A Leap in the Knight
Part 2
by Kali
"Ok, I think I'll need a map to find my way around this mansion. It'll look suspicious if Alfred finds me wandering around for hours trying to find the master bedroom."
"This is it, Sam. This Grandfather clock leads to the batcave."
"How do they activate the passageway?"
"I'm afraid I don't remember that part and Ziggy doesn't have any information on it either."
Alfred entered having parked the limo. "Master Bruce, I have left your dinner in the refrigerator. So unless you will be needing me, I shall return to Brentwood and Master Timothy."
"Before you go, could you to pull the file on..." Sam looked over at Al for assistance.
"Two-Face."
"On Two-Face."
"As you wish, Master Bruce."
"Al..."
"On it, Sam."
"Got it. The secret trigger to the Grandfather clock passageway. As well as the computer password. Wait till you see the cave, Sam. It's impressive. Bats flying around. Giant souvenirs. A computer nearly the size of Ziggy, and that's just for starters!"
"Hopefully, there'll be a map to this place somewhere in it."
"Shhh. He's coming, Sam."
"Here's the information you requested, sir."
"I'll go read it over in the library. If you'll excuse me Alfred."
"Certainly, sir. I'll just do some dusting before I go attend to Master Tim."
Sam hadn't expected Alfred to stay in the room. If he headed off in the wrong direction, it would look a bit suspicious to say the least. But, he had no choice, and started heading off towards a hallway to the east.
"Master Bruce? Are you feeling all right, sir?" Alfred asked.
"I'm fine. Why do you ask?"
"The library is in the opposite direction."
"Well, what can I say. This place is so big I... occasionally get turned around."
"You designed the new blueprints of the manor yourself."
"Wow, that's impressive!" Al exclaimed.
"Sir?" Alfred eyed him with concern.
Sam sighed. "I guess I can't pull one over on you. I've been mulling over some of my decisions as of late. I guess, I was just a bit distracted."
"Sir, I would be happy to stay here, if you need..."
"No, I want you at Tim's side right now. I think this is something that is better off handled alone."
"Very well, Sir."
"I've changed my mind. I think I'll head down to the batcave. I'll see you later."
Alfred Pennyworth dialed a number he knew by heart. "Hello, sir."
"Hey Alfie! I was just about to call you. I was wondering if you could whip up a picnic basket for me and Babs for this Saturday. Nothing too fancy, just some sandwiches, fruit, chips, and some wine."
"Not a problem, sir. I take it things are progressing rather well between you and Ms. Gordon?"
"I'll let you know on Sunday. Alfred, is something wrong? You sound a bit concerned."
Alfred was dismayed that the young man could hear it in his voice. He always prided himself on his calm and collected manner. "Master Dick, I'm afraid that something is wrong. The master is behaving quite oddly."
"How?"
"He doesn't seem to know his way around the mansion. He's behaving peculiarly in other ways as well. I'm quite worried for him."
"I'll be there in 30 minutes."
"Much appreciated, sir."
:Voice scan confirmed. Bruce Wayne. 95.0:
"Okay, this. Should this be happening? Should I be able to pass a voice scan? I mean my body is physically leaping. DNA evidence has supported that fact. So should I be able to fool this computer's analysis?" A worried Sam asked Al. Frown lines predominantly showed on his face.
"Don't know, you've never been in this position before."
"But little kids and the mentally absent can see straight through the aura illusion, why not computers? What about Ziggy?"
"Our guest in the waiting room has been pretty close mouthed, so even if Ziggy was able to do a voice analysis, the results may not be accurate due to her current problems. And... and remember, Sam, you've performed as Elvis. You were quite good, if I do say so myself."
"I did?"
"You did. Too bad you're memory is so magnafluxed about that one. That leap was a real humdinger."
"Did I record anything when I was Elvis?"
"Not that I remember."
"Great! Are you sure you need him to help with Ziggy?"
"Well according to her, we do."
"What about Gushie?"
"He's trying, but he hasn't been able to locate the source of the glitch. According to Ziggy we need Batman's help to do that."
"But why him? Is it someone here that's doing the hacking? As insane as that sounds. Or could Lothos be behind it?"
"Lothos? Who's Lothos?" asked a young man with black hair who was also dressed in a strangely garbed way.
What is with these people and spandex? Sam thought to himself. But fortunately the man apparently hadn't heard any of his conversation with Al. Or had he? He hadn't even heard the boy approaching.
"That's Nightwing, also known as Richard Grayson, or Dick as his friends and family like to call him."
"Hello Dick."
"Bruce."
"He's Bruce's ward, essentially his foster son," Al said. Sam nodded, he had seen photographs of the young man up in the main house. "And... uh oh. Sam, I'll be right back. I have to go and check on something."
"So what can I do for you?"
"I wanted to talk about something."
"Anything in particular?"
"What we talked about last time."
Uh oh. Sam thought. Best to let Dick lead in this conversation. Less chance of saying the wrong thing. "Go ahead."
"I just wanted some clarification on what you said."
"I... thought I was perfectly clear."
"No... uh, well sorta. You told me you trusted my judgment."
"And I do."
"But that's all you said. You didn't tell me whether or not you think I'm spreading myself to thin with my work in Bludhaven, as well as with the Titans, and my other interests."
What kind of relationship do these two have? They apparently don't communicate well with each other. Sam wondered. "Is there a problem?"
"Do you think I should cut back on something?"
"You should do what makes you happy. Only you know what your limits are, and when you have exceeded them. Just relax and go with the flow."
With that comment, Dick eyed Sam somewhat suspiciously. Bruce was behaving somewhat oddly. His posture was different. Less stiff. Less, well Batmanly.
"Sam, we have a problem. Our 'guest', he's well, he's gone." A worried Al stated.
Sam somehow managed to restrain himself from reacting to that in front of Dick. He simply walked past the young man, towards Al and mouthed 'How?'.
"He knocked out several of our staff members and security. We've locked down the project, but we fear he may have gotten out anyway. Apparently he didn't trust us, or believe what we were trying to tell him."
"Excuse me, Dick. I have to go... I have to go to the bathroom."
"Uh, sure, no problem. I'll just wait here."
Sam headed off to the steps leading to the main Manor entrance.
"Uh, Bruce... If you don't mind me asking. Why aren't you using the one in the cave?"
"The sink's clogged, and you know how Alfred is about proper hygiene."
"Yeah, I remember."
"I haven't told Alfred about the sink yet, so don't try using it."
"Okay."
After he exited the entrance he firmly shut the Grandfather clock behind. He looked all around to make sure Alfred wasn't milling about. Finally satisfied that he was alone, he renewed his conversation with Al.
"Well?" Sam asked.
"Well, the bright side is, it probably won't take him long to figure out he's not where he belongs. That he doesn't exist in our world, and when he does, he should realize that he has no choice but to return to the waiting room." Al said.
"So you're just going to wait for him to come back?"
"No, we've started search parties out for him. Of course, it was a little tricky explaining to some of the newer, lower level security just why they were searching for 'Dr. Beckett'. They weren't here for the last time one of our 'guests' escaped. I'm just worried that some of the critics of Project Quantum Leap might use this against us, to try and shut down the project."
"I thought things had quieted down?"
"Almost, but just last month, we were audited."
"Awfully coincidental, isn't it? They could be behind the problem with Ziggy."
"Could be. They're trying to cut our funding."
Dick Grayson sighed to himself. For all Bruce's brilliance, certain mundane things were beyond his grasp. Including minor plumbing problems apparently. He quickly picked up some Liquid Drain-o from Alfred's trusty supply closet and headed off to the batcave bathroom.
Sam and Al reentered the Batcave. "Dick?" Sam inquired.
"Over here, Bruce. I'm in the training area."
The pair followed the sound of the voice to an area filled with various weight and exercise machines, bar bells, a trampoline, and to Sam's horror, a trapeze.
"I thought I could use a little practice. If you don't mind?"
"On that?" Sam asked pointing to the trapeze.
"Yep. It'll be just like old times."
"Uh... excuse me a moment. I have to go do something. I'll be right back."
"Okay," Dick Grayson commented. But Sam could tell that the young man was slightly concerned about 'Bruce's' behavior.
Sam quickly headed off towards another section of the cave. He hoped it would be far enough away, and isolated enough, that Dick couldn't overhear anything, without Sam seeing him first.
"It's okay, Sam. You've done it before."
"Really?"
"Yeah, you just don't remember. Don't worry, I'm sure it's just like riding a bike. Except you're hanging upside down from a trapeze."
"You can't be serious. You know how I feel about heights. If I did that on a leap, it must have been a matter of life and death, correct?"
"Well, yes."
"It's not in this case, so I don't care. There is no way I'm getting on that trapeze. If I drop him, he'll suspect something. If he doesn't already suspect that I'm not Bruce."
"If you keep on hanging over here in the corner, it's going to be a moot point."
"I know, I know. But I think that I have an idea."
"I hope it's a good one, Sam."
Sam with Al in tow reentered the training area of the Batcave. Dick had been working out on one of the weight machines. He stopped when he saw 'Bruce' approaching.
"Ready, Bruce?"
"Uh... now is not a good time, Dick," Sam said. He had scanned through the computer's criminal files in order to find a reasonable excuse. Quickly skim reading m.o.'s and to see whether they were loose or locked up. "I'm afraid I've been drugged with some sort of fear toxin."
"Why didn't you tell me about it earlier?" Dick asked.
"Didn't seem important."
"Scarecrow?"
"No, he's safely locked up in Arkham. But, whomever was responsible, drugged me with something that has made me afraid of heights. So until it wears off..."
"You'll have to avoid being Batman. Are you okay with that?"
"I'll have to be, won't I?"
"It's just that you never take time off, unless you're incapacitated. Or Alfred makes you take an enforced vacation."
"Sounds like you, Sam." Al commented. "You two may have more in common than we think."
The driver's license in his pocket identified 'him' as Sam Beckett of Stallion Springs, New Mexico. No street address, just a post office box. The installation he had escaped from had clearly been military. Now he was stuck out in the middle of the desert with no clue as to how he got there.
He had wandered for hours, seemingly in a circle. The same familiar rock formations and cacti had kept on popping up. Could the miniature sandstorms have turned him around time and time again, he wondered. Finally he happened back upon a cactus he had marked with a section of his clothing. He was wandering in circles, he realized to his horror.
"Yoo-hoo! Over here!" A female voice yelled in greeting. He turned towards the direction it had come from.
Standing not 20 feet away from him was a pink patio table, with a purple umbrella shade. Sitting underneath was a smiling young blonde woman, with sapphire eyes, pouring ice water from a sparkling clear glass pitcher.
"Care for a drink, big fella?"
"You're not real. You're just a mirage."
"::You were just a mirage, all of the time. Just a mirage, a trick of the mind: (1)," Emily sang in a haunting tone. "Nope, I'm as real as these grains of sand," she chimed as she spilled a fistful of sand onto the desert ground. "You know, I'm rather hurt that you don't remember me."
"Here drink some ice water, you look like you could use it." She handed him a crystalline goblet filled with water and shaved ice.
Bruce dipped a finger into it, and then pressed the same finger to his lips.
Emily gave a long drawn out sigh. "It's safe, really. Here, I'll show you." She grabbed the goblet back and took a long drink from it. "See, I'm not doubling over or anything! C'mon drink."
"Fine! Didn't want to do this, but you're leaving me no choice. I'll just have to unclog your mental facilities, so you can remember just who the hell you are, and just who the hell I am. We didn't think that 'swiss-cheese effect' would affect you, but, oh well," Emily said as she focused her telepathy on him. "There. Now do you remember me?"
"Yes, you were 'The Ghost of Christmas Past'."
"Cute, real cute."
"I'm afraid I don't have the time or inclination to deal with your 'requests' right now. As I'm sure you're well aware, crime doesn't stop to take a vacation. I have to be on my toes at all times. Any outside... investments would only complicate matters far beyond feasibility. So if you would please return me home now."
"Um... yeah, you're absolutely right. You shouldn't get a life. I mean how selfish of you to do that. Firefighters, well, they shouldn't date or have a family. Neither should police officers, or soldiers, or government agents, or ... "
"You'll never give up will you?"
"Nope, not until there is no more breath in your body."
"Or yours."
"Oh, I think I'll be outliving you. You can bet your batsuit on it. But... we need to focus on the matter at hand. You need to return to the Project center. There's a 'project' you have to complete. Oh, and by the way, this isn't your home world. So the only way you're going to get home is to go back there"
"I thought you and your... 'friends' were behind this!"
"Not exactly. We just took advantage of a bad situation. But in a good way."
"What do you want? Why am I here?" Bruce asked. A frown etched on his face.
"Boy, you are the epitome of serious to the extreme. Didn't anyone ever tell you that your face could freeze like that? No? Well it can, you should smile more, it takes less facial muscles too."
"I asked a question. I want an answer."
"A child's well being is at stake. An unusual child, but a child nonetheless. And she needs your expertise to save her."
"What can I do, that you can't?"
"We're not allowed to interfere in this matter."
"Uh, it seems to me you are interfering in this matter."
"We're not allowed to directly interfere in this matter. It would violate our 'treaty' with certain outside parties. But insuring that a certain detective is in the right place at the right time, well, that falls into the convenient loophole section of the equation."
"And this child, she's back at that installation?"
"Yes."
"How will I find her once I get back there?"
"Oh, don't worry about that. They'll take you directly to her."
"They already expect me to save her?"
"Yes, because she told them you could."
"And how could she possibly know that? How could she possibly know about me?"
"Because Billy told her all about you. She's thinks you're rather fascinating. A study in literal contradictions. You also remind her of her father to some degree."
"Fine, I'll do it, Emily. Emily?" He turned around to discover she had disappeared. However, he noticed a handy arrow sign somehow etched into the ground. "Cute, very cute," he muttered to himself. He picked up the goblet of ice water and headed off in the direction the arrow pointed to.
:Is everything proceeding as planned:
"Yes, Zoey has everyone quite convinced that she is their trusted compadre. By the time they figure out the truth, it'll be far too late to do anything about it."
:And Dr. Beckett:
"He'll be lost in time. A nuisance to us no longer."
(1) The verse Emily sang is from the song "Mirage", written by Jordan and Pfrimmer, and performed by Sylvia on her "Just Sylvia" album. It reminds me of Bruce's playboy image (As well as what happens when he sees the batsignal during a date). :-)
Authors Note: This story takes place in the same continuity as "Spectres" and "What Could Have Been".
Disclaimer: All Bat-family characters belong to DC Comics. All Quantum Leap characters belong to their respective creators, Bellisarius Productions. Emily Hayes (aka Sandstorm) belongs to me. Her cousin, Billy Hayes, is partially inspired by the Misfits of Science character of the same name (Though he bears little resemblance to that character). This fan fiction is meant as pure, harmless fun, and as such no profit is being made from it.