Notes: I'm not really an Al-coholic (at least, I don't think so), but
I've been reading a lot of stories by other fans, and this story ended
up centering around the Project--and therefore Al. Also, I wasn't that
sure that I could come up with a workable Leap-plot, so I'm keeping the
Leaps as part of the background. I am assuming in this story that the
show did not document all of the Leaps--just the longer or more
interesting ones. Also, some of this story is woven in and through
known Leaps (i.e. episodes). If you haven't seen or don't know what
happens in The Leap Back, A Leap for Lisa, Killin' Time, Trilogy, and
Mirror Image, among others, some parts might not make a lot of sense to
you. I represent thoughts in brackets, like this: [I'm thinking about
something, but I won't say it.] Also, with all this talk about
asterisks being bad luck on the message board, I use _underlines_ to
represent stressed speech.
Warning: In this story, Quantum Leap, the show, exists. Don't cut me
out because I did this, I tried to be tasteful about it.
Also, some of my ideas have come from other people--especially other
authors. The problem is, I've read so many stories recently that I'm
not sure that I can get the right idea credited to the right person.
If you see one of your ideas in my story and want me to credit you, e-
mail me at and I'll make a
supplement with credits to other authors in it. If you want me to
remove your idea from my story--I'll try. Just remember, imitation is
the sincerest form of flattery. ;-)
Quantum Leap itself was created by Donald P. Bellisario, and it belongs
to him, or Universal, or somebody else who isn't me. This is fan-
fiction and isn't making any profit. It is for the fun and enjoyment
of anyone who reads it. This story belongs to me, Christina Campbell,
but may be copied and posted as long as these notes and the supplement
are included.
Please, please tell me what you like and don't like about the story.
It's my first attempt at any kind of fanfic, and want to know if I'm
doing it right. I myself have been bad about telling authors what I
think about their stories, but now I'm an author and understand why
they keep begging for feedback.
A Unique Point of View
By: Christina Campbell
Prologue
--------------
April 1, 1998:
--------------
Rachel Thorton approached Project Quantum Leap, unable to believe that
she had actually gotten a job at the ultra-secret installation.
Four weeks ago, her boss had told her that he had gotten a request for
her services from a different branch of the government. A project
needed an expert programmer who had some of her interests and a large
amount of discretion. Rachel had been bouncing from job to job within
the government for the last four years, hoping that eventually Quantum
Leap would notice her.
When she had gotten her plane ticket, she had blinked in surprise.
"Alamogordo?" [I'm not going to think it. If I think it I'll jinx
it.]
A week later, she had arrived at the Alamogordo airport, to be met by
two men who might or might not have been guards. They said that it was
a rather long ride to the Project and she might want to get some sleep
in the car. She looked at them carefully and said, "Maybe. I'm not
really all that tired, though." The car took off into the desert.
Rachel pulled out a magazine and tried to get absorbed in it, but she
couldn't, so instead she stared at the boring landscape. She must have
dozed for a bit, because when next she noticed, they were approaching a
fenced-in mountain.
[It can't be. Could I finally have gotten PQL?] Not that she was
supposed to know that it existed. As far as anyone else knew, all she
thought was that she was going to a secret installation in the middle
of New Mexico--an area that had a lot of such installations. But she
knew.
Rachel was careful to keep her expression reflecting only minor
curiosity. She had, after all, known that it was a secret installation
from the beginning--even if they still hadn't given her the name. Of
course, she had learned about PQL by accident. She didn't know how
many higher-ups in Washington knew about the television show Quantum
Leap, but they obviously didn't consider it a threat to Project
security. Besides, even if you knew about the show, you knew it was
all make-believe.
That's what she had thought until her little brother had started acting
strangely. Talking to thin air was not something he normally did.
There were several other hints and clues over the course of two or
three days that she would have totally ignored if she hadn't been in a
Quantum Leap obsession phase. So one night when she was watching him
while their mother and step-father were at a party, she trapped him
into watching an episode with her.
------------------
December, 21 1990:
------------------
Sam, who was currently inhabiting the body of Alan Harris, had fought
tooth and nail against watching his older sister's favorite show.
Rachel had refused to give him any information on the premise of the
show, just insisting that he would like it. He sat on the couch, just
waiting for some awful soap opera to come on.
What came on instead made his face pale. Al popped in just as the show
started, and Sam cut him off with a sharp sweep of his hand. Al looked
surprised, then focused on what Sam was watching. "Theorizing that he
could travel within his own lifetime, Dr. Samuel Beckett stepped into
the Quantum Leap Accelerator, and vanished." Al's cigar fell out of
his mouth and disappeared as he listened to the introduction to Quantum
Leap.
*****************
Again, sometimes mixing the show with the Project makes me immediately
quit reading a story. Don't do that to me, please!
Feedback requested! What did you think of my prologue?
Christina C.
christina.l.campbell@vanderbilt.edu