6.4  ·  Strained Relationships

John paced the halls of the Project, restless. Al had been in the Imaging Chamber for a few hours, and he just wanted some word of what was happening. He couldn’t think of anything else; not even the terrifying news about the Reality Lens, which in itself was disastrous.

As he walked, he failed to notice a door open just by him, and he walked directly into Donna, who was leaving her office.

“Oh, sorry,” he said, as she stumbled back, looking at him with surprise. “Donna, right?”

Donna gave him a tense nod. “Y-yeah.”

He could tell she was uncomfortable looking at him, and he stepped back, giving her space.

“So, uh… you’ve been avoiding me, haven’t you?”

“No, no…” Her cheeks turned red.

John chuckled. “Sure you have. And I get it. It’s gotta be weird.”

Donna sighed. “Okay, fine. It’s weird.”

John held up his hands. “Well, don’t worry about me. I’m not gonna move in on Sam’s turf or anything. You’re quite safe from that kind of awkwardness.”

Donna stifled a laugh.

“Oh, I know,” she said, eyes dancing. “I’m not worried about anything of the sort. I’m only avoiding you because it’s just hard to look at you without thinking of Sam, knowing he might not be coming back.”

She shook her head. “Always avoided the Waiting Room for the same reason.”

“I’m sorry,” said John, giving her a sympathetic look. “Did he give you a proper goodbye this time, at least?”

She nodded, avoiding his eye. “Couldn’t have asked for more.”

“Except for him not to leave?”

“Humph. What’s that Spock quote about the needs of the many?” She shrugged, acting nonchalant, though John could see it was an act. “He has a job to do.”

John smiled, understanding.

Finally, she looked him in the eye. “Do you think the new code will work?”

“I sure hope so,” he said, scuffing his foot on the floor. “If not, someone’s going to have to hang back in the Waiting Room for babysitting duties after this place is mothballed.”

The code to which Donna was referring was a late addition, written with the intention of combining leaper and leapee in a state of entanglement. Not like the two Maggies or Quinns had been, exactly, though Sam had used that as a basis for their work. Instead, they had configured it so that the mind of the leapee would relinquish consciousness for the duration of the leap.

However, it was entirely untested. It was to be activated if – and only if – retrieval failed.

Sam had also toyed with the idea of leaping as himself, which he had apparently done twice before, but he hadn’t known how, and he’d attributed it to his higher power concept.

“You don’t think the retrieval will bring him back, do you?” her voice was strained.

He placed a gentle hand on her arm. “I don’t know. It worked the last time, right? But he wanted to come back then. So I guess we prepare for all scenarios. Hope for the best, expect the worst.”

Donna flinched. “Sam said the same thing. It’s why we didn’t go through with a divorce, but also why he took out a life insurance policy.”

She gave him a wry smile. “Of course, if I were to ever make the claim, you’re going to have to be out of the picture, too.”

“If my Earth is saved, I do intend to return there.” John mirrored her smile. “But if not, you might be stuck with me a while.”

“Guess I’ll have to suck it up,” she said. “Just going to have to think of you as his brother or something.”

She turned to leave, and hesitated, looking back.

“Speaking of brothers, you haven’t met my brother Jack, have you?”

Huh?

“No, why?”

Donna awkwardly stared at the floor. “No reason… unless… well, you’re both bachelors. He might be able to take you for a night on the town some time.”

John looked at her, puzzled. “Do I strike you as a ‘night on the town’ kind of guy?”

“You strike me as a… lonely kind of guy.”

John’s cheeks began to burn. “Me? No, I’m fine. I have lots going on. Heck, I’m surrounded by people all the time.”

Donna let out a deep breath. “Okay, let me be a little more blunt. You don’t look at women the same way Sam does. I’m just wondering if maybe you’re…”

“Oh…” John’s eyes went wide, and he turned away from her, rubbing the back of his neck. “Jeez, I didn’t know it was that obvious.”

“So I’m right?”

John hung his head. “Okay, yes. I’m gay.”

“There’s nothing wrong with–”

“Oh, I know all that,” said John, turning back towards Donna. “I lived in San Francisco for twenty years. It’s not a big deal, in theory. I’ve just spent my life… doing other things. Important things. You should know, right? Putting your love life on hold and all.”

Donna smiled at him, but her eyes were sad.

“Yeah, I get it.” She took his hand. “You should meet Jack, anyway. You might at least make a friend.”

Well, it couldn’t hurt.

“Alright. If you insist.”

At that moment, Al emerged from the Imaging Chamber. John and Donna turned towards him.

“How are things going in there?” asked John, feeling his anxiety rising. “Is Sherri alright?”

Al shook his head. “Haven’t seen her. But you–” he pointed a finger at John, “–should be getting a few new memories any second now.”

“Already?” John tilted his head as he thought back. “Wait… oh… you’re right…”

He laughed as he recalled Quinn muttering ‘oh boy.’

“Huh. So this is what it’s like to have my personal history change on the fly.”

“Gives you the willies, don’t it?”

John nodded, as his ensuing memories of his time on that leap started to lose focus. Not being used to forgetting anything, his heart began to race at the realisation.

“Wow…” he mumbled, clutching his head, “the rest of the leap must be in flux now. Is my memory going to be like this until Sam leaps out?”

“Yeah, ’fraid so, pal.” Al gave him a pat on the back. “Don’t worry too much; Ziggy’s tracking the changes. Whatever you forget will be in the report later.”

John met eyes with Donna, who had a knowing look on her face.

“Sam’s done this to us, on a large scale, numerous times,” she said. “It’s just something you get used to. My advice is, don’t think about it too hard.”

“Well that’s easier said than done,” John said, prompting Al to chuckle.

“Welcome to the club.”

*          *          *

Maggie hoist the cordless phone to her ear as she stirred the pasta on the stove, and looked out into the common room, where Rembrandt watched Passions, Sammy Jo typed something on a laptop, and Alia stood at a punching bag in the corner, letting out her frustrations with violent strikes.

And finally, leaning upright against a wall, stood Tom; his arms folded as he watched her.

She turned her attention to the phone. “What’s up, Quinn?”

“So, we’ve got a, uh, troubling situation over here.”

Maggie let go of the spoon, and it slumped against the side of the cooking pot.

“Did something go wrong? Is Uncle Sam alright?”

“No, Sam’s okay, I think. It’s about the Reality Lens.”

As Quinn described the situation to her, she felt herself break into a cold sweat.

“Tell me this is a joke, Quinn…”

“It isn’t a joke.”

“So… what… anyone could be…?”

“Almost anyone. We’ve ruled out John, Sam, and Al for reasons related to the Imaging Chamber. Wouldn’t work right if it wasn’t them. But until we can fix the Lens, we can’t trust anyone else.”

Maggie felt her stomach churn. “I see.”

“And that’s why you need to let everyone there know while I’m still on the line… you know… just in case you’re the impostor.”

Maggie frowned. “I guess that’s fair.”

She pulled the phone from her face. “Hey everyone? In case you felt relaxed today, I have some bad news.”