Loch-ness
March 14, 1972
He leaps in and is in a wooded area by a large lake. He sees a woman nearby and he notices he's holding a camera. There is also other photographic equipment around. Then she runs over and says, "Quick! Get it before it goes down!"
Stunned from what she is talking about and still confused from the leap he asks, "Before what goes down?"
She pulls the camera and chokes him as she quickly snap a picture. Then the negative slides out.
"We almost missed it! What has come over you?"
"I don't know?" he responds.
As the photo develops he see what she was so excited about. There is a dark image on the photo that looks almost like a dinosaur head.
"Now we have proof it exists!" she exclaims.
Staring at the photo, Sam exclaims, "Oh, Boy!" He just figured out she took a picture of the Loch-ness monster.
Looking at the photo in his hand Doctor Samuel Beckett thought he had just found the discovery of a lifetime. His mouth was dry and he couldn't speak. Until his eye caught his partner. She is an attractive brunette who is English. She looks like a reporter with the camera but maybe not. He didn't think so since the photo in his hand was of the famed Loch-ness monster.
"Well…you just going to stand there or are we going out to get closer?" she asks as she picks up and oar and attempts to push a small boat out.
":Wha-Out there!" Sam exclaimed as he puts the photo away and walks toward her. "That was the…the L"
"Yes! No help me get this boat out there before we lose it." As she points to a small radar screen on the boat. They watch a blip on it but then it disappears.
"Dammit. It's gone!" she yells.
Trying to get his bearings from the leap in and from the shock, he sates, "Well…maybe…it's for the best. You know that there never has been a confirmed sighting of the creature."
"What! Are you starting to believe that quack Dobson? He wouldn't know the truth if I hit him in the back of the head!" she says.
She storms away from the boat and Sam follows. She begins packing the other equipment and he helps.
"Leave me alone."
"Why? Just because we missed one opportunity. There'll be others."
"Like when ten years from now. Twenty! Fifty! If you hadn't noticed the people around here aren't to friendly when it comes to so-called photographers like us who search for the unknown and not to the mainstream."
"I'm sure that we could-"
"Forget it! We'll just be like all the rest and give up." She says as she storms off.
Looking frustrated Sam yells out at her, "Come on, we could try-"
As he hears the arrival of a hologram, Sam looks around. Then his friend Al comes through a post nearby.
"Save your breath, Sam. Women don't like it when you want to do things your own way." Al tells him.
"And how would you know? You've been married how many times?"
"Used to be. Remember your Swiss-cheesed mind doesn't remember you changed things between me and Beth."
"That's right. You and Beth are still married." Sam remembers. "How are she and your…kids?"
"They're great. It's just great Sam. I'm still learning though that being married is a lot different than being…you know." Al says.
"A hound-dog. A sleaze. A player."
"That was the old me. I've changed."
"I guess you have. So what am I doing here?"
Taking the hand link Al hits a couple of buttons and says, " It's March 14, 1972. Your in Lo- Lo- Loch-ness. Loch ness? Loch ness, Scotland."
Remembering the photo, Sam quickly pulls it from his pocket, and shows Al, "Look what we took! Do you see what it is?"
"It's a small blob on the water." The observer responds.
"No. It's the monster. The Loch-ness Monster!"
"What! There's no such thing as the Loch-ness monster. Come on you know better than that."
"We saw it and we-she took a picture." Sam says.
"She took it? Sam that's a Polaroid camera. You have a Polaroid camera around your neck. How could she take the picture?"
"Well…she kinda pulled it and grabbed…"
"Well getting a little close are we? You dog."
"It's not like that. We're colleagues…I guess. I don't think were lovers."
"You don't know what you don't know. Her name is Patricia Coolidge. And you name is Gerald Bernard. You are an assistant photographer for the London Herald. She is your boss, the chief scenic photographer."
"That explains the tension between the two. Is it some kind of office romance?"
"Uh, only if pigs flew. He has a huge crush on her and she doesn't even know he exists. Which bring me to the reason why you're here. Tomorrow night she drowns in the lake. It was never fully determined what the cause was, because she is an excellent swimmer. But the records at Scotland Yard claim that it could have been foul play."
Sam and Al look on as she yells at a storekeeper in the distance.
'Sometimes leaping around in time is easy. But then there are times like this. One thing can be monumental and another is tragic. It was up to me what really happened, and change it.'
Sam walks into a pub and is met by disapproval of all those inside. He walks up to the bar and asks, "Can I get an ale."
A townsman walks up behind and says, "We don't serve your kind here."
Sam turns around and says, "What? My kind. What do you mean by that?"
"You reporter types, who come in and make a ruckus of out town. You all claim that you are here on business when you're really trying to make fun of us. We're a laughing stock because of you!"
"I didn't mean you any harm. We're just here to-"
"To have a drink. I thought I might find you here. After all I thought we were a team?" as his partner Patricia walks in.
"Damned reporter! Never trust them!" As the old bar patron leaves.
"Go back to whatever hole you came from!" she yells.
"Was that necessary? I mean you don't have to be like that. You could just talk."
"Has that got you anywhere? After all you've done nothing but wander around while I've been chasing leads. What have you done?" she exclaims.
"I've still got this." As he shows her the photo. But then she snatches it away from him.
"Not anymore. I thought that you were the best one on the way up."
"And I thought you were supposed to be showing me the way things are done. After all you are my boss. That is your job."
"I'm glad you know that. Because if you don't start doing your job, you're fired!"
She walks off and goes into another room. The bartender asks, "So how long have you two been married?"
"We're not." Sam exclaims disgusted with her. "Where's my ale?"
"Coming right up." The bartender says.
'As I investigated the truth or fiction into the Loch-ness monster I found more discord than help. Some people were kind but others were downright rude. I ended up in the public library, if you could call it that. A small house with rooms of books in no order; haven't these people ever heard of the Dewy decimal system. Anyway I was making headway in the truth part of out find.'
As Sam looked through books the Imaging Chamber door opens and out walks his observer. He looks at Sam and says, "You're still looking for clues to a mythical creature. Come on Sam, you're a scientist. You deal with fact, not fiction."
"It's not fiction. We saw it with our own eyes. It's as real as you are." As Al walks through a table.
"Oh, yeah. The photo. You know Sam there have been 437 documented sightings of the Loch-ness monster up until our time. And none have been confirmed. Don't you think you're wasting your time? I mean you should be looking for a possible murderer, remember."
"She can take care of herself. After all, she a tough woman."
"Sounds like you have a thing for this woman."
"No! I mean I don't. This guys mind must be merging a little. I can't stop thinking about her."
"Well while your searching for things that don't exist there someone out there that wants to do her harm."
Sam reaches for a book and shows Al a section of it; "You know the legend came from sea captains in to 15th century. They reported seeing creature fitting the description. It comes all the way down to our day, with these sightings."
"That's all fine and good, but you're not leaping around in time to disprove legends. You're here to save people's lives like hers."
Sam realizes what time it is. "How long until she disappears?"
"We don't know. Her body was found, tomorrow afternoon. That means she wasn't seen from about now until when she is found."
"Well we have to find her." Sam exclaims. "Do a search and see if you can lock on to her."
"There isn't enough data. Besides it would take too long because we have to compensate for the difference in time zones and computer systems."
"Well find a way." Sam says as he runs out.
'I know when a leap is going down hill, when things start snowballing, and I don't know how to stop them.'
As Sam runs down the road to the lakeshore where he leaped in he looks around and yells, "Patricia!"
"Patricia! Are you out here?"
Sam stops to catch his breath when Al pops in. He says, "Sam she is about 500 yards down the road just past the landing."
Sam runs in her direction, as she is standing by the landing.
"What am I doing out here?" she says to herself. Al centers in and says, "I don't know but you better go that direction." As he a point to the direction Sam is coming.
"It's a dark night out here." The pushy bar patron says as he comes out from the shadows. "You shouldn't be alone."
"I'm not alone. After all you never heard of the rumors that the creature comes out at night more than the day."
"I know all the rumors. After all, I created them. And anyone close to the truth would know too much than wouldn't they?"
"I don't know what your talking-" as she is grabbed by the patron as he put his hand to prevent her from yelling.
"Sam, where are you?" Al yells.
As the old man drags her kicking and trying to scream she kicks him and pushes away. She then runs into his trap and is roped into a weight that lifts her up and throws her into the water.
"Gushie, center me on Sam." Al orders.
But then Sam tackles the old man and fight with him. They roll around on the ground and Sam punches him a couple of times. The old man then gives up.
"Stop. Stop! Please!" he yells.
"Where is she?" Sam asks.
"She went into the lake. She is trapped." He tells.
Sam then gets up and jumps head first into the freezing water. Al is in shock that he got there in time. He hits punches a couple of buttons on the hand-link anticipating Sam's next request.
Sam comes up for air and asks, "Where is she, Al?"
"She is ten feet down and two feet to the left. But she has a rope attached to her leg. You gotta untie it to free her."
Sam goes down again as Al looks on. A couple of seconds go by which seem like an eternity. Then the both of them come up and gasp for air.
"Thank God. You were down there so long I didn't think either of you were coming back up."
Sam helps Patricia out of the lake. They both collapse on the shore. She looks at him and then kisses him.
They stop and he asks, "What was that for?"
"For saving my life. And my career. And for everything. I know how you feel even if you don't know I know."
"What do you mean?" Sam questions.
"I think she means that she wants to…you know." Al chirps in.
"You want to-" Sam asks.
"Yes! Yes I will marry you." As she kisses him again.
"Well, you did it Sam. They are married in '73. And they start the first news service to cover unexplained phenomena. So get ready to le-" as Al cuts off as he sees a creature coming out of the lake. Its head comes over to Sam and Al and Patricia.
They all look and say, "Oh, Boy!"
And Sam leaps out…
Sam leaps in and is standing on a small knoll. It is winter and teenagers surround him. He turns around and is cold-cocked. He gets back up and tries to defend himself but three other kids ambush him. One the turns his arm around his back and tries to break his arm.
"This is for being where you don't belong!" the bully says. He then breaks the arm and pushes Sam down the snow-covered hill.
Sam rolls over and says, "Oh, Boy."