Date: Fri, 16 Apr 1999 16:34:38 -0600 (MDT) From: "Katherine R. Freymuth" Subject: Whale ch 12 Message-ID: Chapter 12 "What am I going to do, Sammy Jo?" Al asked the young scientist. "I don't have enough men to do twenty-four hour security on all levels and the Navy won't allow me any more, even on a temporary basis. Heaven knows what Congress will do if they learn about this!" "I don't know what to say, Al. I honestly don't." Sammy Jo answered. She knew Al was talking to her about this simply because he needed an ear to ramble into and hers was freely available. She really didn't understand why he chose her of all the people in the complex. Surely, Dr. Beeks was better suited to listening to Al ranting than her. Al took a breath. "I have a very bad feeling about all of this." He looked directly at Sammy Jo, gaining her full attention. "There's always a danger so long as that woman, that... _donnacia!_... is in the Waiting Room!" He placed his head into his hands as Sammy Jo got up and refilled Al's mug with black coffee. She placed the mug before Al with a smile. "Thanks," Al told her, lifting the mug and taking a sip. He grimaced slightly. "This is decaffeinated," he told her. "You don't need any more caffeine to keep you up all night," she told him. "What you need now is a good night's sleep. When you wake up in the morning, everything will be just fine, I'm sure." Al smiled and looked at Sammy Jo again. He never told her why he did choose her to be her listening board but she fell into the job very well - just like her father. He could see Sam Beckett in Sammy Jo's eyes every time he talked to her and, when he did, he wasn't talking to Sammy Jo but to his best friend who was now in the past. He often wanted to comment to the scientist about how much she resembled her father but he always stopped himself. To tell Sammy Jo that Sam was her father would be against the rules. Only Al and Ziggy knew this fact and knew what kind of effects that information could have on Sam's family and to the timeline: disastrous. Ziggy had postulated that, if Sammy Jo were ever to find that Sam was her father, she would leap to bring him home. Neither Ziggy and Al were ready to take the risk of her being trapped in the past just as Sam was now. "What is it?" Sammy Jo asked, seeing the look in Al's eyes. Al hesitated. "I think I'll go to bed. I have guard duty tomorrow." He rubbed his face. "I should check on Sam before I call it a night, though." He finished his coffee and stood. He then kissed Sammy Jo gently on the cheek. "Thanks for the coffee." "No problem," Sammy Jo replied as Al left the cafeteria. She watched as Al left, curiosity in her eyes. She had seen that look in his eyes before - a look that had deep meaning and which Al never explained. However, Sammy Jo was certain that, one day, she would understand the meaning of that look. "Hey, Sam," Al greeted as he stepped in the Imaging Chamber. "How's it going?" Sam looked at his friend with concern. "I could ask you the same question," he told Al. "You look exhausted." "Yeah, well, I haven't been sleeping very well lately," Al answered, rubbing his right eye. "Came in to check on you. So, how's it going?" Sam hesitated. "I'm not sure." Al frowned with concern. "What do you mean?" Sam took a breath. "Earlier today, I ordered Alik to change course but it was as if someone else gave the order, not me. I don't know. I mean, I can speak Russian fluently without even having to think." He paused. "I think there's a lot more of Rustov in me than there has ever been of other hosts." Al exhaled slowly. "Yeah, well, at least it's Rustov and not Zoe." Sam looked at Al with concern. "She's still here, Al. I can feel her. She's waiting for something." Al looked at Sam with great concern. What exactly was happening to his friend? "Waiting for what?" Al questioned with suspicion. Sam shook his head. "I don't know." There was silence between the two men for a moment as Al lifted the handlink and consulted Ziggy in a haphazard manner. "Well, Ziggy says that you did the right thing. Now, all you have to do is make sure that the Khrushchev gets to shore and you'll leap then." He smiled slightly at him. "Easier than the last leap. Just remember to keep clear of Gregory but don't look like you're keeping clear. Remember, he's going to be you tomorrow morning." Sam nodded. "I don't think that'll be a problem. There was never any physical contact between me and Rustov during the last leap." Al nodded. "Good. Keep it that way and you should be out of here in no time." Sam was quiet as Al put the handlink back into his trousers' pocket. Al regarded him with a frown. Something was on the physicist's mind. "What's the matter?" Sam shook his head. "I have this feeling that this leap isn't going to be that easy, Al." Al took a breath. One of the things he learned from his years of experience, besides trusting his own feelings, was to trust Sam's feelings. "I'll have Ziggy do another search on the subject and see if there is anything for us to be worried about." Sam nodded. "Thank you." "You're welcome," Al replied. "Get some sleep. I'll see you later." With that, he opened the Imaging Chamber door and exited. Sam laid down on his bed, hearing the anchor fall as the ship stopped its slow return to shore for the night. Despite what Al assured, there was something seriously wrong with this leap and Sam was certain that Zoe was behind it. He could almost hear her thoughts in his mind. She was planning something - something terrible and deadly. He just wish he knew exactly what that was so that he could prevent it from happening. Zoe sat in the Waiting Room, thinking, planning. She smiled with delight at what she knew and how she could use it. Ironically, she didn't have to access Ziggy as she thought was necessary. The information she needed was in her own mind; she had only to yank it out, to grab it and hold onto it. It was as if she had someone else's memory but still had her own motivations. It made her feel... powerful and excited. She closed her eyes and reviewed what she knew once again, planning routes and actions. She knew the Admiral Calavicci didn't know the truth of what was happening inside her mind. If he did, he would probably make sure that she stayed sedated throughout Dr. Beckett's leap instead of placing guards on the Waiting Room door. She knew military strategies she never knew before. She knew where to go and how to get there, how to create and how to destroy. She knew the Admiral well enough to know how he would react and what actions he would take. She exhaled slowly and stretched herself. She was tired and she had a feeling that the Admiral was tired as well. She would wait a while and get some sleep. She would continue with renewed strength in the morning. And Admiral Calavicci would be given the ride of his life.