Date: Wed, 25 Sep 1996 20:01:26 -0600 (MDT) From: "Katherine R. Freymuth" Subject: Theresa - Chapter 22 Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Chapter 22 Making a Plan "How does it happen?" Sam asked. "Well, Ziggy isn't sure," Al told him. "She's searching the files to find more information. It shouldn't be long." Sam took a plate and put it away in its proper place. "Why is it Ziggy doesn't know how it happens when she knows when it happens?" Al sighed. "I'm not sure. But you really don't need to know that when you know when it happens. She got the information from some newspaper article that really didn't go into a lot of detail. But it did tell us some other important things." Sam continued to put away the washed dishes as Al spoke. "Such as?" he asked, showing that he was listening. "Well, the accident happened on the interstate which means that Jeff was driving Chris and Suzanne to the airport." "That fits," Sam commented. "Their plane leaves tomorrow afternoon." "And here's another thing," Al started. He paused long enough for Sam to realize something was bothering him. He took a breath. "Six people died in the accident." "Six!" Sam exclaimed. Al nodded. "The two in the other car and four of the five in yours." "Four?" Sam questioned. "Wait a minute. There was Jeff, Chris, and Suzanne." "Jennifer was in the car too, Sam. She survived the accident but it really affected her." "Al, you said six people died," Sam pointed out. "There were six," Al answered somberly. "Suzanne's pregnant." "Pregnant?" Sam repeated. "Does Chris know?" Al shook his head. "Probably not. I don't know why Suzanne hasn't told him." Sam sighed. "Great," he said sarcastically. "How'd Jennifer take the accident?" Al shook his head. "Not well. The nerves in her right arm were severed and she lost her left eye in the accident. She spent months doing both physical and psychological therapy. But she never got over it. She lost her job, spent a year doing odd jobs, and finally..." He hesitated. "Finally, in 1997, she couldn't handle it anymore. She committed suicide by... slitting her wrists." He closed his eyes sorrowfully. Sam dropped a plate on the kitchen counter. "Oh, gawd," he whispered at Al's words. "My sentiments exactly," Al muttered a quiet response. Sam took a deep breath. "So, what do we do?" "Well, Ziggy says that so far your best shot is to convince Chris and Suzanne to change their travel plans." "Al, it took me nearly a week to convince Chris to go to the hospital! How does Ziggy expect to change his mind about his travel plans in twenty-four hours?" "You've got a point there," Al replied. "But she still says this is the best way to save their lives." "So, if I convince Chris and Suzanne to change their travel plans, there won't be an accident," Sam concluded logically. Al was pushing some buttons on the handlink. "Not exactly. There's still an accident but, instead of all of you being the victims, there's a fifty-four percent chance a couple for Minnesota will be killed." "Al..." Sam started. It wasn't fair for someone else to die in their place. Al knew what Sam was thinking. "Hey! I like it about as much as you do. But unless we can find a way to prevent the accident from happening all together, there's nothing we can do. If we save the Minnesota couple, someone else will die." He looked Sam in the eyes. "The accident is going to happen, Sam, and some people are going to die. You're job is to make sure that you five are not the ones, either directly or indirectly." "How does the accident happen?" Sam asked. "Didn't I just tell you we don't know?" Al replied. "Then, find out," Sam demanded. Having finished the dishes, he left the kitchen. He marched into the living room and turned on a vacuum cleaner. Al appeared before him, not moving as the vacuum went though him several times. "I know what you're thinking, Sam," Al told him as Sam vacuumed. Sam ignored him, continuing to vacuum. "Sam!" Al called out, raising his voice. Sam didn't answer. "Sam, listen to me!" he sighed. "It's at times like these that I hate being a hologram," he muttered. At that moment, Sam turned off the vacuum and proceeded to put it away. "It's about time," Al muttered. "Sam, I know what your thinking and, even though I know you'd like to, you can't save the world." "Why does anyone have to die in a car accident, Al?" Sam questioned. "If I know how it happened, maybe I can stop it from happening at all." "Sam..." "Come on, Al!" Sam chided. "You're here to save Chris Raj-ad-Allah, Sam. And because history's changed, you're also here to save Suzanne and Jeff and that unborn child in Suzanne's womb." "What about that couple, Al?" Sam yelled. "If they're meant to live then they'll live," Al told him. "Remember that there's only a fifty-four percent chance that they'll die." "Why should there even be a chance?" Sam demanded. Al sighed and looked at him. "Forget it, Sam. The chances of your preventing any accident are nil." "I don't believe that, Al!" "And even if you had a chance, you wouldn't be able to convince anyone that an accident is going to happen!" Al yelled to get his point across. "You know I'm right!" There was a silence between the two men. No one said a word for a minute. "How does it happen, Al?" Al glared at him. "You didn't hear a word I said, did you?" He sighed. He knew there was no way to change Sam's mind when he became this stubborn. He lifted the handlink and punched a few buttons. "A man named Richard Oster had apparently been driving for too long and had fallen asleep at the wheel. His wife was asleep in the back seat and neither had a seat belt on. They're both killed instantly. I told you there was nothing you could do." "What is Oster's license plate number?" "Sam..." Al warned. Sam stared at him, waiting for an answer. Al huffed. "Georgia plates. Number NCX-133." "Thank you, Al," Sam smiled slightly. "Don't thank me," Al told him, walking away from him. "I think you're completely off your rocker." Sam smiled wide as Al opened the Imaging Chamber door. Al wouldn't admit it aloud but he really hoped Sam succeed in his own "save the world" mission. Al may be a stickler for rules (though others might say otherwise) but he didn't like seeing innocent people die. And Sam knew this. That is why he smiled at Al's words; because they were Al's way of saying good luck. Al turned to Sam before closing the Imaging Chamber door. "Just focus on saving you five. Okay, Sam?" Without waiting for an answer, he left the Imaging Chamber. Tina approached Al with a slightly worried look. "You okay, Al?" Al gave her an unconvincing grin. " I'm fine. I just need some sleep." Tina smiled at him. "Okay." She hugged him lovingly. "My poor Al." She kissed him. Al hesitated. He smiled. "I guess I could wait a few hours." Tina smiled in return. ************************ Four hours had passed before Jennifer returned to the house. Sam was preparing a simple dinner for Jennifer and himself. He had spent the last few hours making phone calls to friends he knew Jeff had in the police department. Maybe he could have Richard Oster stopped before the accident. However, Sam had to admit the chances of it were slim. For one thing, Jeff's friends in the police department at first thought he was joking and Sam wasn't sure they didn't still think that. For another reason, if they did believe him, they wouldn't be able to keep an eye out for Richard Oster's car. They had much more tangible things to worry about. In fact, hope was the only thing in Sam's favor. "Mmmmm! Something smells good!" Jennifer commented as she entered the house. She put her briefcase and coat on the living room couch and went into the kitchen. "Something's up," she told Sam. "You're cooking again." Sam laughed. "You call heating up a can of soup cooking?" "It is when you do it," she replied. She went over to him and kissed him gently. "You okay?" "Sure. Why?" "You seem a bit sober." Sam suddenly realized that he wasn't smiling. He had so much on his mind about tomorrow. How was he going to save all of them from a terrible car accident? "I just have a lot on my mind. That's all," Sam answered. Jennifer sighed. "Still worried about Chris, aren't you? Even after he promised you he'd see a doctor." Sam hesitated. "It's a little more than that." "Tell me," she requested. Now it was Sam's turn to sigh. "I can't." "Why not?" Sam shook his head. "You wouldn't understand." "I'm your wife," Jennifer told him. "Whatever it is, I'll understand." Sam thought for a moment. *Maybe I should tell her. After all, she is Jeff's wife*. He cleared his throat, preparing himself for what he was about to say. "What if I told you I could see the future?" Jennifer laughed slightly. "You can see the future? What do you see?" "There's gonna be a terrible accident," Sam told her, "and you're gonna be hurt." Jennifer turned serious. "What do you mean?" Sam sighed. "I'd rather not say." Jennifer looked at him carefully. "You're really worried!" she wondered. "Please, tell me," she asked. "I want to know. How am I going to be hurt?" *She believes me!* Sam thought. *But it is right to tell her what will happen?* Sam decided the answer was no. "I can't tell you," Sam answered. "All I can tell you is that you'll be hurt... and Chris and Suzanne are going..." He stopped a moment. "... are going to die." "What?" Jennifer exclaimed quietly. "What makes you think that?" "I just know," Sam told her. "How can you 'just know', Jeff?" Jennifer yelled, shocked by Sam's words. "If this is one of your jokes, I don't think it's very funny!" "It's not a joke," Sam told her, "and I need your help in convincing Chris and Suzanne. They have to know before tomorrow afternoon." "Why?" she asked. "Because that's when the accident is going to happen. When we take them to the airport." Jennifer hesitated. "This is ridiculous!" she exclaimed. "You really expect me to believe this?!" She stopped. "If Chris and Suzanne are going to die and I'm going to get hurt, what happens to you?" *I was wondering when she'd notice that point*, Sam thought. He took a deep breath. "I'm going to die also." "That's not funny, Jeff!" Sam was quiet. What was he to say? Anything he might say might hurt Jennifer even more. Jennifer looked at him, looking for signs that he was teasing her. She found none. "You really believe what you're telling me," she finally said. "It's going to happen," Sam told her. There was a long silence between them. Sam was no longer sure Jennifer believed him. *I don't think I'd believe me if I was in Jennifer's position*, he thought. "I don't know, Jeff," Jennifer finally said. "The whole thing sounds pretty bizarre to me." "Then you don't believe me," Sam concluded. "I didn't say that," Jennifer told him. Sam smiled. "I'm not saying I believe it either," she replied to the smile. "I'm saying that I believe that you believe what you're saying. So, I'll help you convince Chris and Suzanne. With such a bizarre story, you're going to need all the support you can get." She paused. "If what you say is true, though, what can we do?" "Convince them to at least delay their honeymoon," Sam told her. "Even one day will make a big difference." Jennifer nodded. "Okay. So, how do we start?" ----------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 23 next. At this rate, I might have the whole darn thing posted by Tuesday! Kat