Chapter 3
Having satisfactorily explained the functions of the handlink to Sam, Ian returned to their terminal, where they ran a few commands once they were sure nobody was watching.
They didn’t want to do it, and Jenn and Magic would almost certainly be questioning them very soon, but knowing that other leapers of unknown origin wanted their hands on Sam, they knew that they had to wait until the detection system was up and running before making it known that the role of Addison was presently being filled by Sam Beckett.
And so, they inserted subtle code into the system that glitched the Imaging Chamber audio-visual monitoring, giving Sam a chance to speak to Ben privately.
They sent a message to the handlink, giving Sam a code phrase that would let him know it was safe to talk.
Still not knowing Sam’s true purpose for being here—perhaps it was so that they could configure the detector, but that might not have been all there was to it—Ian bit their lip, hoping they could trust everyone around them.
* * *
Sam returned to Ben in the Imaging Chamber, now capable of righting his hologram’s orientation in 3D space. He appeared beside Ben as he walked through the city. According to Ziggy, it was a Friday night in Chicago, in spring of 2000, and Ben was a 26-year-old man named James Reed.
“Hey, I’m back,” he announced. “Sorry about that.”
Ben slowed his pace before whipping out his cell phone again. “Hey. Good to see you’re back on solid ground, so to speak.”
Sam chuckled. “Yeah. Ian, uh, tinkered with the handlink and fixed the problem.”
“Well, now that I’ve messed up Ziggy’s instructions, what’s my next move?” Ben peeled off the busy sidewalk and sat on a bench in a park under a street lamp, keeping the phone at his ear. “This guy James doesn’t have his heart attack for a long while yet. Think there’s some other way of preventing it? Or maybe I’m not even here for that.”
Sam consulted the handlink, frowning. “There doesn’t seem to be anything in the original history that suggests anything notable happens to him until then. No wonder Ziggy came up with some convoluted—and frankly insensitive—idea of what you were supposed to do.”
I guess Ziggy hasn’t changed much…
He tilted his head as he continued to read Ziggy’s data. Several of the peripheral variables seemed to be changing every few seconds. Sam was experienced enough to know that this meant history was changing in subtle ways as he watched the values alter. But what was it about Ben sitting here in this park that was making that happen? He began to feel the tingle of suspicion in his mind.
And then, the handlink lit up with a message from Ian.
Wanna get lunch soon?
That was the code Ian had promised to send through when they’d shut down the Imaging Chamber feed.
He looked up from the handlink and took a seat next to Ben on the bench—or at least made it appear that way to the leaper.
“Uh, you know how earlier I was about to tell you something?”
Ben raised an eyebrow. “What is it?” Upon looking at Sam’s grim expression, his face filled with sudden horror. “Oh god. Addison, please don’t tell me you’re breaking up with me. I swear to god I intended to be home to you by now, and I haven’t given up on us yet. Please, just give me a chance to—”
“Whoa, whoa, take it easy,” Sam said, holding his palms toward Ben. “It’s nothing like that. Just hear me out.”
Ben sighed with relief, but still looked apprehensive. “Then what’s the issue?”
He swallowed. “Uh, well, the thing is…” he squeezed his eyes shut. “Oh boy, this is awkward.”
“Don’t keep me in suspense. Out with it!”
Sam took a deep breath, and blurted it all out.
“Well, I—I’m not Addison, I’m Sam Beckett, and I just leaped into your fiancée about an hour ago.” He winced. “Sorry.”
“Wha…” Ben took a moment as the words sunk in, and looked closely into Sam’s eyes, searching. “You’re… not kidding, are you…?”
Sam shook his head slowly. “It wasn’t Ziggy or the handlink having the problem. I was just still figuring out how to use the damn thing properly. Sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”
Ben was quiet for a few moments before speaking up.
“So you’re right where I want to be,” he said, wistful.
“I guess I am,” Sam said. “But I think that since I am here—as your hologram, no less—that there might be more to your leap than meets the eye.”
Ben gave him a solemn nod. “That seems like a reasonable assessment. Too bad you don’t have a hologram to tell you what you’ve gotta do.”
Sam looked down at his hands as thoughts of Al passed through his mind. In 2023, Al was dead, he reminded himself, and then tried to shake off the grief that accompanied that thought.
Ben licked his lips. “Do the others know?” he asked. “About you, I mean?”
“Ian knows,” he said, shifting in his seat. “And now you. Nobody else at the Project does.”
“Except whoever’s watching us talk right now,” Ben pointed out.
“Actually, Ian’s shut down the monitoring. It’s just you and me right now.”
Ben squinted. “Why?”
“Because it’s not safe for me to be open about my identity.” Sam leaned forward, planting his chin in his hands. “Remember when we first met in the asylum? I was convinced you wanted to kill me at first.”
Ben’s eyes widened with understanding. “Oh. You’re still being chased around by rogue leapers?”
“Sometimes I go a long time without running into one, but they’re always around, ruining things.” Sam sighed. “I never know when they might show up. And, just as importantly, who they’ll show up as. I have to be vigilant, you know?”
Ben thought for a moment. “Well, you can see them by touching them, right? That’s what happened when we touched that time.”
“If I can see them, they can see me too. And that paints a target right on my back. If I can figure them out before they do me, I have the advantage.”
“Fair point. So what do you think you’re here for?”
Sam sighed. “It could be anything. So let’s both just keep our eyes and ears open.”
Ben nodded. “And as for my leap… I guess I’ll have to figure out James’s job for tomorrow. Fantastic.” He met Sam’s eye. “You ever been a TV reporter?”
“Yes, in fact I have,” Sam said proudly.
He thought about the fact that once upon a time, he couldn’t believe how many different things Al had done in his life—and now, Sam himself was the one with a Swiss army knife full of different professions under his belt.
He couldn’t think of a better way to pay tribute to his departed friend than stepping into his holographic shoes and helping a new generation of leaper, even if Ben too seemed unwillingly trapped leaping, just as Sam had been prior to making his decision to continue indefinitely.
But, if Ben had to be stuck leaping, Sam was happy to make it a little easier for him. And, well, since he was here—maybe check in on the Accelerator and Ziggy and see if he couldn’t retrieve the poor guy. That way he could marry the woman he loved, and at least one of them could get a happy ending.
Sam stood up off the bench, looking out into the city streets. “I have a funny feeling about this leap, Ben.” He looked back down at the younger man. “Keep your head on a swivel. You may not be alone here.”
Ben pressed his lips together, nodding. “Roger that.”
“And the Imaging Chamber monitoring could come back any time, so try to treat me like I’m Addison, if you can.”
Ben looked less sure of that. “Now that I know, it’s kind of obvious you’re not Addison. The way you talk and gesture has… well, boomer energy. No offence.”
Sam stifled a laugh. “Well that stands to reason. But just in case…” He closed his eyes a moment, breathing in Addison’s essence. Over time, he had developed a certain amount of control over his psycho-synergy. Being able to tap into the personality of the person he’d leaped into sometimes proved a valuable survival tactic while leaping around on his own, but his ability to do so varied from person to person. “…I’ll try and bring a little piece of Addison to the table.” He flashed Ben a smile and wink that came straight from her.
Ben looked back at Sam, slightly off-balance. “Wow, that was actually incredibly Addison—even the cadence. How did you do that?”
“It’s a little ability I developed over time,” said Sam. “It was uncontrolled at first, but I got better at it. Just picking up on personality cues from my ‘host.’ I bet you could learn it too.” He held up a finger, closing his eyes. “You have much yet to learn, grasshopper.”
“Aaaand, straight back to the boomer,” Ben laughed. “But seriously, that would probably come in handy.”
“Oh, it does,” Sam confirmed. “But there’s always the danger of losing my own sense of self. It’s a balancing act.” He shrugged. “But you’ve got Addison. She’d never let you forget who you are.”
Ben considered this. “Did Al do that for you?”
Sam nodded. “From time to time.” He smiled. “It takes someone who knows you really well.”
“I’d say Addison has that covered,” Ben mused. The two of them were silent a moment, letting the sounds of the city wash over them. Then, Ben stood up, continuing on from the park. “I’ll be okay from here for a while, I think,” he said. “Why don’t you go confer with Ian? I’m sure they’re very excited to show you around.”
Sam grinned. “They, uh, did ask for my autograph. I feel like a celebrity. Though to be honest, I haven’t signed my own name in so long I don’t even remember what my autograph used to look like.”
“I’m sure however you write it, Ian will be thrilled.”
“Alright, I’ll head out. Remember what I said: pay attention to everything.”
“Don’t you worry about me,” Ben said. “I’m getting the hang of this.”
With that, he ‘hung up’ his cell phone and strolled away, disappearing into the crowds.
Sam watched him go, feeling a little paternalistic towards his millennial successor.