Chapter 2

The entrance to the project compound was vastly different than he remembered. Five years had passed, and change was apparent in every direction he looked. What was once a dark rectangular space had been transformed into a much larger atrium with a thirty-foot glass dome ceiling. The walls and furniture were made up of warm shades of white and beige, a far cry from the military outpost it once was.

"Impressive, isn't it?" asked Emilie Parker, a brunette with warm brown eyes and an energetic smile. She introduced herself as Al's assistant, and picked up on Sam's sense of awe immediately. "It was the Admiral's idea to make things appear more friendly, especially for the tours."

"Tours?" he asked, surprised.

"Yes, for our private investors," Emilie replied. "The Admiral updated a significant portion of the complex after your return leap, when there was an increase in government interest and funding. He wanted a more sustainable funding model going forward, and began looking into private sources in addition to the money provided by the government."
"The oversight committee allowed him to do that?" Sam asked.

Emilie paused for a moment, listening to a small device in her ear. "I'm sorry Dr. Beckett, we'll have to continue this conversation another time. You're needed in the medical wing to begin your physical."

. . .

The medical wing had obviously been included in the update of the complex. The treatment room he was brought into showcased large, floor to ceiling LED panels across an entire wall, projecting a variety of soothing images. He was mesmerized by the soaring wings of an underwater school of manta rays when the door opened and the image dimmed.

"Dr. Beckett." A handsome man with characteristic blond hair and blue eyes entered the room, looking down at the medical file in his hands. "I'm Dr. Ledger, the Director of Clinical Affairs. Per protocol, I will be examining you before you begin your observer duties. This will include a physical exam, blood draw, urine sample, and MRI. I read the results of your last physical at your physician's office from five months ago, so I don't expect to find anything too surprising. We will get our results as soon as possible so you may begin your duties. Any questions?" The doctor finally looked up from the file he was holding.

Sam blinked at the onslaught of words. "Aren't you a little young to be the Director of Clinical Affairs?" he asked. The man appeared to be somewhere in his mid-thirties. "Is Verbena still here?"

Dr. Ledger frowned at his words. "Dr. Beeks is consulting in person with a pulmonary oncologist in the UK. She appointed me to my position two years ago. I'm board certified in Neurology, Internal Medicine, and Psychiatry. Would you like to see the paperwork?"

Sam held up his hands in restitution. "Forgive me. You sound very qualified."

The doctor tapped on his wristlink and a moment later, a nurse entered the room.

"This is Rachel, she'll assist me in charting," he said, as he began to disinfect his hands with antiseptic foam.

Dr. Ledger, if nothing else, was very thorough. His hands were gentle yet skillful as he performed the physical evaluation. Sam knew he was being examined by someone with experience. The doctor finished the exam with another hurried glance at his wristlink, reading the time. "Rachel will do the blood draw and escort you to imaging. I have some other business to attend to." He exited as quickly as he entered, in the blink of an eye.

"Don't mind Dr. Ledger," said Rachel. "He's usually very easygoing, but he's got a lot on his mind right now, as does Dr. Beeks. They're trying to figure out the best treatment for the Admiral."

"Now, let's get this blood draw over with, shall we?" Rachel placed a tourniquet above his right elbow, and prepped the area with an alcohol pad. "Make a fist for me?"

Sam complied, and the needle was in a second later. He stared down at the blood collecting in the tube.

"You're good at this," he said. "Better than the nurse at my doctor's office."

Rachel laughed warmly. "You're going to make me blush, Dr. Beckett. You know, everyone at the project is really glad you're back."

Sam smiled for the first time that day. "Thank you. That means a lot."

. . .

Emilie was waiting as Sam stepped outside of the MRI room, anxiously pacing the hallway.

"Dr. Beckett," she said as soon as he emerged. "It looks like there's a situation with the leap. They need you in the Imaging Chamber right away."

"But the test results–" said Sam.

"Will be fast tracked," she replied. "I've given Dr. Ledger the heads up."

Sam followed her on a familiar route through the project corridors. As they neared the Control Room, he was surprised by the wave of nerves that washed over him.

"I'm sure you'll pick up right where you left off," Emilie said with an encouraging smile. She accessed the last security measure with her palm print.

Sam mirrored her smile with a less assured one of his own, took a deep breath, and entered the room.

Whatever commotion had occurred before his arrival stopped as soon as he entered. There were four others in the room, poised at their assigned stations.

Sam cleared his throat. "Hi, everyone. I'm Sam. Beckett."

A young woman wearing orange-rimmed glasses approached him and shook his hand vigorously. "Dr. Beckett," she said with a wide grin. "I can't believe it's you. You're like my idol. I've read every single one of your papers. This feels like I'm totally dreaming."

Sam stared down at the hand that she was still shaking.

"Sorry," she said, letting him go. "This is just too crazy. I'm Leilani, the lead programmer."

Sam raised his eyebrows in surprise. The petite, wide-eyed, eager woman in front of him was as far from Gooshie as one could imagine.

"Nice to meet you. Please call me Sam."

Leilani grinned again. "Sam. Someone's been waiting a long time to say hi." She motioned toward the glowing blue orb in the middle of the room.

Sam walked over to the main console, placed his hand on the interface, and raised his head to the large orb on the ceiling.

"Hi Ziggy. It's been awhile."

"Hello Dr. Samuel Beckett. It has been exactly 5 years, 2 months, 19 days, 8 hours and 58 seconds since we last spoke."

Sam cocked his head to the side.

"Ziggy, why so formal?" he asked.

"You would be too," Ziggy said in a matter of fact voice, "if you had been abandoned for so long."

Sam sighed as he looked down, then at Leilani.

"She still has the same ego, I see."

"Come on Zig," said Leilani, "you've been talking about this non-stop since Al told you Sam's coming back. You're going to pretend you're not the least bit happy?"

"I'm entitled to a spectrum of feelings," Ziggy replied, almost in a pout.

Leilani shook her head. "Okay, while you get more in touch with them, let's get down to work. You want to brief Sam on the current leap?"

"Dr. Samantha Fuller is currently inhabiting the body of Sophia Roberts, who is a 20 year old college dropout and homeless in the city of Lake Placid, New York in the year 1980. I project an 82.3% probability Dr. Fuller is there to restore the relationship between Sophia and her parents so she can continue her studies and complete her bachelor's degree."

"Wait a minute," Sam interjected. "I thought this leap had something to do with the Lake Placid Olympics."

"That was my original projection," said Ziggy, "as Sophia's boyfriend was part of a gang that appeared to have preliminary ties to a planned bombing of one of the venues. It turns out that was not the case and the people responsible for the threat are already in police custody."

"So I'm here to help a girl reunite with her parents?" Sam asked. "That should be easy enough."

"Yes," said Ziggy, "if not for the fact that Dr. Fuller is currently about to be arrested on charges of vandalism and trespassing. If she is arrested, it decreases the likelihood of her reconciliation with Sophia's parents to 9.7 percent."

One of the technicians attached a wristlink to Sam and handed him what appeared to be two tiny magnets.

"This will keep you in contact with Ziggy," the technician said. "Attach the magnets on separate sides of the upper cartilage of the ear and they'll work together to transmit sound."

Sam did as he was told, and instantly heard Ziggy's voice in his ear. "Better hurry, Dr. Beckett. Dr. Fuller is talking to the police as we speak."

Sam headed for the Imaging Chamber as the same technician hurriedly handed him the handlink, a rectangular device with a glass screen that was much sleeker than the colorful one he remembered.

"Stand by for Imaging Chamber initiation," said Ziggy.

Sam entered the world of 1980 and took a moment to adjust his surroundings. He was in a suburban neighborhood on a sunny day, surrounded by mid-size houses. Ahead of him on the sidewalk, a young woman was arguing with a police officer.

She turned at the sound of the door closing behind Sam, and he recognized her immediately. Sammy Jo. The last time he saw her was five years ago, but the few weeks he stayed at the project after his leap home were overshadowed by his grief for Donna's death, and he couldn't remember if they had said anything substantial to each other. She was the same as he remembered. Her eyes were still her mother's.

The shock of seeing him stopped her mid-argument.

"Hey," the officer said behind her. "You okay?"

She blinked, then turned toward the man. "Officer, I'm sorry about the misunderstanding. You won't see me here again."

The officer was surprised but relieved by her statement. "Good. Consider this a warning then," he said, and turned to walk back to his police car.

Sammy Jo closed the distance between her and Sam in hurried steps. "Who are you? Where's Al?" she demanded.

"I'm Sam. Sam Beckett."

She took a step back, the name triggering a memory in her swiss-cheesed brain. "I remember you. Dr. Sam Beckett. You're back at the project?"

"For now."

"Where's Al? Did something happen?"

"He's…on leave." Sam replied, gauging her reaction. "Temporarily," he added. "I'm sitting in for him this leap."

"Is he okay?" Sammy Jo asked, her features deepening with worry.

"He will be," said Sam. "I'm not allowed to tell you much more than that." He didn't know if it was true, but also didn't want to worry her.

"How is this possible?" Sammy Jo motioned between them. "I synced my brainwaves to a copy of Al's before I leaped, but ours aren't synced. I shouldn't be able to see you."

Sam cleared his throat and looked down at the ground. "Actually, we found that all leapers' brainwaves are synced. Something to do with the experience of being in more than one timeline." He looked up at her, aware of the fact that he was a poor liar. "That's why I was brought in, so you can see me and I can see you. Because, as you know, I've leaped. Before."

Sammy Jo stared at him.

Aware of her gaze, Sam turned his attention to his handlink. "Um…speaking of the leap, it looks like you're here to unite Sophia and her family so she can finish her college degree. Ziggy thinks the best way to do that is to contact your older sister, who lives in Philadelphia, to come home and help your parents take you back in."

"And how does Ziggy recommend I contact her, being homeless and all?"

"Well…maybe you could use a friend's phone. Give her a call."

"Right," Sammy Jo replied, "like the boyfriend I just helped put in jail?"

"Ziggy told me about that," said Sam with sympathy. The handlink beeped, causing him to look down. "She also says that no matter what you do, you have to avoid getting arrested again. You've got two strikes against you and if anything else happens, you'll end up in jail yourself, reducing the likelihood that your parents will take you back to 9.7%."

Sammy Jo nodded. "I'll see what I can do. Are you sure Al's going to be okay?"

Sam stared at the woman in front of him. His daughter. Al had waited for Sam to tell her himself, when he leaped home, but the timing was never right. The Sammy Jo standing in front of him was worried and scared, and he wasn't the person she needed to calm her fears.

"He'll be fine," Sam replied. "I'll tell him you said hi. I'll check in on you later, okay?"

She nodded again, still unsure of his answer.