Organization: Penn State University Date: Tue, 24 Aug 1993 19:44:09 EDT From: Marshall Ryan Maresca Message-Id: <93236.194409MRM122@psuvm.psu.edu> Newsgroups: alt.ql.creative Subject: TimeStorm, Part Four And so we continue... (sorry for the delay, but I just got full access again!) TIMESTORM Part Four Al brought the PQL Blackbird down for a landing. It was a plane that they had been provided with from the very beginning of the project, for no particular reason except that the government gave it to them, and hadn't had occasion to use until now. It had also been a while since Al's been able to fly something like this, but he was to preoccupied to enjoy it. A flash of some identification got him a rental car rather quickly, with help from some judicious flirting with the girl behind the desk. In thirty more minutes, he was at the remote location. Besides there being less snow, more foliage and the road in worse shape, it was just like in the imaging chamber. Al felt a chill run up his spine. Although he had used the imaging chamber to see places he had been before, this was the first time he visited somewhere that he had seen in the imaging chamber. It was a rather strange feeling. Al hiked up the road to where the house used to be. It was a mess. Broken wood, rubble and debris were scattered all around. Al wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he felt that there were answers here. He KNEW it. He started digging around in the debris. *************** The man in the chair closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment. When he opened them again, he whispered, "January 16th, 1989. How could I have gotten here?" "How did you know the date?" asked Thorton, partly curious, partly angry. "When your in the Quantum Corps, you get an innate sense of time. And you, sir, have some explaining to do. You've brought me into the forbidden area." "Forbidden area? Quantum Corps?" asked Sam. "We are not allowed to travel between 1953 and 1999, to avoid contact with... you, sir." he said, looking at Sam. The he looked over and saw Alia and Zoey. "My God! It's them!" "Hello, Major," said Zoey, "It's been a long time." "You KNOW them?" asked Sam, you then looked to Alia, "You never mentioned the Quantum Corps before." "When have we had the chance to just chat, Sam?" "Sir," said the Major, "These two are renegades and wanted by the Quantum Corps. We've been unable to catch them due to them hiding in the forbidden time zones." "This is all incredibly interesting," said Thorton. "You still have to explain yourself," said the Major. "No I do not!" said Thorton, "You are not in a position to demand anything, do not forget that!" With that, he stormed off. *************** With a lift of a stone, Al found it. It was cracked, scorched and aged, but what it was was very clear, especially to Al. After all, he was the one who left it in 1945, and he'd know Ziggy's handlinks anywhere. "Pretty incredible, isn't it?" said a voice behind him. Al turned to see who it was. "Sam! But how?" Al was stunned. After a moment, he continued, "Are you...?" "Dead? A ghost? Maybe." said Sam, "I can hardly remember anything but that explosion." "But... how'd you get here?" "I don't know. Maybe... sometimes the dead come back. Maybe they leap." "Sam, this is really hard for me," said Al. He reached out to Sam, and touched solid flesh for the first time in five years. Out of instinct and need, he grabbed Sam to him. "Al, it's okay. This is hard for me as well." Sam stepped back, "For me, what you are going through has already happened. Thorton kept pulling leapers in. When he pulled in the sixth one, the temporal flux energy was to strong, and a timestorm occured." "The explosion." said Al. Sam nodded. "Those of us there weren't the only ones to die, though. The psychic time-wave of the storm spread out over the decades, killing hundreds. Including..." he paused. "Including who?" asked Al. "You, Gooshie, Verbena." Al noticed for the first time the difference in Sam's face. It was a look he had seen many times in the prison camps in Vietnam- the look of defeat. "Sam--" said Al. "Al, don't you see, that it has already happened? After all we did, everything we accomplished, it all meant nothing! The damage over the timespan that the storm did, it's all in my mind! I SAW IT ALL, AL! People we helped were affected. Frank LaMotta was killed, Al! Remember that little girl, Teresa, the one you played with? She died as well! So was Michael Blake, John O'Malley, even Beth!" At the mention of Beth's name, Al turned a little pale. After a moment, he looked Sam in the eye. "Sam, for the past five years, we've been righting wrongs in the past, trying to make the world a better place. Now this may have happened to you already, but for me, it hasn't happened yet, and I am damn well going to do everything I can to stop it. I can still fix it!" With that, he ran to his car and drove off. "I know, Al," said Sam, "You're the only one who can." And with that, he vanished. *************** "OK, Tina, Verbena, is everything set?" asked Gooshie. "Yeah," said Tina, "But this will blackout the entire western half of North America!" "Tina," said Ziggy with her usual voice, "If we do not establish contact with Doctor Beckett, the resulting damage in the timestream will be much greater than the blackout." "Right," said Tina, slumping over the console, "Good luck, Gooshie." "Thanks," he said, and he entered the imaging chamber. The "picture" was fuzzy in there, but Gooshie found himself right outside Thorton's house. He slipped through the walls and found himself in a study. On the desk were a large numbers of papers, some with government labels, some just scribbles, as well as a box, which was closed, but had the words, "Beckett evidence" written on it. Suddenly, a crazy looking man, Thorton, Gooshie presumed, came in, grabbed the box and some papers, and left again. Gooshie followed him. Thorton led Gooshie to the basement, which was filled with electronic equipment, and on one wall, four figures had been either handcuffed or tied. "Yes, Doctor Beckett, you've been busy throughout the past. You left some definitive traces that could be traced if one took the time. I took the time." "Sir," said the Major, "You must stop what you are doing. The energy build up from all of us in the same close proximity could destroy the space-time continuum." "Now, Major," said Thorton, "You are the ones mucking about in time. I'm just cleaning it up. This might be of interest to you, Doctor." He pulled out a reel-to-reel player from the box, plugged it in and started it. The voices came through clearly, "What is your project Doctor Beckett?" "Travel in time." "My God," said the Major, "I never was aware such a breach was made." "They had me on sodium pentathol." said Sam. He bowed his head down, but slyly winked over to Gooshie. "Beckett, you are such a fool!" said Zoey, "Even Alia wouldn't have made that mistake!" "I'm tired of the mistakes!" said Thorton, "You people should not be messing with the past- MY PRESENT! Who allowed you to play God?" "Doctor Beckett," said Gooshie quietly, "Don't speak, but cough if you can see and hear me. Cautiously, Sam coughed. "Yes, Doctor?" "Nothing," said Sam, "My throat is just dry. Perhaps some water?" "I will do no such thing, Doctor. For you see, once I've collected all the time travellers I can here, I'm going to kill you all." to be continued... Marshall Ryan Maresca