There had been no trouble at the gates and Sam pulled into his spot in the Project parking lot and maneuvered himself and canes from the vehicle. The space next to his had been Al's, and he frowned, noticing the name had been painted out. Probably since he'd sent in his resignation. The nozzles sure didn't waste time, he thought, feeling a growing resentment. Most of the past five days had been like that, with the watchful eyes of the military on them, making sure they didn't take a paperclip they weren't entitled to.
The main entrance didn't respond to his presence, keyed to the sensor on his name badge. Frowning, he tried the coded card that had been obsolete for some time. Nothing.
"Can I help you, Sir?"
The security woman was someone he wasn't acquainted with. "I'm Dr. Beckett," he said quickly, touching his badge. "I need some things from the lab and thought..."
"You are not authorized in this area, sir." She touched a toggle on her belt corn, hand going to the barrel of her weapon. "I was informed of your presence on the base when you entered. This area is sealed."
"I'll handle it. Sergeant."
Sam turned to face Sliwa, the man who had assisted them from Canada. It was a relief to see the Native American's stern face. "I wanted to retrieve some discs from boxes we left for the moving company and..."
"I can't give you access. Dr. Beckett." The soft words were apologetic. "The boxes should be delivered to your home this morning. Other than that, the Project has been cleared. You didn't..." His lips sealed, almost obsidian eyes flicking to the other buildings that housed the Project.
Gaze widening, Sam moved away from the door, gazing at where the Imaging Chamber and Accelerator had been. The ground was bare, no evidence that anything had ever stood there, right down to scrub and dirt. Some bricks were piled nearby, but other than that, it was as if Project Quantum Leap had been wiped out of existence. Sliwa at his side, he caned his way over the sand, shaking his head, feeling as if he were in an episode of the Twilight Zone. Wordlessly, he stared at the bare desert, too stunned to say a word.
"We're under orders. If you ask, we'll tell you your Project didn't exist, Dr. Beckett. I suggest you go home. It's most likely the government will inform you if you need anything."
Sam let Sliwa walk him back to the Jeep. He started the engine and pulled out, then noticing that his name had been wiped out of existence on the space as surely as the outbuildings had been. There had been some ovations towards the Pentagon defining the Project as Ultra Top Secret and putting it on the non-use file, too dangerous and unpredictable to be used towards defense. That was a relief, he thought through his shocked mind. They wouldn't use the time machine for military purposes, or anything, for that matter.
The house was still there, Al very asleep in the bedroom, Sam noted in relief. His brain felt turned inside out and he needed the solid reassurance of Al's arms around him, or at least near his body to keep him from going completely off the deep end.
Chapter 16
It was nearly noon, Al noted, blinking muggy-feeling eyes. The other side of the bed was empty. He was quite sure that Sam had not even pulled back the blanket that was tucked in on his side. Knowing he could sleep another six hours and not even blink at it didn't prevent him from rolling out of the warm sheets and finding out where Sam had gotten to.
He was in the living room, sprawled on the floor, surrounded by stacks of computer discs from boxes he assumed had arrived while he slept. In between the stacks, the kid was snoring up a storm, clothed in a robe and boxer shorts, utterly and totally exhausted. He made quite a picture, like a weary child who had passed out among his toys. Kneeling by the still form, Al brushed the longish hair from the younger man's eyes. "Time for bed, Sam. Wake up."
"Why wake up just to go to bed?" Sam groused, blinking and stretching. "What time is it?"
"Noon. I see the company delivered the..."
"The Project is gone."
"Well, yeah, it's over. Lots of things left, places to look for funding."
"I went back there earlier this morning, Al." Sam's fogged mind was beginning to clear. He couldn't remember when he'd fallen asleep on the floor, digging through the boxes to make sure everything was still there. They'd been delivered around nine a.m. and he'd torn the carefully packed cases apart to reassure his mind before dozing off. "The whole place, with the exception of administration has been leveled. All of it, like it never happened."
Taking a beat, Al sat back on the floor, eyeing his friend carefully before speaking. "Then you don't talk about it, Sam, Only between the two of us, never around anyone else. We're damned lucky they didn't try eliminating us, too. Maybe my years with the Navy and intelligence saved our ass. And your security clearance." For now, Al couldn't tell Sam the way he'd managed to retain his life's work, and the bargain he'd struck with the Pentagon. He grinned, laying his arm over Sam's slumped shoulders. "Kiddo, in twenty years it'll all come out, and we can talk then. Now, we shut up and go on. You look like hell. Crash time."
"It's here," Sam said, not noticing or caring if he went to bed. "All the data, everything, the leaps." Face upturned, he gave Al a wondering look. "Why didn't they take this, too? They're never that generous, ever."
"Sam, don't question this, please!" Gripping the soft shoulders beneath his hands, he gently gave his lover one smooth shake. "You need to knock off for a while, then you can play with your stuff. I'll help. Kid, you look like death." He gave him an anxious look. "I don't want another relapse."
"Neither do I," Sam stated sincerely. He slumped under Al's grip, bringing up one of his hands to cover the other man's right gripping fingers. "And, you're right. Bed sounds beautiful."
"I want to love you, Sam." Smiling easily, Al assisted the younger man to his feet. "It's been some time, if you're up to it."
"Always." The greenish eyes glittered with scampish delight. Leaning heavily on the other man, Sam allowed himself to be taken to the bedroom.
He laid back complacently on the bed, half shutting his eyes as Al touched his lips to his throat and chest, fingers smoothing over nipples and stomach. Savoring the sensation, Sam sighed as his lover pressed his mouth over his, slick tongue pressing for entrance, sliding over his teeth and lips. With a breath, they parted, Al's mouth brushing the bit of hair that hung in Sam's eyes for a moment, before smiling. "You're gorgeous, you know that?"
"You tell me it enough," Sam said reluctantly. "I don't think you're half bad yourself. I love you, Al."
"There's always that." He slid down the length of Sam's body, pressing his hands over Sam's groin for a moment, parting the robe that he wore. Lowering the boxer shorts, Al noticed his lover's erection stood out, long, hard, and waiting. Al took it in both hands, taking the tip with his mouth, practically wrapping his tongue around the head. Sucking he took in every bit he could of Sam's cock. the sounds of the other man's soft cries turning him on even more than the taste of him. Warm cream shot down Al's throat, as he swallowed, licking and cleaning away every bit of cum from his lover before sliding over the pliant body again and taking his mouth with his.
Sam's eyes closed, hands reaching down to squeeze Al's butt for a moment. He spread his legs apart, wrapping calves and feet around the other man's torso as they kissed. Breaking away, he breathed, "I want you in me, Al."
"Nothing would give me greater pleasure." Snatching the tube of KY from the bedside table, Al applied the gel to his cock and reached down to slide the lubricant up and into Sam's ready cavity. The moment he entered him, the sensation was the same; smooth, loving, and perfectly satisfying. The tight muscles of Sam's ass clenched his organ, pressing and squeezing against the warm friction of their joining. He gripped one firm thigh as he thrust deeper, almost gritting his teeth against the pleasure that surged as he came.
Sam cried out, reaching for and gripping Al's hand as the other man fell on over him, his cock still halfway buried. He gulped past a breath as Al pulled out of him, wanting nothing more than the nearness and reality of his presence. Al cuddled up next to him as close as he could, Sam wrapping his arms around the slight body, pressing his lips against the warm neck once.
Eyelids growing heavy, Sam leaned into his lover's body, letting Al's warm, rocking motion settle him down. "I'm so sleepy. Damn it, Al, I don't want to fall asl...asleep on you."
"Let me just hold you like this, and sleep, Sam." Al brushed his lips along the very tip of his lover's ear, reinforcing his love for this precious man by holding him as tight as he could. "Sleep," he soothed, smiling gently as the other man's eyes closed, his breath dropping into an easy rest.
The phone rang for what seemed the fifth or sixth time. Grudgingly, Sam awoke, brushing the back of his hand against his slumbering friend's cheek before leaving the bed. Padding into the living room, he snatched up the phone, hoping the party was still on the line.
An hour later, Sam could barely withhold his excitement. Dr. Kevin Drayton, a friend and colleague, the man he and Al had worked with at StarBright, and had developed the Imaging Chamber with, had news for him. His institute, Holitechnics, Inc. had inquired into practical application of the holographic technique used on Project Quantum Leap. It had been mentioned during the press conference, but Sam had never dreamed that they might receive such an offer for development. Almost unlimited funding, from a private party who was curious and wanted a practical demonstration of the Imaging unit's abilities.
He caught himself practically pacing a ditch in the parquet flooring, and tried his best to calm down. Suddenly, he felt ravenously hungry, and went to the kitchen in search of food. The refrigerator had many assorted possibilities, peanut butter and jelly being the most interesting of the lot. Snatching the jar, he dumped a good amount of strawberry preserves directly into the peanut butter and started eating the mess with a spoon.
"Gross!"
"Al! We've got a backer!" Sam turned on his friend in delight. "Can you believe it? Kevin Drayton called and..." He frowned, noting the greenish tinge to his friend's complexion. "You feeling okay?" Setting the jar down on the counter, the doctor in him took over, his slender fingers pressing over Al's skin, checking for temperature. "Elevated. Is it your stomach?"
"No, it's watching you eat that mess. God, Sam." Al eased the hand away, kissing the palm before releasing it. "It seems like every time I used that thing in the early days I came down with flu symptoms. Only lasts a day or two. Don't go getting that look on your face, kid. It's nothing, and I'm more than willing to spend the day in bed. What's this about funding?"
"They want to check us out, Al. Kevin is so excited, and says it's the deal of a lifetime with a person who really cares about the future. Certainly, he's business minded, and wants to apply the usage of the I.C. into something practical, but he's interested in EarthSafe, as well."
"EarthSafe. Our new Project." Al's eyes were a warm glow, pleased at Sam's excitement. "Who is this Santa Claus?"
"Drayton couldn't say, not now. The man wants to scope us out, meet us. I trust Drayton, and gave him our address so this guy can come over and talk with you. You are our business manager, right?" Al nodded. "Anyway, Kevin was the only one who refused interviews when the stuff hit the fan, Al. We owe him so much."
"Slow down, Sam. I'm excited as you are, but we have to slow this wagon down or the horses will get run over." He felt decidedly ill, but not as bad as he had initially. "When is this person arriving here?"
"Kevin is calling back later. I told him you were still sleeping, and he wants to arrange things with the business mind; of which both he and I are not. I guess you just got named administrator. We have the controlling interest in Imaging, Al, and we make the final decisions on who backs us. This guy is really into what we're going to do. It just sounds too good to be true."
"It does, and that's what bothers me."
After listening to Sam ramble for three straight hours, the kid finally wound down enough to go back to bed. Then, Al was wide awake, wanting more than anything to speak to his friend at the Pentagon to get the real low down on why Project Quantum Leap had been mowed into the ground. He found, to his chagrin and overwhelming fury that not only had the Project been basically dissolved, but so had security. The virtual army they had at their disposal was down to two men, protecting their property from intruders, but unable to sustain the perimeter as they'd done with a full thirty personnel.
Knowing it would be one of his last tirades as Admiral Calavicci, Al made the man at the other end of the phone cringe, giving him full tilt every word he knew in the book, and not letting anything slip past him. For emphasis, he slammed the phone on the table several times, pleased at the sound of dead air from the other end until his so-called friend spoke. Apologetically, and not a little nervously, he offered to check into the still viable security problem and promised to call back later.
"Did you break it?"
"Not quite," Al managed, turning to face Sam. "I thought you were asleep."
"You didn't expect me to remain unconscious during that!" Sidling up to his lover, Sam gently rubbed the tight muscles on the very base of Al's neck, the other man leaning into the massaging fingers. "Not good news?"
"Nothing. Just that they took whatever vestiges of security we had left, along with everything else. Good thing the reporters have backed off, or we'd have real problems. We might even have to...ah, hire private security for a while, until we're sure the...urn...heat is off. God, Sam, that feels so good."
"I know something that will feel even better."
Dark eyes twinkling, Al tilted his head back to meet the heated gaze. "I bet
you do, kid."