CHAPTER 32

Sam couldn't help but collapse onto the Control Room floor, his body a 
heaving, quivering heap. "No, no." He sobbed, staring at the empty 
Accelerator Chamber.
Al ran over to him, trying to comfort him.

"My God Al. Why didn't I listen to you?" Sam face soaked with tears.

"Well, none of us knew, really. I mean I never guessed that he was 
Saint-James." Al walked over to the Accelerator Chamber and walked 
around it. "This isn't right though Sam. There should be two bodies in 
there, waiting for someone to take them over, but there's nothing, 
nothing at all, only the latex Saint-James ripped from his face."

"Can Ziggy do a scan?" Sam's eyes were pleading to Al and everything Al 
tried to do or say wouldn't, couldn't comfort him.

"Ziggy's not tuned to her genes, it's gonna be impossible Sam." Al felt 
hopeless and deflated.

"Try it anyway Ziggy." Sam was desperate to try anything.

"Yes Doctor. Scanning commenced."

Sam looked up at Al, "Do you think Sammi would know what to do Al?"

"I dunno, this never happened before, two people leaping from the 
Accelerator at the same time, with no connecting genes. Aw gawd it's 
unimaginable, what if they've...." Al could hardly say the word he 
whispered, ".... merged." He turned away, not wanting Sam to see the 
disgust on his face.

"I have a location for Bernie Admiral." Ziggy's tone was vibrant.

The two friends turned their gaze to Ziggy.

"What!" Al's mouth gaped.

"Perhaps, I surmise this, is it possible because of your recent 
activities together Doctor?" Ziggy's statement sounded like a question, 
she sounded very pleased with herself. "It's only very faint, but I do 
have a lock on her."

Al rushed over to the control panel and grabbed the hand-link from the 
shelf. He pressed a button, familiar chirps and cheeps sounded. "Oh my 
God, she's leapt Sam, she's leapt into a thirteen year old Jessica 
Olivera. Sam I can't believe this. I'm going into the Imaging Chamber."

"Can I come with you Al?" Sam pleaded.

"No Sam, there's no tellin' what I'll find." Al rushed over to the 
Imaging Chamber door, "Ziggy will keep you informed." He stepped inside, 
the door closing behind him.

Sam stared blankly at the closed door, images of Donna crept into his 
mind, but he brushed them aside, his thoughts were of nothing but 
Bernie. His beautiful Bernie. He thought hard, he would get his Bernie 
back, even if he had to go back in time and get her himself. He wasn't 
going to lose this love because of the project. He had lost too much 
already. Was he being selfish again. He closed his eyes tightly, so 
tight that he could see red. His head was hurting again, no he wasn't 
being selfish this time, what he was going to do this time was for 
Bernie, he knew the feeling of loneliness, the isolation, of being lost 
in time. He would get her back, because, here was where she belonged.

Al was in a darkly lit room, there were no distinguishable objects. 
Everything was fuzzy and shimmering, like a bad holographic film show. 
Al pressed a button on the hand-link, "Ziggy, centre me in on Bernie." 
Everything around him seemed to zoom in fast motion. Al hated this part, 
the search, he felt sick and dizzy. His stomach churning, his head hurt 
and his eyes wouldn't focus.

His head swam as objects zoomed passed, eventually everything slowed. As 
his head swayed, he blinked his eyes into focus and found he could see 
the outline of a girl in front of him, siting in a chair, he recognised 
the nose, it was Jessie. He couldn't see anything of Bernie, just the 
faint image of Jessica Olivera. On the floor sat another small child, 
'aged about five,' Al thought, 'a very young version of Rosie,' Al 
recognised her immediately.

"Bernie can you hear me?" Al whispered, he squinted his eyes trying to 
get better focus.

The girl looked around, a distant, faltering voice came from the young 
girl as her lips moved, "Yes, is that you Al?" This was not Bernie's 
voice but Jessie's.

Al could hear the fear as her voice trembled, "Yes Bernie it's Al, don't 
be afraid, you've leapt into 1976. If you look towards the door you 
might be able to see a faint image, a hologram of me. Can you see me 
Bernie?"

"I see something Al, but I can't make it out." The young girl's face 
showed some fear but at least now she was smiling.

"Right Bernie, I'm going to move across the room, see if you can follow 
me." Al moved slowly towards the far end of the room, watching the young 
girl as he moved.

The girl's eyes followed him.

"Yes that's me Bernie. Now were gonna try and get you back. Do you have 
any idea where Saint-James or Pearson is Bernie?"

"He's sat on the floor Al." The girl pointed to the small child, Rosie.

"Can you speak with him?" Al asked.

"I don't want to Al, it's bad enough being in the same room as him." The 
girl cowered back in the chair, bringing her knees up to her chin.

"It's okay, you don't have to talk to him if you don't want to." Al 
wiped a hand across his face. "I'm gonna go for a little while Bernie, 
but don't worry I'll soon be back. Do you remember Sam?"

The young girl nodded.

"Well I'm just going to tell Sam that I've found you, then I'll be back, 
I promise." Al started to leave.

"Tell Sam to come and get me, I don't like it here." She folded her arms 
and lay her forehead onto them. "I'm scared Al. Please, tell him to 
hurry."

"I will Bernie, I promise and I'll be back real soon." Al pressed a key 
on the hand-link, the Imaging Chamber door opened and he crossed into 
the Control Room.

Sam had finally got to his feet and he ambled over to Al. "Did you see 
her Al?"

"No Sam, not Bernie, I could only see her as Jessie, her signal must be 
very weak 'cos she's talking with Jessie's voice too. She's frightened 
Sam, we've got to get her out of there as soon as we can."

"Take me in there Al, maybe I can see her better than you." Sam's eyes 
pleaded. "If you don't take me in, I'm gonna use that damned contraption 
and find her myself." Sam pointed to the Accelerator Chamber.

"All right Sam, it'll probably make her feel better too if you're there. 
She was a asking for you. At least her brains not been magnafuzzled by 
the leap like yours was, she remembers you."

"I think I've regained my memory Al. When Saint-James knocked me against 
the wall it dislodged something. I think I can remember everything. 
There's some things I don't want to remember, but I can't have it both 
ways."

They entered the Imaging Chamber together, but the room once occupied by 
Jessie and Rosie was empty.

"Do you see anything Sam?" Al asked Sam.

"Only an empty room Al. Is Bernie here? Can you see her? Where is she 
Al?" Sam looked about him desperately.

"No Sam." Al punched a button on the hand-link. "Ziggy centre us in on 
Bernie."

Suddenly objects whirred passed them, then just as suddenly they found 
themselves in another room, a bright room.

Sam could see Bernie sitting at a table, toying with the food in front 
of her. Now and again she glared across the table. "I can see her Al," 
Sam's voice brightened. "Where's Saint-James though?" He whispered.

"He's leapt into Rosie." Al nodded, keeping his voice low so as not to 
attract Bernie's attention.

"How do you know Al, I can't see him." Sam turned to see a small child 
leaning over from a chair, feeding a scrap of food to a yellow dog 
underneath the table.

Al cocked his head to one side. "Bernie told me Sam, she can see him."

"Why can't we see him Al?"

"Well I think it's because we're not tuned into his masons." Al 
squinted, the brightness of the room dimming the holographic images. "Do 
you see Jessie or Bernie Sam?"

"I see Bernie, I think I've figured it out, it's because of our 
lovemaking Al." Sam looked at Al embarrassed, then immediately looked 
away. "Yer know Al." He said awkwardly.

"Yeah I know pal, you and she..... and then you...... and so......" Al 
looked at Sam his brow creasing, slightly amused at Sam's choirboy 
attitude, why Sam couldn't come out with simple words, like.... 'oh 
damn,' he thought, 'even he couldn't say them now.' "Yeah, sure I know 
Sam."

"Shush Al, she's looking this way." Sam held a finger to his lips.

Bernie's eyes lit up with recognition as she saw Sam standing in the 
corner, his finger poised at his lips. She didn't say anything, she took 
his gesture to be for her.

The look in her eyes said it all for Sam. He moved closer to her so that 
she could whisper to him, Al followed.

"We're gonna run the retrieval program Bernie, we're gonna get you out 
of here and back to our own time." Sam whispered.

Bernie said nothing.

"Dunno why you're whispering' cos no-one can hear you." Al said in a 
normal voice.

"Mom!" The small Rosie shouted. "There's two strange men in our house 
and Jessie's talking to them!"

"Blast! I forgot about the kid." Al whispered.

A woman entered the room, she was about thirty-five with golden chestnut 
hair, a sort of cross between the older Jessie and Rosie. "Stop tittle 
tattling Rosie and you Jessie, you eat your dinner, your father will be 
here to pick you up soon. We don't want to make him angry just because 
you're dawdling with your food." She was busy packing Jessie's clothes 
and belongings into suitcases. "You know you have to go and live with 
your father, the people at the court say so."

"Al, this is where Jessie and Rosie get split up." Sam turned to Al, 
desperation on his face. "The father gets custody of Jessie and then 
later, the mother commits suicide and Rosie's put into care. We've got 
to get Bernie out of here now, before her father get here."

"I'll go and get Ziggy to run the retrieval program." Al pressed a 
button on the hand link and the Imaging Chamber door opened.

"Take care Bernie, we'll have you back in a few minutes." Sam watched 
Bernie as she nodded, not daring to speak.

The two friends left the Imaging Chamber. Sam watched as the door closed 
on Bernie.

"Ziggy! Run the retrieval program." Sam strode over to the control panel 
and waited.

"Yes Doctor." Ziggy's processors whirred and whined.

Sam and Al watched the Accelerator chamber as blue, white lightening 
sparked and flashed, turning to a solid sheet of bright, blue, white 
light. Sam felt his heart, in the pit of his stomach, beating faster, he 
could hardly breath with anticipation. He stood and watched but not 
really daring to look. As the light began to fade, Al saw the form of a 
woman slowly merge, he nudged Sam in the ribs. Sam still only half 
glanced at the fading light, he then heard Ziggy's voice. Only then did 
Sam really look. Bernie was back in her own time.

"Deactivating the protective shield, Doctor." Ziggy's voice sent a sigh 
of relief though the two spectators.

Sam rushed over to the Accelerator Chamber and took Bernie in his arms. 
"How did you know Ziggy? How did you know to let them go?"

"I did a double scan on Bernie in the elevator Doctor. Bernie is 
carrying your genes within her. I think congratulations are in order 
Doctor Beckett and you Bernie. I think this means that I'm going to be 
an Aunt again."

Three people gasped at Ziggy's words.

Al sighed and rubbed his chin. "Talk about spillin' the beans Ziggy. I 
suppose I'll be arranging the wedding then."

Sam and Bernie looked at each other, both spluttered together and 
laughed. Sam kissed Bernie and squeezed her tight. "I suppose you will 
Al." He kissed her again. "Can you be best man twice Al? I'm not sure of 
those rules."

"Ziggy what's happened to Peter Saint-James?" Al asked.

"Peter Saint-James is never heard of again, on September twenty-forth he 
will be reported missing, later his friends say that he has been 
kidnapped, even though there is never ransom note."

"And what of Rosie, Ziggy? What happened to her?"

"Rosie still dies on September twenty-first 2008 by the hand of Peter 
Saint-James. I presume Peter Saint-James dies along with her. In my 
estimation, Peter Saint-James shoots himself Admiral, I can see no other 
logical explanation."

"How do you know all this Ziggy, this, it's all in the future?" Sam 
quizzed Ziggy.

"Just my analogy Doctor."

As the three stood and looked at Ziggy they could, almost, see her 
smile.



THE END