CHAPTER 5

   Entering the Control Room, Verbena went to Gooshie who was closely 
monitoring Ziggy's control panel.  The head programmer moved quietly
back and forth, his blue eyes keeping an eagle-eye on the fluctuations
of energy and a myriad other things that had to be monitored every time Admiral Calavicci entered the Imaging Chamber to contact Sam.  He
glanced up, sparing the psychiatrist a glance and a smile as she
approached.

   "Good morning, Verbena," Gooshie said.  "How's the visitor doing?"

   Not for worlds would she have hurt Gooshie's feelings, but Verbena
took a couple of steps back when his breath assailed her nose.

   "He's doing better than most," she replied. "Any word from Al, yet?"

   As if on cue, Gooshie saw a strong power shift on the control
panel. "You two must be thinking alike," he said, grinning. "The
Imaging Chamber just powered down. He..."  The sound of the secured
door into the Imaging Chamber, opening, drew both their gazes.

   Al came down the ramp, chewing on his cigar, his mind clearly
focused on something. Reaching the control panel, he held out the
handlink to Gooshie for recharging.  It was then that he saw Verbena
behind the control panel, and his attention shifted to her.  It wasn't unusual for the Project's chief psychiatrist to be in the Control
Room, but considering the person's whose life Sam had leaped into,
as well as the circumstances under which he'd just left his friend,
it ticked a disquieting note in the back of his mind.

   "Problem with the visitor?" he asked around the cigar clenched
in his teeth.  He took a slow pull from it, exhaling smoothly. Al
didn't like the troubled expression that replaced the careful smile
Verbena was wearing.

 "I'm not sure," she spoke thoughtfully. "But I'd rather talk in my 
office.  Have you got a minute?"

   "Lead the way," Al said, taking the cigar from his mouth.  He
watched, his face expressionless, his gaze considering as Verbena
turned and leftthe Control Room.  Whatever was on her mind was even affecting the way she walked. Slowly, carefully, as if her body were
on auto-pilot because her mind need her full attention on whatever it
was delving into so deeply. He turned to Gooshie again.  

   "I want you to keep a close monitor on Sam.  Right now, he's
sleeping, and I'm hoping he stays that way for a few hours.  But if
he wakes up, I want to know about it immediately. Is that clear?"

   Gooshie nodded. "Perfectly, Admiral."

   Al then turned his attention to the hybrid super-computer.

   "Ziggy?"

   "Yes, Admiral?" the computer responded.

   "What data do you have on the visitor?"

   "At present, I have only been able to ascertain data on Mr. Kirkwood  
through August 16, 1963."

   "Why's that?" Al raised the Chivello to his lips and took a small
puff.

   "Because on that date, it appears that Perry Kirkwood vanished."

   "What..." Al began, but was cut off abruptly by the computer.

   "I believe this conversation would be better completed in the
secured confines of Dr. Beeks' office," Ziggy said with a note of
finality in her voice. She paused. "And, according to my scanning
records, Dr. Beeks arrived in her office exactly twenty-seven point
three eight seconds ago." Another pause. "To use a human saying that
I've come across many times, Admiral, "the doctor is in", and she's
waiting for you."

   For another moment Al just stood and stared at the swirling globe
of softly swirling colored lights that was affixed above and in front
of the control panel.  He took a long, slow, deliberate pull on the
cigar, smoothly exhaling a stream of the cigar's uniquely fragranced
smoke.  Then he turned and headed for the door.

   "Remember what I told you, Gooshie," was all he said as he went out
the door, brushing past Tina, who was on her way into the Control Room.

   "What's wrong with him?" she asked, looking out the still open door
then back at Gooshie.  "He nearly walked over the top of me, and this
outfit will usually catch his eye at nearly two hundred yards."

   The Head Programmer took a quick, appreciative glance at Tina's
near form-fitting, one-piece powder blue jumpsuit with a swirling
silver-sequined design across the front. "It catches my eye at twice
that distance!" he thought.

   "Something to do with Doctor Beckett," he mumbled, his eyes still
tracing every curve that filled the jumpsuit to perfection.

   Tina saw what he was doing, and went to stand beside the usually
shy Gooshie, and poked him in the ribs.  "You can do better than
that!" she giggled.

   Gooshie felt the heat rise in his face and averted his eyes to
the control panel, his hands fumbling over its surface.

   "The Admiral was rather pre-occupied when he came out of the
Imaging Chamber.  When he saw Verbena here, he asked if there was
a problem with the visitor, and she said told him she'd rather talk
in her office."

   "So?"  Tina didn't see what the big deal was about that.

  Gooshie made a minute adjust to a dial, then continued. "After
Verbena left, Admiral Calavicci asked Ziggy what data she had on
the visitor. She said that the data she's found only goes up to
August 16, 1963, two days from now, because according to the
records, Perry Kirkwood vanished without a trace."

   "Yeah, so?"

   "When the admiral started to ask her another question, Ziggy said
that it would be better if the conversation were completed in the
secured confines of Dr. Beeks' office. And that's when he went by
you like you were a part of the door frame."

   The two were quiet for several minutes, each considering what
their conversation could mean.  Then, Tina shook her head, coming
back to the moment.

   "Tell you what, I'll take over for a while so you can go get
some lunch."

   Gooshie smiled his thanks, and started to leave, then stopped. 

   "One thing.  Admiral Calavicci made it very clear that he wants
a close watch kept on the monitors of Doctor Beckett's heart rate, respirations and brainwave activity.  If you see indications of
change, of any sort, in any of them, have Ziggy notify him and
Doctor Beeks immediately.  Otherwise, he may hang me from some 
yardarm...even if he has to build the darned thing!"

   Tina giggled, waving him on his way. "I'll keep a really close
eye on it," she promised. Then a thought occurred to her. "The
macaroni and cheese is really good, today!" she called out as 
Gooshie waved a hand in acknowledgement and disappeared out the
door.

   In the three or four seconds that Tina watched Gooshie leave,
then call out to him, there was a sudden, sharp blip on the monitor
of Samuel Beckett's brainwaves.  It's sharp, spiky activity lasted
a full two seconds, then disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

   Turning back to the control panel, Tina began a methodical checking
of every dial and monitor on it. She cast a sharp look at the dials
for Doctor Beckett's heart rate, respiration and brainwave activity, watching them for several seconds.  When the activity remained within
normal parameters, she smiled and said softly, "Sweet dreams, Doctor Beckett," and moved on down the panel.

   A minute and a half later, Tina was at the opposite end of the
control panel, away from the monitors, her attention focused on a
particular energy reading that she was double checking, and so she
didn't see the second blip appear on the monitor for Doctor Beckett's brainwave. This one lasted a five full seconds, then disappeared as
quickly as the first.