A Quantum Leap fanfiction, A Leap In Anger, by Rob Morris,
Rob4654@webtv.net, featuring characters created by Belasarius
Productions and Marvel Comics

Part 5- Interview with the Interviewer
Part5-1
           
                About 7 hours before Sam Beckett became calm enough to
change back from his transformation into the Hulk, and about 9 hours
before he would marvel at the sight of his "leapee" using Al's handlink
to guide him through a minefield of an interview, the leapee, David
Banner, was recovering from-well, everything. As always, the Hulk
managed to come between him and happiness.  The creature's presence in
David's body drew Sam away from helping avert his 1st wife's death. Sam
was in agony, the agony of one who did not know how to handle the
changes-hell, David himself didn't know to handle them, after better
than a decade. Causing Sam pain meant distance between him and his
newfound friends at the project. He had actually yelled at a supreme
technological marvel he never thought to see realized, and alienated
that new friend as well. He was fated, apparently, to destroy the
project. Ziggy's probability scans said so, a situation nearly
impossible to avoid. A statistical certainty was, by definition, a
statistical impossiblity. But if it were possible, Ziggy could calculate
it and the Hulk would accomplish it. Wrecking everything was the
creature's forte'-it was something he got from David. In the midst of
this maudlin thought, David almost felt Al approach. He then remembered
fate's final blow: Determined reporter Jack McGee now knew, once and for
all, that he was the Hulk. Sam hadn't meant anything; He just didn't
know the rules: Stay off the desert roads, with its crazy drivers; If
you sense the change, run-no witnesses; Above all else, convince Mcgee
he was mistaken-the desert, a lookalike, whatever was neccesary to send
him chasing Sasquatch in another city. But, David added, speaking aloud
for the first time in 12 hours, "I was tired of running, anyway". When
he returned, his life would be a disaster. Media attention, possible
imprisonment-possible---dissection. But the running stopped-just like
for Kimble. Only he had a new love, the true murderer punished, and his
good name. David would have none of that. But at least people would be
calling him by his real name. David B. would stand for David Banner, and
nothing else. He saw a nervous Al standing right in front of him,
"Doctor Banner, are you all right?" Al knew he wasn't, and felt somewhat
responsible for it. David, though, was feeling somewhat better, and he
did not blame Al or Sam-or even the Hulk. He knew it would all catch up
to him eventually. "My life, Al" he began; "I compared it to a burning
building. But now the fire's out and nothing is left to burn. In a way
I'm glad, though. After being here, with all you good people, I doubt I
could have gone back to it without cracking."  Al held a digital
notepad, shaking it back and forth, then finally deciding he had better
speak on it. "David, about that not cracking and having nothing left to
burn, I think you had better prepare yourself. This is good news, but it
isn't pretty." The look on Al's face should have prepared him, but in
fact, nothing could have. Beyond yelling, beyond anger, beyond outrage,
David's face muscles shifted a thousand times in a minute. He felt the
Hulk stirring within him, but it was almost as though the creature
merely wanted to peer over his shoulder at the unbelievable findings the
notepad showed. As though, it, too, wanted to stop running, and go away
forever. Used properly, they both knew, the information contained in
this report might do just that. "It wasn't me, Al! These years, I
thought somehow I did it! But the fire wasn't my fault! Wasn't the
Hulk's! Not even the strain on the equipment from the experiments". Al
had to hold David up, for he was close to sobbing. The scientist
straightened up, looked straight at Al, and said "You have to let me
talk to Sam! I have to let him know how to turn the tables on Mcgee!" Al
took out his handlink, and pressed it into David's hands. " Sam wanted
this, anyway. You already possess enough of Sam's neurons and mesons,
etc., to talk with him from the projection chamber. Just be careful,
okay? I wouldn't want to lose two good people if your proximity should
trigger..weeeell..anything." David appreciated the compliment. "It
won't, Al, and thanks."  David was delighted to learn that he had not
lost his friends at the project. He even apologized to Verbeena for
ignoring her invitation to dinner while in his funk. He made sure she
knew it was his own history that made him gun-shy, and she tried to
understand and came very close to doing so. In the end, though, David's
dillema remained his own. One last stop, to make sure of another
friend's motives. "Ziggy, you are aware of what I will do with this
information, aren't you?" "I am fully aware, David. I am not above
making this individual suffer, no matter how things have changed". David
stood back. "That's not all, I hope."  "It is hardly all, David. Your
burning building is gone. This information will enable you to move to a
new house, meet a better class of people, get in touch with your family
again."  Ziggy's lights blinked, " Because of you, I will never approach
an equation the same way again. You are my friend, David. And I am, to
the best of my ability, my passionate friend, giving you your life
back".  "I'll make good use of it, I swear"    "I know this," Ziggy said
as David left, then quietly, "So do I rescue two friends...Goodbye,
David".