Stallion Gates, New Mexico/Halifax, Nova Scotia
March 15, 2001/April 11, 1963	
5:05 PM/4:32 PM

  “Beth, Wow!  After all these years!”  Al was talking to himself.  He
was stunned that Sam had leaped into the one person he had ever loved. 
Beth Townsend.  Was she still Beth Townsend?  Who knew, all Al cared
about was that he had a chance to see Beth again, even if it was only
for a few day.  He was considering asking Sam to reunite him and Beth,
but he already read Ziggy’s report on what happens if Beth and him were
to be married.  He loses her to some lawyer named Dirk Simon, while he
is a POW in Vietnam.  Either way it was a lose, lose situation.  He
wanted Beth to not have to go through the agony of Al being in Vietnam. 
He hoped she was happily married even if he couldn’t marry her.  Why had
I dumped her any way’s.  That thought kept recurring in Al’s mind. 
He knew he had done it for a good reason, but why?
  It was then he remembered.  It was on the day of his first proposal to
Beth.  He wanted to marry her, and he showed her the ring and every
thing.  But Beth said no.  She said something odd, he’ll never forget. 
She said ‘I can’t, Al.  That would be against project regulations.’  It
was the oddest thing he had ever heard.  What Project?  Was Beth
involved with A secret government operation?  It was then that Al
decided he must end his relationship with Beth  He broke up with her on
the date of the fourteenth of April.  Only three days left, before Al
end’s up proposing to Sam(AKA Beth).  Al now understood what Beth
meant.  It was Sam who was Beth, and he knew what would happen if he and
Beth wed. 
Sam choose the same path that Al himself would of picked. Al entered the
Imaging Chamber and waited for the Degraderic system to start working.
It was the part he hated, as he always got dizzy.  
  After the bright burst of blue light that surrounded the room, Al
found himself In his old Corvette.  “Wow!”  AL said as he was in the
back seat of the car.  “My baby, as good as new!  Man, do I ever miss
her!”
  Lt. Al was driving down a highway, faster than the speed limit, with
one arm behind Sam.  He seemed to have all attention directed on the
road.  Sam knew he had to talk to Al.  He remembered his last leap into
Jacob, and knew that he had almost directly leaped into Beth.  And now
he had his best friend making a move on him, while the future of his
best friend sat in the back seat remarking about the car he had once
owned.  Sam had to laugh at the thought that there is almost no one else
who lives this kind of life (With the exception of Alia and Zoey).
  “Beth, dear, what’s so funny?”  Lt. AL asked.  This made Sam laugh
only harder. Because in years to come, Al would know exactly what Sam
was laughing at.
  “So, Al why am I here?”  Sam asked directing it to Admiral Al.
  “Vacation, remember?”  Lt. Al said.
  “Ziggy doesn’t know yet.  We have nothing on why your Beth.” Adm. Al
said.  “Listen, Sam.  I just came to check up on you, making sure my
younger self wasn’t doing anything I would regret.”  Al chuckled at
this, knowing how he use to think as a young man.
  “Al, why can’t he see me or you?”  Sam asked.
  “Beth, What are you jabbering about.  Why can’t who see us?”  Lt. Al
said.  He was confused at the way his Bethie was acting.  Normally, she
was well behaved, never truly outgoing.  But now, she was.........the
only word that came to mind was weird.  She usually jumped at the sight
of him.  She did today too.  But not out of the hopeful love she
usually did, but out of...surprise.  She was so out of it.  Lt. Al
shrugged it off, figuring she was just getting use to not seeing or
hearing about the bloodshed in Vietnam.  She would return to normal as
soon as she had a chance to relax.  Lt. Al was giddy at the idea of her
face, when he asked her if she would marry him.  It was the only thing
that kept him going during this war.  They would marry and have many
children and live a perfect life together.
  While Lt. Al had his dreams of his futures with Beth, Sam was busy
thinking of ways that he  could get out of being part of Al’s future. 
He always hated being close to Al’s life, but this close was not good. 
He was the desire of lust to Al, and Sam, wanted absolutely no part of
it.  He knew that anytime soon, Al was going to make his move on him,
and what coulees Sam do?  Say to Al ‘You don’t know me, but I’m not
Beth,  I am actually you best friend thirty years into the future.  I’m
a man, I do not have the parts of a woman though you may see them. 
Please believe me!’  Sam knew Al would think Beth was kidding, but Sam
couldn’t convince him by the truth.  He could only hope Al would believe
him when he said that he wasn’t ready for it.  
  "Ziggy say seeing elves last only unti we're 14Then we can't see o
selves." Adm. Al said whilehe was siting back, pretending to admire the
car, while he was actually thinking of Beth.  If there was one girl (Out
of many!) that Al had ever truly loved, it was, with out a doubt, Beth
Townsend.  He loved her more than anything.  But it was her rejection of
his marriage proposal that led him to have to leave Beth.  They never
talked after that.  Though many times on the project, Al wished he could
use Ziggy to find out what ever happened to Beth.  Now he had a right to
ask.  “Ziggy, Tell me all data on Beth Townsend.”  With a few blinking
lights, and a lot of whirling sounds the data came up, showing Al all he
needed to know.  “Oh, no”  was all that Al could murmur out of his
mouth.
  Ziggy was showing Al a newspaper cover that told of Beth’s fate.  It
read:
  “April ,20 1963
                     Vietnam bombing kills Medical Squadron
  Continuing our coverage of the Vietnam War, we are alarmed to bring,
to the people of the united states, This heart breaking news update. 
While helping injured soldiers of South Vietnam, the medical squadron
was bombed by the North Vietnamese.  Fifteen Nurses and Doctors were
killed. We regretfully now announce their names in silent prey.
   
   Bert, Ernest  DR.
   Blackman, Rachael RN.
   Catoia, Mark Dr.
   Field, Daniel Dr.
   Hamlin, David Dr.
   Hebert, Dylan Dr.
   Holmes, Kristen RN.
   Lameroux, Joanne RN.
   Myers, Amy RN.
   Portney, Jessica RN.
   Prive, Brian Dr.
   Sowers, Jonathan Dr.
   Sparks, Melissa RN.  
   Stannard, Nicole RN.
   Townsend, Elizabeth RN.  “
  It was the last name on the list that chilled Al to the bone.  It was
mere days until Beth died.  And Al also knew that it was his fault.  If
he hadn’t left her, she’d still be on vacation time, and she wouldn’t of
have to leave for Vietnam.  It was his fault, and he knew it would stay
on his conscience.  Unless................




(What A cliffhanger)
Dan