Theorizing that one could time-travel within his own lifetime, Dr. Sam Beckett led an elite group of scientists into the desert to develop a top-secret project known as Quantum Leap.  Pressured to prove his theories or lose funding, Dr. Beckett prematurely stepped into the Project Accelerator…and vanished.

He awoke to find himself in the past, suffering from partial amnesia and facing a mirror image that was not his own.  Fortunately, contact with his own time was maintained through brainwave transmissions with Al, the Project Observer, who appeared in the form of a hologram that only Dr. Beckett can see and hear.

As evil ones do their best to stop Dr. Beckett’s journey, his children, Dr. Samantha Josephine Fulton and Stephen Beckett, continuously strive to retrieve their time-lost father and bring him home permanently.  Despite returning home several times over the last decade, Dr. Beckett has remained lost in the time stream…his final fate no longer certain.

Trapped in the past and driven by an unknown force, Dr. Beckett struggles to accept his destiny as he continues to find himself leaping from life to life, putting things right that once went wrong with the hopes that his next leap…will be the final leap home.

PROLOGUE I

Gainesville , Florida

May 21, 2007

        Christa Calavicci laughed as her fiancé spun her around, giving her a deep kiss. The past weekend had been absolutely wonderful. Edward Sharpe had come down from New Mexico to help her with packing. She was going home this week so that she and Eddie could finalize their wedding plans. She had already transferred to the University of New Mexico to finish her college work. All that was left was getting all of her possessions into the U-Haul to take the long drive back to Socorro.

        “Gawd, I can’t wait until the wedding,” she told him with a gleam in her eye. “Mrs. Edward Sharpe, IV. Has a nice ring to it.”

        Eddie grinned at her words. “Yeah, it does.” He kissed her again, guiding her towards the bed just behind them. He wasn’t able to get them all the way to the bed. Christa stopped him.

        “Eddie, no,” she protested half-heartedly. “As much as I want you, you know I can’t do that until we’re married. I just wouldn’t feel comfortable with that.”

        “Then let’s get married,” he said bluntly, all seriousness in his eyes.

        “We are,” Christa told him. “In August.”

        “Today.”

        Christa stared at him in surprise. “T…Today? But… Mom and Dad…”

        Eddie gently took her face. “Do you always do what they tell you to do?” he asked her gently. “I love you, Christa. I need you. And I know you feel the same way. So, let’s just do it. Let’s get married. We’ll go down to the courthouse and have a Justice of the Peace marry us. That doesn’t mean we can’t have a church wedding in August.”

        “But… Dad…” Christa protested weakly.

        Eddie kissed her sweetly. “If you’re worried what your Dad would think, we can keep it quiet until August. I just… I love you, Christa. I want you as my wife.”

        Christa hesitated only a moment before she wrapped her arms around Eddie and kissed him. “Let’s do it. Let’s get married today.” She giggled almost like a teenager with a crush. “I think this is probably the happiest day of my life!”

        It didn’t take long for Eddie and Christa to go to the Justice of the Peace and sign the papers that legally bound them in matrimony. After a lovely dinner of inexpensive tacos and beer, Christa brought Eddie up to her dorm room where they were finally legally allowed to truly show each other just how much they loved each other.

PROLOGUE II

Through the shroud of blue light, Dr. Samuel Beckett could make out the tall trees that enveloped the landscape. The world was rushing past him, though, so he couldn’t quite make out much more. He found himself running. He wanted to stop but, at the same time, it was as if something kept him moving onward, refusing to let him stop. Through his trek, he evaded a few protruding branches, although some of them had managed to whip him across the face, causing him to wince. For a brief moment he could’ve sworn that he heard someone from somewhere behind him let out a slight yelp. He quickly turned his head to see who it was that was following him, but he could only see a blurred figure running a couple steps behind. He brought himself to a halt, stopping in mid stride. Hunched over, he took a moment to catch his breath. After another minute or so, the rest of the quantum energy dissipated, clearing his vision and gaining him a much better view of his surroundings.

The sun was just beginning to rise as thin wisps of clouds stretched across the sky like fine cotton. A panorama of colors painted the dawning sky; reds, purples, oranges all beautifully intermingled. The warm breeze drifted by, giving Sam an indication that the new day would be quite a warm one. A multitude of birds chirped from the trees above, filling the woods with their gentle song.

“Hey!” someone shouted. Sam brought his head up and saw a young blond haired woman, clad in a jean jacket, white shirt, blue shorts, and white tennis shoes, standing behind him, breathing heavily as she slightly bent over. “W-what did you stop for? He could be right behind us.”

“I needed t-to catch my breath,” Sam replied as he took a couple of deep breaths, his heart still hammering in his chest. The young woman, who appeared to be no older than eighteen looked at him with widened eyes. Sam started to stand back up as something managed to catch his eye.

“Well, we can’t stop here,” she said as Sam moved toward her, his brow furrowed. She leaned back in confusion as Sam closely examined her, gently tilting her head. The left side of her face was slightly swollen and she had a black eye. Sam’s blood ran cold as his gaze wandered downward; her shirtsleeves were torn, revealing several cut marks with blood crusted on the edges. There were also several bruises in the shape of thumbprints on either forearm.

“Aw, gawd,” Sam breathed as the sight horrified him. The girl quickly pulled away from him.

“What the hell are you doing, huh? We have to get out of here now!” She turned around just as the faint sound of an engine emanated from somewhere nearby, abruptly stopping her in her tracks. Shaking her head she exclaimed, “Ah, no! No, no, no!” She then turned around and bolted forward, leaving Sam to catch up to her.

“Hey,” Sam shouted as he ran after her. He managed to catch up with the girl as they continued to dodge and weave through the woods.

“We keep heading this way and it should lead us back to the bridge... I think,” the girl said as she quickly glanced over at Sam. About ten minutes later the trees and shrubs gave way to a small dirt path. Both Sam and the girl looked about in both directions, trying to figure out which direction to take. Sam looked over at the girl and saw the despair, pain, and fear in her blue eyes.

“Don’t worry,” Sam said as he smiled at her, “I’ll make sure that you get to safety.”

“You damn well better,” she said with a tinge of anger in her tone, “after all it was you who nabbed me off the street.” Sam held his gaze on her, obviously in shock by what she said.

“Oh boy,” he said.

PART ONE

Morristown , Tennessee

August 28, 1983

It took Sam a moment to recover from that one. When the girl simply stared at him, Sam quickly adverted his gaze to the path that lay ahead. He didn’t know how to handle this, yet he knew what he was there to do. Somehow he had to get her to safety. The girl, after a moment of uncomfortable silence, continued on leaving the scientist in a momentary state of shock. Sam snapped himself out of it and caught up to her. They followed the path for some time, neither one of them saying much. The sun continued to rise, the dark blue of the sky giving way to a lighter blue. The heat, too, began to manifest itself through strong breezes that rustled through the woods. The path they followed took a few turns and soon was leading them up a slight hill. The girl pulled off her jean jacket and slung it over her shoulder.

“Damn, it’s getting hot,” she said. Sam looked over at her as she stumbled a couple times, her knees buckling. Sam went to help her but she jumped a bit and moved to the side. “Don’t bother.  I’m fine.” When Sam started to protest she said, “Please. Just... don’t touch me, okay?”

“Okay,” Sam replied with a heavy heart. He wanted desperately to help this girl, but she refused. She was looking away from him, at the hill as they continued onward.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked after a couple minutes of silence as she continued to hike up the hill. “Why kidnap me only to help me escape?” Sam thought for a moment as to how to respond to the inquiry.

“Ah, well, let’s just say that I’m not whom you think I am.” He smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

“Oh, really?” The girl stopped and turned around, facing Sam, a single brow arched. “Then just who the hell are you?” Sam hedged on the question for a beat and when it was apparent to her that she wouldn’t get a response, she continued on. Sam could tell that the girl had gone at least a couple days without food or water, there were bags under her eyes and she had a hard time keeping a steady pace. Sam, too, could feel the pains of hunger and thirst. His body ached more with each step taken.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get back to where you belong.” When she only looked at him, he grinned and added, “Why else would I be here?” She tried to hide her smile, but with only little success. Sam’s grin broke out into a smile and then, after a moment, so did hers. The mood began to alleviate, but unfortunately the heat did not, as the morning progressed.

The heat had gotten to him as well and he took off the green and white flannel shirt that he wore, his white undershirt spotted with sweat stains and dirt. The majority of their treks was made in silence, the only sounds that could be heard were the myriad of chirping birds, the rustle of leaves, the snapping of dried twigs, and the soft crunch of earth beneath their feet. After a couple minutes, they reached the top of the hill.

“Hopefully the bridge is over there,” she said, breaking the spell of silence. She wiped at the beads of sweat from her forehead, smearing a bit of dirt across in the process. “I don’t know how much further I can go on.” Fatigue weighed heavily on her, as it did with Sam. Both silently prayed that the bridge was nearby.

“Let’s keep moving,” Sam said. He didn’t want to take any chances that whomever they were running from would catch up. He had no idea how long and how far this girl and whomever he had Leaped into had been running. However long and far it may have been Sam was definitely feeling the end result. The girl started to stumble a bit more frequently, nearly falling over a couple times. Each time that Sam would try to help her she would push him away, insisting that she was fine. Sam had to get her to somewhere safe, just long enough for him to figure out how to get her back to her home. After the path, they continued to follow the curve around a slope, the girl moved over to the tallest tree she could find and leaned against it, letting out a breath of relief.

“I need to rest,” she said as she relaxed, letting her body slide to the ground. She looked up at Sam with bleary eyes. She was barely able to keep them open. Her vision blurred she started to see double. Sam looked around for a moment.

“All right. You rest here while I keep an eye out.” Sam waited for a response, but got none. He looked over at her and saw that she was already asleep. Sam narrowed his eyes as he walked over to her, crouching down to get a better view of her injuries. There were several bruises on her arms, the ones that Sam seen just after he’d Leaped in, and there were more on the back of her neck as well, all in the shape of a large thumb print. The left side of her face was a bit swollen and she had a black eye. Sam sighed.

“What happened to you?” he whispered.

“She was tortured, Sam,” came an unexpected reply. Sam jumped at the voice and turned his head, finding Al standing a couple feet behind him, his gaze fixated on the girl. Sam stood up as Al, dressed in a silver jacket, a dark red button up shirt, black pants, and shoes, started to read off the data from the handlink. “We don’t have much information regarding the kidnapping, but Ziggy was able to find some missing persons report for one Jessica Alcott, age sixteen. It says that she went missing on August 26, 1983. About two months later, a couple hiking through this area found her body lying in a shallow grave, about a mile or so from where you’re at.” Al lowered his eyes as he finished reading the data. “The killers were never caught and the case remained unsolved, but you got two days before that happens.”

Al looked over at Jessica as he spoke to Sam. The very sight of the young woman had made the Admiral’s eyes water. Jessica Alcott’s kidnapping reminded him of Christa’s kidnapping eleven years earlier. Although the memories of that alternate time line were a bit hazy, the intense, heart wrenching pain that he’d experienced as his youngest daughter’s life was effectively ruined by the Evil Leapers was fresh. The file pertaining to that Leap was sealed in a personal file cabinet in the Admiral’s office, among other selected files detailing Leaps that closely affected him and his family.

A couple of beeps from the handlink pulled Al from his painful repose as he looked back up and covertly wiped his watery eyes. “Ah, anyway, it’s the twenty-eight of August and you are Jeffrey Conway, age twenty-six. You are somewhere in the woods of Morristown , Tennessee .” Shrugging Al then added, “That’s pretty much all we have at the time, Sam. We’re not having much luck in the Waiting Room, either. This guy can’t remember much but he’s awfully concerned for Jessica.”

“What are the odds that Jeff Conway was the killer? For all we know he could’ve lead her out here and killed her himself.” Before Sam could finish his sentence, the hologram was already shaking his head, dismissing the notion.

“We’ve already run that possibility and Ziggy only gives it twelve percent. For one thing, this guy is far too concerned about this girl’s well being and, for another, he can’t remember much but what little he can he’s willing to divulge. In fact there’s not much on this guy at all. Ziggy ran a background check on him and nothing showed up. This guy’s very clean. No, Sam, someone else killed her, but we can’t figure it out and the only person who can, has his brains all magnafoozled.” Al lowered the link as he went over to Jessica, looking on as a protective, concerned father would. Smiling warmly at her he said, “Don’t you worry, sweetheart. Sam and I will get you far away from this place... I swear it.” The only response that Al got was a soft moan of discomfort as Jessica shifted in her sleep. Looking back over at the Leaper he said, “No matter what, Sam, you have to get her out of here, okay?”

“I will,” Sam said as he noted the edginess in his friend’s tone. “Jessica mentioned something about a bridge,” he went on. “She said that it was somewhere close to here and that it should lead us back into town.” Al keyed in the inquiry and after a brief series of chirps and beeps he looked back up and nodded.

“Yeah, Ziggy says that there’s a small bridge about 9.6 miles from here. She says that if you can get to it then you’re odds of success are about 98 percent, however,” Al was a bit hesitant for a moment to rely the rest of the calculated data, “she gives you the odds of actually making it to the bridge before being caught only 8.2 percent. No,” Al frowned as he slapped the side of the link, clearly confused by the sudden change of projection. “6.2 percent... ah, 4.7... 1.4... ah geez!” Al’s eyes widened in horror, as he started to frantically wave his arms towards Jessica. “Sam, run! Get her out of here quick!” Just as Sam was about to wake her up a distinct sound of an engine’s rumble broke through the silence. Both Leaper and hologram looked up and saw the front end of a truck coming around the corner. Sam raced over to Jessica and pulled her up, earning a protest in the process.

“Hey! What are you doin’?” Sam already started to lead her by the hand. Jessica pleaded as she tried to pull away from Sam’s grasp. “Hey! Let me go! Where are you taking me?”

“We have to get out of here now,” Sam quickly said as he led her through the trees, ducking and dodging protruding branches. Jessica was still a bit confused, and sleep dazed, until she turned her head, the mere sight making her blood run cold.

“Please, God, no!” She frantically cried. “How did he find us?”

“Hurry! This way!” Sam sharply turned to his left, dragging Jessica with him practically through the trees, taking them off the main path. Her legs started to go out under her, as she was unable to keep up with Sam. She protested as she stumbled a bit. At one point, she fell to the ground. Sam hurriedly picked her up and they continued their frantic run through the woods. Behind them they could still hear the rumble of the engine; however, with each passing moment the sound grew louder. Sam stole a glance over his shoulder and he could see the truck barreling after them, flattening shrubs to the ground, and sending up heavy dust clouds. Sam spotted a turn off to his right and he led Jessica, seeing the truck make an unexpected turn out of the corner of his eye. Jessica kept her gaze straight ahead as did Sam, the blurred vision of the trees rushed by them. A minute later they reached an opening and Sam and Jessica bolted through it, only to see the white pickup truck skid into view, cutting off their path as its back end fish-tailed, sending up a huge cloud of dirt and dust. Sam quickly pulled Jessica in the opposite direction and managed a running start before they heard the truck’s door fling open and the unmistakable sound of a shotgun being pumped. Both Sam and Jessica stopped in their tracks. Sam glanced over at Jessica and could clearly see the terror in her eyes, as she fixated her gaze at the trees ahead.

“Make one more step and I’ll kill you where you stand.” The tone was cold, yet strong, and commanding. “Put your hands up where I can see ‘em.” Both Sam and Jessica did as they were told. “Slowly turn around.” They turned around slowly and faced their captor. The man was tall; broad shouldered, and had a thick brown beard with a head of wavy hair of same color. His eyes were dark and narrowed, the shotgun aimed steadily at them. “Keep your hands up and move to the truck.” Sam hesitated for a moment then the gunman raised his weapon. “I said move it. Now.”

Al blinked into view, appearing next to their captor. “Better do what this nozzle says, Sam. I don’t like the look in his eyes. Whatever you do, be careful.”

“Come on,” he said, “move it. Get your asses over to the truck.” Sam and Jessica started towards the truck, the gunman glaring viciously at Jessica as she passed. Just before she was out of arm’s reach the gunman shifted his shoulder, bumping her to a stop. She didn’t meet his gaze as he spoke to her. “When we get back I’m going to teach you a valuable lesson that you won’t soon forget.” He chuckled as Jessica started to cry. “Get going,” he said as he roughly pushed her along. Sam glared at him.

“Leave her alone!” he took a couple steps forward but the gunman turned and aimed the barrel of the shotgun straight at his chest, quickly bring Sam to a halt.

“Better watch that mouth of yours, Jeff,” he spat. Sam remained silent as he continued on toward the truck. The gunman stayed close to Sam, guiding them back over to the truck, the barrel of the shotgun kept pressed against Sam’s back.  When they made their way over to the truck Sam could see a small white camper shell affixed to the truck’s bed. The gunman moved past Sam and over to Jessica, all the while keeping his weapon raised. “Now,” he said when he and Jessica were standing near the tailgate, “climb in the back and lay down.” Jessica started to shake her head as tears spilling down her cheeks.

“No,” she cried out. “I can’t go back. Please don’t take me back!” She looked up at Sam with watery eyes, a sudden flash of fury washing over her youthful face. “You said you’d take me home... liar! You lied, you son of a bitch!” The gunman laughed as Sam’s heart cried out for her, standing helplessly by as she was shoved into the back of the truck. When Jessica was lying down the gunman, then gave her further instructions.

“Good. Now pull the tarp over your body.” He watched as Jessica shakily pulled the thin, blue tarp up to her neck. “All the way,” the gunman spat. He grinned as she pulled the tarp over her head, her outlined form quivering. Chuckling, he turned around and faced the time traveler. “Ahh,” he said after a moment with a thoughtful expression affixed to his rugged features, “now what am I to do with you?” It didn’t take a psychic to know that this man was psychotic, so Sam had to carefully choose his words. His best bet was the voice of reason... he hoped.

“I-I just was trying to do the right thing. There’s no way we’re going to get away with this, so why not just let her go and turn ourselves in?” Sam frowned as the words left his mouth, but immediately took a half step back when the gunman tensed his grip on the shotgun, his eyes widening with fury.

“I don’t believe I heard you correctly there. What did you just say?”

“I just think that…” The gunman quickly cut him off as he lowered the weapon slightly and jabbed a thick finger at him.

“That’s your problem. You’re thinking. Telling me what’s fair and what isn’t is an insult, Jeff.” His eyes shifted to the shotgun he held, the corner of his mouth slightly curled. “It may take a friend to stab you in the back, but I guess it takes someone a bit closer to stab you right in the front.” Looking back up at Sam he said flatly, “Get in the back. Seeing as how you two are so damned close now I think it’s only fitting.” When Sam hesitated he quickly raised the shotgun. “I said get your ass back there now.”

Sam nodded and started towards the truck, hands raised. The gunman grumbled something as Sam moved past him, but what Sam didn’t see in time was the sudden shift of the gunman’s body. Sam looked over his shoulder just as the gunman raised the shotgun to shoulder level, swiftly bringing it in a downward arc, taking Sam’s legs out from under him. As Sam fell to the ground on his knees, hard, and as he was slouched over he looked up and over just in time to see the stock of the shotgun coming down on him rather quickly. Sam managed a brief yelp before he felt the blow right on his forehead, and at that moment everything went black. The only sensation that Sam Beckett felt at that moment was the sensation of movement, sliding more like it, against rough ground, moaning softly in pain as several small rocks raked across his back.

Seeing Sam being dragged and then tossed into the back of the truck, Al sighed helplessly. “You hang in there, kid. I’m going to go back and see what Ziggy can dig up.” He keyed in the code for the Imaging Chamber door, a sheet of white light appearing behind him. As Al stepped through he held his gaze on Sam. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Al hesitated for a moment and looked over at Jessica, his heart full of sorrow and sympathy for her. After a moment longer, Al closed the door.

Through the fog in his mind he could hear the voice of the girl, Jessica, calling out to him. He thought he could see her face, but the form before him was nearly obscured by the fog. The image appeared to be reaching out to him, its voice faint but pleading, and as Sam tried to move towards it, reaching out, the image became more distorted until the point where it appeared to be shimmering and stretching. Then without warning the image started to distort, taking on an entirely new appearance. “No! I won’t leave you!” he cried out to her, however the image shimmered, then rippled, and then broke apart to become one with the fog. Just as despair washed over him, the fog then seemed to swirl around him, carrying him away to some unknown destination.

The rusty hinges of the tailgate squeaked loudly. Two strong arms reached inside the cab, grabbed the time traveler by his ankles, roughly pulling him down until the cool metal floor beneath him disappeared. His eyes flashed open as he solidly landed on his back. The person, who had pulled him out stepped around him,  pulled out another figure, throwing them just as roughly to the ground.

“Get up,” he said thickly to Sam as he reached down and grabbed the other person by the hair. Sam tried to stand but the simple task proved to be quite a difficult one. His legs weren’t willing to cooperate with him, but he gritted his teeth and used what physical strength he had and pushed himself upright. Sam blinked a couple times, his vision still a bit blurred and fuzzy. Sam took a couple wobbly steps as the gunman continued to pull Jessica by her hair, leading her to the front door of a small, rustic cabin.

“L-let her go,” Sam said as he focused his sight on the husky man. The man didn’t look over his shoulder, ignoring Sam’s words. Jessica continued to protest, she tried to pull herself from his vise like grip, but he only grunted and tightened his grip. With one free hand, he shoved open the door and threw her inside.

“Hurry your ass up, Jeff,” he called out to Sam as he stepped inside the cabin. Sam followed the man inside and found himself standing in a decent sized room, a single window situated to Sam’s left. Sam noticed that there was a rather old looking pair of deer antlers proudly displayed above the old scorched stone fireplace directly across on the other side of the room. The air had a musty taste to it, giving Sam the impression that the cabin had not been occupied for some time; however, the crushed empty beer cans and other miscellaneous trash told him otherwise.

“Please let me go!” Jessica hollered from somewhere in the next room. Sam grimaced as he jerked his head toward the direction of her voice, the once dull ache at the back of his head now having become a throbbing headache. Sam turned to his left and jogged into the next room where their captor was pulling her by her hair, yelling at her to be quiet. Sam went up to him, but the older man turned around and glared at him, giving Sam a silent warning to stay back.

“Come on. You don’t have to do this,” Sam pleaded with the man as he continued to pull Jessica. “She doesn’t deserve this.”

“Shut up, Jeff!” he barked as he stopped to talk to Sam. Jessica had pulled a bit too roughly for the other man’s liking, jerking his arm in the process. He raised his one free hand and slapped her across the face.

“You bastard!” Sam started toward him, but the other man was quicker. Just as Sam came up on him the muscular man shot out one thick arm and shoved Sam back. As Sam tumbled to the floor and landed on his back, the man quickly led Jessica over to a small offshoot of the room, swinging open a small wooden door. Jessica’s gaze fell onto the minuscule closet, her eyes going wide as her body began to tremble.

“Please don’t put me back in there,” she pleaded with the man. “I promise I won’t try to run again.”

“You’re damn right on that one, girlie,” he replied. “You’re lucky that I didn’t just kill you back in the woods, because it’d be quite a long time before anybody found you... or rather what would be left of you.” He grinned wickedly as he shoved her in the closet. He laughed as Jessica crumpled her body against the nearest corner, sobbing loudly. “You best knock it off with that damn crying of yours. Otherwise I’ll really give you something to cry about.” When her sobbing was reduced to only soft whimpering, he chuckled as he slammed the door shut when Sam came around the corner.

“You can’t keep her locked up in there,” Sam said.

“Oh yeah?” The burly man then took a step towards Sam. “Why the hell not? The little bitch tried running away so maybe another day in there will straighten her out.”

“Or send her over the edge,” Sam retorted.

“She wouldn’t be the only one,” he added. Sam glared at him and then started toward the door.

“I have to let her out,” Sam said as he started to reach for the doorknob, but was abruptly stopped when he heard the soft click behind him. He slowly turned around and saw the man aiming a silver revolver at Sam’s head.

“If I were you, I’d step away from the door. Don’t think that I won’t hesitate to paint your brains on these walls, either.” Sam raised his hands and slowly stepped to the side, leaving enough space between himself and the door to reassure the other man.

“Good,” the burly man said as he tipped his head. “Now don’t go doing any more foolish tricks or you’ll be joining her in there, got me?”

“Yeah, I got you all right,” Sam he scowled at him.

“Can’t figure out what the hell’s gotten into you, Jeff, but I ain’t about to waste anytime trying to figure it out.” He gave Sam a curious look before heading back into the main room. Sam sighed heavily once he was out of sight, headed back towards the closet when he heard the hydraulic sound of the Imaging Chamber door open and close. Sam didn’t bother to turn around.

“We need to talk, Sam,” Al said solemnly.

PART TWO

Silence followed for what seemed like an eternity before the electronic chirping of the handlink broke the spell. Al glanced down and read the information scrolling across the screen. He then looked up at Sam; the time traveler’s back still facing him. “How’s the girl?”

“She’s okay for the time being,” Sam said with sadness heavy in his tone.

Al glared in the direction that the gunman had gone. “I swear to God, Sam, that if that son of a bitch ever lays another hand on her I will Leap my ass back here and kill him. Damn piece of…” Sam turned his head slightly at the Observer.

“Al,” he said cutting him off, “what does Ziggy have for us?” Sam turned around as Al quickly glanced at the handlink, taking a couple of quick breaths, one of Verbena Beeks’ many relaxation techniques.

“Well, as far as the details about the kidnapping are concerned, we don’t have much, however Ziggy was able to uncover some interesting information about the Conway family.” A curious eyebrow arched as Sam made his way over to Al.  “That demented piece of garbage in there,” he waved a hand toward the main room, “is Jeff’s older brother, Wallace. Unlike Jeff, this guy’s got a rap sheet that goes back to 1960. When he was twelve years old he was busted for shoplifting at a local grocery store. From there he spent the majority of his teen years in an out of jail. He never graduated high school, having dropped out his senior year in 1966, which of course was the same year that he was arrested for aggravated assault when he robbed a convenient store. Up to the point in time where you’re at, he was last arrested in 1978 for armed robbery at Morristown Credit Union.” Al tapped a button on the handlink. “Ziggy says that currently he’s on Death Row for the murder of a police officer in Los Angeles back in 2002. If it were up to me,” Al added after a beat, “there would be no wait. I’d push that bastard straight to the front of the line.” Sam sighed. Al went on. “That’s not all. It seems that committing crimes is a Conway family tradition. Their father, Robert, was sentenced for armed robbery and the murder of a bank teller in September of 1981. In July of ‘83 Robert Conway was stabbed to death by his cellmate.”

“Al, I need to get Jessica out of here, but I can’t with Wallace around.” Hesitating for a moment, Sam knew what the answer was going to be even before he asked it, but he needed to know for sure. Closing his eyes for a moment he asked the hologram, “What odds does Ziggy give that I can actually get Jessica to safety?”

“Right now less than ten percent,” Al replied after a brief consultation with the handlink.

“That doesn’t make any sense! Why would I Leap in here if the situation couldn’t be fixed?”

“It can be fixed, Sam. We just need to come up with a more effective way of going about it. I refuse to believe that whoever’s Leaping you around would send you here to watch her die.” Al punched in the code for the Imaging Chamber door, the brilliant white sheet of light opening behind him. “I’m going to go back and see if Beeks is having any luck with Jeff. Whatever you do, Sam, be careful, and don’t let Jessica out of your sight.” Sam tipped his head and Al closed the door.

Quickly looking around, Sam went over to the closet door and pressed his ear against the door. He could faintly hear Jessica crying. “It’s going to be okay,” Sam whispered to her. “I swear to God I’ll get you out of here.” Her continued sobbing was his only reply.

Wallace Conway took one last, long drag on his Marlboro before dropping the short to the floor and grinding at it with his heel. He gazed out to the wooded landscape through the cracked and dirt streaked window. He could still vividly remember the day that he’d heard the news about his father. He had gone down to the prison for one of his routine visits when he was stopped by one of the guards. The guard had told him that his father had been stabbed to death in sleep the night before. Wallace could still feel the intense rage and sorrow that flowed through him upon hearing the news. The prison officials had refused to give him any more information regarding his father’s death, but Wallace knew the truth, and it pained him greatly to know that his father’s death had been in vain. Murdered in his sleep...

“In his damn sleep,” he muttered loudly. His fists clenched, the skin on his knuckles turning white. He took a couple deep breaths and forced himself to relax. His hands slowly loosened, letting them fall to his sides, as his memories soon took him to a simpler time, to the summer of 1962.     

The sun was high and shining down mercilessly in the clear blue sky upon the vast woods. The chirping of the birds could be heard from every which direction. Other than the birds the only sound that could be heard was the soft snapping of dried twigs beneath their feet.  A middle aged balding man, clad in camouflage, stalked around a large tree with a shotgun at the ready, eyeing his target. Suddenly the multitude of birds scattered from the trees, taking flight into the air as the sound of gunfire resonated through the woods. The man’s target had run away, causing the hunter to lower his weapon in slight frustration.

“Dad! Dad, I got ‘em!” The young teen pumped his fist in the air as he held the rifle in the other. The father had looked over and smiled at his young son.

“Good shot, Wally.” Standing next to Robert Conway was Wallace’s younger brother, Jeffrey, looking on with total curiousness. “You see, son,” Robert then said to Jeffrey, “that’s how you do it. You stick close to your brother and you too will be a pro in no time.” Robert chuckled as he tousled Jeff’s curly hair.

“Think so, Daddy?” Jeffrey inquired. Robert grinned.

“I know so.”

“That’s the biggest deer I’d ever seen,” Wallace had said as he ran over to get a better view of his kill, tromping through the thick mud.  He knelt down beside the carcass; it’s sightless eyes gazing at the young man. Wallace stared back at it, the corner of his mouth slightly curling. “Gotcha,” he whispered to it, a moment later grinned just as his father, and brother came running up. Wallace turned his head to see them, still grinning. He could tell that the sight had bothered Jeffrey slightly, probably because this was the first dead creature he’d ever seen. “Got him good, Jeff,” Wallace said with a grin. “Right between the eyes.” Wallace chuckled as Jeff wrinkled his nose.

“Not funny.”

“Great kill, son,” Robert said. “Guess there’s not much more to teach you. You seem to be a natural born hunter.” Wallace stood up as Robert came over and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m very proud of you, Wally, and always will be. I love you.”

“You, too, Dad.” Robert then reached out with his arm and pulled Wallace into an embrace.

“Wallace?” The brawny man blinked and turned his head and saw his kid brother standing in the doorway, looking at him in a peculiar way.

“What the hell do you want?” ‘Jeff’ took a few steps towards him, the look on his face telling that he didn’t know exactly what to say. “You better not start on about that ‘letting her go’ bullcrap. In fact,” Wallace said as he turned to face the younger man. “You’ve been acting pretty damned weird lately and I don’t like it one bit.”

“I-I just think that this has gone way too far,” Sam said hesitantly. “She needs to go back to where she belongs.” Wallace took a couple of steps towards the physicist, jabbing a thick finger at him.

“Don’t tell me that crap! I’m doing this because I want to, okay? Because I can. If you got a problem with it then you shouldn’t have volunteered.”

“Volunteered? More like you forced me to,” Sam retorted. Although he didn’t know with a hundred percent certainty the validity of that statement, his gut instinct told him that Jeff Conway had been manipulated into this heinous act.

“You smart-mouthed son of a bitch,” Wallace spat as he closed the space between the two. This time Sam did not stand down, but he did notice the revolver that was tucked inside Wallace’s waistband. “Listen here, brother, and listen good. We’re in this together, so don’t bail out on me now or I swear to God you won’t make it past the front door.” Wallace stared down Sam for a beat and then moved over to near the fireplace.

“What are you going to do with her?” Sam asked after a moment. Wallace didn’t look back. Instead he reached up and gently touched the trophy antlers above the fireplace.

“Don’t know just yet. I might have a little fun with her, first. Though if she tries running away again, then I’ll just shoot the little bitch.” What Wallace didn’t see was Sam glaring madly at him, his fists clenched tightly. “She’ll learn pretty quick not to screw with me. And you,” he added as he slowly turned his head, briefly catching Sam’s vicious look, “if you ever try sneaking off like that again when I’m not around, then I’ll bury your ass in the woods alive.” Wallace turned around and went over to a small table and turned the knob on the small, white radio. In between faint waves of static the song ‘T.N.T’ by AC/DC played. Wallace drummed his fingers on the table, nodding his head to the beat. “Damn good tune.” Sam didn’t see it at first but, under the table on the floor, was a white Igloo cooler that Wallace pulled out. Wallace flipped the latches, opened the lid, and pulled out a can of beer. Sam looked away as he heard the snap of the can opening, and less than a moment later Wallace started drinking as he reached over and turned the volume knob all the way over to the loudest setting.

I'm dirty, mean and mighty unclean.

        I'm a wanted man.

        Public enemy number one,

        Understand?

         So lock up your daughter.

        Lock up your wife.

        Lock up your back door

        And run for your life.

        The man is back in town,

        So don't you mess around.

        Cause I'm TNT! I'm dynamite.

        TNT! And I'll win the fight.

        TNT! I'm a power load.

TNT! Watch me explode!

With her knees drawn to her chest, she slowly rocked herself against a corner of the small, dark closet. “Please help me,” she said in a tone hardly above a whisper, “Somebody please help me.” As before in the past couple days, no one responded to her plea. Not strictly true, though. The kidnapper’s accomplice, that tall, thin, curly haired man, whom she only knew as Jeff, tried to help her escape this morning. He said that he had to wait till the other man had gone into town before he could make his move. As he led her through the woods he kept apologizing to her, insisting that he wanted no part in this. Although he had been the one who had pulled her off the street, she had seen the look in his eyes that he was full of remorse. She could still hear his voice, apologizing as he grabbed her and put her in the back of the truck.

“Please let me go!” She pleaded as she tried to pull away from his grasp. The yellow Schwinn she’d been riding home  lay on the ground, its front wheel bent from the fall she’d taken when she rode over a rock.

“I-I have to,” he stammered as he forcibly pulled her towards the white Ford truck. “I swear I-I’m sorry.” The look in his eyes told her that he exactly meant just that.

“Let me go!”

Her eyes had adjusted to the dark; yet, that still didn’t shake the fear that still had an amazing hold on her. She tried to focus on other things, like the faint voices that she’d been hearing for a while. While she couldn’t quite make out what was being said she did hear, a little while ago, Jeff talking to her though the door, telling her that he would find her a way out. She believed him, but didn’t believe that it would happen.  Still  that tiny sliver of hope was all that she had at the moment so she held onto it tight. “Please get me out of here,” she said softly. “I just want to go home.”

Project Quantum Leap

August 1, 2007

The Office of Rear Adm. Albert Calavicci

‘Kidnapped Girl Found Dead’

By: Michael Hanley

Morristown Post Dispatch

‘On Sunday, October 2, the body of Jessica Alcott, sixteen, was found in the woods of Morristown , TN , in a shallow grave near a hiking trail. A couple, whose identities are being withheld by authorities, hiking in the area discovered the body at approximately nine o’clock in the morning. The body was found wrapped in a plastic sheet in the grave. She appeared to be strangled. Alcott’s parents and close family were unavailable for any comments. Currently, Morristown police have no leads and the FBI have started to conduct an investigation. Alcott’s kidnapping and subsequent murder sent shockwaves through the small, sleepy town. Details concerning her murder have yet to be released by the FBI or local police until further information has been gathered.

Alcott was last seen on the evening of August 26, when she was visiting with a friend. Her friend, identity withheld, said that Alcott left her house around 6 P.M. riding a yellow Schwinn bicycle. The bicycle was later found off to the side of Gant Road . According to Morristown police, Alcott’s mother, Regina Alcott, placed the call at 9:15 that same night, however the official report was not filed for the first twenty-four hours. The police are further baffled as there are no further leads in the investigation.

If anybody has any information regarding the case they are strongly urged to contact...

Al had set the faded newspaper clipping down on his desk after reading it for the tenth time, sighing as he removed his reading glasses, placing them next to the article. He sat there with his eyes closed and, after a long moment he opened them and massaged his temples, fighting off an impending migraine. It was quiet in the office, the only sounds being the faint rumble of the air conditioning and the creaking of his old, leather swivel chair. “Ziggy?” he called to the hybrid computer as he leaned forward.

“Yes, Admiral?” came the feminine tone.

“Any new developments regarding Sam’s Leap?”

“I’m sorry, Admiral, but I do not detect any divergence in the current timeline.” She wasted no time in informing the worried Observer. “As before, the probability of success is continually diminishing. I am quite worried that Dr. Beckett will not survive.” Al narrowed his eyes as his fingertips brushed against the article.

“Sam will be just fine. I’m sure that he can get Jessica away from this nozzle.”

“Admiral, I must tell you that Wallace Conway is quite an formidable adversary for Dr. Beckett.”

“I know but there’s got to be a way for Sam to get Jessica to safety. Is Verbena having any luck in the Waiting Room?” As Ziggy started to reply Al went over to his file cabinet and opened the top drawer.

“Dr. Beeks is having very little success with Jeff Conway,” Ziggy said as Al sifted through the seemingly countless manila folders until one labeled HARPER, KIM caught his eye. Al pulled it and flipped it open as Ziggy continued. “It seems that Mr. Conway’s memory is still a bit magnafluxed. I don’t think we’ll get any more out of him.”

“Mmm-hmm,” Al said absently as he went back to his desk and sat down, glossing over the report that detailed the Leap where Christa Calavicci had been abducted back in September of 1996 by Zoë Malvison, a.k.a. the Evil Leaper. Al’s eyes watered as he read each word, until the point where he had to put it back in its special place in the file cabinet and take a deep breath.

“Are you alright, Admiral?” Ziggy asked. Al quickly wiped his eyes and nodded.

“Oh, uh, yeah I’m fine. I just need to make a phone call.” Al picked up the sleek, slender black desktop phone and pushed the five number key that he had programmed for his speed dial. A moment later, a very familiar and pleasant voice picked up.

“Sharpe residence.”

Al smiled broadly. “Christa, honey. It’s your father.”

“Hi, Daddy! How are you doing?”

When he had found out that a Justice of the Peace had married Christa and Eddie, Al was blatantly upset. Christa, however, soothed Al’s temper by assuring him that there would still be a wedding in August for the family and that they both intended on marrying in the Catholic Church. It was a long, drawn out discussion that led to Christa proclaiming that she and Eddie were going to have a baby. That alone, the fact that he was going to be a grandfather again, helped Al to accept that his little girl wasn’t a child anymore but rather a grown woman capable of making her own decisions.

Al swallowed at Christa’s question and tipped his head. “I’m fine. I’m just calling to see how the mother-to-be is feeling.” Al chuckled as Christa let out an exasperated sigh, although Al could’ve sworn that he heard a laugh.

“Tired. My back hurts, I can’t get comfortable, and I can’t shake this intense craving for Mexican food.”

“Where’s Ed?”

“Fulfilling his husbandly duties. I sent him to Taco Bell.”

Al laughed. “Oh, my. You sound just like your mother did when she was having you.” Al sat there for a moment, smiling, before he then said, “I love you very much, Babydoll.”

“Love you too, Daddy.” There was a slight pause, and then, “Daddy?”

“Yes?”

“I’m scared. I mean I’m looking forward to being a mother and all, but what if I’m not good at it? What if I do something that…?” Al could hear Christa’s frown as he gently interrupted her.

“Oh, I think you and Ed will be terrific parents. We know how much family means to you. And to Ed too. It’s all he talks about, you know.” Al smiled as Christa giggled. “I’ll call back later so you can settle back and relax. Tell Ed I said hi.”

“Will do. Love you lots. Bye.”

“Bye.” Al was still holding the phone after Christa hung up. He set the phone back on its base as his gaze fell back onto the faded and yellowed article of Jessica Alcott’s kidnapping/murder. He slowly stood up, article in hand, and started towards the door.

As he opened the door he stopped briefly, looked at the article, and said softly, “Come on, Sam. Save her.”

Morristown , Tennessee

The sun was beginning to set as it gave off a dark red-orange color, outlining the few thin clouds that were present in the sky. Sam stood on the small porch of the cabin, trying to come up with an effective plan of escape. He spent the majority of the day sticking close to Wallace and was quite surprised that Wallace didn’t try anything with Jessica.

The hefty man had spent the majority of the day listening to the radio and drinking beer. Currently, he was quite intoxicated, his slurred voice being heard from inside the cabin over the radio. As for Sam, he was rather angered and frustrated that he couldn’t get anywhere near the closet that Jessica was locked in without brooking threats from Wallace. Sam didn’t dare stray far, noting that Wallace was watching him out of the corner of his eye. He would just sit by the table, shuffling through radio stations, and stopping every once in a while when a song that he liked would come on, and when one beer was finished he would crack open another. Time was running very short; Sam now had about one day left before Jessica’s murder was to occur. No matter what he would see to it that she wouldn’t meet that terrible fate.

A sheet of white light appeared in front of the dirt-caked Ford, the scientist only shot a glance over at it. “Hey, Sam.” The hologram sounded quite somber as he approached his friend. The handlink softly chirped in his hand. “Any luck?”

“No,” Sam replied with a shake of his head, “I couldn’t get anywhere near the closet without that pathetic drunkard threatening to kill me.” Sam sighed as he turned around. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’ve run through a million possibilities and all of them would only get me a bullet in my head. The only possible method of escape would be to wait until he’s asleep.” Sam looked over his shoulder. “And judging by his current condition it looks as if I might not have to wait much longer.” Al nodded as he looked inside the cabin and watched Wallace’s head bob up and down, apparently trying to fight off his alcohol induced tiredness.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if that son of a bitch ever lays another hand on Christa again then I’ll be the one who puts him in the ground.”

“Christa?” Sam frowned.

“Oh, uh,” Al slightly flustered as he quickly shook his head. “I mean Jessica.” Before Sam could question his flub, Al redirected the conversation. “I checked with Ziggy and she’s saying that nothing’s changed. Although we know when her body is found we don’t know when she was killed. For all we know she would’ve been dead by now, but as long as you’re here there is a chance, Sam.”

“It just feels like I can’t do a damned thing here, you know. I can’t recall feeling ever so powerless. It sickens me to no end to see this man torturing this girl.”

“You’re being nice about it.” Al sneered as his gaze caught the intoxicated Wallace in the cabin. “I wouldn’t be calling him a man. For one, a real man would never raise a hand to a woman, let alone kidnap her and lock her in a dark room.”

“I know, Al. I just mean that…” Before Sam could finish his sentence they both heard a loud scream coming from inside the cabin. Sam turned around and bolted through the front door as Al frantically tapped at the handlink’s keypad.

“Dominic! Center me on Jessica. Now!” Al’s image blinked out of view and reappeared in the bedroom just as Sam came running onto the scene.

“Please! No!” Jessica sprinted as soon as the closet door opened. Two strong arms reached inside for her, but she managed to duck them and run towards the doorway. She only managed a couple running steps before she felt herself being dragged back by her hair. She let out a piercing scream as she was violently thrown to the floor. He lumbered over her, staggering a bit as the unmistakable, sickening stench of alcohol came off of him in thick waves.

“It’s all your fault, you little whelp,” he slurred as he reached down and tried to grab her.

She managed to scramble away momentarily, her nails scratching against the wood flooring. “Somebody! Please help!” She started crying. “Jeff! Please help me,” she had said in between sobs, calling out to the only person who could help her.

Wallace brought his hand across her face just as Sam Beckett came running into the room. Al appeared at the same moment, materializing next to Wallace.

“Jessica!” Sam called out as he ran toward her.

Wallace whipped his head around and furrowed his brow at the young man running towards him. “What the hell?” he asked as he saw Jeff’s face, seemingly superimposed over another face. “There’s two of you?” he grumbled as Sam had grabbed hold of his shoulders. However the drunken man was a bit quicker and was able to shove Sam away. He then took two steps forward and swung a fist at Sam’s face, but Sam managed to evade the attack. Sam then got into a defensive stance, positioning his weight to his right leg, timing his attack. Just as Wallace stepped into range Sam pivoted on his heel while his left leg arched out, his foot connecting with the side of Wallace’s head. Wallace staggered back, dazed by the attack.

“ Jessica! Quick! Run!” Al waved frantically to Jessica, although she couldn’t hear or see him. She watched for a moment the struggle between the two men before her gaze fell onto the doorway. She scrambled to her feet and started running. Sam caught sight of her in his peripheral vision.

“Jessica! Get out of here!”

Wallace too saw her run and quickly turned back just as Sam was about to place another kick. However, this time Wallace managed to catch Sam’s foot and twisted it, shoving Sam to the ground. He then placed three swift kicks to Sam’s ribs for good measure. As Sam lay there on the ground, coughing and wincing in pain, Wallace ran after Jessica. Al knelt beside Sam.

“Come on, Sam. You gotta get up! That piece of garbage is going after her... c’mon, Sam, get up!” Al’s only reply was Sam’s agonized coughs. After a moment Sam struggled to stand and, after another moment he managed to stagger to his feet.

“G-go after Jessica,” Sam coughed as he tried to gather his bearings. Al nodded and pushed a button on the handlink. His image disappeared.

When Al reappeared he was standing next to Jessica as she stood there just out front of the cabin, looking around for a direction to take. “Don’t stop now, sweetheart,” Al pleaded. “Keep running and don’t stop, you hear me? Don’t stop for anything.” Jessica continued to look around and arbitrarily picked a direction. However, just as she took a running start, she felt something strong pull her back. Her gaze met with that of a drunken Wallace Conway as he stood over her, staggering a bit as he narrowed his dark brown eyes at her.

“Going somewhere, princess?” he groused. She shook her head. “Oh, I don’t think you’re really being honest with me, now. R-remember what I said earlier about taking off on me like that?” Wallace suppressed a belch. “Guess I’m gonna have to teach you another lesson.” He quickly looked around, just to make sure that no one else was around. Not that he had anything to worry about, this cabin was so far removed from town that barely anybody even knew of these parts of the woods. Gritting his teeth, he brought up his hand and brought it down hard across her face. He chuckled as she fell to the ground, moving over so that he was standing above her, watching her for a moment as she tried to scramble away. He studied her for a beat before kicking her twice in the ribs. Her garbled cries for help went unheard to everyone, but Wallace and he only laughed . He grabbed her by the hair and pulled her head up, landing a solid punch to her nose. As Jessica lay crumpled on the ground, Wallace brought up his hand, and used the corner of his T-shirt to wipe away some of her blood. “It’s all your fault,” he said to her as he cleaned his hand. “And now you’re going to pay for it.”

Al’s body trembled as he stood by, watching helplessly as Jessica Alcott was brutally beaten. Al’s eyes widened in horror as Jessica screamed as she tried to crawl away. “Aw, gawd,” he muttered. The handlink dropped from his hand, vanishing as soon as it left his hand. Al’s hands then balled into fists as Wallace grabbed her hair, pulled her head back, and slapped her across the face repeatedly.

Something overcame the hologram. His hands suddenly relaxed, his brow furrowed for a moment, and then his eyes started to water. “Christa,” Al said softly as he fell to his knees, breaking down completely. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he watched Jessica laying on the ground, barely moving, moaning softly in pain. “Christa! Oh, God, I’m so sorry! I’m sorry... please, let her go. I’m so sorry, Babydoll, please forgive me! This can’t be happening!”

Suddenly, just as Sam had staggered out onto the patio, the Imaging Chamber door appeared behind Al and, for a brief moment, two figures blinked into existence as they pulled the broken Admiral to his feet. Both figures were female, one African American and the other a medium-built brunette wearing a naval uniform. They quickly brought him to his feet and escorted him through the illuminated sheet of light.

“Al!” Sam called out just as the door closed. Wallace looked over and saw Sam leaning against the banister, walking down the short set of steps. What Sam saw made his blood run cold, made him stop in his tracks, ignoring the intense pain he felt as his hand slid away from his bruised sides.

“J-Jessica,” Sam breathed as he started towards the girl after a long moment. “Oh, no.” As he made his way over, Wallace looked on at Sam with a smirk.

“I think I made my point,” he said as he hefted the unconscious Jessica up, draping an arm around his shoulders. “Perhaps now she won’t even think of trying to run.” Wallace then moved Jessica back into the cabin. “And let that,” Wallace added as he glanced at Sam’s ribs, “be a warning to you. I hope you think twice about trying to play the hero, otherwise I won’t be so nice next time.”

Sam glared at the man as he went inside, dragging Jessica with him. Sam stared at the area where Al had been a couple minutes before, wondering just what happened to his friend. Another moment later Sam turned around and went back inside.

“Sleep tight, princess,” Wallace said with a chuckle as he shoved the still unconscious Jessica back in the closet. As he closed the door, he turned around and saw Sam standing in the doorway.

“You can’t keep her locked in there forever,” Sam said. “By now people probably know that she’s missing.” Wallace looked cross.

“Don’t worry, Jeff, she won’t be in there much longer. I’m through playing this little game. When I’m good and rested, I’m going to finish this once and for all.” He looked at his watch and then started towards the living room. “Oh, one more thing,” Wallace said as he stopped in the doorway, turning his head. “If I catch you even near that closet tonight, dear brother, I’ll blow your damn brains out.” Sam was by now used to this man’s death threats, but he dare didn’t take the man lightly. Sam knew pretty well that Wallace Conway was more than fully capable of carrying out his threats. Wallace waved a hand for Sam to follow and, after a moment, Sam reluctantly followed the burly man into the living room.

Three hours passed before Wallace was just about asleep. Sam had listened to him ramble on about their father, mostly, and about all the hunting trips that they had taken during his childhood. Sam also learned from Wallace that the cabin they were in had been built by Robert Conway before Wallace was born. Sam found himself nodding off, too, but he struggled to stay awake. After about a couple minutes of silence Sam looked over at Wallace and saw him asleep, snoring softly. Sam was about to stand up when he saw the Imaging Chamber door open next to Wallace. A tall, brunette woman clad in a naval uniform stepped through the image and keyed in a command on the handlink, the door closing a moment later.

“Dr. Beckett,” she said as Sam stood up. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Sam whispered as he looked over at Wallace, double-checking that he was indeed asleep. After listening to the man snore, Sam tipped his head towards the adjoining room. When they stepped inside Sam turned around and was actually able to remember the face of the stand-in Observer. “Julianna?”

The woman smiled. “Glad that you remember me,” Captain Julianna Sherman-Calavicci, USN, said. “I got here as soon as I could. Unfortunately, Dad’s not doing too well; Verbena and Aurora are keeping a close eye on him for the night and have him hooked up to some monitors.”

“Is he okay?” Sam asked.

“He’s resting at the moment,” Julianna said. “Verbena said that Jessica’s kidnapping and his witnessing her beating must have triggered some suppressed emotions that stem from Christa’s kidnapping back in ‘96. Verbena says that somewhere in his mind he must have subconsciously associated Jessica’s situation with Christa’s and his witnessing her beating was the breaking point. We were monitoring him in the Imaging Chamber when he had his breakdown, so I issued the order to have him removed.” Julianna held up the handlink. “Don’t worry, though. I’ll help you through this.” Sam nodded.

“I didn’t get to her in time,” Sam said as he glanced over at the closet. “Wallace got to me before I could do anything. It’s all my fault, Julianna. If I had gotten to her just a moment sooner then she’d probably be safe by now.” Sam then started towards the closet.

“What are you doing?” Julianna asked as she followed the Leaper.

“I’m getting Jessica the hell out of here. Now that Wallace is asleep all I have to do is sneak her out the door.” Julianna was tapping at the handlink’s keypad just as Sam had started to turn the doorknob.

“I wouldn’t do that, Sam,” Julianna said after a moment of chirps and beeps produced by the handlink. “Ziggy says that if you attempt to escape the odds of both you and Jessica getting killed are 99.3 percent.” Lowering the link she said reluctantly, “I know you don’t want to hear this, but you’re going to have to wait. Now’s not a good time.”

“But he’s asleep,” Sam harshly whispered as he turned from the closet and over to the hologram. “This is the perfect time. If not now when?”

“I-I don’t know,” Julianna stammered. “I’m just giving you the odds. Maybe,” she added as she keyed in an inquiry on the handlink, “if you are able to get that drunken nozzle to go into town, then maybe that would buy you enough time to get her out.” After a brief moment of reading the data she looked back up and smiled. “Ziggy agrees, Sam. She says that if you can get him to go into town then you have a better chance of success.”

“That’s great,” Sam retorted as he took a deep breath, and then letting it out slowly. “I don’t think that Wallace will believe me if I told him the sky is blue. Every chance I got I tried to get Jessica out of here and every damn time he’s stopped me.” Sighing he turned to Julianna. “I’m all out of ideas and patience here. I’ve been here for almost a day and I haven’t been able to accomplish squat. I need to get her out of here and soon.”

“And I agree, Sam, but now’s not the time. If you try to go out that door then Wallace will kill the both of you before you can even step foot outside.”

“Well, at the very least I need to stay awake through the night, keep an eye on her.” Julianna nodded as she pushed a couple of multi colored buttons on the handlink.

“Actually, Ziggy says that she’s safe for the night, as long as you don’t try any escape attempts. Besides, you need your rest, Sam. Tomorrow you find a way to get Wallace into town and that’s when you make your move.” Sam nodded. Julianna opened the Imaging Chamber door. As she stood in the illuminated light of the door she said, “Be careful, Sam.” Sam smiled in return and the door closed.

“Oh, boy,” Sam muttered. He fought the incredible, strong driving urge to grab Jessica and run, but remembering what Julianna said about his minimal chance of success, he instead sighed and went into the living room. He moved around the room a bit, being very careful not to wake Wallace and, after a few moments of searching the room, he came across a waded bundle of blankets stuffed into a corner near the fireplace. Taking the dirty cream colored blanket he went back over to the chair that he’d been sitting in earlier and sat down, pulling the blanket up to his chin. He wanted nothing more than to be in the other room, but if Wallace woke up in the morning and caught him in there then... well, Sam didn’t really want to think about it. He closed his eyes and forced himself to relax. Less than two minutes later, he was asleep.

PART THREE

Once again he found himself surrounded by the thick fog.  He could sense that he wasn’t alone yet everywhere he looked he was met with the fog filled void. In this place he felt no pain, well physically anyway, yet the ever present, ever strong feeling of guilt weighed upon him.  He wanted to scream, wanted to throttle the man who was responsible for this impossible situation, but he felt powerless to do so.

“Help me.” The soft, feminine voice floated from seemingly out of nowhere. Sam turned his head, looking over his shoulder.

“Jessica? Where are you? I can’t see you.”

“Why are you letting this happen? I’m going to die and it’ll all be your fault.”

“What? No. I’m here to help you.”

“And that’s why that man nearly beaten me to death? You were there and you did NOTHING!”

“Jessica, I’m so sorry. Believe me I will get you to safety.” As Sam continued to look around in the void, an image started to emanate in front of him. Within moments the blurred apparition of a blond haired woman stood... floated, more like it, and appeared to be shaking her head.

“If you wait any longer it’ll be too late and we’ll be dead. You have to act NOW. You hear me? Don’t let that man kill me.”

“I won’t!” Sam called out to her. The image started to back away, and soon disappeared into the fog once more. The image separated and stretched to the point where it became one with the fog.

“I won’t leave you!” Sam yelled to the fog. Sam then felt himself being pulled back at such an incredible speed. The fog whipped by him, building up speed until everything became such a blur.

“Jeff?”

When the rushing sensation reached an apex he felt himself being pulled upward.

“Jeff! Wake up!”

Sam’s eyes flashed open and for a moment he didn’t recognize the wooly face staring down at him. After a beat, Sam slowly nodded as he sat upright.

“What the hell was that all about?” Wallace actually appeared to be concerned.

“Oh, uh, I must have had a nightmare,” Sam said.

Wallace grimaced. “Yeah well it was your damn hollerin’ in your sleep that woke me up.” Wallace looked at Sam for another moment before going over to the front door, opening it. Sunlight quickly filled the room, the pleasant chirping of birds echoing through out the woods, and a warm breeze gently washed over Sam and Wallace. “This would be a great day for some hunting, wouldn’t you think, Jeff?” Wallace asked as he stepped out onto the porch and gazed at the wooded landscape. Sam stood up and met him outside. Judging by how high the sun was, Sam guessed that it was no later than about ten o’clock.

“Ah, well, you see,” Sam stammered, “I’m not quite a good hunter so, ah, if you wouldn’t mind I think I’ll just stay here.” Wallace didn’t bother to look over at Sam when he replied.

“If you think I’m going to leave you alone here then you’re out of your mind. Besides I think that we could use the time. We haven’t gone on one of our trips in a while.”

“Well, yeah, but I’m not quite feeling up to it.” Sam offered a sheepish smile, but only earned a glare from Wallace.

“Figures,” he said after a moment. “You were never one for hunting much. Ever since we were kids you would get queasy seeing anything dead. Wimp.” Wallace then went back inside the cabin, Sam following close behind. “Well I’m going to go get ready, Jeff. I got some hunting gear for you, too.” Sam sighed. It was clear that Wallace was intent on getting Sam to come with him, to keep him as far from Jessica and in his sights.

“Okay,” Sam said as Wallace went over to the chest of drawers in the other room and pulled out the top drawer. Stripping down to his boxers, he began to change into his camouflage and boots. When he was finished dressing, he then slipped on a leather knife holster that rested on his chest. Sam walked in the room just as Wallace slipped the serrated hunting knife in the holster, grimacing at the very sight. Wallace then leaned down, pulled out the bottom drawer, looked at its contents, or rather its lack of contents.

“Son of a bitch,” Wallace spat. “I can’t believe this.”

“What is it?”

“I’m out of ammo for the shotgun,” Wallace answered as he clenched his fist in frustration. “Thought I had another box. Damn it.” He sighed heavily as he shoved the drawer closed and stood up. He moved past Sam and into the living room. “Looks like I need to make a quick stop to Ray’s.”

“Ray’s?” Sam questioned as a shimmer of hope began to manifest. This could be the moment that Sam needed.

“Uh, yeah, Jeff. Ray Parker? Runs the gun shop?” Wallace was looking at Sam as if he’d lost his mind.

“Oh, Ray’s. Yeah, right.” Wallace shook his head and muttered something as he shoved his hand in his pocket and fished around for his keys. A moment later, he pulled out a set of keys and started towards the door. He looked over his shoulder.

“What are you waiting for? Shake a leg, Jeff,” Wallace said as he then took a step through the doorway. Sam took a deep breath before trying to convince this madman to leave him behind.

“Uh, Wallace. Perhaps I should stay behind.” Before Sam could continue Wallace stopped in mid stride and turned around, glaring at Sam.

“Damn it, Jeff! I thought we went over this already. If you think that I’m going to be stupid enough to leave you alone with her-”           

“Listen,” Sam interrupted, “if we both leave then the chances of something happening while we’re gone are pretty great. For all we know somebody could come across the cabin and eventually find Jessica. If one of us stays behind, then we won’t be running that risk.” Wallace looked incredulous. “I know you don’t trust me here but you’ve... already shown me what would happen if I tried anything again and trust me, Wallace, I don’t particularly like being buried alive.” Sam offered with a smirk. Wallace actually seemed to be considering the notion.

        “Jeff, these parts of the woods are barely known by most of the people in Morristown , so the odds of somebody showing up are pretty nil.” However, there was a certain look in the man’s eyes, it were almost as if he was actually considering Sam’s notion. “Alright.” Sam blinked in surprise as Wallace nodded as he accepted Sam’s plight. “It’ll only be about a twenty minute trip anyways, and I don’t think that you’d be that stupid to try and pull anymore crazy stunts.” Wallace started towards the Ford truck. “Just stay inside while I’m gone, will ya?”

“Sure,” Sam replied. Wallace eyed him skeptically for another moment before opening the truck door and climbing in. Sam watched him as he started up the truck and backed out. Sam looked on with a smile that he could barely hold back as Wallace drove down the worn dirt path, and when he’d disappeared around a corner, Sam turned around and bolted through the doorway, through the living room to the bedroom. When Sam was standing in front of the closet he went to turn the knob however to his dismay the door was locked. “Damn,” Sam muttered. Taking a couple steps back Sam called out to Jessica. “Jessica! Get back! I’m going to kick the door in.” After a couple of strong, well placed kicks the door swung open, sending slivers of wood to the floor. Sam smiled as he took a step inside.

She had heard him call out to her, although she didn’t answer. She heard him say something about kicking the door in. She backed herself into the corner as far back as she could and, just as she squeezed her eyes shut, the sound of splintering wood filled the closet as light suddenly shot through the cramped darkness.  She kept her eyes closed as Jeff helped her to her feet, although there was something different about him. He sounded... different to her, older actually. When she cracked open an eye she saw someone else standing in front of her, smiling at her reassuringly. When both eyes were open she took a step back, confused and frightened. “W-who are you?” Sam’s eyes narrowed.

“You... can see me?” he asked. She slowly nodded. “I’m here to help you.”

“Where’s Jeff?”

Sam thought for a moment and then smiled at her reassuringly. “He’s not here right now, but he’ll be back soon.” Sam wasted no time as he started to remove the thick layers of duct tape that were bound around her wrists. She squeezed her eyes shut as the glue of the tape pulled at her skin, causing her to wince. When Sam was finished he tossed the wadded tape on the ground and helped Jessica to her feet. She looked up at him curiously.

“Who are you?”

“My name’s Sam,” the Leaper said with a smile, “and I’m here to get you out. Come on.” With those words said he led Jessica outside the cabin and down the porch steps, where he stopped briefly as he tried to ascertain a direction to take. “Damn it!”

“There,” Jessica said as she pointed directly ahead of them. Sam tipped his head and, holding her hand, started towards the woods. They ran as fast as they could, ducking and weaving past the trees that towered over them. Dried dirt crunched and twigs snapped under their feet as they ran towards their unknown destination. Without Julianna here to help guide him Sam had no telling where this bridge was supposed to be so, the only thing to do at this point was to guess. For the next ten minutes Sam led Jessica through the woods, leading her past a small hill and across a small creek. At one point Jessica tripped over a protruding rock and fell into the creek. Sam stopped and held out a hand for her.

“Are you okay?” Sam asked. Jessica nodded.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just banged up my knees a bit.” She brushed her hands against her knees, knocking off some clumps of mud that clung to them. “Let’s hurry.” Sam and Jessica continued on their path. Just past the creek the land ascended a bit and, before they could reach the top they saw the dreaded dirt caked Ford truck parked, with Wallace leaning against the truck smoking a cigarette. He grinned and flicked the cigarette as Jessica screamed. “No!” Turning to a startled Sam she asked, “How’d the hell did he find us?”

Sam glared at Wallace. “Out of ammo?” Sam asked with a raised eyebrow. Wallace smirked as he pulled out the shotgun from the truck and aimed it at Sam.

“Not now,” Wallace replied smugly.

“Don’t let him take me away, Sam,” Jessica pleaded. Wallace frowned at her words.

“I hope that this ‘Sam’ is the name of your guardian angel because,” Wallace paused as he chuckled, “you’re going to need him.” At that moment the Imaging Chamber door opened, appearing next to Jessica, and Julianna hurriedly stepped through, quickly tapping at the handlink’s keypad.

“Sam! Thank God I found you,” she said as the door closed. “Ziggy said that-” She abruptly stopped what she was saying as she caught sight of Wallace Conway. “Damn it! I thought I had enough time.” Jessica looked over at Julianna. Julianna met her gaze and asked her if she could see her. Jessica answered her with a slight tip of the head. The handlink chirped. “I know, Ziggy, but what can I do? I’m a damned hologram!”

“Get in the truck,” Wallace said calmly. Jessica started toward the truck, but Sam reached out and stopped her.

“Let her go, Jeff, and get in the truck.” After a moment Sam closed his eyes and when he opened them saw Wallace grinning. “You knew that I’d run, didn’t you,” Sam inquired, although he sounded more as if he were stating a well-known fact.

“Do you really think I’d come all the way out here without bringing enough of what I need?” Wallace shrugged his shoulders. “I was more curious to see how far you would get. After I left I parked the truck behind the trees and watched you take the whelp and run. From there I followed you. So damned predictable. Honestly, Jeff, I’m surprised that you didn’t see me.” After a brief laugh Wallace then repeated, “Now, get in the truck if you don’t prefer me to shoot you here and leave you to the wolves.” Sam and Jessica headed towards the truck defeated.

“I’m working on a way out for you,” Julianna said. “Just hang in there until we get back to the cabin.” Sam looked at her, but said nothing. As Jessica was once again placed in the back of the truck Sam was surprised that Wallace asked him to ride up in the front with him. As Jessica made her way to the back of the truck, she looked over at Julianna.

“Help,” she whispered as she climbed inside. Julianna smiled sympathetically as her eyes watered.

“I will. I swear to God, I will.”

The ride back to the cabin only took about six minutes but not a word was said. Sam noticed that the truck was outfitted with a CB radio. When they reached the cabin Wallace pulled the truck around to the side. When he stepped out, he slammed the door shut, went around, and opened the tailgate. He reached inside, grabbed Jessica tightly, dragged her out, and threw her on the ground as Sam came around the corner. He started to go over to Jessica and help her up, but Wallace called to him.

“What?” Sam asked as he turned around. Wallace propped the shotgun against the passenger side door as he withdrew the revolver from his waistband.

“Remember what I told you last time?” Wallace narrowed his eyes as he took aim.

“Hey, look,” Sam started as he was barely able to mask his nervousness, “you don’t have to do this.”

“I gave you fair warning, Jeff.” Before Sam could say any more Wallace fired off a single shot, the bullet tearing through Sam’s right shoulder. Sam clutched his shoulder as Wallace took aim once more as a thin wisp of smoke still trailed out of the barrel.

“Sam!” Julianna screamed. Sam gritted his teeth as he pressed his left hand against his shoulder, blood flowing from the wound, between his fingers, and dripped onto the dirt. “You son of a bitch!” Julianna yelled as she stepped in between Wallace and Sam. Wallace walked through her image as he kept his gun aimed at Sam, who by now was on his knees while still trying to apply pressure to his wound.

“It kills me to have to do this but you’ve left me very little choice.” Wallace curled his index finger around the trigger as Sam looked up at him with glazed eyes, his gaze locking onto the revolver. “So long, brother. Tell Dad ‘hello’ for me.” Wallace aimed the gun at Sam’s head and was about to fire when Jessica knocked him back as she threw herself into him, in turn throwing off his aim just as he pulled the trigger. The second bullet passed completely through Sam’s left side. Julianna cried out his name as Sam crumpled to the ground, a pool of blood slowly forming around him. Jessica continued to wrestle with Wallace as Julianna looked on in horror.

“Get off me, you little bitch!” Wallace brought back the revolver and slammed the handle down on Jessica’s left temple. Wallace grabbed her shoulders, shoved her back, her unconscious form falling next to Sam’s. Wallace tucked the revolver back in his waistband as he walked over to them. Sighing, he reached down; grabbed Sam and pulled him up. Julianna glared at him as he dragged Sam up the porch steps and into the cabin, leaving a trail of blood behind them. Wallace stopped in the bedroom. He dropped Sam as he bent down and pulled aside the floor rug, revealing a faint outline of a rectangle with a protruding handle. Swinging open the door, he quickly peered into the darkness for a moment and then nodded. The white wooden steps that led downward seemed to vanish into the darkness about half way down. Leaning over, he grabbed Sam by the arm and pulled him over to the opening. He then positioned Sam’s body at the foot of the steps and, with one great push; Sam Beckett tumbled down the stairs, his arms banging against the banisters along the way. Wallace smirked as he heard the sickly thud as Sam collided with something quite heavy at the bottom of the steps, which was quickly followed by the unmistakable sound of glass shattering.

“Your ass is mine,” Julianna spat viciously as Wallace closed the door and walked through her. Julianna keyed in a command on the handlink and in a blink of an eye found herself standing next to the unconscious Jessica Alcott outside. A moment later Wallace emerged from the cabin and went over to her, picking her up and carrying her over his shoulder. When he stepped back in the living room he dropped her body on the wood floor. The collision of her head to the floor woke Jessica up. She looked around for a moment in a dazed state.

“Just hang in there, sweetie,” Julianna said to her, although it appeared as if Jessica didn’t hear her this time around.

“Wha-what are you going to do to me?” Jessica stammered as Wallace closed the front door. She flinched when he turned back around and grinned at her.

“Well, princess, first I’m going to have a bit of fun with you. If I have to bear your company I might as well ‘enjoy’ it.” He laughed as he went over to the window and looked out, gazing onto the tall Douglas fir trees that towered over the cabin, providing shade from the unrelenting heat.

“Are you going to kill me?” A couple of tears trickled down her dirtied cheeks as she looked to the ground, the mere sight of the man terrifying her beyond comprehension.

“Yes,” Wallace said after a moment, “although I wouldn’t worry too much about that just yet.” He turned back and went over to his rocker chair, patting her on the top of her head as he passed by. Jessica remained where she was as Wallace sat down in the chair, smiling at her. “Oh, sweetheart, we’re going to have such fun.” Wallace laughed as Jessica started to cry.

“Not if I have anything to do about it,” Julianna retorted as she opened the Imaging Chamber door. She stepped through the door, glared at Wallace, and after a moment she closed the door.

Project Quantum Leap

Control Room

The holographic image hadn’t dissipated completely before Julianna made her way down the ramp that led from the Imaging Chamber to the center console in the Control Room. Dominic Lofton looked up as she approached him, and before he could say anything Julianna tossed the handlink to Dominic, who barely caught it, and turned to Dr. Tina Martinez-O’Farrell. “Tina, go get me a Fermi suit.” Tina hesitated for a moment she quickly averted her gaze from the Navy Captain. “Now, Tina.” This time the Pulse Communications Technician wasted no time as she hurried off towards the lockers where the Fermi suits were kept. Julianna turned around and went to the control panel where Dominic Lofton stood, reading the data, and recording it.

“I think you should take a look at this,” Dom said as he handed Julianna a faded piece of newspaper. “The Admiral had this on him when we had him placed in the infirmary.” Upon looking at it more closely Julianna found that it was a news clipping from the Morristown Post Dispatch dated October 3, 1983.

‘Two Bodies Found Near Hiking Trail’

By: Michael Hanley

Morristown Post Dispatch

‘On Sunday, October 2, two decomposed bodies were found in the woods of Morristown , TN , in a shallow grave near a hiking trail. A couple, whose identities are being withheld by authorities, hiking in the area made the discovery at approximately nine o’clock in the morning. The two bodies, one being identified as Jessica Alcott, sixteen, a resident of Morristown, and the other, who is only known at this point as John Doe, were found wrapped in a plastic sheet in the grave. Both have appeared to be shot to death. Currently, Morristown police have no leads and the FBI have started to conduct an investigation.  Details concerning the murders have yet to be released by the FBI or local police until further information has been gathered.

Jessica Alcott was last seen on the evening of August 26, when she was visiting with a friend. Her friend, identity withheld, said that Alcott left her house around 6 P.M. riding a yellow Schwinn bicycle. The bicycle was later found off to the side of Gant Road . According to Morristown police, Alcott’s mother, Regina Alcott, placed the call at 9:15 that same night, however the official report was not filed for the first twenty-four hours. The police are further baffled as they have no further leads in the investigation.

If anybody has any information regarding the case they are strongly urged to contact the Morristown police immediately.

Julianna sighed as she handed the article back to Dominic. Tina came back a minute later, handing Julianna a neatly folded Fermi suit. Julianna took it and smiled at the nervous technician. “Dom, locate and upload Retrieval Program 32A. I believe that was the latest one Dr. Fulton was working on before she left to go on vacation.” As Dom pulled up the Retrieval Program he looked up at the sparkling, swirling blue orb of the parallel hybrid computer. 

“Ziggy, what are the odds of Captain Sherman-Calavicci’s return with conjunction of Retrieval Program 32A?”

“98.2 percent, Doctor Lofton,” Ziggy replied almost immediately.

Dom nodded and then glanced at Julianna and then smirked. “Could you tell me the odds of a successful retrieval with Dr. Beckett?”

“Unknown. Over the past twelve years Dr. Beckett’s constant blending with other people have made it quite difficult to ascertain a steady projection.”

When Julianna only blinked, Dom’s smirk grew into a smile. “I know what you’re thinking, Captain. But, what are you going to say to Senator Blaize or even Jude? It’s bad enough that Doctor Elesee and Stephen don’t have Sam with them, but your father would kill me if I let you go in the Accelerator.”

Julianna tipped her head towards the orb. “You heard the odds, Dom. It’s a sure thing.” When he only frowned at her words she added, “Besides I would never leave behind the man I love and my son. You won’t have to tell them a thing. And if it comes up while I’m gone, you can tell them that I will be back in no time but this is something that I have to do. Don’t worry. I’ll be back before you know it and I’ll make sure that Dr. Beckett comes with. And,” she grinned at Dominic, “if all goes according to plan then my father won’t even know I’ve Leaped until after I get back. Trust me. I know how to handle my father.”

“Captain,” Ziggy said as Julianna smiled at Dom, “I should inform you that although the outcome of a successful retrieval with Dr. Beckett is unknown, you do risk a 20.6 percent probability that, if you fail you might become integrated into Dr. Beckett’s Leaping matrix, joining him as a random Leaper.”

“Ziggy,” Julianna said after a moment of uncomfortable silence, “how much longer does Dr. Beckett have?”

“After observing the current situation, I calculate that he’s has about 15.6 minutes until he succumbs to his injuries.”

“That’s it. Dom, fire up the Accelerator,” Julianna said as she left to go change into the Fermi suit.

Dom thought about challenging it, but he knew all too well that when it came to certain matters that Julianna was too much like her father. So instead, he started keying in the coding sequence on the control panel to bring the Accelerator online.

About a minute later, Julianna came back wearing the skintight Fermi suit, tugging at the collar. Dom looked up at her; however, this time Beth, Donna, Stephen, Tina, and Ensign Edward Sharpe, were all standing by the control panel, each wearing their own worried look.

“Accelerator is just about online,” Dom announced as he finished programming the sequences. “You’re going to need an Observer so we’re going to have Ziggy act as the E.O.H. once you arrive, although it’ll take up quite a bit of power so she won’t be able to be there for long periods of time.”

“Good,” Julianna replied. “I need you to target the Leap for Jessica Alcott and set the date for August 29, 1983.” As Dom made the necessary configurations, Julianna looked over at Ensign Sharpe, who stood at attention awaiting her orders. “Ensign, I need you to have an EMT posted outside the Waiting Room as soon as I Leap out. Once Ms. Alcott arrives, I want her taken to the infirmary ASAP.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Ensign Sharpe said as he hurried off towards the infirmary.

“Julianna,” Beth started to say something, but stopped shortly, not quite sure what to say. She could obviously see the determination in Julianna’s eyes. “Be careful, okay?” was all that she could say for the time being.

“I will, Mama Beth,” Julianna told her with a gentle smile.

“Good luck,” Stephen added as he stood close to his mother. “Take care of my Dad.” Donna remained silent however she visibly wore her concern. Julianna gave her a reassuring smile. 

“I’ll be fine, Doctor,” Julianna assured her, “and I’ll do everything in my power to bring Dr. Beckett home with me.”

“Everything is set and ready to go,” Dom said after a moment as he glanced over the data readouts. Julianna nodded and started towards the ramp that would lead her to the Accelerator Chamber. Julianna was stopped abruptly when Ziggy called for her.

“Yes, Ziggy? What is it?”

“I thought I should tell you that I have come across some very vital information which will help you accomplish yours and Dr. Beckett’s task.”

“I’m all ears,” Julianna replied.

Jessica drew her knees up to her chest, slowly rocking herself as she watched Wallace in his chair, sipping at a can of beer, grinning at her, like he had some secret that he wanted to share. She winced as she sniffed; her nose was swollen and most likely broken. The intense headache she’d been having ever since she regained consciousness reached the back of her eyes, making them feel as if they were going to pop out of their sockets.

“Where’s Sa-uh, I mean Jeff?” She remembered the man calling himself Sam, but for some reason this man still believed that Sam was Jeff so she decided not to further anger him.

“Let’s just say that he won’t come running to your rescue any time soon,” Wallace replied with a chuckle as he sipped his beer. “That I made damn sure this time.”

“Is he dead?”

“Not yet, if he hasn’t bled to death already. Sweetheart,” Wallace said with a grin, “I wouldn’t be too concerned about him. We’re about to have some fun.” Jessica shrank back as Wallace smiled and sipped his beer.

“Oh... God,” Jessica breathed. “Help me.” After a few more minutes Wallace drained the beer and set the can down as he turned on the radio, filling the room with the tune of an old Rolling Stones song. When he slowly stood up he went over to the window and pulled back the thin, flimsy drapes. Wallace then looked back over at Jessica, his gaze sweeping across her trembling body. He licked his lips as he started to unbuckle his belt.

I see a red door and I want it painted black.
        No colors anymore. I want them to turn black.
        I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes.
        I have to turn my head until my darkness goes.

“Please,” Jessica pleaded with Wallace as he calmly walked towards her, “don’t hurt me.” When Wallace was about within arm’s reach she ducked her head between her knees. “Don’t touch me... please I beg you.”

Julianna let her arms float upward, the atomic wind rushing out from under her as the euphoria took its hold over her. She smiled and even allowed herself a yell of excitement as she held her arms out and her head up. She could feel the energy building around her as the wind increased in velocity.

“Sigmatron online,” Dom announced. “Stand by to fire.” Donna stood nervously by, her hand hovering over the panel that would activate the Accelerator. Beth, Tina, and Stephen stood by, all quite nervous and worried at the same time. “Fire!” Dom shouted. Donna firmly placed her hand on the blinking blue panel. A thin blue line emanated from the panel to the orb where, a moment later it converted the energy into two concentrated streams of lightning which in turn fed directly into the Accelerator Chamber.

Julianna could feel a tingle begin to flow from her feet, up her legs and then spread out over her body. The soft hum that filled the Accelerator Chamber had picked up and became a loud squeal and, within moments, everything around her screamed with brilliant blue light.

Jessica screamed as Wallace reached down to grab her. She looked up and managed to lean out of the way as she started to crawl against the wall. Wallace laughed as he reached down and grabbed her by her neck, forcefully squeezing his hand as he pulled her back and flung her across the room.

I look inside myself and see my heart is black.
        I see my red door and it has been painted black.
        Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts.
        It's not easy facin' up when your whole world is black.

“Little bitch,” Wallace spat as Jessica tumbled to the ground. “Teach you to run from me.” He grinned as he stalked towards her. “Don’t you want to have a little bit of fun?”

“Please!” Jessica pleaded. “Let me go! I promise I won’t tell anyone. Please!”

“Sorry, princess, but no can do.” Wallace grabbed his dangling belt buckle; slipped the belt out, and tossed it on the ground. Jessica managed to crawl back as Wallace advanced on her. He started to undo his jeans when Jessica felt a strangle tingle course through her legs, almost as if they suffered from poor blood circulation. When the tingle grew and spread through out her body, she squeezed her eyes shut just as she was engulfed in blue light.

“Better stop your crying,” Wallace was saying as he started to pull down his jeans. He grinned broadly at the terrified and confused young girl who was lying at his feet. He saw Jessica look at him for a moment as if she’d just seen him for the first time, the terrified look gone and replaced by that of confusion. “What the hell is wrong with you? Forget where you are?” Wallace started laughing as he continued to pull his jeans down till they were at his knees.

Even as the rest of the quantum energy lingered away, Julianna could see the burly man standing over her with his pants pulled to his knees, and heard a loud muffled sound coming from somewhere nearby. When the ringing in her ears had subsided, she could tell that it was a song playing on a radio somewhere in the room. After a quick moment, she was able to gather her bearings and grit her teeth. “You better get the hell away from me,” she spat.

Wallace stopped what he was doing as he cocked his head. “Well, what do we have here? Think you can talk to me like that and get away with it?” He sneered at her as he went to grab her by the neck.

I wanna see it painted, painted black,
        Black as night, black as coal.
        I wanna see the sun blotted out from the sky.
        I wanna see it painted, painted, painted, painted black.
        Yeah!

Project Quantum Leap

Control Room

For a long moment silence fell upon the usually busy Control Room. Donna and Beth exchanged worried glances as Dom read the readouts on the control panel. Stephen was the first one to break the silence.

“Did she make it?” Stephen asked as he looked up at the blue orb. It didn’t take the computer but a moment to respond.

“Captain Sherman-Calavicci’s Leap was a success, there are now two Visitors in the Waiting Room.” Everyone had let out a sigh of relief as Dom went about recording the data.

“Now recording all data streams,” Dom said.

Ensign Edward Sharpe and Verbena Beeks stood outside the Waiting Room with the EMT that the Captain ordered to be posted. When Ed heard Ziggy’s announcement, he tipped his head towards the Emergency Medical Team as Verbena keyed in her access code. The Waiting Room door slid open and the EMT quickly filed in while pushing a gurney with Ed and Verbena close behind. The current Visitor, Jeff Conway, was kneeling beside the other Visitor, who was curled into the fetal position just under the examination table, gently reassuring her.

“There,” Ed said to the team as he pointed to the Visitor, who appeared to be the Captain. “Get her to the infirmary ASAP.” The EMT wasted no time as they gently lifted Jessica Alcott onto the gurney and wheeled her out, leaving behind a confused and angered Jeff Conway.

“Hey!” Jeff shouted. “Where are you taking her?”

Ed started towards the Visitor, but Verbena held up a hand, stopping Ed but never took his eyes off the Visitor. Verbena smiled at him and reassured him Jessica’s safety.

“How do I know that? You guys haven’t really told me much of what’s going on here, you know. Hell, I don’t even know where here is.” Jeff looked around the Waiting Room, sighing in frustration. “Damn, I don’t even know how I got here.”

“Please relax, Mr. Conway, both you and Jessica are safe here.” Verbena replied as the Visitor met her gaze.

Jeff ran a hand through his curly brown hair. “You don’t understand, Doctor,” he said as he thought of how to explain to the doctor just exactly what he was able to recall. “My brother is a very dangerous man and I’m afraid that he might very well kill your friend who’s back there. I took a big risk on trying to get her out when he went into town; I couldn’t stand to hear her screams anymore. I swear I tried talking him out of it, but he wouldn’t listen to me. I didn’t want to do it, but he made me.” Jeff met Verbena’s unwavering gaze. Jeff’s eyes widened as a memory suddenly came to him, with crystal clear clarity. “He handed me the picture of the girl we were supposed to nab. He even knew where to look for her. He said that if I didn’t help him then he’d kill me. All of this,” he said with disgust, “and someone completely innocent is paying for it.” Verbena nodded as she guided Jeff back to the examination table. After a moment he hesitantly sat down next to Verbena. “I just want her to be safe,” Jeff said to her.

“I understand, Mr. Conway, and I can assure you that Ms. Alcott is in very capable hands.” Verbena noticed the peculiar look on the young man’s face at the mention of her name.

PART FOUR

Julianna quickly stood to her feet as Wallace looked at her, completely astonished.

“What the...?” Wallace mused out loud as he stopped in mid stride, his outstretched hand slowly lowering as his confusion grew.

Julianna glared at him, her hatred towards the sociopath fresh in her memory. In fact, as she regained her bearings, she could recall with clarity Dr. Beckett’s shooting, Jessica Alcott’s brutal beatings, and her goal of bringing Dr. Beckett home with her. “So you think you can abduct and abuse young girls, huh?” Wallace narrowed his eyes at her. “Why don’t you try those moves on a woman?”

“Bitch,” Wallace growled as he pulled his pants up, balled his hand into a fist, and swung at Julianna. Julianna easily leaned out of the shot and grabbed his arm, twisting it behind his back. Wallace grunted in pain as Julianna tightened her grip. “You better let me go, girlie, before I put a real hurtin’ on ya.”

Julianna jerked his arm up for a moment before releasing her grip and shoving the man away, as she pulled his revolver from his waistband. Wallace spun around and his eyes went wide. After a beat, he regained his composure. “What are you going to do? Shoot me.”

Julianna tilted her head as she aimed the revolver at Wallace’s chest. “Quite tempted,” she replied as she recalled with painful clarity how Sam lay on the ground, bleeding, and suffering. And she recalled how Jessica screamed and pleaded with this man to let her go. Hatred coursed through her veins as she kept her aim. “Where would you like it? Arm, leg, chest?”

“You wouldn’t-” Wallace abruptly stopped talking when Julianna cocked the hammer, the mere click of the hammer silencing the kidnapper.

“You ignorant son of a bitch,” Julianna said, “you don’t even know what I’m fully capable of. Tell me, Wallace, how do you like being on the receiving end for a change? Doesn’t feel so good, does it?”

“As soon as I get out of this, you’re dog meat,” Wallace responded. “You think you can aim a gun at me and scare me? Believe me, this ain’t shit.” Julianna’s index finger started to curl around the trigger. Wallace kept his gaze on her as Julianna started to squeeze the trigger.

“It ends here,” Julianna said, “and it ends now.” Julianna’s heart was hammering in her chest as a faint sweat started to break out on Wallace’s forehead. “I won’t let you harm another person as long as I’m alive and breathing.” Julianna’s eyes narrowed as her finger tensed on the trigger.

“Go ahead,” Wallace said gruffly, “pull the damned trigger.” He could see the look in her eye and smirked. “You think you’ve got what it takes then be my guest.” He took a step forward.

“Stay back,” Julianna exclaimed; however, she could feel her mind intermingling with Jessica’s, as Julianna suddenly found herself very intimidated and frightened. “I’m warning you.” Wallace took another step. And then another. And before Julianna knew it he had his hand on the gun and was lowering her hand as tears welled in her eyes and started to spill down her cheeks. Just before Wallace could take the gun, Julianna blinked, her mind suddenly reemerging. Just as quickly, she brought her hand up and cuffed Wallace under his chin.

“Damn little bitch,” Wallace said as he wiped his mouth and spat blood. It appeared that when Julianna hit him, he had bit down on his lip. “Now you’ve asked for it.”

As he closed the distance between them, Julianna brought her knee up, slamming it into Wallace’s groin. His eyes bulged as he doubled over. Julianna met him with an uppercut that neatly knocked him to the ground.

“Where’s Sam?” Julianna asked as she stood over him. Wallace squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth as he lay on the floor, moaning in pain and grabbing his groin.

“Who?” Wallace seethed.

Julianna quickly shook her head. “Uh, Jeff. Where’s Jeff?” When she didn’t get an immediate response she knelt down, grabbed his hair, and roughly pulled his head up, bringing his face to hers. She could smell the alcohol and grimaced. “Where is Jeff, you piece of shit?”

“Still locked... in the cellar,” Wallace replied in between breaths. “Doesn’t matter anyway, he’s probably dead by now.”

Julianna slammed his head down on the wood floor, briefly closing her eyes as she heard the loud smack.  As Wallace Conway lay unconscious, she stood up and went into the other room where she found that the floor slightly slanted upward. Jogging over to it, she looked down and found that the door hadn’t closed all the way. Opening it the rest of the way, she made her way down the stairs, finding a cord dangling from the ceiling and tugging it. A light bulb flickered for a moment and then bathed the small cellar with soft white light. When Julianna came to the last couple of steps she saw the bloodied, unconscious form of Jeff Conway crumpled on the floor, large pieces of wooden shelving laying on top of him with other, smaller, splintered pieces laying around him. Shards of dusty green glass had fanned out from where he had fallen. The cellar was filled with the aromas of different wines intermingled with dust.

“Dr. Beckett,” she breathed with relief as she went over to him, kneeling beside him. “Sam, can you hear me?” ‘Jeff’ moaned softly in response. She called him by his actual name once more, this time slowly bringing him to consciousness. He looked up at her, his eyes a bit glassy. He tried to focus them on the young, battered blond haired girl staring at him with much concern. Had Sam not been in excruciating pain he would’ve wondered how she escaped Wallace Conway.

“Jessica?” he murmured. Julianna shook her head and smiled.

“It’s me.” She slipped the revolver into her waistband as she gently reached out and held his hand. As soon as they made physical contact the images of Jeff Conway and Jessica Alcott respectively shimmered and warped, and within moments Sam Beckett found himself staring into the eyes of Al’s oldest daughter.

“Julianna?” Sam asked. Julianna’s smile spread across her face. “But... how’d you...?”

“Once Wallace shot you and attempted to rape Jessica, I had no choice but to come back here. If I didn’t, then Wallace would’ve killed both you and Jessica.”

“Jessica,” Sam said as he tried to sit up, the memories came flooding back. “How is she? Is she all right?” Julianna nodded as she helped Sam into a sitting position. Sam grimaced as he held his side with his injured arm, causing him even more pain.

“She’s okay,” Julianna replied. “I had her placed in the infirmary once she arrived in the Waiting Room.” Julianna started to help him up when a figure blinked into view, standing in front of the steps. Julianna smiled. “Ziggy.”

“Captain,” the holographic representation of Ziggy said. “Dr. Beckett.” She frowned at the sight of the injured scientist. “Poor thing,” she cooed as she looked on lovingly at Sam.

“How’s Jessica doing, Ziggy?” Julianna asked. When Sam was able to stand upright, he nearly fell back down. Julianna immediately went to his aid. Sam moaned in pain as he threw an arm around Julianna’s shoulders.

“Ms. Alcott is doing quite well, Captain. Her wounds are being treated and she is expected to make a full recovery.”

“I need to get us out of here,” Julianna said as she looked over at Sam. “I’m sorry, Sam, but I’m going to need your help getting you up these steps.” Sam nodded and they started towards the stairs. Sam gritted his teeth with each pain filled step taken. When they reached the top of the stairs, Sam asked Julianna to stop so he could catch his breath.

“I’m afraid you two don’t have much time left,” Ziggy said as her image appeared in the doorway. “It looks like Wallace Conway is regaining consciousness.”

Julianna tipped her head. “Come on, Sam. Let’s get you out of here.”

Together the two Leapers made their way through the bedroom. As they entered the living room, Julianna withdrew the revolver and kept it aimed at the stirring kidnapper. She gently slipped out from under Sam’s arm and went over to Wallace as Sam leaned against a nearby wall, taking slow, deep breaths. She knelt down and slowly reached out her hand. After a very tense moment, she reached out with her other hand and plucked the keys from his pocket, the revolver still aimed at Wallace. Quickly making her way back to Sam, she draped his arm over her shoulders and helped him out the cabin and down the steps. Once they made it the truck, she helped him into the front seat. Closing the door, she went around to the driver side and got in. She saw the CB radio and picked up the handset as she put the keys in the ignition. Ziggy informed her which channel the Morristown police were using and Julianna switched to it. “Come in, come in. Can anyone hear me?”

Nothing but static. After waiting a few moments she frowned and tried again.

“Can anybody hear me? This is Jessica Alcott and I have been kidnapped. I repeat, this is Jessica Alcott and I’ve been kidnapped.” Julianna was about to hang up the handset when a faint voice emanated through the static.

“Jessica? Is that you?” Julianna let out a sigh of relief as she started the truck. Steering it down the dirt path, she continued to talk on the radio.

“Copy. I am currently somewhere in the woods just outside of town. Copy?”

After a burst of static she heard the voice again. “Yes, sweetheart, I copy. Please describe your surroundings.” Julianna then began to give the recipient descriptions of the area. Julianna and the recipient, who turned out to be the sheriff and Jessica Alcott’s father, went back and forth on the radio, with Sam listening intently. Ziggy had left about ten minutes ago, declaring that too much power was being consumed to keep her connected. She said that she would return when an acceptable amount of power was available. Just as they passed the creek both Sam and Julianna heard a loud pop and suddenly the truck started to swerve. Julianna quickly brought the truck to a stop. Parking the truck, she opened the door and hopped out, walking over to examine the cause of the problem. There, she had found that the right front tire had gone flat. As Julianna knelt beside the tire, she discovered a piece of rock sticking out of the flattened tire. Julianna stood up and went to the back of the truck, opening the tailgate and looking inside.

“Great,” she muttered. “No spare. What are the odds on that? Stupid hick bastard,” she said as the thought of Wallace Conway came to mind. She closed the tailgate, went back to the driver side, and sat back in the seat. Shutting off the engine, she picked up the handset and pressed the side button. “Dad, do you copy?”

Static.

“Yes, Jessie, I copy.”

“Our truck has a flat. We’re currently located near some creek. We’re going to travel the rest on foot.”

Static.

“Stay where you are. I know exactly where you’re at. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“All right, but be careful, Dad. This man is quite dangerous and most likely armed. His name is Wallace Conway. Copy.”

Static.

“Copy that. Be safe, Jessie. I’ll see you soon.” Julianna glanced over at Sam.

“I have an injured man here with me. He helped me escape and he needs immediate medical attention. Copy.”

Static.

“Copy. I’ll have an ambulance on the way. In case anything happens keep the radio on this channel so we can stay in touch. Copy.”

Static.

“Copy. Will do.” Julianna disconnected and hung the handset back in its cradle. She looked over at Sam, who had a confused look on his face. Julianna started to relate the information that Ziggy had given her back at the Project.

“Jessica Alcott is in actuality Jessica Murphy, daughter of the sheriff of Morristown , Mitch Murphy. Her parents divorced just after Jessica was born and she took on her step father’s name, at her mother’s insistence.” Sam furrowed his brow as Julianna went on. “Sheriff Mitch Murphy was the arresting officer of Robert Conway. It turns out that Wallace believed that his father was innocent of the bank robbery and the murder of that bank teller. When Robert Conway was murdered Wallace blamed Mitch Murphy.” She exhaled sadly. “Ziggy uncovered further records which support Wallace’s belief of Robert’s innocence. He’s doing this for revenge, Sam. Wallace abducted and murdered Jessica as payback for what happened to his father.”

“We won’t let that happen,” Sam said matter-of-factly. The pain was still great, but not quite as bad as had been earlier. “We’re going to make sure that Jessica gets back to her father.” Julianna and Sam shared a smile. “So I guess we play the waiting game now,” he said after a moment as he looked at the creek through the windshield.

Julianna chuckled as she adjusted the rear view mirror. Jessica’s blue eyes stared back at her. Julianna frowned as she saw Jessica’s black eye as she brought her hand up and gently touched it.

“Poor girl,” Julianna said.

Sam lowered his head at her words. “I tried, Julianna, but I let her down. This is all my fault.”

“Sam, you did everything you could. What’s important now is that she’s safe and sound back at the Project. We’re going to fix this.”

“Which brings up another point,” Sam said as he shifted in his seat, facing her. “Does Al know that you Leaped?” Julianna’s only reply was a smirk. “Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate very much on your helping me back at the cabin, but you know that your father wouldn’t want you to risk your life as well. I certainly don’t want you too. You have a life back at the Project. You’re very much needed back there.”

“And so are you,” Julianna added, “which is why when we get Jessica to safety and Jeff to a hospital, I’m going to bring you back home.”

“That’s been attempted before. The Retrieval Program is flawed. You run a great risk on being stuck in Time like me, and I just can’t have that, which is why you’re going alone when they attempt a retrieval.” Sam added with a hint of sadness in his tone, “I’ll be back someday. I have to keep up the faith that one day God, Time, Fate, or Whatever will decide when it’s time for me to come home.”

“What you don’t know,” Julianna said as she met Sam’s gaze, “is that we’ve been working on the Retrieval Program and we think we might have hit the jackpot,” she paused as she shrugged, “or rather I think we have.” Sam arched an eyebrow. “So, when the time comes, you and I will be back at Quantum Leap before you know it.”

“I admire your optimism,” Sam remarked. “However, when in correlation with my Leaping, the Retrieval Program has always been flawed.”

“Until now. After all, Sam, you just said it. ‘Keep up the faith’.” Sam smiled at Julianna. The next half hour passed rather slowly for the two as they kept up the small talk until Sheriff Murphy arrived. They hadn’t heard anything more from Ziggy and their sense of hope was starting to renew itself.

Julianna laughed at a comment Sam made just as they heard the rumble of a car engine coming from behind them. She looked over her shoulder and saw a tan colored sedan pull up behind them. She couldn’t see the driver, but as she stepped out of the vehicle, after hearing Sam telling her to be careful, a familiar sense of dread washed over her, drowning out the hope like a flash flood. She narrowed her eyes as she stood by the truck, her hand covertly drifting down to her waist where the revolver was tucked. She knew, without a shadow of a doubt, who was behind that wheel when the driver side door of the sedan opened and out stepped a bruised and beaten Wallace Conway.

“Just who the hell is this guy? The Energizer Bunny?” Julianna muttered as she started to pull out her weapon just as Wallace had taken aim with his shotgun.

“Seems we got ourselves a little predicament here,” he said with a grin. “How are ever going to solve this one?”

“Easy,” Julianna said as she tilted her head, “I put a bullet in that thick skull of yours and call it a day.”

“Quite a tongue you have there,” Wallace said with a sneer. “I’ll take great pleasure ripping it out of your head.”

“I’d like to see you try.”

“Drop the gun, bitch,” Wallace spat. When Julianna reciprocated by keeping the revolver steadily aimed at his head Wallace shifted his shoulders, moving the gun up a notch. “Don’t dick with me, little girl. I don’t know where this sudden ‘tough chick’ act came from, but it’s pissing me off.” Gazes locked, he added, “Put the goddamn gun down or I’ll blast your head clean off your shoulders.”

“Really? Well then I guess we’ll just have to-” Even as she spoke something came over Julianna, a powerful sense of fear for this man. She struggled to shove the fear aside, but it was that fear which kept her from completing her mission. “Please, Jessica, not now,” Julianna breathed. However, Jessica Alcott’s fear overwhelmed the ex-Navy SEAL, forcing her to follow ‘her’ instincts. Julianna slowly lowered the revolver until it rested on the ground and raise her hands, silently cursing herself in the process.

“Good girl,” Wallace said. “Now kick it over to me.” Julianna did as requested, all the while struggling to regain control of the situation. When the gun was within his reach Wallace crouched down, while keeping the shotgun aimed at Julianna with one free hand, quickly snatched the revolver and stood back up. Slipping the gun in his waistband he then started toward Julianna, ordering her to turn around. As she did she could feel the pressure of the barrel against her back. Wallace led her over to where Sam was sitting, and ordered him out of the vehicle. Wallace grinned with delight as he watched Sam struggle to stand up. Wallace and Julianna both noticed that Sam had his hand pressed tightly against his side.

“Are you okay?” Julianna asked with a frown.

“Y-yeah I’m... fine,” Sam struggled to say, taking a couple of quick, deep breaths.

“All right, you two. Enough talk.” Wallace had Sam walk beside Julianna as he started escorting them at gunpoint. “We’re going to take a nice little walk.”

“Where are you taking us?” Julianna asked.

“You’ll find out as soon as we get there, not that you’ll be around long enough to enjoy the beautiful scenery.” Wallace led them past the parked vehicles and up an incline that was directly ahead. A few minutes later when they reached the top of the incline the soft, soothing sound of running water of the creek could be heard from several feet below them. It was also at this moment that Sam slowly lifted his hand from his side, beads of blood dripping from his fingertips. Julianna looked over and noticed Sam, who was quite pale by this point and barely able to stand.

“Wait a minute,” Julianna said as she stopped suddenly. Both Sam and Wallace looked at her.

“I didn’t tell you to stop,” Wallace spat with disgust.

“Look at him,” she said as she tipped her head towards Sam. “He can’t go on. Listen, leave him here, and take me. I’m the one you want anyway.”

As Julianna bargained with Wallace, Sam fell to his knees, and a moment later, collapsed on the ground. Wallace looked down at Sam for a moment and then back at Julianna, considering her bargain.

“What’s the point, really, taking him along?” Julianna continued. “He’s just as good as dead.” She blinked away a couple of tears that tried to crawl down her cheeks. No, she wouldn’t allow herself even that one moment of weakness. There’s a mission to be completed. It pained her greatly, however, to say such things about Sam, but she needed to get him away from Wallace. “What do you say?”

“Fine by me,” Wallace said as he pressed the shotgun against Julianna’s back. “Keep moving.” Julianna steeled herself to keep her eyes forward as Wallace kept moving. “So long, brother,” he added as they walked away from Sam. A few minutes later they were walking across the clearing, Julianna’s mind running a mile a minute as she tried to formulate an escape plan. Wallace hadn’t said a word since they’d left Sam behind. He simply kept the barrel of the shotgun pressed firmly against her back.

“You won’t get away with this,” Julianna said after a moment, breaking the spell of uncomfortable silence.

“Look around you, girlie,” Wallace retorted. “Who the hell is going to be coming to your rescue?” Laughing he shoved the barrel of the shotgun against her back, causing Julianna to wince. His laughing was abruptly cut off when he jerked his head over his shoulder, his eyes widening in shock and anger. Then, in a single fluid motion, he dropped the shotgun, withdrew the revolver from his waistband, and jerked Julianna over to him, his other arm hooked around her neck. “Well, well. Look who’s decided to join the party!”

“Hold it! Step away and place your hands above your head!” came the strong, commanding tone of Sheriff Mitchell Murphy as he stood across the clearing, standing near an incline to their right, weapon aimed at Wallace. “Back away and keep your hands where I can see them!”

“Better drop your piece, Sheriff,” Wallace yelled as he tightened his grip around Julianna. Wallace could see the Sheriff hesitating, his weapon wavering slightly.

“Not a chance,” Murphy called back. “Let my daughter go!”

“Better call off your Daddy,” Wallace said to Julianna as he tightened his grip.

“Dad!” Julianna called out to Murphy after a moment. “Please lower your gun!” When Murphy hesitated she tried again. “Please, Dad! Lower your gun!”

Wallace inched his way back from the sheriff while using Julianna as a shield, the edge of the clearing a few feet behind them. “I’m warning ya, Sheriff! You try anything stupid and I’ll blow her goddamned brains out!” Desperation, anger, sorrow… all of it could be heard in his tone.

Julianna shifted her gaze between Wallace and Murphy.

“Jessie,” Murphy breathed in disbelief as he slowly lowered his weapon. Murphy didn’t have to be up close to see how badly injured his only daughter was. “My God, what happened to you?” Murphy took a couple steps towards Julianna, not fully realizing what he was doing. “Jessie...” Murphy, unfortunately, was a second too late reaching for his sidearm as Wallace shoved Julianna aside, took aim, and fired off a single shot. Murphy grabbed his arm as the force of the bullet’s impact had sent him to the ground.

“No!” Julianna cried out as she watched the sheriff fall to the ground, clutching his arm.

“Gotcha,” Wallace sneered.

“You son of a bitch!” Unbridled anger washed over Julianna as she wheeled around and pounced on Wallace. Straddling his chest, she proceeded to punch him across the face. “You kidnapped her,” she emphasized with a hard punch across the jaw. “You beat her!” Another punch across the side of his face. “You tried to rape her, for Christ sake!” She punched him across the other side of his face, his head snapping to the side. “You tried to kill her, the Sheriff, and my friend!” Rage controlled her and guided the flurry of punches, Wallace’s head snapping to either side with each strike. After about a minute of attacking Wallace, Julianna stopped just long enough to compose herself, breathing heavily as she stared at the bruised and dazed attacker. Remembering Jessica’s black eye she saw in the mirror, Julianna placed a neat and quick punch to Wallace’s right eye. “Let’s see how good your aim is now, bastard.” Julianna then stood up, retrieved the dropped shotgun, and looked over at Sheriff Murphy, who was trying to sit up as he clutched his bleeding arm.

“Jessie,” Murphy called as Julianna ran over to him. She knelt beside him, laying the shotgun at her side on the ground, and helped him sit upright, being careful as to not aggravate his wounded arm. “I-I was so worried that I’d never see you again,” he said as he looked at Julianna. “Are you okay?”

Julianna nodded. “I’m fine, Dad. I’m just glad that you’re here.” Looking around she then asked, “Where are the rest of the cops and the paramedics?”

“They’re on their way,” Murphy said as he closed his eyes, a brief wave of pain shooting across his injured arm. “As soon as I got your call over the radio I immediately left. Until you mentioned the creek, I had no clue as to where to start looking.” Murphy looked past Julianna over to the sprawled form of Wallace Conway. “Did you... do that?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah,” Julianna said as she lightly laughed. Murphy laughed along for a moment before another wave of pain overcame him.

“Damn,” he muttered as he gently lifted his hand, looking at the wound.

“Looks like a through and through,” Julianna commented as she examined Murphy’s wound. Julianna cocked her head as she noticed the peculiar look she got from Murphy. “What?”

Murphy shook his head, brushing aside a lock of blond hair. “You never cease to amaze me, Jessica Renee. I love you.”

“Love you too, Dad,” Julianna said.

“I noticed an injured man back there on the way here,” Murphy commented as he tilted his head towards the direction that Wallace had brought her from. “Is that the guy you were telling me about on the radio?”

Julianna nodded. “Yes. He’s the one who helped me escape. He needs immediate medical attention.” Glancing at his wound she added, “And so do you.”

Wallace stirred as his eyes fluttered open. He brought his head up and saw the girl with the Sheriff near the hill. The Sheriff had his right arm drawn close to his chest, Wallace noted as he grinned savagely. His right eye stung as he blinked. “Damn little bitch,” he spat as he took a couple of breaths, which brought about a brief fit of coughing. He had a pounding headache from the girl’s attack, causing him to have to take it slow. Wallace then painfully pulled his left leg up just enough for him to reach down and hike up his jeans. On his ankle he wore a small, leather holster with something small and silver inside. Wallace slipped out the object and held it up, pulling back the hammer of the silver Derringer with his thumb. “Let’s see you dodge this one,” he muttered as he struggled to stand, grunting in pain. When he was able to get to his feet, his body rocked for a moment before he was able to get a good aim. Chuckling, he hooked his index around the trigger as he tried to blink away his double vision.

Julianna helped Murphy to his feet when a small glint of light caught Julianna’s attention from out of the corner of her eye. She looked over and saw Wallace staggering to his feet, raising his arm, and aiming something small directly at her. Murphy looked shocked as Julianna quickly pulled his pistol out from his holster. He looked over and saw whom she was aiming at.

“Jessie,” Murphy started to say as Julianna now had a clear shot on Wallace. She could easily tell that Wallace was still rather dazed, his body slightly rocking as he struggled to stay on his feet.

“Come on, you little whelp,” Wallace muttered as he tried to clear the fog from his vision, “show me what you got.”

Julianna kept her aim steady.

“Come on, Jessie,” Murphy said softly as he slowly reached for the gun, “take it easy and put the gun down.” At that moment, just as Murphy could get the gun away from Julianna, Wallace took a half step forward when Julianna squeezed off one shot. Wallace staggered back as he slammed a hand over his chest.

Wallace looked down and saw blood oozing out from a small hole just above his right breast. He then looked back up at Julianna and, with every bit of determination and physical endurance he had, he took aim again. “You stupid little-” The rest of what he was going to say was abruptly cut off when another shot rang out, the second bullet having hit him right in his sternum. The impact of the bullet pushed Wallace back enough to where he was teetering over the edge of the clearing. It was also at that moment that his vision blurred and started to darken, but not before seeing a tall, brunette woman standing where Jessica had been moments before, looking on at him with pure hatred. “W-who... are... you?” he breathed as he felt himself falling backward, the ground quickly disappearing out from under him. As his vision darkened, he could feel himself falling for a moment before the jagged rocks of the creek broke his fall, shattering nearly every bone in his body.

“That ought to knock the batteries out of you,” Julianna said as Murphy eased the gun out of her hand. She did notice, though, moments before Wallace fell off the edge, the look on his face. Pure confusion. Julianna knew at that moment that the last person he saw wasn’t Jessica Alcott, but herself. She looked over at Murphy, letting herself fall into his arms. The Sheriff held her close.

“It’s over,” Murphy breathed as he smoothed some hair off of Julianna’s forehead. Julianna’s eyes didn’t waver from the spot where Wallace Conway had been just a minute before. From somewhere nearby the wailing of sirens could be heard, although it’d probably be about another couple minutes before they would arrive.

Three minutes later the rest of the Morristown police force arrived, along with a couple ambulances. The police had been unable to retrieve the body of Wallace Conway; their explanation obviously being that it had washed down the creek somewhere, although they were still searching for it. The paramedics found Sam back where Wallace had left him and quickly placed him on a stretcher and into one of the ambulances. Sam still remained unconscious through the whole ordeal, having lost a considerable amount of blood. Julianna insisted on riding in the same ambulance. Reluctantly Sheriff Murphy, who was being treated for his wounds in the other ambulance, allowed her. Currently they were en route to the hospital.

“Sam,” Julianna said as she gently held his hand, “I hope you can hear me.” Tears started to well up in her eyes as she looked on at the prone form of Sam Beckett. Sam had a couple of IVs hooked up to either arm and an oxygen mask placed on his face. Julianna barely looked over when a figure blinked into view next to her.

“It seems that your work here is done,” Ziggy said as she looked on at the two Leapers with affection. “I’m much relieved that you are safe, Captain, although I am rather worried for Dr. Beckett. I wish that I could’ve gotten here much sooner. I shall notify Doctor Lofton to initiate the Retrieval Program.” Ziggy lifted her head and seemed to be looking upward. “Initiate Retrieval Program 32A.” Julianna looked back at Sam as tears began to spill down her cheeks.

“Time for us to go home, Sam Beckett.” She patted his hand as she blinked back the tears that tried to escape.

“Ma’am,” one of the paramedics, positioned on the other side of Sam’s stretcher, said to Julianna, “we’re going to have to ask you move back so we can tend to him.” He moved Julianna back, forcing her to release Sam’s hand as she looked over at the hologram.

“What’s going on, Ziggy? Why aren’t we Leaping?” Just as the words had left her mouth, she felt a strange tingle begin to course through her body, which was soon followed by a blue tinge that filled her vision. She shoved the paramedic aside and grabbed Sam’s hand just as the electrical energy coursed through her. Blue-white light then exploded all around her and Sam. “You’re coming home with me,” she managed to say just before they simo-Leaped.

In the void, Julianna could still feel Sam’s hand in hers and, although she couldn’t get a good view of him, she knew he was next to her. The dual retrieval had been a success! The floating sensation seemed to increase, and soon both Julianna and Sam could feel themselves rushing through the void. The white light seemed to grow brighter and brighter with each passing moment until the light was blinding. Just before the light started to dissipate, Julianna felt a strong force between herself and Sam. She gripped his hand in hers as tightly as she could, but the force was much stronger, feeling as if it were purposely trying to separate them.

“I’m not going to lose you!” Julianna cried out into the void as she refused to let go of his hand. “Damn it! Don’t you let go, Sam Beckett!”

Julianna felt herself being shoved in the opposite direction, away from Sam. She cried out in anger as she felt the light wrapping itself around her, pulling her further away from Sam. “No! It’s not supposed to be this way!” Despair soon flowed through her, as the realization that she had failed her mission weighed heavily on her. “It’s not supposed to be this way,” she said in a softer tone.

“Someday,” a Voice had told her gently, although with a touch of sadness in its tone. The Voice had paused for a moment, as if it were thinking of what to say next. “There’s still more for him to do. You have fulfilled your purpose. Home is waiting for you.” And before Julianna Sherman-Calavicci could say anymore the light enveloped her completely.

“Captain?” Another voice called to her, but this wasn’t the same voice that she heard moments before. The voices, though, seemed a bit muffled and distant.             

“Julianna? Can you hear me?” Julianna’s eyes fluttered open and the first thing she saw were the featureless gray walls of the Accelerator Chamber. She could even feel the coolness of the Accelerator Chamber’s floor through the thin fabric of the Fermi suit.

“Y-yes,” Julianna stammered as she looked around. “I can hear you.” Not a moment later a part of the wall just in front of her slid open, and three figures stepped through and helped her to her feet.

“Glad to have you back, ma’am,” Ensign Ed Sharpe said with his youthful grin as he reached down and gently pulled Julianna to her feet. On her other side was Beth.

“I’m so glad you’re safe, Jules,” Beth said with a smile. “Your father’s been worried sick about you.”

Julianna stood on wobbly legs and then let herself be guided out of the Accelerator Chamber. Julianna looked back with misty eyes, praying, wishing, and hoping that Sam Beckett would appear. Knowing that she failed, she closed her eyes just as the tears started to stream down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry, Sam,” she whispered as she let herself be escorted out of the Accelerator Chamber. As she walked down the ramp she turned her head, looking back at the Accelerator Chamber with sadness, frustration, but most importantly a stronger drive to one day bring Dr. Samuel Beckett home for good.

“Someday,” Julianna whispered as they reached the bottom of the ramp. A large group of smiling faces was there to greet her and commend her on her successful Leap and retrieval, although to Julianna this was one mission that failed miserably.

“ Mission success, ma’am,” Ed said with a smile when they reached the bottom of the ramp. Ed frowned when Julianna only shook her head.

“Not really,” she said after a long moment, and before the young Ensign could further comment, Julianna eased out from his gentle hold and made the rest of the walk on her own, leaving him behind.

EPILOGUE

Project Quantum Leap

Office of Rear Admiral Albert Calavicci

14 Hours After Julianna’s Retrieval

“You’re damn lucky it worked!” Al exclaimed as he sat in his leather recliner chair, looking at his oldest daughter with a mixed look of frustration and relief. “You could’ve been killed, Jules!” Al continued before Julianna could get a word in edgewise. “However I know why you did it and, if I’d been around, I would’ve done the same in that situation. I’m just glad that both Sam and Jessica are safe.”

“Speaking of which,” Julianna said after a moment as she leaned forward in her chair positioned on the other side of the desk, her hands resting atop a couple of manila folders that were on her lap. “I checked up on Jessica Alcott and Jeff Conway. You’ll be glad to know that Jessica is safe and sound. In fact, she went on to join the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1993 and became one of their best agents. Through out her career she’d assisted in the search and rescue of twenty-three kidnap victims who all disappeared without a trace in the original history. She’s still in the Bureau today, but goes by the name Jessica Murphy.” Al raised an eyebrow as Julianna smirked. “After her abduction she went to live with her father and legally changed her name back. You see, Ziggy never checked her birth certificate until after Verbena’s conversation with Jeff Conway in the Waiting Room. He remembered that she was the daughter of the Morristown sheriff, who was Mitchell Murphy.”

This news brought a smile to Al.

“Remember the Red Rose Murders back in the mid and late nineties?” Julianna asked.

“Ah, vaguely. Some sicko leaving a red rose next to his victims, right?”

“Right,” Julianna said with a nod. “From 1996 to 2002, Mark Redfield would stalk young women, ages ranging from eighteen to thirty. At the scene of the crime a single red rose would be found next to the victims. Originally, Redfield murdered twenty-eight women before he was captured.” She couldn’t help but to smile. “However, Agent Murphy lead the investigation that apprehended the creep two years earlier than before. Eight lives were saved, Dad.”

Al smiled as he adjusted his reading glasses. “I’m glad that she’s all right and doing well. What about Jeff Conway?”

Julianna frowned as she began to relate the data on their last Visitor. “Well, although he aided in her abduction, he also was instrumental in her escape. Sheriff Murphy worked with the judge and had Jeff’s sentence reduced to four years in prison. When he was released in 1987, he simply disappeared. There are no further records on him after October 16, 1987. He was last reported as being seen in somewhere in Washington .” Julianna leaned back as she gave her father a steady stare. “How are you feeling?”

“Better,” Al said with a shrug. “I have to report to Verbena’s office for the next two months, to make sure that I haven’t lost all my marbles.” He offered her a smile. “I guess that I still have a few things that need to be worked out.”

“You had us quite scared, Dad. When Verbena and I saw you break down like that in the Imaging Chamber...” She paused when she couldn’t find the right words to say.

“Everything is going to be okay, Jules.”

“Dad?” Julianna asked after a moment of silence.

“What is it, honey?”

“When Dr. Beckett and I simo-Leaped,” Julianna started to say, trying to come up with the best way to explain what she experienced. “In that void, you know ‘the space between the Leaps’?” Al nodded. “Well, just before we Leaped, I held his hand and, in that void I could still feel his touch but, there was something...,or someone who pushed me away from him. I-I heard this Voice telling me that Sam wasn’t finished yet with Leaping.” Her eyes began to well with tears once more as she finished explaining it to Al. “I had him right there... right there and I lost him.”

“Hey, Jules, you didn’t lose him, okay? It just wasn’t his time to return to us, I suppose.” Al thought about it for a moment. “That’s what I have to keep telling myself every damn day when I see a stranger appear in the Waiting Room. I know deep down that Samuel Beckett will return home and when he does, it’s going to be one hell of a party.” As they shared a smile Ziggy’s voice flowed through the intercom system.

“Admiral Calavicci?”

“Yes, Ziggy?”

“Your presence is requested in Dr. Beeks’ office.”

“Tell her I’ll be there in a minute.” Al grumbled as he stood up and stretched.

“It’s not that bad,” Julianna commented when she saw the look of disdain on his face.

Al smiled at her just as he crossed the office and opened the door. “Jules?”

“Yes?”

“I love you, kiddo.” Julianna smiled back at Al.

“Love you, too, Dad.”

Al stood there for a moment, smiling at his daughter, before turning around, and heading down the corridor to Verbena’s office.

Julianna stood there in his office for a moment, holding the manila folders in her hand. She glanced down and for a moment simply stared at the one labeled ALCOTT, JESSICA/CONWAY, JEFFREY. She went over to her father’s file drawer and pulled out the top drawer. She was about to slip the folder in when she stopped, thought about it for a moment and then closed the drawer, deciding it would be best to hold onto the file for now, that she would show him the file when the time was right. She looked up and saw the many pictures that graced the walls. One of them particularly caught her eye. As she walked over to it, she gently lifted it off its hanger and stood there, staring at the picture of Sam and Al standing in front of Crossroads Diner.

“Be safe, Sam Beckett,” she said as she placed the picture back on the wall. She went over to Al’s desk and sat down, and thought for a moment before picking up the phone. After dialing the number she waited for a moment as the call connected.

“Hello?” the voice of Senator Tuyen Blaize said. Julianna smiled widely.

“Hi, honey. It’s me.” Julianna leaned back in the chair. She could hear the tiredness in his tone. “Busy day?”

“It’s been one hell of a day, danh t ’,” Tuyen had said with a sigh, his voice slightly warped through its tour in the phone line. Danh t ’ meant ‘beloved’ in Vietnamese and just also happened to be one of Tuyen’s favorite pet names for Julianna.

Julianna couldn’t help but to grin. “Well, let’s just say that you wouldn’t believe the day that I’ve had.”