Disclaimer: Anyone ever seen me at some glitzy sci-fi awards ceremony? No? I guess that means I've never created a TV series, nor made any money out of borrowing concepts then :)

A/N: well lookie here, I finally got off my bum and updated! Took months, but I made it in the end! I blame a combination of intense laziness and rabid plot bunnies (see new story uploaded) … mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

September 26th, 1998 – Project Quantum Leap

Daniel's POV

"Ungggh…"

Daniel moaned, rubbing his temples as if kneading dough. He didn't have a headache, but he didn't have his glasses and everything was a little fuzzy. After everything he'd been through in the last few years he still couldn't shake the feeling that this was one of the weirdest experiences of his life. Maybe some unscrupulous person had slipped LSD into the coffee machine… though he'd never even tried marijuana in college (his allergies had made sure of that), so it wasn't like he'd recognise a drug-induced hallucination if it punched him in the arm. Then again he did hope that he'd recognise Hathor's über-pheromone if she dropped by again.

"I'm sorry, Dr Jackson – I know this is hard for you," the woman across the table apologised. "Disorientation is common among our subjects, and unfortunately we have no way of preparing you in advance."

"That's an understatement," the archaeologist mumbled, pinching the fabric of his 'new' clothes and realising that it was a lycra catsuit. "Eighties aerobics live again, eh?"

There was a twinge of laughter in the woman's voice as she replied, "Excuse me?"

"Never... uh... never mind." Daniel smiled briefly, then pursed his lips and screwed his eyes shut, forcing himself to think away from the weirdness and concentrate on understanding what was going on. "So let me get this straight. I have been caught up in a top secret science project run by the US Navy, is that it?"

"Yes."

"But you can't tell me the details?"

"Precisely."

"Is there anyone who can?" He probed nervously, wondering how many wacky ideas the government had funded over the years. "Someone in charge?"

"That would be Admiral Calavicci, who you met earlier," was the apologetic reply. "I'm sure he'll be in shortly, but... uh... your arrival caught us unprepared."

"Oh." You and me both, Daniel added silently. "And you don't know where my glasses are either?"

"I'm afraid not."

Dr Beeks, as she'd introduced herself, seemed like a nice person. No matter how hard Jack tried, Daniel was damned if he was going to suspect every person he met and examine every situation for its strategic potential. She was clearly a psychiatrist - very professional, and less flustered than Dr Mackenzie was on his occasional visits to the SGC. He was sure that she knew all about where he was and what he was doing there, but less about himself than Admiral Calavicci – who had vanished for the moment. Then again, that Admiral had dropped a few very unsubtle hints about things that no one in the Navy should know other than its Joint Chief, so he was going to have engage his brain before opening his mouth. And there was the small matter that he had no idea about where he was, nor whether any of his friends were here too. Had he been kidnapped by the naval psychiatric branch of the NID – or something equally kooky?

Her voice suddenly broke into his thoughts. "I can understand your anxiety and confusion, Dr Jackson."

Daniel didn't even try to contain his snort of laughter. "Can you? Have you ever suddenly woken up on a slab in a lycra catsuit?"

"Fair point," she smiled, her tone relaxed. "No, I haven't – but then I only work here part time."

"And where is here?" It was worth a try.

Dr Beeks regarded him for a moment. "Here is New Mexico."

"Heh. Nice, specific answer," Daniel commented irritably. "How about telling me 'what' here is then?"

The woman's expression became wry. "I'm afraid I'm not permitted to tell you that just yet."

"I do have a pretty high security clearance," he needled, not expecting much.

"We know!" A male voice answered from the door. Admiral Calavicci had returned, and he was looking a little harassed. "Sorry, uh… I brought us some coffee."

Daniel nodded, wary but appreciative. He'd seen and heard enough since his 'arrival' to believe that he was on Earth – certain idioms, mannerisms and clothing wouldn't fit in on any of the other planets he'd visited – but food and drink was a good way to poison or sedate a captive. Thinking about the chamber he was in though, they could have just as easily left him alone and gassed him. Not just that, but accepting the gift of caffeine might be the first step to getting out of here.

"Thanks," he smiled, taking the mug in his hands and sniffing the aroma. "Uh, so I guess you have a lot of scientists around here, huh?"

Both Dr Beeks and the Admiral seemed surprised by his comment, sharing an alarmed look.

"What makes you say that Dr Jackson?" the woman replied. "And please call me Verbeena."

"Interesting name... I'm Daniel," he smiled briefly, then sipped his drink. "Ah, well it's just that the coffee's really good and from my experience that seems to be proportionate to the number of scientists in a place. You know – faculties would allocate half their annual budget to a barista if it'd mean great coffee all year, but the military would rather you just eat the blue jello?"

Verbeena laughed out loud. "I think you've hit the nail on the head there, Daniel!"

He raised an eyebrow, surprised by her unguarded response, but realising that he'd accidentally gotten confirmation that this really was a research installation – probably more so than the SGC. Please let this not be an NID trick, he mumbled inwardly.

"That's... good… to hear. Look, do you have anything more comfortable that I could wear?" More comfortable, less itchy – anything!

"That can be arranged," the Admiral answered, grinning for some reason. "Our, uh, last visitor asked exactly the same thing. Ziggy?"

Daniel jumped in surprise as a disembodied voice replied – a very feminine voice, but unexpected all the same.

"I will have alternative clothing placed in the shower room immediately Admiral."

Admiral Calavicci turned back to Daniel, his expression hesitant, then indicated a door opposite the entrance he'd used himself. "Why don't you can go ahead and change, Daniel, then we can, uh, talk about what's happened here."

Not wanting to argue while his potential captors were in such an easygoing mood, Daniel simply shrugged and did as suggested. He could hear muffled voices through the door while he changed, but nothing clear enough to understand. He almost considered having a shower, but something in the back of his mind insisted that he'd had one this morning so he settled for washing his face with steaming hot water. That always helped blow out cobwebs, no matter what time it was, and it did the trick now too.

Daniel fumbled to his right for a towel, sure that he remembered seeing one, and began to rub his face dry – then he stopped.

His voice filled with shock and outrage, Daniel burst out of the shower room and confronted the Admiral and Dr Beeks.

"What the hell is going on here!"

Unconsciously, the instincts that Jack, Sam and Teal'c had been trying to instil him with came to the fore. Rightly or wrongly, he wanted answers now.

"Quiet down, Doctor," Admiral Calavicci stated forcefully, his eyes powerful – though Daniel remained aware of the fact that he was a good bit taller than the other man and quite a lot younger. "We can explain everything, I promise, you just need to give us a chance."

"Give you a chance?" Daniel fumed. "What the hell have you done with Jack!"

The Admiral blinked sharply as if mystified, and suddenly he was frowning with apparent confusion. "Uh, Jack?"

It was the wrong thing to say. "Yes, Jack. About the same height as me, short hair, sarcastic – you know exactly who I mean!"

"Well, uh..." Admiral Calavicci mumbled.

"How..." Dr Beeks asked, casting her eyes toward what Daniel knew was an external door.

Suddenly, Daniel's rage deflated and quickly as it had arrived. Oh no, he thought belatedly, top-secret military installation have Marines on them, no matter how many scientists there are.

"Uh... sorry," he sighed, trying to calm down his breathing and the adrenaline rush that encouraged his fight-or-flight response. "I was just so surprised, surprised to see it there. I do still want to know what's going on though," he added forcefully.

Verbeena and the Admiral exchanged a look.

"See what, Daniel?" She asked gently, though he could hear the confusion in her voice.

"The mirror fogged up – it says 'Jack was here'," Daniel commented smugly. "A dead giveaway if ever there was one."

After a rather ominous pause, Admiral Calavicci suddenly creased with laughter – happy laughter, not evil or vindictive as one might expect from a Goa'uld – and it was Daniel's turn to share a look with Verbeena, who shook her head a little and appeared to make a decision.

"I only met your friend for a short time, Daniel," she said slowly, reaching out to touch his arm. "But you have to believe me when I say that he is well. I have something more to show you in the mirror though."

Gently she led him back to the shower room, while the Admiral – about as dignified as Jack was as a Colonel – took a few wheezing gasps behind them. Shaking his head in confusion, Daniel let himself be guided. He was more bewildered than he had been when he arrived, but at least they were still talking to him…

Standing before the mirror now, he saw that the steam was dissipating. He turned to Verbeena with a question in his eyes, and she smiled a little sadly as she grabbed a hand towel and wiped it other the glass. Then he saw it.

"Uh… that's not me…" he mumbled, though the reflection's mouth moved in time with his words. But this wasn't him – it couldn't be – this man didn't look anything like him! He was older for a start, around Jack's age, and his hair was shorter… but then when Daniel brushed a hand through his hair he actually felt his own longer hairstyle! Yet the mirror showed nothing of the sort.

Pushing his way past Dr Beeks, Daniel approached a calmer Admiral Calavicci and folded his arms. "What's going on? Who is that in the mirror? And where is Jack?"

His head cocked to one side, the Admiral fixed him with a pair of beady eyes. "Project Quantum Leap, Dr Samuel Beckett, and the Alpha site – in that order."

"Huh?" Daniel exclaimed, remembering that this guy had mentioned the Asgard earlier. "How do you know about that? And why do I have Dr Beckett's face? What's Project Quantum Leap? Admiral?"

"Call me Al," the little man replied dryly. "And I think we'll give you the tour – that might answer a few questions, and hopefully save us some time too."

An hour or so later, Daniel's need to know had come down to a manageable level. The string theory behind the project had been explained to him, he'd been introduced him to Ziggy, and he'd been given the layman's guide to Leaping. They also showed him some footage of Jack during his visit – and it was definitely Jack, despite the physical differences – generally making his head spin.

"So you think that I'm here now, because your friend Sam couldn't go through the Stargate?" Daniel asked finally, trying to keep the story straight. "That doesn't make sense if he's supposed to be saving Jack's life – although Jack's probably under guard right now if what you're saying is true…"

"Why?" The man called Gooshie asked.

"Well we all thought that Jack was acting a little weird for the last day or so, but we put that down to his injury," Daniel explained. "But if he suddenly got up and started walking, the first thing they'll do is put him under heavy quarantine. They'll think someone's replaced him – but the person who did the replacing is now… 'me'."

Al smiled wryly. "Ironically, he'll probably enjoy being you more than he did Jack – he's got a Masters in Archaeology and a doctorate in Ancient Languages."

"Really?" Daniel was taken aback. "I thought you said he designed and built this project?"

The other man nodded with a grin of pride. "Our boy's a bit of a Renaissance man – his IQ's through the roof." He sighed then. "Not that it's helped much recently – Sam would be the best person to write a retrieval program, but he's the one who needs retrieving!"

"And in the meantime he Leaps around in time fixing things?" Daniel asked, suddenly worried. "Wouldn't that screw up our timeline just a tad?"

"Screw it up?" Al frowned. "Daniel, Ziggy's databanks show that hundreds of lives have been improved because of Sam – maybe even thousands."

"But surely the timeline forks every time that happens, right? The only reason you know about any of this is through Ziggy?" And is this why the 'other' SGC I saw through the quantum mirror was so similar to our own? he added mentally.

"Yes, yes, maybe… but the world's a better place – you have to trust me on that," Al concluded tiredly. "Look, we don't know why it works the way it does, but since the only way Sam seems able to Leap on is to do something good we figure it can't be all that bad. We don't even know who or what picks the Leaps."

"Yeh…" Daniel wondered a loud, a flicker of suspicion crossing his mind. He closed his eyes suddenly, an intense look of concentration on his face as he thought everything through. "Al…?"

"Yes, Daniel," the Admiral answered from the other side of the room.

"You said that when your Dr Beckett, uh, Leaps, he's still in his own body, right?"

Al nodded. "That's right."

"So he's my intruder? The guy who left the note in my office, along with all those fingerprints? The guy my work got turned upside down searching for?" The stress in Daniel's voice increased with each word. "That's your Dr Beckett?"

"I thought you already understood that, Daniel," Al answered, his hands now held up in a near-surrender gesture. "And I'm sorry for whatever trouble that put you through, really I am, but you have to understand that at the time we had no idea where Sam was – any clues were vital!"

Daniel's expression turned hard. "Well now you know, and sooner or later they'll catch onto him – especially once Janet sees that ankle. He'd be better off to turn himself in now."

"You can't ask him to do that!" Tina cried out. "They'll lock him away someplace!"

"Oh right," the archaeologist scoffed as he leant against a table. "And he's really going places with a severely sprained ankle that he can't afford people seeing." He turned to Al, a helpless look on his face. "Al, stranger things have happened at the SGC than this. They'll find out sooner or later, but this way they might trust him a little sooner. I can't guarantee that Jack would listen to any warnings about saving his life, but General Hammond might."

"Jack's already in protective custody though," Al pointed out. "That could be the key to saving his life."

"And if that's the case, why is Sam still at the SGC?" Daniel countered. "He isn't done yet, Al – either that or your mission priorities are all wrong."

"Dr Jackson –" Ziggy's indignant tones rang through the room.

"Might have a point!" Al cut her off, glaring at the ceiling in no particular direction. "I'm not saying your scenarios are wrong, Ziggy – just that maybe we should change our protocol a little on this one."

The Control Room was silent while Daniel and the team awaited Ziggy's inevitable rejoinder.

"What are the dangers to Dr Beckett if he confesses his identity, Dr Jackson?" She asked eventually.

"Ah, well…" Daniel thought hard. What had General Hammond ordered for the last few aliens who'd come through the Stargate? "He'd be checked out medically again, and from what I remember of the initial investigation for our intruder they'd also seek to confirm his identity via the armed forces database… I presume he's on there right, since this is a Navy operation?"

Al nodded quietly. "Yes…"

The archaeologist blew a sigh of relief. "To be honest that should make life easier for him – I mean they'll be able to prove that he's a human from Earth for starters. He'll probably get interrogated by Sam – I mean our Sam, Captain Carter – to test his knowledge of quantum physics –"

The sound of spluttering came from several sources.

"What? What did I say?"

"Sorry, honey, but our Sam's knowledge of quantum physics is going to blow your Sam away," the woman named Tina replied smugly. "He's a certified genius!"

Daniel wobbled his head from side to side, not wanting to sound condescending but wanting to set this woman straight. "Dr Martinez, isn't it? Uh, our Sam is this planet's foremost expert on wormholes of all kinds, as well as a bunch of other phenomena we didn't know about till the Stargate program started up. They'll probably give each other a run for their money –"

"If they don't make friends with a whiteboard and work out a new theory of relativity between them," Al finished with a roll of his eyes. "Are they likely to question him about Project Quantum Leap?"

The archaeologist's raised eyebrows answered that question soon enough. It was a silly thing to ask, after all.

"Ok, so they will – but to be honest he probably won't be able to tell them much," Al laughed shortly. "Maybe the swiss-cheese effect is good for something after all."

"Swiss cheese?" Daniel probed. It sounded like a Jack-ism to him.

"Sam's got holes in his memory – in fact it took a few Leaps before he really understood what was happening," Al explained, somewhat sad. "He remembers more and more personal information these days, but there are some serious gaps. Leapees don't tend to remember much when they return to their time either, probably for the same reason."

"So I won't remember anything once Dr Beckett Leaps out of me and I go home?"

"Nada… as far as we know you will remember some of what happened to Sam as if it was yourself going through those motions, but apart from that it would take some serious hypnotism." The Admiral clapped his hands at this point, clearly trying to return to the point. The gesture reminded Daniel of Jack in a funny kind of way. "Ok, back to Ziggy's question. What else is Sam likely to get hit with?"

"Let's see, well after what you just mentioned about hypnotism there is a high chance that Jack and maybe Dr Beckett will be asked to spend a little time with Dr Mackenzie –"

"Who!"

It was Dr Beeks' voice that exclaimed this time, causing Daniel to spin around sharply and strain a neck muscle in the process. "Ow!"

The red in Verbeena's face showed her embarrassment as she rushed over and offered to give his a quick massage for the pain. "Sorry! I'm so sorry – but I should have guessed earlier…"

"Guessed what?" Daniel replied irritably.

"About Dr Mackenzie – he's a colleague of mine. Gooshie, you remember I suggested him to you when I wasn't available yesterday?"

The programmer nodded mutely.

"There are only a few of us who typically have access to the most secure sites, for obvious reasons. He's a good psychiatrist," she added weakly.

The archaeologist grumbled in return. "Maybe, but he's not always popular at the SGC – has trouble dealing with some of the things we see, seems to think we make stuff up to annoy him. Though in Jack's case, he's probably right."

Al snorted. "I can believe it. Anything else?"

Daniel blinked briefly as Dr Beeks finished working on his neck, stretching it with a minor wince before answering. "Uh, well they will keep him under guard I'm sure – but other than that I'm not too sure. It'll probably depend on his response more than anything else."

"And if he doesn't say anything, but they find out anyway?"

"The same, only worse. If he confesses, they might trust him – if not… they might take his warnings as an attempt to save his skin and ignore him completely," Daniel shrugged slightly. "And if he Leaps into someone else at the SGC, the circus will start over."

"Great," Al muttered, passing a hand before his eyes while Gooshie and Tina turned back to their consoles. "Whaddaya recommend Ziggy?"

The ego-driven computer sounded unsure when she replied, which still freaked Daniel out a little – as any emotion from a machine would.

"I believe that this will be Dr Beckett's own decision to make, Admiral. We remain unable to broadcast a solid signal to his position, therefore it will be difficult to advise him or monitor his activities."

"Aaargh!" Al clenched his fists and thumped a table. "Why couldn't we just stick to nice, simple household Leaps? You know – keeping a kid off drugs, saving a marriage… anything but another damned secret underground lab!"

Daniel coughed a little guiltily. "Uh, sorry?"

"It's not your fault, kid," the older man muttered.

"I know, but –"

"It's not your fault. Stop apologising, all right? We'll figure a way through this, we always do."

Al was obviously frustrated, but in the small Control Room there wasn't much room for Daniel to keep out of his way. He racked his brains for a way to help, but he felt like a third wheel. It was like an SG1 mission gone wrong, running for the Gate and being told to dial home because, let's face it, he wasn't all that good at shooting Jaffa. Now he was in the same situation, only even less aware of what was going on.

"Wait a second…" he murmured, suddenly coming up with an idea, but not sure how to articulate it. "Er, Ziggy… ma'am?"

"Yes, Dr Jackson," she replied calmly, while Al looked at him strangely.

"Uh, you mentioned problems reaching Dr Beckett earlier – and I know I wouldn't understand the first thing about sending an audio-visual signal back in time, but I was wondering if you'd tried, ah –" he wracked his brains for a way to phrase this, knowing there was a popular metaphor designed for the task. "That's it! Piggyback! Have you tried piggybacking our live feed from NORAD?"

Now there were several pairs of eyes on him, and he began to feel as if he'd suggested something idiotic.

"It was just –"

"Ziggy, would that work?" Al broke in, waving that Daniel should stop talking. "Could we get it through without being jammed?"

The archaeologist blinked in shock. He'd done good?

Ziggy's panels flashed a little faster for a moment, while Gooshie and Tina – who'd paused for a moment – appeared to call up specific data and whispered between themselves.

"Close your mouth, kid," Al muttered to him sideways.

"Huh?"

"You look like a guppy – surprised or something?"

"Uh, yes – very, in fact. I, uh… it was a guess…" he blinked nervously.

"Admiral," Ziggy announced brusquely and somewhat huffily. "I do believe that Dr Jackson's suggestion is viable. We may not be able to achieve 100 transmission, however the clarity of your hologram will be much improved."

"Fantastic!" Al cheered, slapping Daniel on the back. "And will anyone detect the signal?"

"That is unlikely due to the frequency used, however not impossible."

If Ziggy had a face, Daniel could have sworn she'd be glaring at him like a Tollan. That race were far ahead of Earth in terms of technology, but they hated it when Sam came up with a good idea. Then he heard a whisper in his ear from Al.

"Don't worry, she hates being out thought by us mere mortals – nice one, kid."