like Sam Beckett. "I think introductions are in order," he said looking at the guest with a smile. "My name's Al." "Jeff Sterling," the guest replied. "What's with the makeup?" he asked with a smile. "And the chains." Al looked down at himself. "Oh. Halloween party." He hesitated. "What did you say your name was again?" "Jeff Sterling." Al's eyes widened. "Jeff Sterling?" Jeff laughed. "That's right. Why?" Al feigned a shrug. "What year is it, Jeff?" Jeff laughed again. "What year is it? You've got to be kidding." Al shook his head. "I think you'd better look at yourself in the mirror in the table." "Look in the table?" Jeff wondered as he looked down at the table he sat on. His eyes widened and he jumped off the table. "What the hell? It this some kind of trick? Did Chris put you up to this?" Al smiled slightly/ "This isn't a trick, Jeff. What you see in the mirror is the aura of Dr. Sam Beckett." "The Nobel Prize winner?" Jeff questioned. "You're kidding me!" Al smiled. "He founded a time travel experiment and has traded places in time with you. You look and sound like him and he looks and sound like you." Jeff looked suspicious. "Still sound like a trick Chris would dream up." Al smiled. "Believe me, it's not a trick. Now, I need to know a little information from you so that we can get you back to your own time." "You're serious!" Jeff realized. Al nodded. Jeff paused. "Then, when am I?" "1999," Al told him. "I'm four years into the future?" Jeff wondered. Al quickly put the year into the handlink. "Yes," he answered. "Do you remember what day it is?" "Of course I remember the day. It's Tuesday." Al smiled. "I mean, what's today's date?" Jeff frowned. "I don't know." He seemed concerned. "There's nothing to worry about, kid. Temporary memory loss is one of the side effects of traveling through time. It'll all come back to you when you get home." Al had a thought. "Are you hungry?" "Famished!" Jeff stated with emphasis. "I'll have someone bring you something. In the meantime, just relax and don't worry. Everything's going to be okay." Al walked towards the door. "I'll check to see how you're doing later, okay?" Jeff shrugged. "I guess so." Al smiled and left the room. "Whoever you are," Jeff added to himself. *********************** Verbina walked into the Observation Room, knowing Theresa would be waiting behind the door. "Hello, Theresa," she greeted. "Hi. Where's Al?" "He's in the Waiting Room. He told me you wanted to see our guest." Verbina sat down. "I'm not exactly sure what I'll see." Verbina smiled. "Watch," she instructed. She pushed an area on the touch pad terminal before her. The terminal lit up brightly. She punched in a series of numbers and letters which Theresa couldn't see. "Hello, Dr. Beeks," a female voice came over the speakers in the room. "Hello, Ziggy. Has the Admiral told you what we are doing?" "I am aware of the situation. I overheard your conversation in the Control Room. I need not remind you that what he intends is against Dr. Beckett's established rules." She sounded like a mother lecturing her child. "Yes, I know," Verbina told her. "We're going ahead with it anyway." "As I thought," Ziggy commented. "Ziggy," Verbina requested, "give me a view of the Waiting Room, please." Ziggy obeyed, fading away the wall before Verbina and Theresa. Just in front of them and below was the Waiting Room. Theresa smiled. There was Al, talking to a man who seemed somewhat concerned. "It's Sam!" she exclaimed. "At least, it looks like him. Al said something about as aura around him." Verbina nodded. "He's not really Sam. He just looks like him." Theresa shook her head. "This is really weird!" "I know what you mean." She made some inputs on her terminal as she spoke. Theresa was staring at Jeff. "He looks so much more pale than I remember him." "That's just a trick of the lighting," Verbina told her. "Besides, time travel plays little tricks on us. Just as Sam is aging, so is his aura." Theresa nodded. "So he's pale because he's been inside a long time," she inferred. "How long has he been doing this?" Verbina didn't answer right away. Her mind was occupied with her job. "Verbina?" Theresa asked with concern. "It's been a long time," Verbina answered her question. Theresa took the hint and didn't ask her again. She nodded. *So, that's what Al meant when he said he missed Sam very much.* "When is he supposed to come back?" she asked. "Only time will tell," Verbina answered. Theresa sighed. She looked into the Waiting Room. Al was leaving. He'd be back in the Observation Room in a few minutes. "Hi," Al greeted as he entered the room. "So, how is he?" he asked Verbina. "He'll be okay," she answered. "He did take it rather well, didn't he?" He turned to Theresa. "Ready to go?" "To the Imaging Chamber?" Al hesitated. "Not quite yet. I should look on Sam alone first. I thought you might return to the party. Ziggy?" "Yes, Admiral?" "Miss Brookner has clearance for Level Three," he told the computer. He turned to Theresa. "May I escort you to the elevator?" Theresa stood and smiled. "Of course." She took Al's arm and allowed him to lead her out of the room. Verbina smiled to herself and shook her head. "Al Calavicci, you're really something." *********************** "How was the wedding?" Al asked Sam once he found him at Chris's wedding reception. Sam jumped back in fright when he heard and saw Al suddenly before him. "Don't do that, Al!" "Sorry." Al laughed slightly. "I don't think my appearance helped any." "You can say that again! What the hell are you wearing?" "My Halloween costume. Look familiar?" "No," Sam answered briefly. "Should it?" "It was from one of your other leaps," Al answered, puffing on a cigar. " I was the Ghost of Christmas Future." He smiled at the memory. "So, how was the wedding?" "All I have to say is thank goodness I was only the best man," Sam replied, sipping on champagne. Al laughed. "The way you're acting I would have thought you were the one getting married." "Al, why am I here?" Al was looking towards the door to the reception hall. "Right now, I'd say you were here to give her a very passionate kiss." Sam followed Al's gaze to the door. There stood a beautiful woman dressed in a baby blue gown with her hair nicely adorned. "Jennifer?" Al nodded. "Jennifer Kline Sterling. She's your wife. You'd better go kiss her before she thinks something's wrong." Sam walked slowly to her. She saw him coming, smiled, and started towards him. Before Sam could kiss her, Jennifer kissed him lovingly. "Are Chris and Suzanne here yet?" she asked. "Uhhh... no. Not yet," Sam told her. Jennifer looked concerned. "What's the matter? Are you feeling okay?" Sam's eyes widened. "A wife always know," Al commented. "I'm fine," Sam told her. "Are you sure?" Sam smiled. "I'm sure. Why don't you go get some champagne?" Jennifer nodded. "Okay. I'll be right back." She turned and left to do as Sam suggested. "You lucky dog!" Al commented as he watched Jennifer walk away. "Sam, how can you just send her away like that? Wouldn't you rather take her into the coat room?" Sam glared at Al, knowing the intent of the suggestion. "Al, she's a married woman." "And you're her husband," Al pointed out. Sam sighed. "Just tell me what I'm here to do." Al raised the handlink. "Well, Ziggy's still trying to find out exactly what you're here to do but there's a ninety-five percent chance you're here to help Chris." "Help Chris?" Sam asked. "Why? What happens to him?" "Here they come!" someone shouted from the door of the reception hall. Sam turned to look as Jennifer returned to his side. Chris and his newlywed bride had entered the reception hall. "Doesn't she look absolutely gorgeous?" Jennifer commented. Sam nodded in response. Al seemed very saddened by Jennifer's comment. "She's going to be widowed in a week, Sam." "What?" Sam whispered. He looked at Al with concern. Al nodded his head sadly. "Chris is going to die." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 17 next... Kat "I carry a fair amount of weight around here." "Yeah. And a lot of it is hanging over your belt." Al and Fred Beeman from "Good Morning, Peoria"