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The cool earth sifted pleasantly through Thelma Beckett's work-roughened fingers. planting gaily colored flowers along the path to the house she shared with her daughter, son-in-law and their three rambunctious children, helped her pass the time.
Little Katie will probably scold me for working so hard. But I've never been one to just sit and do nothing. There'll be time enough for that when I die.
Thelma squinted up at the gathering clouds. She could almost set her clock by the daily rain showers this time of year in Hawaii. Collecting her tools, she tidied up the path just as her daughter's car pulled into the driveway and disgorged its contents of kids, dogs and a weary parent.
"Aren't you going to help your mother with the groceries?" she called out to her grandchildren as they streaked past her. With sheepish grins and an "Aw, Grandma" or two, they followed her back to the car.
The mail arrived by the time everything was put away and wonder of wonders, Sam's monthly letter was a few days early. Not that she was keeping track or anything.
By the time Thelma was able to settle down to read the news from her son, Rose and Todd were already watching a rerun of Magnum PI and John had hidden himself away in his bedroom. Wondering if teenagers would ever change, she opened the envelope.
Dear Mom,
Thanks for the pictures of Katie and the kids. (I can 't believe you got John a surfboard for Christmas.) Al put them up in my office for me since I don't seem to have the time to do that sort of thing these days. Speaking of time, I won't be able to come to the family reunion again this year. I know I'm in the same state, but I can't leave what I'm doing. My work is keeping me very busy...
In her last letter she'd reminded him about the upcoming event. Unfortunately, she'd known what his answer would be, so she wasn't disappointed... not too much anyway.
She sighed. The middle of the communication was mostly full of questions. How was she? What was the latest gossip? What was going on in the extended family? And, as in the last year or so, the traditional million questions about Tom. No news about himself however, as usual. Her eyes misted as she finished.
I miss you and wish I could tell you when I'll see you next. I keep hoping it will be soon.
Love,
Sam
"I miss you too, Sam," she said to herself. "Three years is just too long."
Katie Travis was a bit preoccupied as she fixed dinner. She was worried about her sister. Each letter she received from Thelma lately seemed to be sadder and sadder. One letter talked about how Sam hadn't called for a long time, another about him not returning home for any holidays. The last had a line about how Sam wouldn't be making the reunion again this year.
Katie was glad her sister had decided to join them anyway. It had been years since Thelma had been able to attend a Michaels' family gathering. It was time to recreate ties with her brothers and sisters. Katie knew Thelma wished all her children could come, but it was awfully expensive to fly an entire family over from Hawaii and little Katie couldn't get away to attend on her own. Maybe Tom would be there. Knowing the oldest Beckett, he would be full of dreams and schemes. Thank heavens the boy wasn't into Amway. And Sam... She shook her head distractedly. Thelma's boys were a lot more similar than they'd ever imagine. From what she'd seen, Sam was just quieter about his dreams and schemes.
Of course Sammie could have changed. She hadn't seen him in ten years. College and grad school, and doctorate studies, then Government work and the Nobel prize had gotten in the way. Still waters ran deep, and it just went to show what the quiet ones could do. She thought he should spend more time with the family, however. The last time she'd talked to Tom, he was a bit upset about his brother's long absence. She wondered if she'd done the right thing by mentioning Murphy's name and reminding Tom of his cousin's occupation at that point. Oh well, she'd find out soon enough if she'd made a mistake.
"Dad! Look, Dad's home!"
Suddenly, Tom was tackled from behind by a human cannonball. Catching his breath, he rolled on his back and grabbed his youngest son. "Who do you think you are... Bob Lilly?"
"Who?"
"Okay, Emmitt Smith." Tom grunted as he slung his son over a shoulder and got to his feet.
"But he's on offense, Dad."
"I'll give you offense. Have you done your chores yet?"
"But what about my present?"
"After your chores." He put his son down and nudged him in the back. "When did he get so big?" he asked Maggie as the boy scampered off.
"Probably while you were in Washington," was her, not quite as enthusiastic reply.
Oops, he was being negligent again. He sighed, threw his bag aside and went to kiss his wife. "Tell you what, why don't I take you out to dinner?"
"And waste the chicken pie in the oven?" came the terse rejoiner. He was definitely in the doghouse.
"I'll just get my stuff inside. I can't wait to get some real home cooking." He looked so tired and puppy-dog pitiful that Maggie couldn't help but relent.
"Okay, but don't forget I know you, so don't be on the phone long."
His flinch told her that she was right. He was on his way to call Murphy.
"I just hope you still have government friends that will talk to you after all this," she muttered to herself as he went upstairs.
There were times, Murphy Michaels thought, that he could learn to live without phones. Especially when it was ringing on the inside and he was on the outside fumbling with keys. Shedding umbrella and satchel, he raced in only to hear a click and dial tone. He gritted his teeth and muttered dark things about cheap, unreliable answering machines, but he had a pretty fair idea of who might be calling and he had nothing good to tell him.
Years in the military had left Tom Beckett with a nasty habit of wanting answers now. He also had the tact of a steamroller. There was no doubt that he was upset about Sam's absence.
Luckily, Tom was also a persuasive devil. Skepticism had been Murphy's first reaction. He didn't want to look into this whole situation. Geniuses did have their quirks, and from past history, Murphy knew that this genius was apt to disappear for extended periods of time. But after all he'd been through this week... well... something was going on and he wanted to know what. He just hoped it wasn't some sort of eccentric practical joke.
He'd assigned someone to watch the post office box Aunt Thelma sent Sam's letters to. That's about all he'd been able to do. He was more than willing to help his cousin out, if he could. It just annoyed him he wasn't getting anywhere.
The phone rang again.
"Never, ever, work for relatives," be muttered.
Lee Stetson sat at his desk and rubbed his eyes. These days, chasing paper felt like harder work than being in the field had ever been. While he was no longer directly employed by the State Department, a good portion of his freelance investigative work came from there. Currently he'd been given the assignment to oversee routine inspections of the Critical Area Research Projects - Region 3 Operations. Some day Lee was going to have to take the time to have words with whatever "brain child" decided this. CARP Ops always sounded interesting, but the projects were almost invariably squeaky clean. Possibly because there are more government observers watching over them than you could shake a small stick at, Lee thought cynically. They probably trip over themselves.
He'd just finished reading what most certainly was the first draft of a report from an operative. It detailed one Project where a petty tyrant had risen to his level of incompetence as an observer. The situation climaxed when he'd somehow managed to infiltrate a restricted area and destroyed six months of research. No one knew how he managed to turn off power to the temperature control units as well, but by the time the alarms sounded, half the organic samples were dead or unstable.
The young agent had not concealed her opinion of the blatant incompetence. Lee had helped train her and she knew what she could include in a report to him. Her tenacity and sense of justice reminded him of Amanda so she was able to get away with quite a lot. Unfortunately, the cretin was powerful enough that no one was going to acknowledge the rumors that the man had been sent to destroy the project deliberately. Too bad the report would have to be edited before it was submitted, but Lee might just be able to pull a few strings and get this first draft on "someone's" desk. It was the least he could do.
His computer beeped at him accusingly. Amanda would have kittens if he were late tonight. Project Quantum Leap would just have to wait until tomorrow.
"Murphy Michaels please."
"Is that a real voice I hear? Has Mister-Secret-Agent-Man really deigned to call his long-lost cousin?" Murphy asked ingeniously. As far as Murphy was concerned, three phone calls to get a reply from Lee justified a little sarcasm.
"Murphy, cool it!" Lee grated. He hadn't worked for the Agency for over ten years and his cousin knew that. Murphy was just being irritating.
"And of course, if said long-lost cousin can't rattle his chain, who can?"
Who indeed? Lee sighed. "What's up, Murph?"
"You must've finally got my messages. You wouldn't happen to have also found out anything?"
"You don't know what you're asking." Lee's thoughts raced. How much could he actually tell his cousin about what he'd just barely found out himself? It bothered him that Murphy's first call about their cousin had come just as Lee was put in charge of looking into Project Quantum Leap. To his surprise, he' d found Sam's name in that file. Worse, the file had raised the word "disturbing" to new heights. It could be coincidence, but after all these years he didn't believe in coincidence anymore.
"Oh, really?" Murphy's voice interrupted that train of thought. "Then tell me."
"You told me Sam was working on a government project. Did you know he's the head of that project?"
"No, and I don't think Tom knows either. He told me Sam was working for some guy named Calavicci. Turns out Skip knows him from his NASA days. What's weird though, is our dear cousin clammed up when I asked about the esteemed admiral... said it wasn't his place to say anything. First time I've ever seen Skip with nothing to say. I didn't know whether you could find out much since we didn't even know the project's name," Murphy exclaimed. "According to Tom, Sam just called it 'the project.' All we know is that it's in New Mexico. In fact. it's located within a few hours of the ranch."
"That close? I was told the project was built on an old atomic test site."
"Yeah? Well, if it weren't for some kind prevailing winds, our family could have been one of the 'downwinders.'"
Lee almost resented how easily Murphy said that. Out of all the hundreds of cases brought to court by the downwinders, only one had been decided in the plaintiff's favor -- two days before her death from leukemia. Thanks to Amanda' s continuing interest in causes and politics, Lee had been exposed to more information about atomic testing than he ever wanted to know. Maybe his family... He abruptly cut off that line of thought and got back to the subject.
"Did you know that the project is top secret?"
"Aren't all government projects secret?." Murphy asked. Before his cousin could interrupt, he continued, "Secret, yes... top secret, no, and if Tom's aware of that, he certainly didn't tell me. Do you know what it is? I've wasted a whole week getting nothing but the run-around for perfectly simple and harmless questions. Just finding Sam's current address led to a room full of dead ends. Even MIT's alumni association didn't have anything on him and I've never met an alumni group yet that didn't keep track of any graduate who might be able to contribute money to the school's fund."
"Look, Murph..." Lee hesitated here. He couldn't tell Murphy Project Quantum Leap was so top secret that it took high level clearance just to mop floors there. It would cost him his job to even leak the littlest bit. He decided on caution. "You're right. The government really likes keeping secrets... and... I don't know how much I can find out. But, if you're worried..."
"I don't know if you could call it worried, but you've got to admit it's kinda strange. You didn't hear this from me, but I've been able to get a copy of a certain Samuel James Beckett's credit record. It was short and not very sweet. Not a single credit purchase in three years. Either he has incredible self control or... well, I've gotten some very interesting silences and wild goose chases, especially in government circles."
"As I was saying," Lee continued with a hidden smile at Murphy's unwillingness to admit he was concerned, "if you want, I can look into it."
They ended the conversation on a jovial note, but a frown creased Lee's forehead as he replaced the phone. He hadn't exactly lied to Murphy, but he hadn't told him everything he knew. Secrets among the high level staff, talk of a missing project head, rumors of a madman hidden behind closed doors... What had Sam got himself into?
-Chuff- -sweep- -pant-, -chuff- -sweep- -pant-
Andy leaned on his shovel for a moment. Just one more foot and he would be done with the front of the porch. Caitlin was going to love this flower bed, he reflected as he surveyed his work proudly. A squawk from his youngest brought his head up. He raced round the corner of the house just in time to see a guilty looking Danny drop a baseball bat.
"Daddy, he hit me!" B.J. accused.
"It wasn't my fault, honest!"
Looking from the baseball bat to the goose egg already forming on the three year old's forehead, it wasn't hard to put two and two together. Andy hugged his littlest son, who decided now was the time to start bawling in earnest. As punishment for Danny, who was old enough to know better, Andy immediately sent him to learn how to use dangerous tools properly by cleaning out the stables. Anybody with that much energy should be helping him and Caitlin get the ranch and house ready for the hordes of family who would he descending in the next few days for the annual reunion.
Well, it was getting dark, and the gutters could wait. In fact, quite a few repairs would have to wait. With the family coming in the next few days, he'd have little time left for those details.
Speaking of details, he needed to check in on the yearlings. From what he could see so far, it looked like that high-priced stud they'd brought in just might have been worth it. One colt especially seemed to have gotten the best from both dam and sire. Great conformation. It was a joy just to watch that one trot around the corral.
Wonderful smells were coming from the kitchen and he was looking forward to dinner tonight. His wife and his mother made a formidable team, though he was going to have to keep an eye on Mom. He'd just happened to overhear her plotting with someone to come to the reunion a little early. He was dying to know what was up, but hinting hadn't worked. He'd just have to wait until tomorrow.
The next day, Andy was up on the ladder repairing the loose shingles he'd spotted the day before, when Murphy's car drove up and the horn honked. He could see Sherry smiling from the passenger side. Twelve year old Tommy was scrambling out the back almost before his dad could stop the car. So this was the surprise. Andy suspected there was something else to it but didn't have time to think about it as dogs barked and the entire household came out to greet the weary travelers.
In the excitement he didn't pay enough attention to his footing. The next thing he knew, he was fighting for his balance. First one hand hold and then the other slipped through his fingers. A four letter word came unbidden to his lips as a blue glow suddenly surrounded him and he knew no more.
Sam had absolutely no desire to look up and see what kind of mess he had fallen into... literally.
He just let the worried voices flow over him for a few moments while he got his bearings, until someone got the bright idea to move him. Shooting pain lanced up through his arm, causing him to gasp and sit up to protect it better.
I don't want to compound it if it's fractured, the doctor in him observed.
"Um... could someone please take me to the hospital..."
Well, that was pretty coherent for the beginning of a leap.
Slowlv he became aware of the babble around him.
"...can you hear me? Andy, can you get up? Do we need a stretcher?"
Oh, I must be Andy. "Uh, I think I can stand."
And he would too, as soon as everything stopped spinning. In the background, he was vaguely aware of a child crying and a woman saying, "Don't worry, Daddy will be just fine."
Oh boy, I'm married.
Tucking his good arm around the bad one, he managed to get to one knee.
"Hey, Cousin, don't push it. I'll get the other arm and you sing out if I hurt you, okay?" A couple of sets of hands steadied him at the shoulder.
"Oh, Boy" he groaned out loud with the first jarring step.
"I'll take that as a yes."
"Why can't I ever land someplace soft?" Sam moaned as he was assisted to the recently vacated car.
"Someone get a blanket. I think he's going into shock."
Al didn't appear until the last pin had been placed to steady the split bone and the arm was ready to he wrapped. By this time, Sam was more than ready to be told something about his situation.
"Oh, Sam, I don't believe where you've landed!" Al exclaimed exuberantly. Sam winced. Al's suit seemed to fit his enthusiastic mood: magenta with silver and white accents and a turquoise tie and shoes. Al caught sight of Sam's white face and the nasty looking things happening to his arm. "Oh my..."
"Don't say it," Sam muttered.
"Say what?" the doctor wanted to know, as Al asked simultaneously, "Do those metal things go all the way to the bone?"
"You don't want to know," Sam replied. That seemed to satisfy the doctor as well. Al watched the doctor wrap the arm and its strange cage with part curiosity and part revulsion.
"Doesn't that hurt?" he asked at the same moment the doctor pulled a little too tight. Sam grimaced and nodded to Al, who promptly blanched. "Oh, well... why don't I just wait for you in the other room?"
Sam contented himself with glaring at Al's back. He hated it when Al tried to talk to him and he obviously couldn't talk back. It tended to make him short-tempered. Not knowing what he was here to do made him short-tempered. Everything these days seemed to make him short-tempered, and he wasn't so selfish that he didn't realize he was starting to make a habit of taking it out on Al. But Al seemed to take it better than Sam would have thought. Thank heavens for small... and large favors.
Unfortunately, since Al didn't seem to be in any hurry to brief him, he was left to his own thoughts. He had this odd, prickling sensation at the back of his neck that usually meant there was something he was missing. This leap was slowly giving him the creeps. Maybe he had been here before. Maybe even on a leap. Some of his leaps were swiss-cheesed as badly as his life before leaping.
Al tried to talk to him after he got out, but he wasn't left alone for a moment. Concerned family gathered around him, asking questions and offering comfort, so Al contented himself with a running monologue.
"I don't know if you've had a chance to see a mirror yet, but I guess you've figured out you're Andy Travis. So, make sure you don't call her Aunt Katie; she's your mom." He didn't look up in time to see Sam's quizzical expression. "It must be that reunion thing again."
This time he did see Sam's face and it stopped him cold. Oh hell, maybe Sam didn't know. According to the rules, Al couldn't tell him either. That made two things he couldn't tell Sam this leap. Al took a deep breath and started making sure Sam learned the names of everyone around him.
Lee got off the phone with Amanda, a smile on his face. Even with short notice, she had their entire trip under control. He could leave work soon without worrying about anything. He was sure that tomorrow morning he would wake up to his clothes laid out for him so they would make their flight. Even after all those years she had seen him outfitted for work without her help, she was supremely assured that he could not possibly dress himself. He was pulled abruptly out of his fond reminiscences by a distinctive smell that insinuated itself in his office.
"Stetson."
Lee forced his teeth to unclench so he could respond to the all too familiar clipped voice. With blithe unconcern for federal regulations, Dr. Smyth carved out a large section of personal space for himself in Lee's office, merely by virtue of the miasma created around him from the end of the expensive cigarette holder artfully held in his perfectly manicured hands. Lee had decided long ago that Smyth' s manner of casual possession was done on purpose to put others, even people behind large imposing desks, on the defensive. Others, but not Lee.
"Dr. Smyth, what brings you here?" he asked, civility straining at the edges of his voice.
"I see you're taking a vacation. A family reunion, I believe."
Lee's eyes narrowed. How did he know? Even more to the point, why did Smyth care? "Yes," he answered carefully, offering no further information.
"How very nice to take time out for relatives. You have so many in New Mexico." Dr. Smyth looked down his nose for a reaction, but Lee had been in government work too long to get upset when certain people seemed to know far too many intimate details.
"Do you have a point?" Lee asked coldly.
If Lee thought his tone was cold, Dr. Smyth's was positively frost-bitten. "You wouldn't happen to have anything else on your agenda? You have a cousin working for the government in that state."
What is this? Is he driving at what I think he is? Lee wondered, but decided to string his former superior along. "As you said, I have a lot of family in New Mexico."
Dr. Smyth turned his back to Lee. "I suppose you won't be visiting him." He paused for a beat to flick his cigarette holder. "I wouldn't recommend it." With that, the well dressed man slithered out of Lee's office.
Lee rolled his eyes. How theatrical. He rose to close the door behind Dr. Smyth and get away from the smoke lingering around his desk. Leaning back against the door frame, he tried to stifle his anger long enough to puzzle Dr. Smyth's comments out.
The man was a snake, but he was an intelligent snake who was usually up to something. Right now Lee would be willing to bet money that Dr. Smyth was behind his receiving the CARP-Ops-3 assignment. But why? He obviously knew about Sam, but why warn him away? Lee didn't know yet, but he would. If he hadn't been planning to personally check on Project Quantum Leap before, he certainly was now.
Pulling up to the house was just another disconcerting thing to happen during this disconcerting leap. Sam was sure he had been here before, but he had no idea how or when. He had little time to ponder this trip down the rabbit hole since Al was at the front door motioning him into the house and presumably the bathroom so they could talk. We need to quit meeting like this, he thought with a smile.
Sam wasted no time in excusing himself. Turning down Cait s teasing offer to help, he locked the door and made a beeline for the mirror. It was funny, but sometimes the face in the mirror could tell him more than Al.
Longish, sandy hair did little to de-emphasize the long face and prominent nose. A "farmers tan"started just below his hair line and ended abruptly where his tee-shirt began. A cowboy hat, that's what this face needs, he thought to himself. But why the cowboy variety, rather than the typical farmer's straw hat, seemed more appropriate, he wasn't sure. He cocked his head.
"Do I know him?"
"You tell me," Al encouraged, but Sam merely shook his head and continued staring at "his"reflection. Al took a deep breath. "Andy and his wife, Caitlin, run this ranch for their cousins. They've never had a lot of money, but they've always been able to make do. Caitlin has... um, an... er... interesting past."
Sam raised a Spock-like eyebrow, but let Al continue with no comment. Al wasn't usually this tactful. Through the leftover painkillers, Sam was aware that Al seemed to he doing his recitation from memory, rather than reading off of Ziggy's screen. It struck him as odd, but he supposed it wasn't too important at the moment.
"They're happily married now with five children," Al went on. "Murphy, the one who took you to the hospital... "
"Yes I know," muttered Sam.
"He's your cousin," Al continued without seeming to hear Sam. Al seemed to be waiting, but Sam said nothing. He knew there was something here that he should know... something he should remember, but it was like those exceedingly awkward moments when you try to introduce a good friend to someone else at a party and suddenly forget his name... or both names on a really bad night. It was funny how even with a photographic memory, he'd never been able to lock people's names in his head without a mnemonic trick.
Al was still waiting so Sam tried it himself. "Andy's cousin, Murphy... He screwed up his face in thought. Come on, swiss-cheese brain. You must have heard it in the car. "Tra... no, Michaels. Murphy Michaels." It was as simple as that. Without warning, snippets of memory started clicking into place. "He's Murphy Michaels. Why do I know that?" The answer didn't seem to be forthcoming. "Come on, Al."
Al quirked an eyebrow, took the cigar from his mouth and raised the hand link that Sam was now certain was a prop at this point. " Your mother is Katie Travis."
Light may not have burst forth at this moment, but something did. "Aunt Katie, " Sam corrected automatically. "She may be Andy's mother, but she's my Aunt Katie. This is the Michaels' ranch and they're...,, my family." He finished in a hushed voice.
Yes! I knew you had it in you." Al tried to high five him, but Sam didn't reciprocate.
"I hardly remember them." Sam looked up to see Al staring at his shoes, his smile fading.
"Look at it this way. It'll give you the chance to get to know them, again."
Sam remained quiet for a moment. "I rarely ever made it to the yearly reunions? I remember Dad used to feel so guilty that we couldn't take vacations from a working farm. Do you know he hired extra help one year so Mom could take us?" Sam suddenly brightened. "Hey, Al, do you know if my Mom's going to be here... at this year's reunion?"
Al scratched his head thoughtfully. "I don't know, Sam. You know she doesn't come very often herself."
Sam's face lost some of its eagerness. He seemed lost in thought when a knock on the door brought him back to his immediate reality.
"You okay, dear?"
This may be family, but thanks to his faulty memory, he was still impersonating someone he barely knew. "Uh, just a minute. The arm's a bit awkward." Which wasn't a lie. Sotto voce, he added, "Al, why am I here?"
"Uh," Al stalled. "Well..."
Sam sighed with exaggerated patience. "Okay, let's start with something easier. What date is it."
"Aw, Sam."
"Allll..."
"June 6, 1998."
"1998," Sam breathed. The numbers clicked in his head. "Three years. I've been leaping for three years, Al... possibly more since I usually leap into the past." He smiled hopefully. "Unless I've leapt into the future."
"No, Sam. I'm sorry"
"Yeah. Thanks." He sighed. At a thought, a sly grin crossed his face. "I suppose..." He let Al stew a moment; he very seldom got to tease his friend. "I suppose I could call you. At the project you know, and rattle your chain." He turned to see what Al would think of his joke.
Al actually seemed to consider this for a moment but finally said, "No, Sam. You need to do what you came here to do."
"I'm not saying I agree with that, but..." Al's procrastination was getting on his nerves. "Okay, what did I come here to do?"
"Uh... I... we... don't know."
"You don't know?" Sam repeated. "Haven't you run anything through Ziggy yet?"
"Of course. But Ziggy says she doesn't have enough data to say for sure...
"Since when has that ever stopped you? Come on. Inquiring minds want to know."
"Since..." Al glanced at the bathroom door and the sounds coming through it. When he turned back to Sam his face had his official "admiral" look on it. "Sam, I think you're here to stop your cousins."
"Stop them from what?"
"From investigating Project Quantum Leap."
No one was at home when Murphy arrived at the white washed stucco house on the far edge of Alamogordo. The dawn-tinged yard looked tidy. Of course, how could you ruin a white gravel and desert plant yard. With going to the hospital and getting Andy settled, it had been too late yesterday to scope out where Sam lived and worked. Murphy made sure he left well before daylight this morning to avoid any questions.
Andy was probably not going to be pleased that Murphy had gone without him; but Andy's broken arm was the perfect excuse for not bringing him along. It definitely saved Murphy a probably very loud discussion about being left behind when something was happening, but Andy could hardly blame him for wanting to get started, and the last thing Murphy needed was for his hot-headed, impulsive cousin to tagalong.
It was still too early to and start talking to neighbors. Not that Sam had too many. The backyard of the modest house had nothing between it and a nearby mountain but maybe a few sheep. Murphy rang the doorbell one last time. Nobody here, nobody on the street. He might as well be the only one awake. Heck, if it weren't for the alarm sign on the window, he could even do a little constructive burglary. Murphy shook his head. He was beginning to sound like Steele.
Several loud yaps got his attention and a black and white ball of fur exploded from the house across the street, heading straight for him. He hesitated between standing his ground or escape to the car. He wasn't cowardly, but in his experience, big dogs tended to be placid, while small ones usually tried to rip your leg off.
Murphy's eyes grew wide. On the dog's heels was one of the most stunning women he had ever seen. Masses of long blonde hair topped a body that just wouldn't quit. Her ratty, pepto bismol pink bathrobe couldn't detract from this vision of loveliness.
"Here, Jake; come here right now you silly puppy."
"Even with his mistress on his heels, the little terror didn't stop until he was two feet from Murphy. Whereupon he started barking and growling for all he was worth. Murphy breathed an inward sigh of relief when the woman picked up the still growling beast.
"I'm so sorry," the blond-haired, blue-eyed, and oh-so-feminine neighbor breathed. "Jake doesn't like strangers. But don't worry, he wouldn't hurt a fly. My name's Candi. Are you visiting Dr. Beckett?" She balanced the fur ball on her hip with one arm and extended a perfect white hand to him.
"Uh, yeah, trying to, but he doesn't seem to be home," Murphy said, wincing as sharp white canine teeth came within millimeters of their clasped hands.
"Jake stop that! No showing off for company." Candi turned her attention back to Murphy. "Oh, I thought since you were here he might have returned. I haven't seen him for a long time."
Paydirt. Let's see how nosy she is, thought Murphy as he walked her back to her porch. "You haven't seen him at all?"
"Well, not since I designed that last large scale computer set-up for him." Murphy's jaw nearly fell through the pavement. He hastily revised his estimation of her IQ up by about 50 points. "I've always wondered what he did with it. All I had were the specs to go by."
"You didn't help install it?"
"Oh no, I wouldn't..." Another car was coming up the street and she seemed to recognize it. "Oh! Him..." A wealth of distaste colored her voice. Suddenly she chirped, "Gotta go. If I see Dr. Beckett, I'll tell him you were here, Mr..."
"Michaels, Murphy Michaels."
"Okay, Mr. Michaels. Bye-bye." She waved and ran for the house.
Wow, if I had a neighbor like her... He laughed at his train of thought, reminding himself he was happily married. He waited for the car to pass, but instead it neatly pulled in behind his own. Nice car. Sleek and red, with black trim. He'd hate to have the insurance premiums on that.
Murphy blinked when the driver got out. Black shirt and pants were jazzed up by a silver and purple sports jacket and purple hat, shoes and tie. Murphy had seen these kinds of clothes on TV, but he wasn't used to it on the streets at this time of the morning. In fact, he looked like Tom's description of that Calavicci character; short, curly hair and dressed like a pimp. Oh well, in for a penny, in for a pound.
"You visiting Dr. Beckett?" Murphy unconsciously echoed Candi.
"No, checking on his house. He's out of town," the brightly dressed individual replied warily.
"Oh. I'm his cousin, Murphy Michaels. I couldn't get in touch with him, so I thought I'd come around and surprise him." Murphy prided himself on the perfectly legitimate excuse.
"Al Calavicci. I'm sorry you came all this way for nothing, but I don't know when Dr. Beckett will be back." Murphy noticed there was no offer to tell Sam that Murphy had been there.
Before Murphy could open his mouth to reply, the phone in the fancy car started beeping.
"Excuse me," he said shortly and turned to pick up the phone. "Yeah?" He listened for a moment, eyes narrowing. "I'll he right there, Gooshie." The Admiral turned back to Murphy. "I've got an emergency. Perhaps we can talk again sometime." He promptly got in the car and drove off, leaving a curious Murphy behind.
Well, well, wonder what got into him. Murphy vowed that as soon as Skip arrived at the ranch, he was going to pin his cousin down and make him come up with some specifics about this Calavicci character. As much as Murphy hated to admit it, this whole investigation was intriguing him.
He'd only met his cousin a few times, and only once that stood out in his memory. Aunt Thelma and her children had come to visit, during the winter. All he could remember of Sam was a painfully shy kid who either played the old upright piano in the parlor, kept his nose in a book or just generally excelled at everything he did. After all these years, he still smarted at the sound thrashing at basketball he and Skip had received at the hands of the Beckett brothers. Who could have guessed the little wuss could slam dunk?
Of course, there was the Time magazine article that kept the family talking a few years back and he remembered a concert Aunt Katie had wanted to go to before that. Frankly, neither one had impressed him that much. Okay. He had to admit he was a little impressed by the cover of Time, but it wasn't as if he really knew his cousin.
Great, just great. I leave Sam just long enough for a couple of winks and his cousin goes tearing off. His other cousin in Washington starts asking more questions, and now, someone has tried to compromise Ziggy's data links. Why me, why today and why in the middle of a leap? Especially when Sam was so close.
Al stepped on the gas. Gooshie had sounded like he was going to blow a gasket soon. Al sympathized. If Ziggy was flaking, their chances of retrieval were plummeting. He hadn't said anything to Sam yet; he didn't want to raise his hopes, but Sam's suggestion that he visit the Project was actually possible. Sam was only three hours behind his time. This was the best chance they'd had yet to retrieve him. Ziggy better not blow it.
The Admiral started his list of "to do's:" 1)check on Ziggy, 2) check on Sam, 3) check on the waiting room, 4) check on his government "snoops")... This kept him usefully occupied and his worries at bay till he arrived at the Project.
It took all Lee's restraint to keep from heaving a sigh of exasperation right there on the spot, but he managed to hold his frustrations inside. After all, no one else knew this trip to the ranch was for any other purpose than to attend the family reunion. He hadn't even told Amanda and that was eating at him as well. He didn't like to keep things from her, mainly because their marriage operated on complete trust, but also because he wasn't very good at it. She inevitably found out. This time, however, he couldn't let her know what he was up to.
He'd had a sinking feeling when he'd pulled up to the ranch with Amanda and the kids and he didn't see Murphy's car there. Murphy, Sherry and Tommy were driving down from Colorado and were supposed to have arrived yesterday sometime. Therefore, it came as no surprise to find out that his cousin had taken off early this morning, without telling anyone where he was going. It didn't take a rocket scientist, or even a quantum physicist, to figure out that Murphy had gone to check out Project Quantum Leap.
Sam didn't want to listen to Al anymore. He was beginning to sound like a broken record.
"I know I need to keep an eye on my cousins," he stated in frustration. "But didn't you hear Aunt Katie? My mother's coming. She'll be here in a few hours."
"But Sam," Al persisted. "It won't do any good to see your mother if you let Murphy or Lee poke their noses around the Project too much."
Sam sighed. "Al, my mom hasn't been to one of these get togethers for probably fifteen years. And I actually leap in here during the one she's able to make it to. You can't tell me that's a coincidence. What will it hurt to wait for a while till she gets here?"
Al looked as exasperated as Sam felt. "Saaammm," he exploded impatiently. "Murphy's already snooping around your house. You don't have a lot of time to waste."
Sam managed to give his friend his most aggrieved look, but he finally relented. "All right, all right. What exactly am I... uh, Andy... supposed to do?"
Al heaved his own sigh... one of relief. "Just stick to Lee like glue. Don't let him go off anywhere without you. At an annoying chirp from the handlink, Al grew distracted. "Look, Sam," he began after a moment. "I gotta go. We've got a small crisis here. Just remember what I told you." There was the familiar whoosh and Al disappeared behind the imaging chamber door.
Sam blew out a loud breath and pushed the hair out of his face. He wondered if Andy would mind if he got it cut while he was here.
"Arm bothering you?"
He turned and saw Lee standing there. "What? Oh... the arm." Sam smiled wryly and hoped his cousin hadn't been hanging around very long. "Yeah, a little," he admitted.
"You haven't seen Murphy, by any chance?"Lee asked.
Sam shook his head reluctantly.
"Didn't think so." Lee turned to go and Sam suddenly remembered he needed to stay with him.
"Hey, Lee... wait up." He trotted after Lee's long strides, feeling a little off balance with Andy's shorter legs. Lee stopped, his face impatient. "Where you goin?" Sam asked casually. "You guys just got here."
Lee suddenly looked suspicious and Sam blasted his own clumsiness. "I have some things I need to do," was his cousin's evasive reply. "Don't worry, I'll be back in a few hours." He started off again.
"Well... wait for me." Sam caught up with him again. At Lee's annoyed look, Sam merely grinned innocently. "I'll go with you," he volunteered. "We never get to see enough of each."
Lee looked like he wanted to argue, but for some reason he shrugged his shoulders and relented. "Okay. It's just a long, dusty ride, but if you want, come on."
Sam's smile grew even wider. "Great."
The ride to Alamogordo was indeed long and dusty... and hot. Bringing Andy along hadn't been in Lee's original plan but he didn't really have the time to argue with his cousin without telling him what he was doing. Besides, he figured at least he'd have some company on the trip. Andy, however, hadn't been what Lee would call talkative. He shot his cousin a glance. Andy sat in the passenger seat, unusually pensive, as if deep in thought. Lee wasn't sure what the problem was, but he hoped nothing was wrong.
After a couple of hours, Lee turned onto the street where Sam had last been known to reside. There were few houses here, and it didn't take long to locate the one he was looking for. He couldn't keep a smile off his face either, when he spotted Murphy's car just pulling out of the driveway.
"Just where I thought he'd be," he mumbled.
"What?" Andy piped up.
Lee pointed to the blue sedan. "Look who we happened to find."
If he was expecting a reaction out of Andy, he got none. Andy didn't appear surprised to see Murphy or even curious about what they were doing out here. This wasn't like Andy at all, but Lee couldn't take the time to worry about it right now. He pulled his car along the curb and cut Murphy off before he could back up.
Murphy climbed out of his car, his face angry until he saw who it was blocking him. He stood there and waited while Lee and Andy got out as well and walked up to him.
"Well, well," Lee smiled. "Small world, isn't it?"
"Come on," Murphy replied. "We're both out here for the same reason, so don't start playing the Fed with me, okay."
"I'm not playing anything, Murph," Lee answered patiently. "It's like I told you before... the government likes their little secrets."
"Tell me about it," Murphy sighed. "It's like running into a brick wall every time I turn around."
"Soooo..." Lee drawled. "Where were you headed?" Murphy only smiled. "Now, Murph," Lee cautioned. "Leave this one to me. By myself, I just might be able to talk my way in there. You and Andy stay here."
"Lee," Andy began, but Lee held up his hands to stop any arguing.
"I mean it. If we all go charging up there, they won't let any of us in and they might just call out the artillery."
"But, Lee," Andy tried again. "If you'd let me..."
"No way," Lee interrupted. "This is my jurisdiction. I'm going in alone." Murphy shrugged compliance. Andy didn't look happy but he didn't say anything. "All right. You guys stay here. I'll be back in a while."
As soon as Lee's car disappeared down the street, Sam turned to Murphy.
"We can't let him go by himself," he reasoned. "We have to follow."
Murphy looked reluctant. "I don't know, Andy. Lee usually knows what he's talking about. I mean... he's the expert on big, top secret government things."
It was all Sam could do to keep himself from jumping into Murphy's car and driving to the Project himself. There were so many familiar things surrounding him, he was positive he'd remember the codes to gain admittance. It was all so frustrating to be so close and not able to do anything.
"Come on, Murph," Sam pleaded. "We can't just sit around here and do nothing."
Sam saw the glimmer in Murphy's eyes. He knew if he just kept pushing, he'd convince him. His cousin wanted to go, so it wasn't going to take much arm twisting. "Murphy... Lee doesn't know everything. What if he needs help?"
Murphy waged a swift battle with indecision then suddenly made up his mind. "All right, let's go."
"Yes!" Sam exclaimed exuberantly as he jumped into the car. He chose to ignore the look Murphy gave him. He was heading home.
It actually didn't take long, but to Sam the drive seemed to last an eternity. He wondered briefly if Lee might be able to get himself admitted but as they approached the gates, he saw he shouldn't have worried. Lee was still standing there, talking to the guards. Murphy pulled his car up slowly behind Lee's.
"This doesn't look promising," he observed as the two of them got out.
"Don't worry," Sam assured him. "I'm positive we'll get in."
Murphy shot him another strange glance but he didn't care. He was ready to do whatever talking was necessary to get inside those gates. He and Murphy walked up behind Lee, catching the guard's attention. Lee turned to look over his shoulder and his face registered both surprise and anger.
"Murphy," Lee began in an undertone.
"Don't get mad at Murphy," Sam advised him. "This is my idea."
"Then I guess I'll be mad at you," Lee growled.
"There's no need for that."
They all turned to see Al Calavicci at the gate, in full dress uniform. Sam felt the smile spread across his face at the sight of his friend standing there in flesh and blood.
"I understand you gentlemen are interested in our Project."
"You could say that," Lee replied evenly.
"Well then... why don't you let me give you the guided tour."
Lee was well aware of the difference between being led and being escorted. He and his cousins were definitely being escorted to a nearby building.
Once inside, the Admiral, cousins, and two guards filed through a non-descript reception area and into a conference room with what looked like a state of the art communications setup. The three oversized video screens at the far end lent an almost eerie feeling to the large silent room. Lee turned his attention back to the Admiral who was studying the three of them in turn; Andy in particular for some reason.
"Would you mind staying here for a few minutes? I have some business to take care of. I'll be back as soon as possible," the Admiral said.
"No wandering around on our own, Sir?" Lee inquired archly.
"Wandering would not be the best idea." The barest hint of threat in the Admiral's voice.
"Excuse me." Andy's voice startled Lee. "I need to use the rest room."
Unaccountably, this made the Admiral smile. He waved back the guards. "Follow me. It's just around the corner."
The security men followed the Admiral and Andy out. Lee wasn't exactly thrilled with the group splitting up, but somehow, the Admiral's polite gesture of escorting Andy himself, made Lee feel less like a spy in an armed enemy camp.
For the first time he could remember, Sam didn't care that he had to meet with Al in a bathroom. He was too overwhelmed at seeing his old friend in person... a living, breathing person.
Al closed the door behind him and turned around. The smile on his face couldn't hide the fact that there were tears glistening in his eyes. Sam wasn't about to point them out to him. Besides, it was hard to see through the salty liquid brimming up in his own eyes.
"I can't believe it," he whispered and reached out to grab Al in an enthusiastic embrace.
"Aw, geez, Sam," Al protested lamely.
"Don't go getting all mushy on me."
Sam only laughed. "I'm here, Al!" he exclaimed. "I've got to be... what, within a few years. I've never been this close before." He stopped his babbling at the look he'd caught in his friend's face. "What is it?" he asked, some of his exuberance fading.
"Nothing," Al replied evasively. "It's just good to be to see you... so to speak."
But Sam wouldn't be put off. He knew every twitch of Al's face. "What's wrong, Al?" he persisted. "Is it my being here?" Comprehension dawned on him and he felt a growing excitement. "That's it, isn't it?"
"Now, Sam..."
"I'm close, I can feel it." Sam fixed Al with a hard look. "Tell me, Al. How close am I? A year.. a month?"
Al hesitated.. caught in that same old trap of being torn between the rules and his friendship for Sam. Finally however, his humanity won out. "Geta hold of yourself, Sam," he began. "You're only three hours behind normal time."
If there had been a chair convenient, Sam would have sank into it. As it was, he settled for leaning against the cold porcelain sink. Three hours! "Three hours!" he breathed. "Al, do you know what that could mean?"
"Yeah, tell me about it," Al agreed. "We've been working like crazy trying to figure out how to cash in on this and bring you home but Ziggy's not being very cooperative these days." He cocked a hopeful eyebrow at Sam. "I don't suppose you could lend a hand or anything... since you're here."
Sam's shoulders sagged. While he knew who and what Ziggy was, her how and why was lost somewhere in the holes of the swiss-cheese leaping made of his brain. He shook his head regretfully. "I don't think I'd be much help," he admitted and tried to ignore the disappointment on Al's face. He turned toward the mirror. Andy's face stared back at him woefully.
He didn't know how long he stood there but he felt Al's hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry, Sam. We'll figure something out."
Sam wasn't really listening. Another idea had been slowly forming while he stared at the image of his cousin. He knew Al wasn't going to like it very much but the more he thought about it, the more determined he became.
"Sam?" Al sounded worried. "You okay, Sam?"
Sam nodded slowly then turned around to face his friend. "I'm just fine." He took a deep breath. "Al... I want to see my mother."
Al gave him a strange look. "Sure, Sam. As soon as you get back to the ranch..."
Sam shook his head and waved his hands. "No, not me. I mean, I want my mom to see me... to see her son. Now before you go off on a tangent, hear me out."
Al had indeed looked ready to explode with a million reasons this wasn't possible, but Sam didn't want to hear them.
"Al, I know she's worried. That's why Lee and Murphy are here snooping around. Three years is a long time. We'll never have a better chance. With Andy in the waiting room... he could pull it off."
"Sam, do you know what you're asking? We'd have to tell your cousin what's happening... and what about your other cousins? They'll want to see him too, and then we'll have your whole damn family down here. Sam, do you realize how many people you're related to? Talk about a breach of security."
"I think you're overreacting just a bit," Sam replied with a laugh. "We'll make it conditional. Placate the family by letting my mom come in for awhile, but no one else is allowed."
"And what about Andy?" Al wasn't quite ready to give in yet.
"Al... you know as well as I do, he probably won't remember a thing after I leap. I never do."
"I still don't like it," Al grumbled, but Sam could tell he'd talked him into it.
"Great!" Sam exclaimed. "We can send Lee and Murphy back to get Mom."
"What about you," Al asked skeptically. "They're gonna wonder why you're sticking around here while they get the boot."
Sam thought for a moment then brightened. "I'll just tell them my arm hurts too much to make the drive right now. I'll wait and go back when we take Mom home. Then we can brief Andy."
Al heaved a deep sigh. "I sure hope this works."
"It will," Sam assured him happily. "Trust me."
Sam sat in the waiting room and watched the mixture of reactions flashing across Andy's face... well, his own face actually. It was kind of strange to see his face staring back at him. He'd gotten used to seeing other people's reflections, but somehow, this flesh and blood encounter was a little disconcerting.
Andy was actually handling things rather well. After some incredulous scoffing at first, then a bout of adamant denial, they brought Sam in and the two cousins stood face to face. Then they'd shown Andy the mirror. There really wasn't any way to argue with that.
"I thought I'd seen just about everything,"Andy breathed shakily. "I mean, some weird things happened at 'KRP, but nothin' like this."
"I know it takes some getting used to," Sam told him sympathetically. "It happens to me a lot."
Andy reluctantly tore his gaze away from the reflection. "Geez, Sammie... and here I thought all this time you were workin' on bombs or something."
Sam laughed. "Hardly," he remarked. "Although, we did kind of drop one on you, didn't we?"
Andy glanced over at Al, then back to the mirror, and finally over at Sam again. He pointed to the sling supporting Sam's arm. "I'm glad you got that," he stated with a grin.
"Oh, thanks," Sam retorted.
Andy's face grew more serious. "What about Cait and the kids?" he asked. "Do they know you're me... or I'm you... or whatever?"
"No way," Al broke in. "Sam's gotten really great at this. Nobody suspects anything."
"Except for Lee and Murphy," Sam reminded his friend. It had been pretty tough convincing them to go back to the ranch first, without seeing Sam and secondly, leaving Andy behind with a pretty flimsy excuse for not accompanying them. They'd finally agreed, only because they were coming back and bringing their aunt with them. As far as they were concerned, this wasn't over yet.
"So what happens now?" Andy asked nervously. "Do we stay this way?"
"No," Sam answered. "Usually I leap after I do whatever it is I've been sent to do. In this case, we're not quite sure what that is."
Andy heaved a weary sigh and raised his hand to run it through his hair, then stopped half way there. At the same time, Sam once again had to brush his long hair out of his face.
"So I'm just supposed to sit around here and wait for you to... leap?" Andy asked, now beginning to look annoyed at the whole thing.
"That's usually how it works," Sam answered, "but this is kind of a special case." He glanced over at Al then turned back to his cousin, his face determined. "There's something I'd like you to do for me."
The hustle and bustle of technicians and administrative people, working to keep everything running, flowed smoothly around two silent figures. Only one watched the view-plate; the other watched him as he stared, barely breathing, unheeding of anyone else.
"Sam." Al placed a hand on the tense shoulder to break the mood.
"Not now, Al," he replied, but he let the hand remain.
"I might not be able to see you for a long time again," Andy was explaining.
"But why?" Mrs. Beckett's confusion sounded loud and clear, even over the speakers.
"Good question, Mom," Sam muttered darkly, startling Al.
"You know I can't tell you... government stuff and all that. If you get worried or something comes up or... anything, just get in touch with Al," Andy continued smoothly.
"Good ad lib," Al commented. Sam's mouth twisted grimly, but he didn't look away.
Mrs. Beckett still looked a little dubious, but smiled. "Whatever you say, dear, but can't I talk to for just a little longer?"
"I'm sorry." He gave a cheeky grin. "You don't know the hoops we jumped through to get you in this time."
At the stricken look on her face, he continued, looking her straight in the eye. "I love you, Mom... I wish I could be with you and the family. Listen to Al; he's my best friend. If he says I'm okay, I'm okay."
Al tried to frown and glanced at the view Andy was ad libbing again, but he couldn't be mad. He had a good idea where that ad lib probably originated. After their first disorientation, Andy and had spent a lot of time together.
Anything else the two people in the next room said was lost as Andy escorted Mrs. Beckett to the door. However, he couldn't miss seeing Sam's mother throw her arms her son and embrace him as if her life depended on it. Much to Andy's credit, he only hesitated a fraction of a second before returning her hug. He did cast a glance up at the glass, and his face wore an apologetic expression. There was no need to guess who that was for.
If Lee thought the ride back to the ranch would be subdued, he hadn't reckoned on Admiral Calavicci's infectious charm. He'd decided to take Thelma up on her offer to "visit any time." The fact that he could visit, but her son couldn't, was left tacitly unexpressed. Within fifteen minutes, the Admiral made Mrs. Beckett smile through her tears. After half an hour, Sam's ears were a bright red over the stories that were being told about him
Al was just finishing up with what had to be a highly fictionalized account of his and Sam's first meeting as they pulled up to the Ranch.
"Three days later he returned the hammer along with an article on people in another city who were donating play equipment for the under privileged youth, a stack of plywood, and instructions on how to build a playhouse. I almost never forgave him for that.
The rest of the story had to wait as they pulled up the long driveway leading to the ranch. In all the hullabaloo surrounding their return, Sam managed to catch his friend for a moment and quietly ask, "Does Ziggy have anything to say about when I'm going to leap?"
"Sorry, Sam. As good as Ziggy is, she can't see the future."
Sam wasn't able to reply since the entire family pounced upon the unexpected visitor. It wasn't long before Admiral Calavicci had been supplied with lemonade and led to the porch so the family could catch a cool breeze while trying to pry information out of him and Thelma. At that moment the imaging chamber door opened and Al came bursting through with a momentum that sent him straight through Sam and nearly off the porch.
"What the...?" Sam sputtered.
"What is it, S.. Andy?" the Admiral asked.
Conscious of everyone's eyes on him and not wanting to cause a scene, Sam muttered, "Nothing, I just forgot something."
He motioned everyone, including the Admiral to keep sitting and followed the hologram Al to the edge of the porch, out of earshot of the rest.
Al was a sight. The sleeves, legs and entire front of his suit was caked with dry mud. Mud even flecked his hair and chin. However, it was the haunted expression in his friend's eyes and the horror in his voice that spurred Sam to break in to a run as Al exclaimed, "Come on, come on, we don't have time for this. Follow me."
"Where?" he asked, helplessly following the holographic image. "What's happened to you? You're covered in mud."
"You've got to save her."
"Her who?"
Al was leading him through field and stream it seemed. They lost sight of the house as they went over a rise.
"Kendra. We may just be in time. Hurry, Sam!"
It took Sam a minute while he ran. "Kendra?" he huffed. To his consternation, he realized he had no idea who Al was talking about.
"Nicky's little girl," Al snapped back.
Nicky? Nicky wasn't even married. Sam suddenly realized his lack of information for once wasn't due to his swiss-cheesed memory. This child had obviously been born after he started leaping
"What about her?" Sam demanded, but Al wasn't listening. In fact, he wasn't even out of breath since he didn't have to run like Sam did. His image just jumped from place to place. That was the last straw. "Al, what's going on?"
Without warning, the hologram image stopped and Al started to walk up the banks of an irrigation ditch. "Here! I found her here. Start looking upstream."
"Found her? I don't understand."
Al stiffened, but didn't even look up at Sam as he explained. "Kendra disappeared. We all searched and I found her." Al pointed down at the half full irrigation ditch at his feet. "Here. I don't know how long she'd been there. I tried mouth to mouth, but..." Al's voice choked off at this point.
Sam paled. That certainly explained the mud. "Al, did she...?"
"There was nothing I... we could do. It's not going to happen though. I'm not going to let it." The determination and pain in Al's voice broke Sam's heart.
Stifling any further questions, he called to Al, as he worked his way down the embankment. "Get on the other side of the ditch. These sides are steep. I don't want to miss her. In fact, get Gooshie to center you on her."
"Can't Sam. Her brain pattern has never been registered in the imaging chamber. There's nothing to lock on to." Al pushed an impatient hand through his hair. "Kendra, where are you?"
Sam swore silently. How many twists and turns could a single ditch have? He cast a worried glance at Al. Finding a child like that so recently, he had no idea how Al was managing.
"How did you get here so quick?" he asked, trying to take his friend's mind off the tragedy. "It's a two hour drive back to the Project and we're separated by less than three hours in time."
"I didn't know how long she'd been there so I made it back in one."
"Al!"
"I'm in one piece," Al grunted in a tone that brooked no discussion.
Sam wisely kept his mouth shut and scanned the ditch even more closely till he suddenly had a thought. "Paradox!" he exclaimed.
"What?"
"Paradox. You're here, but when we find Kendra, you won't have any reason to go back to the project," Sam puffed. "Certainly not at the speed you were going."
"Sam, I don't know!" Al exclaimed in exasperation. "I don't know which timeline I'll remember. Maybe I'll vanish in a puff of smoke. I don't know. What's that?" Al pointed ahead. "There!"
"Where, I don't see..." Sam looked frantically around.
"Over here. Hurry, Sam. She's in the ditch, but she's not swept away yet."
Al's voice switched abruptly from his frantic shouting to tender consolation. "There, there, honey. Don't be scared."
A small toddler was trying to climb up the steep sides of the ditch, but the spring rains had undercut and softened the ground enough that she couldn't get any purchase. The little girl could obviously see Al for she held an arm up to him.
"No, honey," he pleaded. "Don't reach for me... hold on, honey... Sam!"
Sam jumped the ditch and reached through Al for Kendra. He barely managed to grab her as she struggled in terror at seeing another face come through the face of her would-be rescuer.
Crying with relief, Sam clasped the child to him, unmindful of the pain it caused his injured arm. Through the tears, he turned to Al, who was on his knees, his head bowed. In the distance, Sam heard shouts from a small group, including the flesh and blood Admiral. He stood up to call to them.
As he did, he heard Al whisper in his ear, "Good-bye, Sam."
He turned to look at Al, but he suddenly blinked out as though he'd never been there. Sam didn't have long to puzzle about it for as the child in his arms reached up to touch his face, he leaped.