Whereabouts . . . Unknown
by: Lissa Grinstead
These are the journals of Darien Lambert, Captain, Fugitive Retrieval Section, AD 2193.
Captain Darien Lambert aimed his PPT at William Ghatta. He had a very serious expression on his face. "I'm sending you back, Bill."
William Ghatta was not happy, to say the least. Going back meant going to jail, and facing several people who would be just as happy if he turned up dead. "Wait, Captain Lambert. Is there ANY thing I can do to change your mind?"
Darien frowned. "Nothing comes to mind." He fired a red pellet at Ghatta. Ghatta flickered red, and then blue. "Transmission tone, SELMA." By now, Darien Lambert was used to watching fugitives disappear in a flash of exploding light. This time it didn't happen.
He pointed his PPT back at Ghatta. "SELMA, what happened? Why is he still here?"
Ghatta said, "Oh, boy."
Theorizing that one could time travel within his own lifetime, Dr. 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 so Dr. 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.
December 13, 1996
"CAPTAIN, that is NOT William Ghatta."
Darien turned around, placing his back to the confused Ghatta, and whispered urgently to his pocket. "What do you mean 'that is not William Ghatta'? Who is it?"
"I do not know who it is, but it is not William Ghatta. I am getting a slight and unusual visual discrepancy from the person who is here. It looks like Ghatta's image has been superimposed on another."
"Excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt," Ghatta started. "But I could not help but overhear you talking to someone."
"Who are you?" Darien demanded.
Ghatta stood there confused for a moment. He had not had a chance to check his wallet yet, but he did remember overhearing this man say a name.
"William Ghatta."
"Don't give me that. You are NOT Bill Ghatta. I want to know who you are, and I want to know NOW."
The strange man looked off to his left, somewhat relieved. He appeared to be listening to someone else.
"Captain, if I may?"
SELMA interrupted. "I am picking up a strange transmission nearby."The man wearing the face of William Ghatta looked surprised. "My cover is blown already, isn't it?" He smiled a crooked smile, and actually seemed relieved. "Since you seem to know who I am NOT, let me tell you who I am: my name is Sam. Dr. Sam Beckett. The transmission is my hologram; you won't be able to see him."
"Captain,"
"Yes SELMA."
"May I suggest Visual Mode?"
"Sure, why not. Nothing else is making sense." Darien was very frustrated. Events were taking place that he could not figure out. "Visual Mode."
SELMA flickered into existence beside Darien Lambert. "I have a profile for Dr. Beckett."
"I see you have one too." Sam said. Darien flashed him an irritated glance.
"Let's hear it." Darien sounded rather resigned.
SELMA began to read off the ceiling. Then a profile of Dr. Beckett appeared on an invisible screen in front of Darien. Sam looked rather surprised. It was an old photo of him.
"Dr. Sam Beckett was a scientist in the late 20th century who held six doctorates, including one in Physics. He conducted time travel experiments and participated in one such classified experiment, a Project Quantum Leap. The project was declassified only recently. The experiment was determined to be an unsafe and unreliable method of time travel and was eventually abandoned. Dr. Beckett was . . " she cut off suddenly.
"Continue, please." Sam said.
"I'd really rather not." This was a very unusual attitude for SELMA.
"Voice Mode." SELMA disappeared. "Will you wait here a moment, Dr. Beckett?" Darien asked.
Sam nodded his head.
"What were you thinking, Sam? You know you aren't supposed to reveal your identity."
"Did you hear what that hologram said, Al? Think. She referred to the 20th century in the past tense and said that the project was abandoned." She said the method was unsafe and unreliable, he didn't repeat. "These people are time travelers, too. Only, I gather, the 'Captain' is not a 'leaper', he is an actual traveler."
"Sam, it doesn't matter what the reason. You know the project directives."
"Al, they already knew. Don't you get it? I tried to tell them I was William Ghatta. But they KNEW I wasn't. I don't know how. But meanwhile, I did leap into Ghatta. Why don't you tell me about him?"
"William Ghatta. He isn't exactly a nice guy, and you didn't come to make his life any easier. He was supposed to be the key witness in a murder trial."
"I can see that is going to be difficult for me."
"He talked the other witness out of testifying. Seems he started to re- re- re-" He whacked the multi-colored device on the side, "reform recently. The other witness is a young woman. He didn't want her to be hurt, and since he had also seen the crime, he figured they didn't need two witnesses. Besides, no one but Ghatta knew she was there. So he convinced her that her testimony would not be needed."
"Only now it is. Is that why I leaped?"
"Yes. Ghatta has always been a seedy character. No record of his birth or death is available though. The problem is his past. What there is of it is not good. He is not a reliable witness. The defense pulled a number of tricks and the defendant, a slimeball by the name of Clifford North, walked. Then went on to kill eleven more people before he eventually got caught and convicted. Ziggy says you need to convince the woman to testify."
"That shouldn't be too hard. Who is it?"
"That's the problem, Sam. We don't know who it is."
"Ask Ghatta." Sam stated. Al punched the irritable handset and looked up, and Sam could see a certain unspoken fear in his eyes.
Darien walked off a bit. "Visual Mode." SELMA flickered into being. "All right SELMA, we are out of earshot. Why did you stop with the profile?"
"Dr. Beckett participated in the experiment. He never made it back. The government shut down funding before he returned. He was lost." SELMA looked saddened. Really, her exposure to humans made her act more human every day.
Darien smiled a sad smile. "And you didn't want to tell him that because going home is the only thing keeping him going?" As it was for him.
"Yes Captain. I am beginning to understand that hope is something that humans must have. I couldn't take that away from him."
"I understand, SELMA. Let's get back."
Al slapped the handset hard and it let out a series of chirps and squeals that made Sam smile. One of the consistencies of his existence was Al's frustration with Ziggy's handlink.
"Sam, an emergency situation developed several minutes ago, and they just now saw fit to tell me about it, when I asked them to ask Ghatta who the other witness was" Al was pacing, visibly shaken. Sam could tell there was some kind of bad news coming, but he didn't know what it was.
"Out with it, Al. What is going on?"
"Your body is missing." He was grave. "Ziggy can't explain it."
"My body is missing. Al, tell me that it's April 1st where you are." Al shook his head. This was serious. He didn't have a way back home. "Find out what happened, Al. I need to know that. I need details. Don't keep me in the dark on this one. Promise?"
Al shook his head and called for the door. He left.
"You look like someone just kicked you in the head, Dr. Beckett." Darien came up to where Sam was standing.
"What?" Sam had been distracted and had not noticed his arrival. "Call me, Sam. No, I just got some really bad news. Did SELMA tell you what I do and why I am here?"
"She just told me that you were a time traveler, of sorts. By the way, I am Darien Lambert. Call me Darien."
"Well, Darien, I am going to explain my mission here because quite frankly, I have no idea how I am going to accomplish it. And from what I have heard, you are also a time traveler. I need help on this one."
He told Darien that Bill Ghatta was the key witness for the prosecution in an upcoming trial. Problem was, he didn't know where Bill Ghatta was. He was supposed to be at Project Quantum Leap, but somehow the body had disappeared. He didn't have access to Ghatta's information. There was another witness: Bill had talked her out of testifying, supposedly for her own safety. But because Bill was missing, he didn't know who the witness was. In addition, without this witness, the defendant would be released and would murder eleven more people.
Darien looked alternately amazed, irritated, frustrated, confused, and hopeful. The hope made Sam question his own sanity.
"SELMA, we need confirmation that headquarters received 'William Ghatta'."
"Captain, that transmission is not certain."
"SELMA, just place an add in The Post that the unidentified body is really Ghatta and that we need confirmation of transmission."
"Yes Captain." She sounded contrite.
"Come on, Sam. We need to visit a friend of mine. She won't be pleased to see me." He smiled and his blue eyes twinkled with laughter.
Sam looked at him quizzically as they left the warehouse
"Sure, of course, why not? Nevermind that you only call me when you need me to get a briefcase for you. Out of the ladies' bathroom." Annie Knox was pleased to see Lambert, sort of. He didn't call or visit, unless he needed something. Of course, she did enjoy going to the Smithsonian and spending time with him. But the man had too many mysteries about him. And, for some strange reason, he was hanging out with the key witness in a murder trial. Maybe this time, she'd get an explanation. Of course, she didn't really believe that.
"Thanks, Annie. I knew I could count on you." Darien smiled at her. Ghatta also gave her a rather shy, grateful smile.
"Oh come on, before I change my mind."
Annie went into the bathroom; Sam and Darien waited outside. "Why exactly does your briefcase come here?"
"Something to do with location. You can either temport or teleport, but unfortunately you can't do both at the same time. Where I come from, the temportation machine is located here. Too bad it isn't the men's room, though."
Annie came out and handed him a briefcase. She didn't say a word as she left.
Sam whispered, "How many times have you asked her to do this?"
Darien shrugged and raised his eyebrows. "Let's get back to my place. Hopefully, I have good news for you."
"So what you are saying is that you hope I am in the 22nd Century?"
"Sort of. I sent Bill Ghatta to the 22nd Century just as you leapt in. If your body is missing in your future, maybe it is in mine."
"It would be nice to know where I am." Sam smiled.
"SELMA, play voice message." Although Sam already knew a lot, Darien did not want to give him a visual of the future of law enforcement.
"Darien,"
The Chief's voice sounded through the room. "We did receive a transmission from you. You are saying that the body belongs to Dr. Sam Beckett, the Nobel Prizewinning physicist who conducted time travel experiments? And that the consciousness present is William Ghatta? This is very strange and I am not sure how to handle it. I did ask Ghatta the question you requested. But he can't seem to remember much more than his name. Sorry, friend, but I can't help you on this. If I get more information, I will let your SELMA know that another shipment is coming.""Swiss-cheesed," Sam muttered.
"What was that?" Darien asked.
"One of the side effects of leaping is that the memory gets what I call 'swiss-cheesed.' Most of it is there; there are just HUGE holes everywhere. Take for example, Al, my holographic friend." Al appeared at that time. Sam smiled. "I know he has been my friend for a very long time. But I can't remember how I met him or what his last name is right now. I may during the next leap. But for now, it is gone. Unfortunately, our other witness's name got lost in the leap."
"Calavicci,"
Al whispered to Sam. Sam smiled and mouthed Thanks to him."Just once, I'd like something simple."
"I know what you mean, Sam, really I do." And he did.
"Al, will you tell me the date, just in case, so that I know when to come home?"
Al looked nervous, but he understood the reason. If Sam was in the future, and he ever made it back, he'd want to return. And he needed to know when. "April 18, 2006. You've been gone for seven years, Sam."
"Thanks, Al." His smile was bitter. "SELMA, will you remember a date for me?"
"Certainly, Dr. Beckett."
"My body disappeared on April 18, 2006. If I am in the future and I ever get back, I want to know when to come home."
"I will remember, Dr. Beckett."
"SELMA, can you extrapolate from Ghatta's associates, friends, contacts, neighbors, anyone he might know, a database that may help us to track down this witness?"
"Certainly, but that will take some time, Captain."
"Sam, I will have Ziggy do the same as that other computer. Maybe a few will correlate and that will help narrow down the search."
"Actually," Sam smiled, "I am glad. I could use some rest. Would you mind if I used your couch, Darien?"
"Be my guest. Your last leap must have been rough"
"You have NO idea." Sam muttered as he lay down on the couch and closed his eyes.
"Captain, I have finished compiling a list of William Ghatta's known associates"
"Visual Mode." SELMA appeared. "Let's hear it." Sam was still sleeping on the couch. Darien considered waking him up, but it was too late to make any visits anyway.
"Based on the information in the trial transcripts, Captain, the murder took place at Earl's Auto Repair at nine-thirty p.m. Only seven of Ghatta's associates would have had any reason to be at the shop at that time. Of those seven, only two are female."
Darien smiled. "Good work, SELMA. But do keep the other associates on file in case neither of these two is our witness."
"Of course, Captain."
"Okay, who are our candidates?"
"The most likely person is Angela Travis. She is Earl's niece. She is also a student at Gallaudet University. Her current address is 1817A Swann Street, here in Washington D.C."
"Why is she the most likely person, SELMA?"
"The other female has a minor record. At least in the 22nd century. She is not a fugitive, though. She did serve her time before she" SELMA paused, as if looking for the right word, "relocated."
"Actually, SELMA, that makes her a very good candidate. If she is here going straight, Bill may have respected that. And since he knows who the murderer is, he may have felt she had a better chance if she wasn't a known witness. But these are both good candidates. What information to you have on her?"
"Her name is Carline Robinson. She is a part-time mechanic for Earl's and she also has a computer consulting business. Her address is 2017 Benning Road."
Darien raised his eyebrows. "That is a strange combination."
"How so, Captain?"
He looked at her as if trying to find the words. "Well, SELMA, they are two different fields. I don't know. The combination is just odd."
SELMA nodded her head in that way that drove him nuts. The mannerism seemed to indicate understanding, but what it meant was "Whatever you say."
"Sam."
Al shouted, frantically trying to wake Sam up. Usually, he was not this sound a sleeper. Ordinarily, he would accept that Sam needed the rest, but this information was urgent."Sam, wake up."
Sam rolled over and moaned. He opened his eyes and muttered, "This had better be important, Al."
"It is, Ziggy has a potential witness for you. One of the victim's relatives, a deaf girl named Angela, will be found dead tomorrow evening. You have to find her. Ziggy is theorizing that Angela may have been the other witness."
"Why?" Sam asked.
"Because she was also murdered in the same manner as her uncle, a mechanic named Earl."
"That sounds logical. I'll go talk to Darien and see if we can't track her down. You get with Ziggy and find out details, like where and when. Also, check to see if any other similar murders occur." Al nodded his head once and a blue door appeared. He walked through it.
Unfortunately, it was late and Darien was also asleep. Sam considered his options. He could wait until morning, and then do the legwork to find Angela. Ziggy would also be looking for more information to give him, but he didn't know how long that would take. If he waited, there was a good chance that Angela could be dead by the time they found her. As much as he hated it, Sam knew that he had to wake Darien up.
"Darien. . . . Captain Lambert." Sam called into the next room. There was no response. Since he had called pretty loudly, he was pretty sure that Darien WAS a sound sleeper. Great.
"Darien." He called again. This time, a rather loud, insistent ringing noise started up and Darien shot straight out of bed.
"SELMA, what?" He blurted.
"Dr. Beckett has been trying to wake you up. I decided it might be more efficient if I assisted him."
"Gee SELMA, thanks." He said, his voice laced with sarcasm.
"You are quite welcome, Captain." H
er voice was cheery, despite the fact that it was 3:30 am. Far more cheery than anyone had a right to be at this hour."Okay, Sam, I understand you needed to speak with me?" Darien sat in his favorite chair. He rubbed his hands over his eyes.
"Yes, I am sorry. But I got information that one of the victim's relatives, a deaf girl named Angela, would be found dead today. She was murdered the same way as Earl, which suggests that Clifford North, the murderer, knew she was there and thought she might decide to testify. We need to find her before she is killed. Even if she isn't the witness, we need to help her."
"Angela Travis. SELMA gave me her address."
Sam looked at Darien in outright amazement.
"Just because you know her address is no guarantee she is there."
"True, but I also know where she goes to school, so it shouldn't be too hard for us to get her schedule and contact her there. All we really need is the approximate time she is/was killed, so we can make sure it doesn't happen." Darien grimaced. "This changing history thing sure can be grammatically confusing."
Sam grinned. "Al and Ziggy are looking into the details, such as time of death. I also have Al looking for other murders that had a similar MO."
As they were both awake and sure to have a long day ahead of them, Darien got up and headed for the kitchen. They had probably better eat breakfast at the least.
"If we get there at first light, we can probably meet her at her house. She probably doesn't leave for school at 6:00 am." Darien said.
"True. It's too bad we don't know what she looks like. If she isn't home, she is going to be hard to locate."
"SELMA, do we have a visual of Angela Travis?" Darien queried the air.
"No Captain, My records contain no visual images of Angela Travis."
Darien shrugged in Sam's direction.
"That's okay, Darien. I am used to doing without visual information. We'll get to her first."
"How do you know?"
"Call it a feeling."
It was a gorgeous sunrise. Darien always enjoyed watching the sun rise over the Potomac, and Angela lived close. They waited outside her apartment. SELMA had said she was alone in the apartment. He hoped that she could read lips, because he didn't know how else they were going to tell her about her danger. He knew that, if all else failed, he could always turn SELMA on visual mode and she would be able to talk to Angela. But then, that could scare her even worse. Unless you knew better, SELMA looked like a ghost.
"Sam, I just thought of something. What if she can't read lips?"
"What about it?"
"How are we going to communicate with her?"
"I had to learn sign once. I can talk to her."
"Is there anything you don't know?" he asked sarcastically.
"Yeah, I haven't figured out how YOUR computer works yet." Sam smiled at him. "I have had to do a lot of strange things, learning to sign was actually one of the easier ones. I am sure you have just as an eclectic assortment of skills."
"So I have been told." Darien was beginning to think that this would be a good partnership, except that Sam didn't have any police training and probably would not be able to defend himself. Afterall, with six doctorates, he probably didn't have time to keep in shape.
Sam was looking intently at a strange man walking down the street. "Do you recognize him, Darien?"
"No. Should I?"
"I don't know; he just feels wrong, like he doesn't belong here." The man Sam was looking at had absolutely no unusual features. He was completely non-descript. He almost blended perfectly into the crowd. Now that he saw him, Darien was also inclined to think that the man was bad news, simply by his almost completely invisible presence.
"Maybe, we better get ready to stop him, if he is after Angela."
"Let's go."
Darien and Sam approached Angela's apartment. They stayed out of the way. Afterall, the man hadn't actually made any threats. For all they knew, he could be Angela's friend.
Chrp Chrp
"Yes, SELMA."
"I have a profile on the man you are watching."
"What? Nevermind. Don't repeat it, just give me the information."
"His name is David Stewart. He is allegedly responsible for several assassinations in the 22nd century, most of which were Middle Eastern ambassadors who advocated peace. His most famous target was Ahmad al Kaled. He was captured after that assassination and charged with 13 assassinations, but he never stood trial."
"What is his MO, SELMA?"
"He has no particular modus operandi, Captain. He could have any number of weapons on him. Be careful."
"Let's go botch this attempt for him, eh Sam?" Darien smiled. "You go warn Angela; I'll keep him busy."
"Right." Sam dashed off to Angela's apartment. He rang the doorbell and politely waited for her to answer. But he didn't have a lot of time to spare for courtesy; Darien would be needing his help.
The door opened, and a very confused Angela greeted him. He signed, "Hello." And then proceeded to explain to her the situation. He took her to a neighbor's house and gave the neighbor orders to open the door for no one but him.
Explaining life-threatening situations at six in the morning never got any easier. And no one ever seemed able to understand right off.
Then he took off after Darien.
Stewart was fighting with Lambert. They seemed to be on an even keel. That was . . . until Stewart drew his weapon. Darien looked up just in time to see a flash, and ducked behind a handy garbage can. It evaporated.
"SELMA!!! What the hell was that?" Darien ran off down the alleyway and ducked behind a dumpster.
"It was a garbage can"
"SELMA, don't start with me. What weapon is he using?" The dumpster vanished. Darien ran further and turned onto another alleyway. He ducked behind a door frame.
"I regret that I do not have that information, Captain."
"You DON'T have that information? And why not?"
"The weapon seems to be of Stewart's own invention, thus there are no records of it. It seems to be a type of electronic device utilizing a hydrocarbon base." Three orange beams streaked just beyond him.
"I don't have time for a physics lesson right now. Can you disarm it?"
"No, Captain."
"Great." Darien scanned the alley, looking for something disposable to hide behind.
Sam chose that moment to leave the apartment building. He had been able to see the whole thing. Darien needed help. And right now, Stewart was focused entirely on Darien. He silently crept behind him. Without any hesitation, Sam turned in a circle and kicked Stewart in the small of the back. The weapon, whatever it was, went flying in the air. It landed with a small explosion. By that time, Darien had fired a pellet of TXP at Stewart.
"Transmission tone, SELMA." Stewart disappeared.
"Thanks Sam. Where did you learn that?"
"I have a black belt in Karate."
Darien rolled his eyes and smiled. He should've known.
Al appeared. "You did it Sam. Angela is not killed. But she also doesn't testify."
"I haven't asked her to yet."
"She's not your witness."
"Well, I am going to have to talk to her anyway. A strange person pounds on her door at 6:00 am. She deserves an explanation."
Al shrugged.
Darien looked over toward Sam, who had this habit of seeming to speak to himself. But he knew that Al must be there talking to him.
"Angela is not our witness. It would be so much easier if this North guy were one of your fugitives."
"Yes it would. We could avert this whole trial."
"Can SELMA give us any details on where Carline might be?"
Carline was running for her life. She had gone out for a morning jog, just like every morning. This morning, however, she was being followed. At first, she hadn't noticed. Then, she couldn't help but notice. And this guy was not from the 20th century. She had been training ever since she arrived, and she was a pretty fast runner for the 22nd century. If he was keeping up with her, he was from her time. Which meant he knew who she was and this wasn't a random park stalking.
"SAM!" Al popped in suddenly while they were talking to Angela. "You don't have time for this. Ziggy just got that other information you asked for. There is a murder in a park near Benning Road."
"When!?! Who?" Sam exclaimed, startling everyone in the room but Angela.
"Carline Robinson. The coroner dated the time of death at approximately 8:15 am" Sam looked at his watch. It read 7:50 am.
"Darien, we have to go help someone near Benning Road."
"Carline?"
He looked startled at Darien's knowledge of the victim's name. Then he remembered SELMA. "Yes. She is murdered at 8:15 am. We have 25 minutes to find her."
"Let's go." They ran out of the apartment, leaving Angela and her neighbors very confused.
She ordinarily only ran for half an hour. But she had been running for an hour now. None of the stores were open. And, as usual, there were no cops around. If she got out of this, she was definitely going to look for a safer place to take these morning jogs.
"SELMA. Project Carline's visual on the windshield. If we are going to find her out in the open, we need to know what she looks like."
A picture and profile of Carline Robinson appeared on the windshield. It showed a pretty brunette with brown eyes and a sarcastic smile. She looked like an athlete.
They pulled in the area near her house. Darien and Sam scanned the area. Then Darien pointed. "There!"
There was a woman running as if for her life. About 20 paces behind her was a man in a suit. Darien drove the car onto the sidewalk and rammed the man. Carline stopped and looked at them.
"Hello. Carline Robinson? My name is Darien Lambert, I think you know Bill. You looked like you could use some help."
She didn't say anything. She just nodded and tried to catch her breath. Then she said. "Darien Lambert? Aren't you that retrieval cop?"
"Yes, I am."
She pointed to the man sprawled out in front of Darien's car. "You might want to check him. I think he's from our time."
"SELMA. Confirm."
"His name is Marshall Davidsky. He has an outstanding warrant for murder."
"I think it is time that we brought him in." Darien stood over Davidsky. He started to come around but was still dazed.
"Hello, Marshall. My name is Darien Lambert. And I am sending you home." Before Davidsky could understand what Darien had said, he turned red as a pellet hit him.
"Transmission tone, SELMA." Davidsky vanished. "You know, I haven't found this many fugitives in a while." He said wistfully.
Carline was looking at Ghatta. "You're a fugitive too, Bill. Why hasn't he sent you back?" Sam looked to Darien to explain this one.
Darien shrugged. "Good question." He smiled as if laughing at a private joke.
"Carline, you know Earl?" Sam said.
"Yes, of course. Bill, you know I do. You talked me out of testifying."
"I have to talk you back into it. If I testify, North is going to walk. My background isn't clean. Yours is. Your testimony could save lives. Besides, it is obvious he already knows who you are. He is behind this attempt on your life. If you testify, you will get protection."
She looked rather dismayed. "And you brought him along to send me back if I don't agree?"
"No! That's the last thing I would do. I brought him along to help you, in case you were in danger."
That was close to the truth, and Sam tried to tell the truth whenever possible.
Darien put in. "Its true, Carline. Besides. You aren't a fugitive. I can't send you back unless you want to go. I have the means, you understand, but I don't have the authority to do so. And I won't send you back unless you want to go. It doesn't matter what you decide. But I have it on good authority that if you don't testify, North will get off. And before he is brought to justice, he will kill eleven more people. YOU can prevent that.
"I know you just started a new life here. And if you testify, you may have to start another one because they may put you in some witness protection program.
"But even if you don't agree to testify, there is no guarantee that North won't send another hit man after you. At least this way, you will get protection."
"Can we go somewhere else to talk?" Sam said. He was getting uncomfortable at the number of people who were forming around them.
Carline nodded. Darien asked, "Do you want to go to your place, or would you rather go somewhere else?"
"Somewhere else for now. I don't know if my apartment is safe."
Darien nodded.
"Bill, why don't we go back to your apartment? I left something there." Carline said suddenly. Sam looked nervous. It was one thing to find "his" apartment on his own. It was quite another to have to give directions to get there. With Darien, he could have asked for help, but Carline didn't know he wasn't Bill, and he wasn't going to tell her.
"Tell him to go 323 3rd Street." Al put in suddenly, much to Sam's relief. In all the excitement, he hadn't checked his wallet for any of this information.
"Captain, I live at 323 3rd Street." Darien looked over to Sam and smiled.
"Right. How do I get there?" He was enjoying this, and Sam cast him a black look. He smiled back at him.
"Take Benning to H, then left onto 3rd." Al put in.
"Take Benning to H, then left onto 3rd." Sam repeated to Darien.
Darien shook his head in amazement. Of course, Al must be there giving directions. And Sam was used to improvising.
And he wondered what Carline had left at Bill's.
They got to the house, which was rather nice, and Sam realized that he didn't have a set of keys with him. "I must have left my keys somewhere."
"Come on Bill, did you forget you gave me a set? Just in case." She smiled.
"Just in case what?" he asked.
"You never told me. But it was just after Earl's death, so I assume it was just in case anything happened to you.
"Besides, you know what I was doing there that night."
"Why don't you tell Captain Lambert?" Sam asked. Darien looked at him. He was beginning to see how Sam could blend in with another person's life believably. It had been difficult for him to imagine since he had known from the start, and he had been getting to know Sam, not Bill.
"Captain, Earl was afraid because this North guy had moved into the area and was demanding 'protection' money from all the local businesses. They tried going to the police, but the police weren't interested in helping. North's record had been clean. But everyone who met him could tell he was dirty, you know what I mean?
"Anyway, he asked me to come in and set up a computer security system. I was officially hired, however, as a 'part-time mechanic' because he didn't want anyone to realize that there was a security system in place. Paranoia, I guess. So, I built the system into one of the junker vehicles that he kept in the shop. That isn't the control area, of course, but it is where most of the hardware is contained. You know, inconspicuous."
Darien smiled. He'd been right, it was an odd combination.
"The night Earl was murdered, I was in the junker. I hadn't set up the alerting system yet, but I had just installed the cameras. I taped it. Unfortunately, because I was trying to keep the security inconspicuous, the film is not viewable using today's technology. I had set up a holographic recording system."
"So you have a recording of the murder, but you can't give it to the D.A. or the police because they won't be able to play it? Why didn't you set up a more conventional system?"
"The next phase was the installation of a system designed to play the holographic images for video imaging, if necessary. But, the components are all at Earl's shop, which has been cordoned off by the police. I can't get in there to finish the job. But," she smiled, "I have the holographic chip here at Bill's."
"Will you excuse me for a moment, Carline?" Darien said as he stood up.
She nodded and he left the room.
"SELMA, can you take that chip and convert it to video imaging?"
"The chip can be projected on a current day viewing device and recorded on to a playable tape."
"Thank you, SELMA."
"Carline, I may be able to help you. Bill, do you have one of those video watching devices?"
Sam looked at him, trying to figure out what he was asking. Then he looked at the television and saw a VCR near it.
"Yes, I do."
"Good, get a tape. We can play the chip on the television and make a recording off of it."
"Now wait a minute, Captain, that isn't possible." Carline started.
"I have some resources you don't," he smiled.
Once they had finished, they had a pretty good picture of what had happened. SELMA had played if from every angle to get the best one to show all the details.
Al appeared, "Sam, that's it. North gets convicted of murder. He doesn't last long in jail. A jail fight breaks out shortly after he arrives and he is critically injured. He doesn't die right away, but he doesn't live to finish out his jail term."
"Then why am I still here?" Sam asked.
Carline looked up. Darien just shrugged.
"We don't know. Maybe because you have to deliver the tape to the D.A.?"
Just then, the door to the apartment blasted through the living room. Darien was on his feet, PPT in hand. Carline, who had been sitting on the couch, was lying in a heap on the floor. Three men walked through the door. Darien fired off two green pellets, hitting two of the men. The third turned toward him and started firing a gun. Darien ducked behind the chair. Sam looked around for some place to hide. Another green pellet came from behind the chair, but it missed the man with the gun -- and it hit Sam.
"Damn," Darien muttered as Sam fell to the ground.
Al shouted to Sam. "Come on Sam. Ziggy says there is a 65% chance that you're gonna be killed if you don't wake up. " Sam didn't move. Then he looked at Darien, who couldn't hear him. "What the hell did you hit him with?"
Meanwhile, Darien was firing pellets at the third man, who was doing a good job of dodging them.
Chrp Chrp
"I'm kinda busy, SELMA. What is it?"
"The man you are firing at is a fugitive."
"All right, so I'll switch to TXP pellets." And he fired off a red pellet. This time, he caught the third man off guard and hit him.
"Transmission tone." The man disappeared.
"Visual Mode." SELMA appeared.
"Who was that? And why are they here?"
"That was Kipling Tomas, another wanted assassin. Interesting. Clifford North seems to be surrounded by 22nd Century assassins and murderers."
"Yes, he is. The question is: why?" Darien had gone to Carline, who still hadn't moved. He bent down. "SELMA. Medical Scan."
"She has suffered a severe blow to the head. She will not survive, even if she gets to a hospital. However, she can be treated if you send her back."
"But she didn't want to go back. Can you revive her for a moment?"
"No Captain, I cannot. But consider. Either way, her life in the 20th century is over. She will either die here, or she can go home and live."
"Place an ad in The Post, SELMA. Tell the Chief to tell her I'm sorry." He fired a red pellet at Carline.
"Transmission Tone. Are any of these other men fugitives?"
"No."
"Then I'd better call the police and have them arrested."
"CAPTAIN!"
"Yes SELMA?"
"Dr. Beckett is 'leaping'. And Bill Ghatta is back."
"Check him for signs of TXP."
"There are no signs of TXP in his system. I believe that you can safely send him back."
"Good." Darien fired a red pellet at Bill Ghatta. "Good bye Sam. Transmission Tone."
Darien left, and delivered the tape to the D.A. He hoped that it would be enough to convict North without any witnesses.
The room was gray, and the bed was hard. He looked up and could see no windows. Whereever he was, he was in a high security facility. He looked down and saw he was wearing an oriental style uniform – white. Then he noticed there was a mirror in the room. He knew that he might as well get it over with. Part of finding out why he was here was finding out who he was. A task that had been extremely difficult for a long time without Al's assistance.
The man in the mirror had a gentle face, and a gray streak above his right temple. He almost didn't recognize it. It had been so long since he had seen his own reflection.
He was home.
No, he was in the 22nd Century.
Sam Beckett pounded on the door to the room. An orderly opened it.
"I need to speak to Darien Lambert." He said simply.
The orderly looked at him. "Tell me your name."
"I am Dr. Samuel Beckett. And I need to speak to Captain Darien Lambert. Oh, and what is the date?"
The orderly had been told what to expect, if anything, when the real Dr. Beckett came. Ordinarily, the "visitors" as they were called, were confused and disoriented. This "visitor" was not confused, he was clear.
"March 31, 2205. Let me call Captain Lambert. He's been wanting to see you for a while." The orderly smiled and shut the door.
Of course, Sam thought, just because I think I am me, doesn't mean they are going to let me go until they are sure. And the only one who will be sure is Darien.
Darien Lambert came in the room. He looked much the same. A little older, a little grayer, but still he had the same manner.
"Hello." He said simply, almost cautiously.
"Now Darien, why did you shoot me with that pellet? I didn't even get to say good bye." Sam grinned.
Darien smiled. "Welcome home, Sam. It has been a long time."
"You have NO idea."
"Come on, let's go. You have a year before I can send you back, if you still want to go."
"In the mean time, I want to see this future of yours. How long have you been back?"
"I've been home for about 4 years now. I'll never know if I got all the fugitives, but I think I got most of them."
"How's SELMA?"
"I am fine, Dr. Beckett. It is good to see you again."
They spent some time catching up. Sam found the Trax set up to be extremely fascinating. But he had had enough of travels in time. One more trip, and he would keep in his own place in time.
April 19, 2206
Sam paced back and forth. Darien had given him the TXP pellet and Matumba had turned on the Trax machine. He was nervous. He was going home.
He smiled his thanks. Mere words could never express what he was feeling. He swallowed the pill.
Stepped into the Trax machine . . . and vanished.
He awoke to find himself trapped in a bathroom stall. He ran out and up the stairs to the street and looked at the Smithsonian Museum. He found a newspaper dispenser and looked at the date: He hadn't quite realized how nervous he was until he saw that newspaper. April 19, 2006. It was official. He was home. All he had to do now was get to New Mexico.
He felt a hand grasp his shoulder, and he turned around.
Admiral Al Calavicci was standing there. And he wasn't a hologram. He was there.
"I hoped you'd be here today, Sam." He smiled, and there was a tear in his eye. "Welcome back. Let's get you home. Donna has waited a long time for you to keep your promise."
"Oh boy." Sam smiled and embraced his friend.