First Love

Part III

November 5, 1996

Lighting and electricity flashes as Al leaps in to his next mission. Although he can see what is going on he can't control what is happening. He realizes he only partially leaped in to this person. But what is the reason?

He is walking behind a woman, on a dark street. It is cool outside, maybe near autumn. The person he has leaped into then attacks the women raping her and leaving her for dead. The Al catches his reflection in a store window. He is shocked, but then he leaps out.

The shimmering of the leap subsides as Al looks around. He is in a police station sitting at a desk. A person comes up to him and says, "Hey we have another victim. Let's go."

"Okay." Al responds, still trying to figure out what just happened.

They arrive at the scene and Al is shocked. It's the place from his last leap, if it was a leap. He gets out of the unmarked police car and sees the marking of a body, right where the victim was in the leap before. He sees the window and sees that he is a police detective. He is glad but confused. What is going on with him, he's thinking?

The victim is unwrapped and he sees that it is the women. He then says, "Oh boy!"

First Love part III

November 5, 1996

Al looks over the cases and figures out that he is a rape investigator in California. It is 1996. His name is Don Rodriguez. He looks over the other cases of the Cutter. It is the nickname of the rapist who takes razor and cut the victims in their…Al can't read it anymore. He realizes he must be there to stop this person.

'As I read about this sicko, I know there is more to it than this. I don't know whether I am the rapist or I just leaped into him partially. All I know is that the leap is giving me a sinking feeling that something isn't right…"

Al looks over the potential suspects and sees the prime suspect is someone he remembers.

PRIME SUSPECTS

Aaron Walters Quincy, CANO Record

James Einhorn Quincy CANO Record

Robert Avery Sacramento, CAONE count first degree harassment

The first name sticks in his head, and then he remembers…

As Sam tries to stand he hears the familiar sound of the Imaging Chamber door open. Out walks his observer Al.

"Sam it's December 3rd, 1993. You're here to save a girl from being killed in an earthquake.

"Well I can tell you that your name is Aaron Walters. You are an eighth grade student at Greenwood Junior High School in Quincy, California. The young girl you saved is Bernadette Johnson. She is also in eighth grade. Other than that I don't see any connection between the two."

"That's right…Sam leaped into him before." Al says thinking out loud.

"You remember." Sam says as he startles the leaper.

"Sam! Where the hell have you been?" Al asks.

"Well…I've been busy. We were running a search for you and then you vanished. We ran it again and finally found you. It's been two weeks since your last leap." Sam informs.

"That would explain why I leaped twice into…" as Al trails off, not knowing if he leaped into the same person.

"Why am I here Sam?" Al asks not remembering the rest.

"Well…it's November 5, 1996. You have leaped into Don Rodriguez a rape investigator in…"

"I know that! Why have I leaped here Sam?"

"Your Swiss-cheesed memory doesn't remember…but you're here to stop the rapist…from killing…the girl I saved before."

"Bernadette…" Al recognizes. "Oh, boy."

'Leaping in time putting right what once went wrong isn't an exact science. We knew we are here to stop this, but why did the situation have to be so serious.'

"She's the ninth victim Al. That means you have two days before she is found murdered in the high school parking lot."

"Ninth victim?" Al asks as he rummages through the papers on his desk. "There have only been seven victim so far."

"That means that the next one will be before her." Sam adds.

"Which means I can stop this sick pervert before he strikes."

Then the hank link makes noise meaning there is information.

"This can't be right?" Sam says. "Ziggy says that there was two leaps in this town."

"Uh…Sam. I think that may have been me."

"What do you mean?" Sam asks still looking at the hand link.

"I think I leaped into…him." As Al point at a newspaper article stating the Cutter fifth victim survived.

"It doesn't make sense Sam. Why would I leap into him? I would have been able to stop it there."

Sam thinks a bit and then hypothesizes, "Maybe it's like when I leaped into Oswald. Maybe there is a conspiracy here, and we have to find out what it is."

"Well if there is a conspiracy, then why didn't I leap when the first victim was attacked." Al hypothesizes.

"Good question." Sam replies.

"Or why didn't I leap when the fifth victim was attacked. I could have stopped him there."

"Your full of good questions, today."

"Sam…"

"Wait…do you remember when I leaped into the reporter in San Francisco."

"No." Al responds.

"Well I was there to stop a psychic form getting killed. But she was the fifth or so victim of the killer."

"What are you talking about?" Al asks puzzled over the first question.

"What if whatever is leaping you around only wants to save Bernadette. Maybe there is some sort of reason behind all of this."

Al's partner walks up and says, "Hey, the fourth one is awake and wants to talk."

"Okay…just give me a minute." Al says as he grabs his coat.

Sam opens the Imaging Chamber door and says, "I'll try to get Ziggy to do more research on this. Meanwhile don't do anything until we know how to save Bernadette."

Al agrees and the door closes.

"In time, everything can be changed. But sometimes change means that it won't happen again.'

Al thinks to himself as he remembers the partial leap in and the horrifying images. Then the elevator doors open and he heads to the interview with a victim. He feels uneasy because he has never dealt with this before. He has been a MIA, a admiral in the Navy and an observer on the project but he has never dealt with a serial rapist.

He enters the room as the nurse leaves. He sees the victim. She is barley seventeen and is frightened. He goes up to her and asks, "Are you able to answer some question?"

"Uh...yeah..." she says.

"Okay. Did you know he person who did this?"

"No."

"Did...you recognize any sort of distinguishing marks?"

"No."

"How did the attack occur?"

"Um...he...he took a razor blade and..." she pulls up her gown and shows Al.

"My God!" he exclaims as he turns away. "We...I mean I will catch the bastard who did this! I promise!"

She then breaks down and Al goes over to comfort her.

Later on Al is driving home, or to the detective's home and sees a car suddenly stop ahead. Someone is thrown out and the car speeds away. He pulls up and finds another victim. He calls for help and wonders why he was too late.

Al is looking over the cases and tries to make sense of it all.

"You okay?" Sam asks as he appears.

"This leap...is just..."

"I know."

It can be hard sometimes." Al responds.

Sam feels uneasy as he enters the ward of the hospital where one of the surviving victims are. He remembers once before when he had to interview a victim of a violent crime. It was also hard to do.

"I knew it was important for me to find out who was doing these horrible things, but I am uneasy questioning people I hardly know and doing a job I don't know how to do.'

Sam enters the hospital room and sees a short haired brunette sitting on a hospital exam table dressed in a gown.

"Hi?" he asks.

She doesn't respond.

"I am Investigator Rodriguez. I have been assigned-" He stops short.

"I want to ask you a few questions. It will be brief."

She turns and reveals her wounds on her face and head. She pulls down the gown to not reveal the other injuries.

"Alisson, do you know who did this?"

"Maybe..." she responds in a low scared voice.

"Are you sure? Was there...any distinguishing marks or..."

"His scent!" she exclaims. "He had a strong smell of wood."

Sam runs the info through his mind. A wood smell could be the result of a mill of furniture factory.

"Can you describe the incident..." he asks.

She begins crying and then reveals the mark the rapist made on her. She has bandages and wraps over her lower abdominal area. Sam goes to hold her as she breaks down from the trauma she has endured.

Later on, Sam is sitting in his squad car thinking about the case and the leap. Al arrives and says, "It's almost time for the next one to be attacked."

Sam hurried to the location and waits for the prowler.

Bernadette is on her date with Robert and all is well, or so it seems. Sam watches from a distance as the two talk in the high school parking lot. Everything is as normal when he starts to feel agitated.

He sees Robert grab Bernadette who tries to struggle but he pushes her down. Sam gets out of his vehicle and runs to save her.

Robert starts what he has done eight times before. Bernadette struggles as she realizes who he is and what he has done. Sam's memory come back from the original partial leap in. The reflection in the store window was Robert.

Sam runs down draws his weapon and say, "Police officer! You are under arrest."

Robert stops his attack for a second and addresses someone behind Sam, "Oh, really!"

Sam is hit with a baseball bat from the father of Robert and he is pushed down.

"It looks like a double feature tonight, Boy!"

Robert agrees and tries to remove Bernadette's clothes.

Al arrives and says, "Sam, we just go some new info. This guy's father is a convicted child predator."

Al realizes history is starting to repeat itself.

"Sam...get up. You have to stop these sickos!"

The adrenaline kicks in and Sam punches and super kicks the father into submission.

He then pulls Robert off of the girl and starts into him. Robert knocks Sam's gun away from him. Bernadette picks up the gun and fires into the air.

"How could you!" she screams. "After all of this it was you!"

Sam and the rapist stop for a second. Sam replies, "Put the gun down. It isn't worth it."

Her hands shake as she is unsure who to believe.

"Come on sweetie, it's just a game." Robert says.

"A Game! Was it a game for those other girls."

"It wasn't me. It was him..." as he points to his unconscious father. "He did that to those girls. He just wanted me to scout them for him. He can't control what he does. That is why we move from place to place to try to,..."

"You sick bastard!" Al exclaims.

Sam then kicks him away from him. Bernadette pints the guns at Sam and then turns to Robert and fires several rounds killing him. She drops the gun and begins sobbing uncontrollably.

Sam goes over and comforts her.

"We did it, Al." Sam responds.

"Yeah. She is acquitted due to the attack and the father is sent to prison and is scheduled for leathlinjection next year."

"We did it. We did..."

The handlink starts chiming loudly and Al tries to figure out what is going on.

"What is it? Sam asks.

Al looks confused and then responds, "Ziggy is saying she's found her. She just keeps repeating that."

"Found who?" Sam asks.

The handlink stops as Al points to a reporter in the background of the investigation, "Her?"

Sam runs over and touches the woman. The electro-magnetic field fluctuates to show the true hosts of the body and it is revealed to be none other than Alia.

"Sam!" she exclaims.

"Alia!"

Alia then hears a deafening sound of her observer arriving.

"Gotcha baby!"

"Thames!" she says.

"What the hell is going on?" Al asks.

"In due time Admiral." Thames says right to where Al is standing. Al and Sam look at each with shock.

"You have an appointment with the administrator Alia."

"Wait! No! You can't do this. I'm free!"

"You ain't free."

"Sam! Save me!" she yells out as she begins to leap.

"No one is getting saved tonight." Thames says as not only Alia but Sam and Al as well leap out with the evil red glow and arrive to the place they thought no one came back from.

They arrive in a dark room with red and black lights. Guard grab them. One takes the handlink from Al's hand. The leader of the evil project comes out. She is an older redheaded woman in a modernized wheel chair. She has burns and scars from what happened to her.

"I have got you now! I've got all of you! You will pay for what you have done to me and to time!"

Sam and Alia exclaim in horror, "Zoey!"

TO BE CONTINUED...