Quantum Leap: My Bones May Break but the Law Never Will (NaNoWriMo 2015)

Chapter 1

Theorizing that one could time travel within their own lifetime, Dr. Sam Beckett led an elite group of scientists into the desert to test his theory. However, fearing he would lose his funding if they didn't get some results, Sam prematurely stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished. He awoke to find himself trapped in the past, facing mirror images that were not his own, and driven by an unknown force to change history for the better. His only guide on this journey is Al, an observer from the project from his own time, who appears in the form of a hologram that only Sam can see and hear. And so, Dr. Beckett finds himself "leaping" from life to life, striving to put right what once went wrong, and hoping each time that his next leap will be the leap home.

Flash. With the absence of the dazzling blue light, the rest of the world came into being for Sam Beckett, Quantum Physicist and creator of the Quantum Leap project, allowing him to travel through his own lifetime and correct what once went wrong in history. What journey awaited him this time?

The first and most relieving sight for Sam was mere sight. He could see in this leap! Sam couldn't help but smile, glad to discover that his vision loss was only temporary and confined to that one leap. Sam just hoped for no other deep connection with the person into whom he leaped, or else he might face another disability and another challenge beyond what he might be able to bear.

".... so now you must analyze the facts and rules of law, and recommend whether the rulings are correct." Sam suddenly realized someone was talking to him. Not only that, but he seemed to be asking him a question. He looked at the other person, discovering that he was a dark-skinned young adult with crew cut hair and wearing jeans with a blue polo. He had a bit of stubble on his face, possibly from a few days of skipping shaving. Sam tried his best to process the question, but he feared that he missed something vital in his musings about sight and would have to hear the question again.

"What?" Sam asked the boy.

"Oh, come on, Rim! Don't make me read all of that again!" The boy looked slightly annoyed. "Guy sues building company for getting hurt, loses, tries again, with different evidence, company uses evidence not everyone accepts, someone says they find coke near the guy somewhere, and guy says he feels funny when walking by buildings now. What should the ruling be, Rim?"

Sam thought Rim was an unusual name, but maybe he was as dark-skinned as the boy in front of him and they were from some other country. His accent was perfectly American, though, so surely he wasn't actually from another country. They seemed to be studying for something together. Was it Law? Sam didn't know anything about Law and dearly wished for Al to be there with an answer.

"I... um...." Sam began so he could stall for time, hoping Al would show up at any second. He tried to think of an answer with his rudimentary knowledge of laws, having been a lawyer himself in a few leaps, but the only thing that presented itself was deep pain in his lower back. He tried to sit in a position which was comfortable and took the pressure off of it, but he couldn't find anything that helped. "Sorry, is there anything I can take for my back? It hurts too much."

"You already took your medicine for it the other day," he answered, "but I guess I can get you some pain meds if that's what you're asking."

"Yeah, that'd be great."

"Are you sure you need it, though? You usually don't ask unless you can't walk."

That statement shocked Sam. Can't walk? Sam thought to himself. What's wrong with this person that they can't walk on some days?

"Uh, yeah, I really do need it," Sam reassured him. This could also help him stall for time as he tried to figure out the right verdict for the question, but he feared that he missed out on a lot of key details as he daydreamed.