An Important Note from Chibi Hermione: Alatafirith accidentally forgot to finish typing the previous episode, and I've gotten her permission to post that last bit here, before going to mine.
Episode Two, Continued
"Jen's gonna manually Retrieve Rain Man over here," replied Nix.
"Good," said Al.
"Stay here until I go, Al," pleaded Sam, not wanting to be left alone again, if this plan worked as well as the last one had.
"Sure, Pal," said Al.
Nix dialed home and experienced the now familiar sensation of returning to Stallions Gate. Sam soon disappeared as well.
"Welcome home, Sam," said Al, calling up his door and stepping through.
Episode Three: The Future of the Project
By: Chibi Hermione
1995
Theorizing that one could travel within his own lifetime, Doctor Sam Beckett led an elite group of scientists into the desert to develop a top secret project known as Quantum Leap.
Pressured to prove his theories or lose funding, Dr. Beckett prematurely stepped into the Project accelerator…and vanished.
He awoke to find himself in the past, suffering from partial amnesia and facing a mirror image that was not his own. Fortunately, contact with his own time was maintained through brainwave transmissions with Al, the Project Observer, who appeared in the form of a hologram that only Dr. Beckett could see and hear.
Trapped in the past, Dr. Beckett found himself leaping from life to life, putting things right that once went wrong and hoping each time that his next leap would be the leap home…
1999
After four and a half years, the Board of Directors decided to pull the plug on Project Quantum Leap and the Stallions Gate Complex was shut and locked down, leaving Dr. Beckett trapped in the past, this time, without any guidance on what to do.
2006
Seven years after the termination of Project Quantum Leap, Stallions Gate will open again, in the hopes of finally retrieving Dr. Beckett…
May 27, 2006
Project Quantum Leap: Acceleration Chamber
Stallions Gate Complex, New Mexico
Soon after arriving back at Project Quantum Leap, memories started coming back to Sam. A twenty-something year old woman, with red hair of the variety that could only come from a dye bottle, brown eyes, and a blue gymnastics outfit was standing in the Acceleration Chamber by the door with a large silver hued device strapped to her right wrist.
"Welcome back, Dr. Beckett," she said, "we met earlier, but I assume I look different now. I'm Nix."
"Hi," said Sam.
"Oh, by the way, Genna, my sister, fixed your time travel thing," said Nix.
"You mean the Accelerator?" asked Sam.
"Yeah."
"Why? What was wrong with it?"
"She said there were a few small glitches in it that caused your memory loss," said Nix.
"Oh."
In the Control Room, the Project Staff was all there to greet him. Sam was glad to see Ziggy, Dr. Beeks, Sammi Jo, Beth, and to meet Genna. He was sad to hear about Gooshie's death, but laughed when Al told him he had called Genna Gooshie that day.
"Looks like you've got a new nickname, Jen," said Nix, with a laugh.
QQQ
Early the next afternoon, Nix came into the Cafeteria.
"Hey, where's Sam?" she asked Genna, "I haven't seen him all day."
"Dr. Fuller took him into town earlier," replied Genna, taking a bite of salad.
"Oh," said Nix, "finally, those two get to have some good old fashioned family bonding time."
"I'm happy for them; being apart for so long and all," agreed Genna.
QQQ
Nix and Genna saw Sam on their way to their suite after lunch.
"Wow, look you, Dr. Beckett," said Genna, in surprise.
"Beckett, nice hair," said Nix, in approval.
"Thanks," said Sam, running a hand through his newly shorn hair, "it was Sammi Jo's idea."
Nix laughed.
"You're whipped, Sammy," she said.
"You said you liked my haircut," said Sam.
"Yeah, until I found out the whole story," replied Nix, "now it's just funny."
"What's funny?" asked Al, coming into the hall.
"Nix is having fun at Dr. Beckett's expense," answered Genna.
"What is it?"
"She's laughing about my haircut," said Sam.
"What's wrong with it?" asked Al.
"Sammi Jo made him do it," said Nix, "c'mon, Jen."
QQQ
A few days later, the Board of Directors paid a visit. Al, Nix, Genna, and Dr. Beeks were assembled in the Board Room with the Directors.
"We've heard your Device was fully operational and you've managed to bring Dr. Beckett to the present," said the Chairman.
"Yes, we did," said Genna.
Dr. Beeks talked about her meeting with Sam and stated that he was as normal as possible under the circumstances.
"Where is Dr. Beckett?" asked a particularly frail old man with a cane, "shouldn't he be present, as well?"
"You're absolutely right," said Al, "Nix, go find him."
QQQ
First, Nix checked his office. She knocked on the door.
"Yo, Beckett! Get a move on!" she called.
There was no response. She tried to open the door, but it was locked.
"Time to try out my Spare Key," she muttered.
She fished her 'skeleton' keycard out of one of the cargo pockets of her grey jeans and used it to unlock the door. It worked.
B-I-N-G-O spells 'bingo'.
She opened the door, and found the office was completely empty.
Drats.
QQQ
Next, Nix went to Sam's quarters. She knocked on the door.
"Sammy, are you home?" she called, in a sing-song voice.
No answer.
Plan B.
Nix took out her Spare Key and unlocked the door.
"Hello? Anyone in here?" she asked, coming into the living room.
"Nix?" asked Sam's voice, "could you help me?"
"Sam? Are you in the bathroom?" asked Nix, wrinkling her brow.
"Yeah, the door is stuck and I can't get it open."
"Oh, boy," muttered Nix.
QQQ
Nix had reached the bathroom door. It didn't operate with a keycard, so her Spare Key wouldn't work.
"Are you by the door?" she asked.
"Not anymore," he said.
Nix pressed herself against the door and tried to open it. It wouldn't open. Then, she ran at the door. It didn't budge. She slapped the door in frustration.
"What was that?" asked Sam.
"I slapped your stupid door," said Nix, "what kind of genius locks himself in a bathroom, anyway?"
"I am not locked in a bathroom. I'm stuck in a bathroom," said Sam.
"Whatever. Same thing," replied Nix, in a bored sounding voice.
QQQ
Nix tried to kick the door down. It didn't work.
"Do you have a hair pin?" asked Sam.
"Gee, let me ask my grandmother," said Nix, in sarcasm, "Wait, I have an idea."
"Does it have to do with beating up on my door?" asked Sam.
"Actually, no," replied Nix, heading into the hall, "I'll be right back."
QQQ
Soon, Nix was back with a butter knife confiscated from the Cafeteria. She set to work on prying the door open with it. After several minutes, the door flew open.
"I hope you're decent, Beckett," she called, as the door swung open.
When Sam came out of the bathroom, Nix said, "You ready for the Board Meeting?"
"Ready as I'll ever be," said Sam.
"Let's go."
QQQ
They made it to the Board Room short thereafter.
"Glad you could finally grace us with your presence, Dr. Beckett," said the man with the great bushy moustache.
"He got locked in his bathroom," said Nix, taking her seat.
"I did not get locked in the bathroom!" exclaimed Sam, "I got stuck in the bathroom!"
"May we get down to the matter at hand?" asked the Board Chairman.
"Yes, sorry," said Sam, taking his seat, "you were saying?"
"We are here to discuss the justification of allowing Project Quantum Leap to continue to be operational," said the Chairman.
QQQ
"We can bring Sam back any time we want," said Al, "so we can't lose him like last time."
"There's still more I can do," said Sam, "you have to keep the Project going."
The Board thought about it for several minutes, and then gave their decision.
"The Project will remain running," said the Chairman.
"With detailed documentation of each leap," added the man with the cane.
They made it to the Board Room short thereafter.
"Glad you could finally grace us with your presence, Dr. Beckett," said the man with the great bushy moustache.
"He got locked in his bathroom," said Nix, taking her seat.
"I did not get locked in the bathroom!" exclaimed Sam, "I got stuck in the bathroom!"
"May we get down to the matter at hand?" asked the Board Chairman.
"Yes, sorry," said Sam, taking his seat, "you were saying?"
"We are here to discuss the justification of allowing Project Quantum Leap to continue to be operational," said the Chairman.
QQQ
"We can bring Sam back any time we want," said Al, "so we can't lose him like last time."
"There's still more I can do," said Sam, "you have to keep the Project going."
The Board thought about it for several minutes, and then gave their decision.
"The Project will remain running," said the Chairman.
They made it to the Board Room short thereafter.
"Glad you could finally grace us with your presence, Dr. Beckett," said the man with the great bushy moustache.
"He got locked in his bathroom," said Nix, taking her seat.
"I did not get locked in the bathroom!" exclaimed Sam, "I got stuck in the bathroom!"
"May we get down to the matter at hand?" asked the Board Chairman.
"Yes, sorry," said Sam, taking his seat, "you were saying?"
"We are here to discuss the justification of allowing Project Quantum Leap to continue to be operational," said the Chairman.
QQQ
"We can bring Sam back any time we want," said Al, "so we can't lose him like last time."
"There's still more I can do," said Sam, "you have to keep the Project going."
The Board thought about it for several minutes, and then gave their decision.
"The Project will remain running," said the Chairman.
"With detailed documentation of each leap," added the man with the cane.
"If anything goes seriously wrong, we pull the plug," finished the Chairman.