As Sam stood in the room, the door behind him opened. He was no longer
startled by such things, so he turned around at a normal speed and faced
the person in front of him. It was a nineteen-year-old boy that stood 5'10"
and had brown hair and hazel eyes. When the boy saw him, he smiled and
said, "Hey, Sam. How're you doing?"
"I'm fine," Sam said. He no longer cared about who the person was; he
just wanted to complete his assignment and move on.
As if reading his mind, the boy tisked him. "It's impatience like that
that'll keep you here a while."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that if you go into each leap like that, you'll quietly
suffer."
"Leap?" he asked, trying to sound confused. "What's a leap?" For a fraction
of a second, Sam wondered if this boy knew that he had been leaping through
time, but that notion left quickly since the word "leap" had more than
one meaning. Unfortunately, the boy knew which meaning to use.
"You know full well what I'm talking about, Sam. I should know; you
are my assignment."
Now Sam was genuinely confused. "What do you mean?"
The boy smiled. "I'm the one, Sam. I am the force that guides you. Each
time you leap, I'm pulling the strings."
"I'm sorry," Sam said, continuing with the confusion routine. "I have
no idea what you're talking about." But the boy wouldn't stop.
"You are Dr. Samuel Beckett. You were born in Elk Ridge, Indiana on
August 8, 1953 and went to Harvard at the age of sixteen and later became
the father of the quantum leap." The boy moved closer. "I know who you
are, and I know what you've been up to. I guide you through the time stream."
Sam decided to drop his confusion routine and went strait for his skeptical
one. "Really? You are the one?" The boy nodded his head. "If you are God,
or Time, or Fate--or whoever you are--why are you showing yourself to me
now, after all these years?"
"Because," the boy said, unflapped by Sam's words. "I bear important
news. This will be your final leap; after this, there will be no more."
Could it be true? Was this really the force that has guided him? "It
is, and I am," the boy said, again as if reading his thoughts.
"I can read your thoughts, Sam."
"Then, you are God?"
This time, the boy shook his head. "No; but I am a being of higher
power. Recruited by God himself."
"Really?" Sam sounded skeptical again.
The boy nodded. "I was assigned to you. While I took you to a particular
place and time, you chose which person to leap into."
"But I have no control over that."
"Yes you do; you just haven't figured out how."
Sam walked around the small room. He needed to get his circulation going;
standing still had made all the blood drain into his legs.
"So, to get back on topic, you're saying that this will be my last leap.
Do you mean I'll finally go home?"
For a moment, the boy didn't answer. He seemed to be struggling with
a decision, and in the end, all he said was, "This will be your final leap."
Just then the imaging chamber door opened in the corner of Sam's eye.
Al stepped through and stared shockingly once he saw the boy.
"Oh my God, Sam!" he shouted. "I know that person! That's Robert
Underwood; we were both bunk mates in Viet Cong! He came in in 1970 and
we stayed together for the remaining three years. That devil hasn't changed
a bit!"
Robert turned to Al and said, "Nice to see you, too." Al stared at Robert
again, and almost dropped his cigar. "That's right," Robert continued.
"I can see you."
Al tapped his hand link furiously, trying to find out why he could be
seen. The most logical answer was that Robert's and Sam's brainwaves were
nearly identical, but Robert put an end to that.
"I can see you, Al," he said, "because I'm not human." Al looked up
from the mouse and froze in place. He suspected the existence of aliens
for quite some time, and when Sam leaped into an abdutee, he felt his suspicions
were confirmed. "I'm not an alien, either. I'm a being of higher power."
"You mean an angel?"
"No. Angels can't do what I do. I'm more like Deadman or the Specter."
"But those are comic book characters."
"And the description fits. Anyway, as I was telling Sam, this will be
his final leap."
"Aw Sam!" Al shouted. "Did you hear that?! You're coming home!" And
then he thought about Donna, and his enthusiasm quickly dissipated.
Suddenly, gunfire shot out. On impulse, Sam ran out the door and headed
for what he hoped was the elevator. After going down, he left the building
and crossed the street. He looked around, trying to see what had happened,
and as he moved on he found a body laying face down in an ally. His back
was riddled with blood and bullet holes, and as Sam tried to attend to
him, he though about what his mission was: he was here to find out who
killed this man.
He turned the body over and saw Robert and Al materialize in front of
him. He looked down at the body again and noticed the person was still
alive. He brought the man to his ear, wanting to hear any important information
the man might say, but then he heard behind him, "FBI! Stay where you are!"
Automatically, the man in his arms jumped out, as if bitten by a snake,
and he bolted down the alley as if he wasn't shot at all. Sam slowly stood
up and heard the voice behind him say, "Put your hands where I can see
them and turn around slowly." He did so, and two agents made their way
to him. Sam wondered how he would explain himself.
