------------------------------------------------------------------- - This story came from the alt.startrek.creative archive on - - ftp.cis.ksu.edu (129.130.10.80) - - - - If you have any submissions for the archive, please either - - upload them to the /pub/upload directory on ftp.cis.ksu.edu - - or mail them to jfy@cis.ksu.edu INTERNET (preferred) - - rutgers!depot!jfy UUCP - - CBM2064@KSUVM BITNET - - 72427,1641 COMPUSERVE - ------------------------------------------------------------------- Exploding: crossover/QL/ST-ALeapOfFaith.txt -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Star Trek: "A Leap of Faith" by: Jason Breti (c) Copyright 1992, Jason Breti jason@cs.uregina.ca or regina!mercury!jason Reproduction and copying granted as long as text is not altered and copyrights remain part of the text. Quantum Leap and Quantum Leap Characters are copyright Bellisarius Productions. Star Trek and Star Trek Characters are copyright Paramount Pictures Corporation. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I would like to thank Dean Holroyd, John Rosloot, Katriena Knights, Christopher Wheeler and especially Sarah Menolly for their assistance and comments. They were a very valuable source of reference and a sounding board for new ideas. Their editing saved me in several places. Thank you! Any arrors are, of course, mine alone. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Theorizing that one could time travel within his own lifetime, Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap Accelerator... and vanished! He awoke to find himself trapped in the past, facing mirror images that were not his own, and driven by an unknown force to change history for the better. His only guide on this journey is Al, an observer from his own time, who appears in the form of a hologram that only Sam can see and hear. And so Dr. Beckett finds himself leaping from life to life, striving to put right what once went wrong, and hoping each time that his next leap... will be the leap home! Captain's Log: Using the light-speed breakaway factor, the Enterprise has moved back through time to the twentieth-century. We are now in extended orbit around Earth, using our ships deflector shields to remain unobserved. Our mission: Historical Research. We are monitoring Earth communications to find out how our planet survived desperate problems in the year 1968. During our monitoring of Earth, we intercepted the high energy transport of Gary Seven from thousands of light years away, sent by a race of beings that will remain hidden even in our own time. Seven, a human specially trained by these beings, and possessing superior mental and physical capabilities, has a mission to correct time anomalies as they occur in Earth's history. The accidental explosion of a nuclear platform high in the Earth's atmosphere was triggered by Mr. Seven, raising enough global concern to ban nuclear platforms completely. With his mission complete we are completing our monitor reports and preparing to leave Earth and return to our own time... Prologue - 1968 --------------- "What else do your record tapes show?" "I'm afraid we can't reveal everything we know, Mr. Seven," Kirk grinned. "Captain, we could say that Mr. Seven and Miss Lincoln have some. . . interesting experiences in store for them," quipped Spock. "Ah, yes. I think we could say that." Seven looked at Kirk curiously. Roberta Lincoln didn't know what to think. Kirk flashed a Cheshire cat smile and flipped open his communicator. "Two to beam up Scotty." "Live long and Prosper, Mr. Seven." "And the same to you, Miss Lincoln," added Kirk. "Energize." Roberta still hadn't gotten used to the idea of people sparkling out of existence. Still, you had to believe in it when Kirk and Spock vanished in front of you. Seven gazed at her with great amusement in his eyes. Kirk and Spock stepped off the transporter pad. "Well, Spock, I guess you could say mission accomplished, eh?" "Mission accomplished, Captain? I would hardly..." Suddenly, Kirk felt dizzy. He looked down at his hands and saw that they were covered in a blue aura. In fact, his entire body was surrounded by it. Waves of it coursing over his skin, surging through his body, like veins of energy. And then...a faint tinkling sound, growing stronger. The tinkles merged with a low bassy throb. He gazed in desperation at Spock, unable to speak. The noise built to a climax as Kirk felt the hum tear his body apart. His mind exploded into a million points of light screaming out in all directions. All Sam heard was the after effects of the Leap. The familiar faint tinkles fading off into nothing, as if they were never there. He was used to it. You could overcome the nausea relatively quickly, if you knew it was coming. "...call this a 'mission'. After all, we never did know what the logical course of action was, until Mr. Seven detonated the nuclear platform." Spock stopped, a very Vulcan flicker of concern showing in his eyes. "Captain, are you all right?" Sam still hadn't looked up. "Yes... I'm just a little dizzy. I'll be all right in a second or two." "Do you need medical assistance, Captain?" "No. I'll be all right." Sam took a deep breath and the dizziness faded. It was gone, until the next Leap, at least. He sighed, and looked up at Spock. Standing in front of him, staring straight at him, was the strangest person Sam had ever seen. What a strange greenish complexion. Interesting eyebrows (did they ever stop?). And those ears! It took all the reserve he had to keep from crying out. Sam decided he'd better say something. "Oh...boy." Chapter 1 - 1970 ---------------- "Ha ha ha ha!" A voice under the covers giggled in contented happiness. "Silly...I'm ticklish there. Oh!" The two figures were twisting sensuously in the delighted movements of newlyweds. The bed had black satin sheets, covered by a black and red comforter that would soon be kicked off in the haste of the moment. A bottle of opened champagne rested at the side of the bed. The bedroom was luxuriously set with a black fuzzy carpet, and black sheer drapes. A huge patio-door window looked out onto a crystal clear lake in the mountains. The water in the hot tub outside was steaming, the steam resting contentedly on top of the water. The cabin was completely secluded in the trees, and the only sound outside was a multitude of birds merrily chirping and scrounging about. All in all, a completely idyllic place for two. "Gasp! Your feet are cold! Don't stick them there!" A man burst forth his head from the covers and looked down at his wife in fake shock. "You've got to get warmed up. I think a drowning in the water is necessary." As he looked down at her she wrapped her arms around Gary's neck in a clearly possessive manner. "Oh, Gary...the lake's too cold this time of year! Besides, I can't swim in anything bigger than a bath tub." "Now, now, Roberta darling," Gary enunciated the words in his professor- student tone. "You've got to learn sometime!" He smiled devilishly and picked her up as she screamed in delight. Effortlessly, Gary Seven carried his wife through the half-open patio doors. The breeze stirred the steam off the hot tub and made it whirl. The tub almost seemed to anticipate its new residents. "Well, let's try out that swimming theory, shall we?" Gary gave her one last long kiss, and threw her into the tub. She squealed as the water surged over the tub. Roberta burst from the hot water and gasped. "How could you!" she scolded her husband, the edges of her mouth creeping up in a smile, just a little. "Come join me, and I'll drown you in something other than water!" Gary barely got in the water before she was upon him. He gasped in between the kisses she was generously applying. Beep. Beep. "Mmmm." Gary groaned in pleasure. Beep. Beep. It came from the bedroom. "MMMMMMmmm." Roberta tried to ignore the irritating sound. Beep. BEEP. It was louder now, sounding almost irritated for having to wait for other matters. "Mmm. Leave it alone Gary," Roberta pleaded as Gary pulled himself from the water. "Now Darling, you know I have to get this." He said as he moved towards the bedroom. BEEP. BEEP. The sound was coming from a small box on the bedside table. Gary picked up the phone. "Yes." A series of beeps and clicks gurgled in the background for a couple of seconds. Then a female voice spoke, strangely devoid of any expression. "Identify by code and voice recognition." "Supervisor 194, codenamed Gary Seven," he sighed. Beta Five computers tended to be over careful at times. Voice recognition was usually enough. The beeps and clicks when he picked up the phone identified voice encryption that was probably not necessary. "Voice recognition confirmed. I have an override level twelve report for Supervisor 194." Gary suddenly focussed on the voice. "Report." "Dr. Aaron Lewisson has died by drowning," the machine responded in the same toneless voice. "Uh...Roberta" He called out to the hot tub. "Please get out of the water." He directed his voice back to the phone. "Continue." "Dr. Lewisson should not die for another twenty-six years." The computer finished its report. "Gary? What's wrong?" Roberta was dripping in the doorway with a towel covering her. Concern showed on Gary's face as he waved at her. "Was the drowning accidental, or deliberate?" "Accidental." "Damn!" He muttered. Another accident, as if one wasn't enough, why does there need to be more? "All right, Beta Five, I'll be back in the city today." He laid the phone down and grinned sheepishly at Roberta. "Well, I guess the honeymoon is over, darling." Roberta was not amused. Chapter 2 - 1968 ---------------- Sam stared at the Vulcan in front of him. Did this man call me "Captain"? Yes, he did. His tunic certainly doesn't match anything I've ever seen. Maybe Al would know. Ha! Al wouldn't be caught dead in those black pants and boots. Well, you never know... "I...uh...I'm fine now. Just fine, thanks." This may or may not have alleviated concern in that strangely unemotional face. It was hard to tell. "Are you going to your quarters, Captain? I must stop at my quarters before reporting to the bridge." "Er...yes. After you." Sam decided that he needed information. Much more information. Sam followed the tall pointed fellow through a set of double doors that who-o-o-shed open as they approached. Now where have I seen that before? He struggled to remember, but the swiss-cheese effect did a great job of chopping memories up, especially when you needed them most. The doors who-o-o-shed shut behind them. I'm certainly in a strange building. He glanced at some of the doors as they walked by. Transporter Room 3, Meeting Room 12, Science Research 5, Biology 6, Turbo 12. Definitely some kind of research facility. Transporter Room? Transport what? Shipping Potatoes? Sam remembered a piece of the discussion his counterpart, this captain, whomever he had leaped into, was having with the tall gentleman in front of him. "So, what was your analysis of the...mission?" "Mr. Seven was not the invading alien we assumed him to be. It appears that he has Earth's best interests at mind, so it is logical that he should remain in the past." The report was delivered smoothly by this faintly satanic character. The ears...that was it. It was hard not to stare, but Sam tried to respond nonchalantly as they entered some type of circular elevator. "All right," This was very one-sided conversation. "Do you have any recommendations?" "I just made them, Captain." The other man looked at him with a twist of his head. He gripped a control of some sort on the wall. "Officer's quarters." Sam grabbed a control beside him as the elevator began moving...horizontally! What kind of elevator moves sideways? All right Al...you've had enough time...where are you? They got off on another floor, and walked down the hall. There were names on most of the doors, so Sam guessed that there were a fair number of officers, in whatever place he was. "I would like to perform a complete study of Gary Seven's efforts by cross referencing him in the historical data banks. It is now safe to assume that he wishes to assist humankind, but we should analyze any other changes he makes. Admittedly, Captain, it will be difficult to analyze the effectiveness of any changes he makes, but as you know any small changes can affect the Earth, and possibly the history of the Federation. I would also like to analyze a few other historical events currently taking place in other parts..." Jeez, this guy's hard to listen to. Ziggy's got more personality than him! He's not making any sense! Historical events currently taking place? Federation? Federation of what? Al...? They stopped outside a door that read KIRK, CAPTAIN J.T. Well, Captain Kirk, how nice for you to have a name, Sam thought. His companion was standing there, hands clasped behind his back, staring at him. "Captain, are you sure you are all right?" Sam cleared his voice. "Ahem. Yes, I'm fine. Uh...Carry on. I'll see you later." Sam wasn't surprised to find that the doors opened as he walked towards them. The doors closed on an increasingly arched eyebrow. Chapter 3 - 1983 ---------------- The doors who-o-oshed open automatically as the two doctors entered the center. "I don't think I've ever told you, over these years, how much of a boost you gave us, Dr. Seven!" "Well, I just helped a little here and there, Sir. It's nothing compared to what miracles you've performed." Gary Seven smiled at his companion as they walked down the clinic corridor. "Well, frankly I'm glad that you picked up where Dr. Lewisson left off! Your final product...what do you call it...?" "Artificially Intelligent Genetic Editor, Sir. AIGE." Seven smiled at the administrator's enthusiasm. "Age, yes. A fabulous tool! It's helped us enormously speed up the experimental process!" The administrator stopped in front of a nondescript door, marked "Viewing Room". "Now, I'd like you to take a look at this, before you leave us to go on to other projects..." The administrator opened the door with a sweep of his hand and Seven entered. The door closed behind the administrator as they both sat down. "...You've certainly had a major hand in the results!" Seven looked through the window, which was actually a one-way mirror. A speaker unit mounted in the wall provided excellent clarity from the two people on the other side of the mirror. Seven watched the discussion with interest. "One of our most successful cases!" beamed the administrator. "So what can you tell me about Dante's Inferno, as opposed to the conventional view of hell?" The teenager looked at his teacher with a mixture of respect and arrogance. He had learned so much, but got quickly tired of innane questioning. He realized that such testing was necessary, along with IQ tests, health exams, endurance tests, strength tests, oral exams...there was no end to the tests. But that didn't mean you had to like them! "Dante uses the juxtaposition of the conception of hell as being a place to burn with heat, and reverses it to a place where you burn with cold." The words rolled off the teenager's tongue in a smooth, dangerous way. He had an accent that was somewhat elusive. "I think that cold is more fitting. More...just." He smiled. It was always interesting to test the teachers as well. "What do you think of Dante?" "Well," said the teacher, unused to being counter-tested, "I think you understand more than you sometimes let on." The teenager's smile faded. It turned cold, emotionless. "I understand everything I read. It is the only way to expand your horizons, to rise above...even your educators." The smile returned. The teacher looked slightly less confident than before. "Yes, well. Let's try some tactical combat testing. You seem to do well. You've certainly read..." the teacher stared directly at the teenager "...all the experts. Let's see what you can do, Khan..." The teenager stared through the mirror, right into Seven's eyes. Chapter 4 - 1968 ---------------- "Uh, Hi Sam," Al sheepishly grinned as he stepped through the holographic door. "You'll never guess where you are." "What took you so long?" Sam hated operating on absolutely no information. You'd never know if you were going to do something wrong. Somewhere, soon, was the critical moment in time that he'd been drawn to. If he screwed up...well, he didn't know what would happen. "Well, we has a little trouble locking on to your neurons and mesons," admitted Al, a little reluctantly. He blew a cloud of cigar smoke out into the Captain's quarters as he examined the room critically. "You're not quite in Ziggy's normal scanning range." "I'm not? So where am I?" "Well, sort of the same place you were before, but then again, not." "AAAlllll!" Sam hated playing guessing games. "Where am I?" Al punched a few buttons on the handlink he was holding. It chirped and squawked while displaying the information. "On the Enterprise." "Where?" They both almost missed the chime at the door. Al glanced at Sam, who looked like he'd just eaten a lemon. The chime sounded again. "Captain?" A woman's voice sounded through the door. Al's eyes suddenly lit up. He motioned to the door energetically with both hands. "Well, don't keep her waiting! I never keep women waiting, except when they've been bad..." Sam rushed to the door, hoping to cut off Al's story before it began. The door opened as he stopped beside it. "Ooooo! Sam!" Al was clearly pleased. "Now Captain! You haven't been eating lately!" A stunning blonde with a red tunic rushed in, brushing past Sam. She was carrying a covered plate of food and placed it on his desk with determination. She stood beside the table, hands crossed, and tapping her foot impatiently. "Please sit down, Captain!" "I was thinking more of something more interesting than sitting..." Al mused. Sam gave him a sharp look as he crossed to the table. The blonde watched Sam critically until he sat. "Uh, Sam. This gorgeous woman is...uh" Al was punching keys on the handlink. "Yeoman Janice Rand." He paused. "Oh Sam! She's your PERSONAL yeoman! Just for you! Let me tell you I'd like to get personal with her!" Janice Rand pulled the cover off the food with a flourish. The platter contained several odd-coloured foods, but they smelled delicious. Sam smiled, but then frowned as he watched Al out of the corner of his eye. Al was slowly circling behind Janice Rand, closely watching her. He bent down and started to look up the Yeoman's skirt. "Wow," Al was in his adoring stage. "They sure don't allow skirts this short in the Navy! I'm going to have to join up!" Sam cleared his throaty noisily. "That'll be all, Yeoman." "SAAAM!" Al straightened up, "You're taking away all my fun!" "You're going to eat this, sir?" The Yeoman seemed quite insistent. "Ohhhh!" Al purred. "Make her feed it to you. Please!" "YES!" Sam shifted uncomfortably on his seat. "I promise! That'll be all. Thank you!" Yeoman Rand gave Sam one last stern look and walked out of Kirk's quarters. The doors shut behind the Yeoman but Al gave chase. "AL!" Sam tried to whisper and scream at the same time. "What? Oh!" Al looked as if his concentration was broken. "Sam, think of the possibilities with her! Your own personal Yeoman! And blond too!" He took a musing puff on his cigar, then shook his head. "But then, your mind is so squeaky clean you just can't see all the interesting permutations...and combinations!" "AL! Why am I here?" Sam was getting impatient. "You said I was on the Enterprise. Is that a ship? What ship has rooms like this?" "A space ship." Al was blunt, staring straight at Sam. "You're on a space ship. The United Space Ship Enterprise." "C'mon. Quit Kidding." "You don't remember, do you?" "Remember what?" Sam was unsure of himself. The act of leaping created a swiss-cheese effect, causing Sam's memory to be full of holes. The holes were usually what you wanted to remember, too. "You've been on a United Space Ship Enterprise before." "I have?" "Yes. The Enterprise NCC-1701D, a ship from the twenty-fourth century." "The twenty-fourth century." Sam felt like a parrot. "Yes. Now you're on the Enterprise NCC-1701, built around a century earlier." "How do you know all this?" Sam usually didn't question the validity of Ziggy's facts...but this was too much to believe. "Ziggy doesn't have any records other than events that occurred during my, and your lifetime." "This is true," Al puffed a holographic cloud into the air. "But our 'guest' knows the future. His name is Captain James T. ..." "Kirk." Sam finished. "...Kirk. Yes, well. He's quite the melodramatic presence, you know. We've kept him in the Accelerator Chamber and the Control Room so far. He doesn't completely believe us, but he is giving us a little information. Like that ravishing beauty that was just here..." "Al!" "Right. Oh yes. Um, we can't tell him about your leap into the twenty- fourth century, since it's Kirk's future too. Just like we can't tell anyone on one of your 'normal' leaps about their future, we can't tell Kirk about his future." "But I can't leap into the twenty-fourth..." "Twenty-third. The other Enterprise is from the twenty-fourth century." Al corrected. "Twenty-third century. I can only leap in my lifetime." "That's right. You're in 1968." Sam paused. "I think I missed something here. How can I be on a ship from the future if I'm in 1968?" "Because the Enterprise is in 1968." Al said, matter-of-factly. "They're time travellers!" Sam was exited. "Can they control their leaps!?!" "Well, yes and no." Al punched some buttons on the handlink. He bashed the side of it with his hand. "They don't leap. They...slingshot around the sun. They can control it to a certain extent. Plus or minus a few days." Sam thought for a while. It was difficult to think when you had only half your memory in place, but you get used to it. "They must have reached past relativistic speeds! You can't do that!" "You can in the future." Al continued. "Anyway, we can't get much more detail than this. We already know too much of our future. I hesitate to ask Kirk questions, and he hesitates to answer them. You know that we shouldn't know too much about our future." Sam shook his head, lost in thought. "Yes, of course. Ok. Why am I here?" Al looked uncomfortable. "Well, we don't know. Worse than that, we don't have much way of telling, either. We don't have any record of the Enterprise in 1968. If it was here, it kept pretty secret." "UFOs?" "Yup Sam, we already thought of that. There is a vague reference in 1969 to a ship matching the description of the Enterprise, but Kirk says that they were on another trip then. That's it." "They were here before?" "Yes, but the other time was an accident. Kinda like your leaps. Anyway," Al mused, "that's all we've got right now." Sam raised his hands in a gesture of exasperation. Chapter 5 - 1996 ---------------- The general watched carefully as several men and women boarded a spacecraft. She counted every one of them to make sure they actually boarded the craft. If they decided to get cute, the soldiers beside her would level them to the ground. Her eyes blazed, secretly hoping that they would resist, in any small way, but they didn't. The spacecraft, named by General Ritter herself, was called the Botany Bay. She smiled with satisfaction as each prisoner carefully read the name on the ship as they boarded. "Yes, quite a fitting name," she thought, "but this Botany Bay is nowhere as pleasant as Australia was to the British prisoners of so long ago. The government has ruled that we must exile you, but I can't imagine anything closer to death than this. There won't be any kangaroos where I'm sending you!" The Botany Bay was a sleeper ship, so called because its passengers slept in suspended animation, their bodies' metabolism slowed to almost death. People in suspended animation did not die, but neither did they live. She turned her attention to the last man in line. He was cuffed in irons, the chains connecting his legs so short that he could only shuffle forward. He had a warrior's countenance, though his hair was twisted around his face like a madman. "He looks beaten," she thought with satisfaction, "well, the bastard creation would plague the world no more." The last man stopped at the entry to the spacecraft. He read the ship's name and turned to the general in a shuffle that, surprisingly, appeared casual. The soldier's shifted their guns uneasily. This shift in attitude did not go unnoticed by the prisoner, but he kept his attention on the General. "You realize General," the prisoner licked his lips, "you will never be rid of me. There is nowhere you can send me that I will not return from. And you," he waved a finger at the soldiers, "will be the first to fall." The General was not amused. "Khan, if I didn't have my orders, I'd execute you where you stood. I'm letting you live, but it will be a long time before you see the light of day again...and you will never see the light of this sun. You will NEVER walk on this soil again!" Khan nodded, but did not appear convinced. He turned, and entered the Botany Bay. After a few minutes, a group of technicians and soldiers left the craft. "All set, sir." One of the techs saluted as he closed the door on the Botany Bay. "Good. Set the launch and let's be done with it." The General smiled. A voice thundered over the speaker system. "CLEAR FOR LAUNCH!" Khan Noonian Singh stepped back from his position behind the group and, out of sight, pulled off his faceshield. "Excellent work," he thought, walking away from the launch site as the Botany Bay surged into the sky with a fiery roar. He continued on to a group of waiting men and women, his loyal team, waiting for him to lead them to glory. "It's quite astounding what miracles doctors can perform with plastic surgery today, with just the right amount of persuasion. They can substitute any face, even mine!" Chapter 6 - 1998 ---------------- "Report." Gary Seven had put his feet up after a long day, and just wanted sleep. The Beta Five computer, however, had other plans and wouldn't let him rest just yet. The Beta Five responded in a toneless female voice. "Unplanned time anomaly. Predefined path diversion probability 90%. Intervention Required." Gary perked up. "What now?" "North America. Reference Eugenics Project. Subject Khan Noonian Singh. Recorded as appearing on my surveillance monitors. Path dictates that Khan should currently be in suspended hibernation on the Botany Bay, Launched 1996." "How has he been able to remain in hiding for two years? How could you have missed him?" "I am a Beta Five computer. I miss no data passing through my surveillance monitors." The computer sounded huffy, somehow, even though the voice did not change inflection. Gary sighed. No use in irritating the Beta, he thought, the same thought he'd had many other times in the past. "Recommended Intervention?" Gary asked. "Insufficient Data." Gary chuckled resignedly and shook his head. Just what he needed. He'd have to find his own solution. Chapter 7 - 1968 ---------------- After Al left, Sam immediately finished his supper, provided by Yeoman Rand. Remembering her last look to him, Sam quickly cleaned the plate. The food was good, even that blue crunchy stuff. Sam didn't really want to go out into the ship, but he was torn. He thought he should wait until he had more information. That way he would at least be able to appear that he knew what he was doing. On the other hand, he had leaped for a purpose, and should be out there to help whomever was in trouble. He decided to examine Kirk's quarters, just to see what this man's tastes were like. He found a mirror on the wall. The face that stared at him was young, but determined. He was wearing a gold tunic, the only one he'd seen so far. He smiled in satisfaction at his new face, and heard the door chime. Sam sighed and walked to the door. It opened to an older man in a blue tunic, carrying a black bag. "Hi Jim. May I come in?" "Uh...ok, sure." This man had called him Jim, probably a good friend of Kirk's, Sam thought. He did have just a touch of a southern Georgia accent. It suited him well. "I see that Yeoman Rand has done her usually efficient job." The stranger smiled as he looked at the empty food plate. "She's the only one I know who can motivate you to eat." "Yes, she's quite good at that," Sam returned with a smile. The stranger's face registered concern. "Jim, are you all right? Spock asked that I come check up on you." Who's Spock, Sam wondered as he heard the Imaging Chamber door open, and Al appeared. He looked at the stranger, and pushed a few buttons on the handlink. "Sam, this man is Leonard McCoy, Kirk calls him Bones." Al's mouth twitched with a slight smile. "He's a doctor, and one of Kirk's oldest friends. Don't let him examine you, we don't want twenty-third century technology detecting you just yet." Sam remembered Bones' question. "Yes, I'm just a little tired." Bones smiled. "Well, you have been working hard lately. Can I give you something to help you sleep." Al piped in immediately "NO, Sam! Say NO!" "I don't think so," Sam responded with a smile, "a little sleep is all I need." Bones appeared satisfied that nothing was amiss. "Well, all right. Let me know if you need anything, all right?" "Yes, thanks Bones." Bones nodded, and left with a wave. "Al, who's Spock?" Al punched the handlink. "Spock is your second-in-command. Kirk says that you'd have transported with him just before the leap." Oh, the guy with the ears, Sam thought. Al continued. "Speaking of Spock, Kirk wants you to tell Spock who you REALLY are. Kirk doesn't like you impersonating him." Al gave a tight smile and looked at Sam. "Actually, I think this is a good idea. They're from the future, so anything you tell them they could probably find out anyway." Sam agreed. "How do I contact Spock?" Al read from the handlink. "Kirk says to push the button on the console near you and say 'Kirk to Spock, please come to my quarters'." Sam looked around, and found a console with several lights and buttons, it looked like some sort of an interface console. "Which button?" Al waved his hands. "I don't know, pick one. Look for an 'ON' switch." Indeed, there was an ON switch. Sam pushed it. All the lights on the console lit up. A voice emanated from the computer "Computer recording, deeeear!" Sam looked at Al, who raised his eyebrows. "Sounds like Ziggy!" Al smirked, as he punched the handlink. "Oh Sam, not that console, the one on the desk with the square screen." Sam moved to the desk, and pushed the single button. An ooo-weee-ooop sounded. "Kirk to Spock, please come to my quarters." Sam heard an "Acknowledged, Captain." in a voice he recognized as, indeed, the man with the ears. Sam turned the intercom off. "So now what do we do?" Sam asked. The computer responded. "What would you like to do, deeear!" Sam rolled his eyes as he punched the OFF button. "Just like Ziggy, but without the comebacks." Al puffed through his cigar. Chapter 8 - 1999 ---------------- An explosion razed the dirt, causing debris to scatter wildly in all directions. Khan waved his hands in front of his face to ward off the bigger shards. He had been caught by surprise in his new headquarters, too new to fortify. Khan was losing this battle, and he knew it. BUT WHY? I've done everything correctly! Khan was furious, barely keeping his mind under control. It's not possible that these lowly humans could defeat me! Someone must have deserted me! They will pay dearly when I rule once more! Khan was frantically reading the latest communique from his support team. They had discovered a certain place... Stallion's Gate, New Mexico... a place called Project Quantum Leap. Somehow a transmission had been inadequately encoded from Beta Five, some sort of monitoring station, and the support team had deciphered the signal! "This is the solution I have been waiting for!" Khan almost cried with joy at the message. A time gate to the past and the future! He screamed to his aide through the warzone. "Quickly Joachim! Regroup!" Chapter 9 - 1968 ---------------- "SAM! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!" Sam smiled as he admitted Spock to Kirk's quarters. He knew Al would react, but wasn't quite sure how. Al was backing away into a corner, looking like a caged animal, as Spock entered the room, oblivious to Al's invisible scream. "You wanted to see me, Captain?" "Sam! He looks like--just like--you know!" Al was pointing down to the floor excitedly. "Yes, Spock. It's time you found out about a few things. First of all, I'm not Captain Kirk." Spock stared levelly at Sam. "You're not." "No." "Then who are you?" "I'm Dr. Sam Beckett. I'm a time traveller from 1999." Spock paused. "Did Dr. McCoy come and visit you?" Sam chuckled. "Yes he did." Al stopped shaking, and piped in "Sam, just tell him--" Al was waving towards Spock "--him, whatever he is--the story." "Ok, Spock. My name is Dr. Sam Beckett, and I designed Project Quantum Leap, a radium-ring accelerator that allows me to leap in my own lifetime, exchanging places with other people. I leaped from 1999 to 1968, and into your Captain Kirk." Spock stared, not saying anything. Al's handlink was beeping. He looked at it. "Kirk says that this won't work. He says you should tell Spock to do a..." Al was sure he was misreading the handlink, so he bashed it again. No, It still said the same thing. "...Spock should perform a 'mindmeld'." Sam hesitated, but relayed the information anyway. Spock stared. "Are you sure, Captain?" "Yes, I guess so." Sam, wasn't sure, but he'd learned to trust the advice given to him by Kirk, so it was probably all right. Al read from his handlink. "Just relax, Kirk says." Spock moved to Sam, and placed his fingers on Sam's face. Sam resisted the impulse to back away. Al stood riveted in the corner, his mouth gaping open, the cigar burning in his hand. "...My mind to your mind...My thoughts to your thoughts..." Spock could feel the barriers being broken down, but this was a mind that he hadn't encountered before, it certainly wasn't Jim. As Spock broke through the final barrier of the mind he was linking to, Jim's face changed before his eyes. Kirk's image changed to an older man. Hair with a white streak through the front. A kind face, as humans go. The face of Dr. Samuel Beckett. Spock was aware that his surroundings had changed as well. Normally, the surroundings were of peripheral concern, and were not affected by a mindmeld. This time, though, the Captain's quarters were filled with a hazy fog, that cracked strangely as if with blue static electricity. There was a faint mechanical hum in the background, one not indigenous to the Enterprise. Spock also sensed another presence in the room, somehow linked in the mindmeld to Dr. Beckett. A man in garish cloths, holding a flashing device and a smoking cigar was standing there. /That's Al./ A pleasant voice came from somewhere. The voice was a combination of Kirk's voice, and another that Spock didn't recognize, presumably Dr. Beckett's. /SAM! He can see me!/ Al was on the verge of panicking. /Yes, I can hear you too./ Spock responded. /Do not fear, I mean you no harm. Is Captain Kirk here?/ /Yes Spock, I'm here./ Even though the voice was that strange combination of voices, Spock was able to feel who was talking, Jim or Dr. Beckett, though he didn't know how. /I didn't know if this would work, but if it didn't you'd at least be able to learn about Dr. Beckett./ Al was punching his control device, a handlink, Spock learned from Dr. Beckett. /Sam. Gooshie says that Kirk has gone into some sort of trance. Dr. Beeks isn't around, so he's not sure what to do./ /His 'trance', as you call it, is expected, Al./ Spock responded. /Jim is also linked to us, though I do not know how./ /Our neurons and mesons partially exchange when I leap./ Dr. Beckett responded. /I am part of him, and he is part of me. Al locks on to my neurons and mesons as well, that's probably why you can see him./ /That is logical./ /This is too much!/ Al punched the handlink, and a door opened in thin air with a whisshh. Al stepped through it. /I can't handle this, Sam! I'll check on Kirk./ The door closed with a whoonk, and disappeared. Spock felt the connection to Al sever, and felt Dr. Beckett's distress at the break. There was obviously a close relationship between these two humans that time could not completely erase. /Spock,/ Jim broke in, /It appears that what has happened is that Dr. Beckett has 'leaped' into me somewhat randomly. They've explained that they theorize that Dr. Beckett is drawn to events in time that are critical in some way. Dr. Beckett's mission is to correct whatever problem causes the time disparity. When he has completed his mission, he leaps again to another lifetime. Why did he leap into me?/ /Unknown, Jim,/ Spock responded, /We have no way of determining what mission Dr. Beckett must complete./ /Very well,/ Jim said firmly, /They propose to continue with 'business as usual', and I agree. What do you think?/ /I am not sanguine about the idea, Jim, but I can find no other logical alternative. If Dr. Beckett is indeed drawn to you in some way, then forcing him to leap out of you would not be successful./ /That's right,/ Dr. Beckett chimed in, /I'd probably just leap back in again until the problem was fixed, whatever it is./ /Then it's agreed,/ Jim responded, /Spock, until this is cleared up, I hereby appoint you the Captain of the Enterprise. You will, however, continue to appear as if you are the First Officer. Use your judgement if a situation appears that Dr. Beckett cannot handle./ /Acknowledged, Captain./ /Good luck, Spock, Dr. Beckett. I'll relay anything we discover through Al. They have quite impressive computing analysis power here, for 1999, even though I prefer my personal computer. It doesn't talk back./ Dr. Beckett laughed. /You've obviously met Ziggy, Captain Kirk./ /Yes I have. You picked an interesting Ego for your computer, Dr. Beckett./ /It has its advantages./ Sam responded. /One more thing, Captain./ /Yes?/ /It is a privilege to talk to you. This is the only time I've actually been able to have a conversation with the person I've leaped into. I doubt I'll ever be able to do it again./ /Good luck, Dr. Beckett./ Kirk responded. Sam could feel the mindmeld disconnecting. The mist surrounding them was disappearing, taking on the more substantial form of the Captain's quarters. Then, suddenly, like flipping a switch, it was over. "That was astounding Spock! How did you do that?" Spock ignored Sam's question. "I think we should take you to the Bridge, Dr. Beckett." Chapter 10 - 1999 ----------------- "It's time," Khan smiled. "Open the door." The best of the Eugenics Team were standing in the blazing desert heat. The entire area was glowing from the sun. A non-descript door marked the entrance to Project Quantum Leap. Several members of Khan's team were working on the controls to the door. Kirk, Al, and Gooshie were watching Khan's progress through Ziggy's surveillance cameras. "They're trying to break in," noted Ziggy. "Do you want me to do anything?" "No, Ziggy," said Al quickly. "I've called in the tactical support team. They'll be here in ten minutes." He chewed on his cigar. "Can Khan enter this place in ten minutes?" asked Kirk, to nobody in particular. "Not a chance," boasted Ziggy. "They won't get past the second door." The first door to Quantum Leap opened. Khan smiled. "Excellent. Continue on..." The team moved into the Project entranceway. An entrance room extended to a small corridor, which was closed by a second automated door. The design team began to work on the door. "Sir! I have intercepted an emergency transmission from an Admiral Calavicci inside Project Quantum Leap! A support unit will be here in ten minutes!" Khan's smile disappeared. "We must get in the building and seal it!" cried Khan. "Quickly! Blow the door!" The door was swiftly packed with explosives. Everyone cleared the entranceway as the door kara-amed off its track. It was open! Kirk stared at the monitor in disbelief. "I thought you said they couldn't get past the second door!" "Well, I didn't think they would be using explosives." responded Ziggy, petulantly. Al was dumfounded. No one had ever been able to break through the first door, they'd never had to worry about the second door! "Can they break into the control center in..." "Seven minutes?" finished Ziggy. "It is within the realm of possibility, Admiral Calavicci." "Get on the radio channel." suggested Kirk "The support team has to get here faster!" Khan's Radio Technician glanced up from his monitoring equipment. "They're asking for the support team to hurry up, Sire." "Excellent. They're relatively defenceless." Khan declared with satisfaction. "All they've got is these doors. Keep going! We've only got six minutes!" Khan's team entered the second passageway. A long hallway lead to the north. Two circular passageways led off to the west and the east. "Which way! This wasn't in the plan!" cried Joachim. "Damn! We can't afford to split up for too long." Khan was spitting out the words as if they were poison. "All right. Joachim, you take two people and RUN down the west hall for thirty seconds. Helena, you take the east." Khan looked down the long north corridor with determination. "I will go forward." They moved quickly to carry out Khan's orders. Kirk pointed excitedly at the monitor. "Look! They're splitting up! Ziggy, is there some way we can shut off the east and west corridors and seal them off?" "Only if they go in so far. They have to walk 30 meters into the corridors." replied Ziggy "Damn!" Kirk pounded his fist on the table. "Well... maybe we could lead them in somehow." suggested Al. Kirk's head frowned in thought. Then his face lit up with a smile. "Yes! Ziggy! Can you project a simple Hologram into the adjoining corridors?" "No." Ziggy was famous for not giving advice unless asked. "Wait!" cried Al. "Can you project a simple image on the wall, with a few sound effects from the broadcasting system?" "Yes." "Well! Do it!" cried Al. "But what do you want me to project?" "Ahh, I don't know!" said Al, waving his hands in impatience. "Try something that looks like your control console and emit a few computer beeps or something! You emit every other kind of noise! You figure it out!" "Executing...but you don't have to get nasty." A soft humming noise came from somewhere in front of Joachim. He turned the edge of the curved corridor, and saw a computer control console in the distance. "We've found it!" he cried, running forward to the controls. Kirk was smiling devilishly. "Lower the east door!" A BAM sounded through the surveillance system. They were trapped! Helena looked back the way she had come. Had she heard something? No. It was just normal underground noises. She moved forward and turned the corridor. A control console was in the distance, shimmering slightly and emitting a soft beeping noise. "Quickly!" she turned to her partners, "Go tell Khan that we've found the Time Controls!" The others ran back down the corridor. "We're going to lose those ones!" screamed Al. "Ziggy! Close the west door!" Helena was staring back down the corridor at her partners as a door closed before her with a KERAM! Damn! She was trapped! She pounded her fists against the door in failure. "Sire! Sire!" Helena's partners went running down the north corridor to meet Khan. "It was a trap! Helena's trapped!" Khan's stare could have incinerated them live. He ground his teeth and looked at his watch. The tactical team would arrive in FOUR minutes! Khan fumed. He looked down at the doors he had just come through. They would never close again. He had made a serious tactical error. Khan turned to the north door. "All right." he said softly, dangerously. "We cannot retreat. We must go forward. Bring the explosive!" Khan pointed with an outstretched finger. "We'll BLAST our way through that door!" "Admiral Calavicci?" chimed Ziggy. "Yes Ziggy, what is it?" "We cannot allow them to blow through the control door. The explosion would damage the Leap controls and the controls for the Radium Ring accelerator, with a 65% probability of collapse. More importantly, the explosion would damage ME as well." Ziggy rolled through the explanation as if nothing abnormal was happening. "Isn't it kind of stupid to have all critical controls in one room?" queried Kirk. "I wasn't designed for combat, fly boy" chided Ziggy. "I'm built to run Project Quantum Leap, not defend the world from an overbearing dictator." Al was not in the mood for banter. "Well Ziggy," do you have any suggestions?" "Stop them from blowing the door." Al chuckled unhappily. "Great. How do we do that?" "Well I can't figure out everything for you." Ziggy was getting petulant again. Kirk looked at the clock. Three minutes. "Ziggy! Do you control the fire controls in this building?" "Yes, Captain. But I would like it better it if you tried to control MY fire!" Ziggy added suggestively. "Never mind that! Can you disable them?" "Yes, Captain. But why would I want to do that?" "Because we're going to make a fire for ourselves." Kirk turned his head towards Al and smiled. Chapter 11 - 1999 ----------------- "Hurry up." Khan was impatient. "Set up just enough so the door will open but you won't kill us!" "Yes Sire!" Khan tapped his foot. Gooshie picked up the Handlink control. "Ok, it's all set!" he cried as he ran into the Holographic Imaging Chamber. "I hope this works, Kirk." Al said dubiously as he entered the Chamber himself. "Don't worry, it'll work" Kirk followed him in. "I think." "My my my." Ziggy was panting, like a dog in heat. "Things are getting all steamed up in here." The Quantum Leap control room was empty. Nobody was there to hear Ziggy. "Ok Gooshie. Activate the Imaging Chamber." commanded Al. Gooshie played with the flashing handlink, bashing it against the wall a couple of times, and suddenly the room changed. Kirk gasped. He was in the Quantum Leap control room. But he wasn't, he was in the Imaging Chamber...or was he? "We'll see everything that happens in the Control Room in this Chamber." beamed Gooshie. "I set it up just before I left the controls." Two Minutes. "All right Gooshie," Kirk was tense. "Open the door for Khan. Let's welcome him in." Kirk looked over to the south entrance door as it opened. Khan was there. Kirk was amazed. I left him on Ceti Alpha 5. He's not supposed to be here! He's supposed to be on the Botany Bay for another 200 years! Khan was dumbfounded. His technicians stopped their work, and looked into the room. WHY had the door just opened? Kirk saw Khan take a half step into the room. He gasped as Khan looked right through him. But of course, Kirk wasn't there. He was in the Imaging Chamber. Khan looked suspiciously at the empty control room. A circular blue globe was glittering in the ceiling. There were several control panels around, but no people. Was this entire defence system automated? Khan thought to himself. Who tricked me? "Well, come on in." A pleasant female voice rang through the silence. "My, you're a fine specimen!" Khan's eye's widened in surprise. "Who speaks?" "It it I, Ziggy" The voice was filled with humor and even giggled slightly. One minute. "Show yourself!" Khan declared to empty space. "You already see me. I'm the blue globe in the ceiling, wonder boy." Khan, completely disarmed at this comment, walked into the room and stared at the globe. The technicians followed. "All right." Kirk licked his lips. "Gooshie. Tell Ziggy to freeze the explosives with liquid oxygen and coat them with a fire retarding spray. Then fill the room with pure oxygen." Gooshie complied, shaking his head. "I sure hope you know what you're doing." Khan turned. The door was filled with a cold mist, and a light hiss could be heard from above. It didn't smell like anything dangerous. "What are you doing?" he asked to Ziggy. "Oh, just cooling things down a bit. You just light my..." "Fire!" yelled Kirk. Khan turned as he heard the north door fly open on the other side of the chamber. A blazing fire exploded into the oxygen rich area with a WHOOM, engulfing the entire room and the south corridor. Just before the fire consumed Khan a fire-retarding spray blew on him with such a force that he was knocked to the floor. He was smothered with the white foam, and lost consciousness from the lack of oxygen. Kirk instinctively ducked as the fire leaped at him and surrounded him. But it was not there. He was seeing a hologram. "Gooshie quickly! Put the fire out. Khan must not die!" Khan lay on the floor groaning as the support troops rushed into the room, right on time. Chapter 12 - 1999 ----------------- Kirk, Gooshie and Al left the holographic imaging chamber to assess the damage to the Quantum Leap control room. The support team had quickly surrounded Khan and his colleagues. Khan, half frozen and half unconscious from the fire, was carried out of the control room under heavy restraint. He did not notice Kirk or Al, and Kirk preferred it that way. "We will have our confrontation," Kirk thought, "but not for another two- hundred years." He watched as Gooshie examined the Leap controls. Ziggy's glowing blue sphere was blackened and dead. "The control room is wrecked!" cried Gooshie. "We have no way of activating the leap controls now! The Imaging Chamber still works because I've got the handlink, but we will never be able to leap again!" Al looked deflated. He'd never see his best buddy again, except in that damned chamber. The project was destroyed. Ziggy was destroyed. Only Sam could rebuild the thing. With only a handlink connection, that was damn near impossible as well. Chapter 13 - 1999 ----------------- The guards carried Khan out of the Quantum Leap facility. They had captured all the others as well, and trucked them off the facility. The Admiral watched the proceedings from his car, sighed, and strode into the project's blasted entranceway. He walked down the long entrance corridor and entered the devastated control room. "Well, it looks like I've come not a moment too soon! Al, you always needed me to come in and pick up the pieces!" Kirk whirled at the familiar voice. An older man in an Admiral's uniform strode in through the smoke and mist. His mouth dropped open as he recognized the figure. "Gary! What in the world are you doing here?" Al switched to a tone reserved for old friends. He walked over and pumped Gary Seven's hand enthusiastically. Kirk remembered to close his mouth. Admiral Gary Seven turned to examine Kirk. "Well, Captain Kirk, you're masquerading as Dr. Beckett now, aren't you?" When Sam leaped into Kirk, they exchanged bodies, but not external auras. This enabled Sam to look like Kirk, but the reverse was true as well. Kirk still hadn't gotten used to the idea. It was Al's turn to be astounded. "H--How did you know that Kirk had leaped into here?" Seven's eye's twinkled, but Kirk answered. "I would guess that there isn't much that Admiral Seven doesn't know, am I right in that?" Kirk queried. "Right you are Kirk. All knowing, all seeing. With a little help from my friendly neighborhood Beta Five." "You two've met before?" Al was dumbfounded. "Er, yes," responded Seven, "In 1968. Where the Enterprise is now, I believe?" "Yes Gary," responded Kirk, "and I think I know why you're asking..." Chapter 14 - 1968 ----------------- "Sam, we figured out why you're here!" Sam practically leaped out of the Captain's chair as Al appeared behind him. "Jeez I hate that!" Sam thought. "Sam, get Spock and go somewhere private so we can talk!" Al was strangely elated, his hands flying in all directions. He was puffing and puffing that stupid cigar, with a huge smile on his lips. Sam got out of the chair and headed for the turbolift. He had already versed himself on the names and duties of the Bridge officers. "Mr. Chekov, continue monitoring Earth. Mr. Sulu, you have the conn. Mr. Spock, please follow me." Sam heard a chorus of "Aye, Captain"s as he held the turbolift open and Spock entered. "You go on Sam." Al added. "I'll meet you when you get out of the elevator. I don't want to be in a closed place with THAT..." Al shuddered as he pointed to Spock, who was oblivious to the comment. "He gives me the heebe-jeevies! He looks too much like the man downstairs, if you know what I mean." Al stopped to take a look at Lieutenant Uhura, grunted approvingly, and punched buttons on the handlink. "Kirk sure knows how to pick 'em!" he mumbled through his cigar as he vanished. Sam simply shook his head as the turbolift doors closed. Sam, Spock, and Al entered the conference room a few decks below the bridge. Sam began. "Spock, Al's here with me, and he says he knows why I'm here." "Indeed. Please relay the information." Al sighed. "He's worse than Ziggy!" Sam rolled his eyes. "Don't start. Just give me the information." "Ok Sam. Relay this message from Kirk. Kirk says that Gary Seven is in the Quantum Leap Control Room. We just stopped an attack on the Project. The attacker was Khan. ...Jeez, Sam. Just look how his eyebrows jump into that funny hairdo. You'd think that those things were alive!" Sam stopped reporting to Spock. "Al..." "Ok, ok. Kirk says that Khan isn't on the Botany Bay, or somehow he got off, and we--meaning you and Spock--have to jump to 1996 to fix the problem." Chapter 15 - 1996 ----------------- "You will NEVER walk on this soil again!", Admiral Ritter was gloating. Khan nodded, but did not appear convinced. He turned, and entered the Botany Bay. After a few minutes, a group of technicians and soldiers left the craft. "All set, sir." One of the techs saluted as he closed the door on the Botany Bay. "Good. Set the launch and let's be done with it." The General smiled. A voice thundered over the speaker system. "CLEAR FOR LAUNCH!" Inside the Khan's sleeper chamber, the Khan/Imposter was smiling as the coldness began to bite his feet. He knew that the true lord, Khan, would soon take over the world. His hibernation was a small price to pay for the glory the world would see. Spock was monitoring the Botany Bay's progress from the Enterprise. "Scanning... Systems on the Botany Bay located and coordinates locked in." He paused. "Khan and his group are now located. Proceeding with plan." Spock waited a moment longer, and pressed a button on his console. "Transporter Room, Energize." Khan Noonian Singh stepped back from his position behind the group and, out of sight, pulled off his faceshield. "Excellent work," he thought, walking away from the launch site as the Botany Bay surged into the sky with a fiery roar. He continued on to a group of waiting men and women, his loyal team, waiting for him to lead them to glory. Suddenly, the team sparkled and vanished. Khan stopped, dumbfounded. Then, the air sparkled again and the team was back. Khan resumed his walk towards them, taking steps hesitatingly. He was suddenly stopped in mid-stride as the transporter gripped and disassembled him. Khan awoke in his sleeping chamber aboard the Botany Bay. He pounded on the door, but it sealed him in like a coffin. His mind didn't have time to analyze what had happened before the coldness pulled him into suspended animation, not to awaken for another two-hundred years. Chapter 16 ---------- In 1996, Sam was puzzled. "How did you know where to locate Khan?" Sam asked. "We have transported and scanned Khan and his people medically in the future." Spock explained reluctantly. "It is unwise to know too much about your future." "Right you are, Spock. Al. When do I leap?" Al looked up exasperatingly. "You can't leap. The Quantum Leap Chamber is kaput! Ziggy's dead!" Sam was stunned. "Al says I can't leap because the Project is destroyed. Now what do I do?" "Not so, Dr. Beckett." Spock interjected. "You see, we exchanged Khan and his people for their faked counterparts in the Botany Bay. So none of this will happen. Everything will balance in time when you leap." Sam brightened visibly. "So...what am I waiting for?" In 1999, Kirk smiled at Admiral Seven. "Well Gary, looks like we've done it again, we seem to make a great team. But why are you involved in this?" "A freak accident several years ago killed one of the major contributors to the Eugenics Project. If the project was delayed, then you would not have met Khan in your future, since he never would have existed. My involvement gave them a device so that they could continue their work. I've also... helped things a bit over the years." Kirk mused over this. "Hmm. No Khan might be better. The Eugenics Wars would never have happened." "The war must happen, Captain. True, the impact of the Eugenics Wars resulted in..." Seven corrected himself, "...will result in significant agony and loss to mankind, but the backlash in opinion is just what we need right now. This is also the only way your Federation will be born..." Suddenly Kirk understood. "Even in my time the idea of genetically improving the species is disgusting, and is almost never attempted, certainly not on this same scale. The Wars served as a catalyst of public opinion to work together to form the Federation." "Yes Captain, but that won't happen for a little while in your Earth's time." Kirk smiled uneasily, his face worried at the thought of the distress the world would feel until the Federation was conceived. Gary looked around, satisfied that no one had been listening in on their conversation. "It's time for you to leap, and Roberta is waiting for me. She's gotten quite cantankerous in her old age, you know. She's worse than my Beta Five!" Now Kirk's smile was real, the unease disappeared, but Gary was speaking again. "You seem to have trouble keeping out of the past, Captain. Please try not to do it too much. It's not good for my ulcer." Gary shook Kirk's hand. "However, I will tell you one thing that you must know in the future. You will need to go to the past again to retrieve the whales..." Suddenly, Kirk felt dizzy. He looked down at his hands and saw that they were covered in a blue aura. In fact, his entire body was surrounded by it. Waves of it coursing over his skin, surging through his body, like veins of energy. And then...a faint tinkling sound, growing stronger. The tinkles merged with a low bassy throb. He gazed in desperation at Seven, unable to speak. The noise built to a climax as Kirk felt the hum tear his body apart. His mind exploded into a million points of light screaming out in all directions. Kirk stared as Seven dissolved and was replaced by Spock. "Well, Spock. I guess you could say mission accomplished, eh?" "Yes, Sir. I think this time you could say that. Welcome back Jim."