This is just something that's been bouncing around in my head for ages so I thought I'll put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard to be more exact, and post it on here.
Recommended changes have been made, i.e. Army changed to Navy and Sam's brown eyes changed to Sam's green eyes. If you can find any more mistakes please review and tell me.
So, without further ado, here it is.
Window to the Soul
He thought it would be hard the first time, identifying his friend, picking him out from the crowd now that he was trapped in the body of another. How would he tell, in the likely crowd that would be surrounding him, which one was Sam? God only knows, he thought, he even asked Ziggy to try to develop some sort of chip or something that could be implanted into his brain, a kind of homing device that would allow him to see the scientist for who he really was. This really brought home to the rest of the team; Gushie, Verbena, Tina, how serious he was; they all knew how much the Admiral, still set in his old fashioned ways from his years in the Navy, was against messing with the human mind: it had taken a hell of a lot of convincing from Sam for Al to even start considering getting involved in project Quantum Leap.
But he was involved, hell, he was up to his neck in involvement; story of his life, really. But he was pretty sure this was one thing he didn't want to be involved in. He remembered the way his thoughts whirled as he stepped into the imaging chamber, like they were being chased around in his head by a swam of angry wasps: What if he couldn't find him, what if he couldn't pick him out from the crowd? Would he just stand there and shout his name until some random person walked over and asked who the hell he was or scream his name in return and envelop him in a hug? God, he hated not knowing.
He had dreaded that moment, stepping out into some past holographic world, having to accept that his friend, whereas still the man he knew, would be completely unrecognisable to the Observer's eyes? He still remembered that feeling as he cautiously walked out of the imaging chamber door, hearing the then new sound of it whoosh shut behind him.
Two seconds. That's how long it took him, standing in that room full of pilots all dressed in identical matching uniforms, listening to something a man in front of them was saying. Gushie had been right; the body was completely different. The curves and lines of his face to his softly muscled frame bore hardly any resemblance to that of the Leaper, but there was one thing, one feature of the man in front of him, that was, in every way identical to the man who he had now worked with for so long.
Pain, confusion, kindness, distress, love, ambition, determination, fear, anger; it was all there, reflected in the soft green orbs boring their way into Al's, every insecurity, every worry, every pain, every trail and tribulation, all contained within his eyes.
Al smiled and waved, watching amused as a confused looking Sam returned the gesture.
After all, thought Al, his smile slowly broadening, he always was told that the eyes were the windows to the soul.
Ta Da! So, what do ya think? I haven't watched Genesis in a while, so I wasn't sure when Sam first saw Al, if it was before the bit in the hanger let me know and I'll correct it. Other than that, review, or tomorrow you'll be attacked by a mad axe man.
Only joking.
But you still have to review.
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