QUANTUM LEAP: Grow A Spine

Quantum Leap is property of NBC/Universal. Jem and related properties are property of Hasbro.

Chapter 1: Eating Dust

Theorizing that one could time travel within his own lifetime, Doctor Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator- and vanished. He awoke to find himself trapped in the past, facing mirror images that were not his own, and driven by an unknown force to change history for the better.

His only guide on this journey is Al, an observer from his own time, who appears in the form of a hologram that only Sam can see and hear. And so Doctor Beckett finds himself leaping from life to life, striving to put right what once went wrong and hoping each time that his next leap…will be the leap home.


If there was one thing Sam Beckett could never quite get used to, it was the sensation of leaping into a new body. There was always a moment of disorientation as the scientist's wandering essence worked its way into a random person who'd just been shoved out as part of the Leaper's ongoing quest/walking tour of spacetime. As such, he paid little mind to the sound of self-satisfied cackling fading into the distance.

Breathe in, breathe out. Now- time to see who I'm filling in for.

He turned around to see a reflective piece of sheet metal. Staring back at him was the image of a young woman with purple hair, a green jacket, and a face with all the signs of having had a good cry very recently.

"Oh boy."


Grow A Spine
February 4, 1988

"Given your fashion sense, I understand this longer-than-usual look in the mirror."

Sam swiveled around and laid eyes upon Al, complete with cigar and garish suit.

"Well, you're one to talk."

"Ha ha, very funny. Now, let's get to brass tacks. Right now, you're Constance "Clash" Montgomery- number-one fan, groupie, and pack mule/doormat of the Misfits."

"The ones with Glenn Danzig or-"

"The all-girl punk band that had a rivalry with the Holograms and who just left you in the dust."

"So, why am I here?"

"Ziggy says there's an 84.2 percent chance you're here to prevent Clash from just losing her marbles."

"How badly does she-"

"In about three days, she's gonna go for a fully-clothed swim in the Pacific."

"So what am I supposed to do- just bring her back to the Misfits?"

"Not exactly. You've gotta build up her backbone, make sure she's not gonna just take the Misfits' abuse and ask for more-"

"Al, I'm not a miracle worker!"

"Look, it's the only way you're gonna leap outta here."