Slider_Sarah: answered my... question...

Torch <voice of Charlton Heston>: Get your stinking paws off me you damned dirty ape and GET ON WITH IT!!

****

“I’ll tell you, this is the first world that has made me question reality.” Professor Arturo whispered. The Sliders were walking out of town so they could Slide without being seen.

They’d arrived three days ago to find a very peaceful and generally happy world. This had intrigued Arturo and Quinn. Long hours in the library had led to at least part of the answer why. Jesus Christ had not been crucified. Pontius Pilate had relented at the last second and settled for banishment. Jesus had lived to the age of 97 before finally succumbing in his sleep. Three days after his burial he had been resurrected just as on Earth Prime. The extra 64 years of teaching and faith inducing miracles had had a pacifying effect on the entire Mediterranean area that the Professor never would have believed possible. The first Christian Roman Emperor was not Constantine but was instead Hadrian almost two hundred years before. Constantine still became Emperor but the Empire is not split up following his death. Indeed, a much smaller but still strong Roman Empire still existed to this day.

There hadn’t been time to explore every permutation and consequence of this historical change but the evidence was before them. This world was quiet and peaceful. There had still been wars, but nothing on the scale of the World Wars. In fact, since war advanced technology faster than any other social force, these people were about hundred years behind Earth Prime and most other worlds the Sliders had encountered so they had not yet devised ways to mass murder.

Professor Arturo could have spent a lifetime just exploring the question of how Europe had still colonized North and South America. True, far more Native Americans were in evidence so it had not been the genocide method. Probably religious conversion.

“Professor? Hello?” Wade quipped.

“What? Sorry, just reflecting on our studies of this world.”

“We asked how it made you question reality.” Quinn replied.

“Well, with so much going on since this adventure began that I’ve never thought about the religious implications of Sliding. For instance, if we arrive on a world in which no one practices Christianity doesn’t that prove it is purely a manmade construct used to control the masses? The same is true for Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, and every other religion. And what if we encounter a religion that doesn’t exist on our earth? Does that mean it is false?”

“My head hurts now, thanks Professor!” Remmy said, rubbing his dome.

“I think the flip side of that,” Quinn countered, “is that you could argue that God created all parallel worlds and allowed Sliding to be possible as one more test of faith, among other reasons. I realized a long time ago that nothing science discovers can fully put the question of religion to rest because it will always be a matter of faith.”

“This is all very fascinating,” Wade lied, “but aren’t we getting close to the time to Slide? Let’s pick it up.”

Quinn checked the timer. “You’re right! Less than a minute! Let’s get up this hill and into the woods!”

The Sliders started running. They had barely made it past the treeline when it the counter reached zero. Quinn activated the timer, hurdled a branch that had threatened to trip him, and leaped into the vortex. Remmy and Wade jumped the pesky branch and went through together. Professor Arturo was breathing heavily and had made it up the hill nowhere nearly as fast as the other three. But he’d make the vortex in plenty of time.

At that moment his feet got caught up in the branch the others had avoided. Arturo fell heavily and cursed almost as heavily. He struggled up to his knees and fought to free his feet from the branch. Then he was standing and running towards the vortex. As he neared it he leapt arms and head first.

The vortex disappeared right before Arturo passed through the area it had just occupied.

For the second time in 25 seconds, the Professor crashed to the forest floor with the grace of a bull elephant tumbling down the china shop’s basement stairs.

Unaware yet how much pain his body was in, Arturo stared at the vortexless space above him.

“Oh my god!!”

****

Wade and Remmy hurtled out of the vortex, colliding roughly with Quinn ... who had uncharacteristically neglected to get out of their way.

Wade’s face had buried itself in Quinn’s back, so she couldn’t see what had transfixed Quinn. She heard Remmy gasp next to her and started to straighten.

The vortex winked out behind them.

Wade finished her motion but her eyes were looking where the vortex had been. “Um, where’s the Professor?” She asked in a panicked voice.

“Wade...” Quinn wheezed.

Wade elbowed Quinn. “Quinn, look! The Professor didn’t come through!”

Without taking his eyes from what he was looking at, Quinn reached around and seized her head with his palm and fingers. He turned her head to force her to look at what had riveted he and Remmy.

For the time being, Wade forgot all about Professor Arturo.

“Oh. My. God.” She said, or thought she did. She was too shocked to tell the difference between thinking and speaking right now.

If what they could see from here was any indication, Dante had left a lot of details out.

"You think I'd inject myself with my own creation? Brother, I studied political science…"

***

Wade held her ground, afraid to move right or left, backward or forward. She struggled to breathe. No doubt the air was thin. How could it now be at this altitude? She was thankful now that both Quinn and Rembrandt had stopped her as she came out of the wormhole. A few more steps of momentum and she'd have been doing her best Wile E. Coyote impression as she plummeted off the edge of the cliff.

Except it wasn't a cliff. Cliffs weren't surrounded in all directions by the clear blue sky. This was a mesa, and a small one at that. Without moving her feet she craned her head and twisted her body as best she could to see around her. The three of them had about a ten by twelve plot of space, maximum. The way down? God only knew. There was too much fog in the valley below to make an accurate call.

"You guys are both aware how much I'm terrified of flying? Well this is why."

"I hear that," Rembrandt nodded, shuffling his feet a bit in the sand. He stared out towards each horizon in turn, but there was nothing out there to disrupt the endless ocean surrounding them. 'So this what's like to be marooned at sea,' he thought, looking up at the stereotypical lone palm tree in the center of their small island.

He figured they didn't have much more than a hundred square feet to stand on, and that included the precious space the tree was taking up. Remmy was grateful it was there though. At least it could provide a little shade and some nutrients. Nevertheless, the three weren't going to be able to survive on coconuts alone and there was nothing available to turn into a makeshift spear. Of course, that was assuming there were any fish nearby to stab at. The water was eerily still. The tide barely moved at their feet.

"How much time?" both Wade and Rembrandt asked. Quinn didn't seem to hear them at first. He was still taking in the landscape. His face was a combination of apprehension and confusion. Quinn began to step forward.

"No!" both of his friends yelled, holding him back from moving.

"What?" he asked.

"Man, I know you've done some freaky stuff but even you can't walk on water," Remmy scolded.

"You mean air, right?" Wade said.

Rembrandt gave her a funny look. "Why do you say that?"

"Well, we are standing on a mesa some thousand feet over oblivion!" she practically screamed.

"Mesa? Girl, we're on an island in the middle of the ocean! I know it's a lot of blue, but I think it's a little early to be seeing mirages…."

"Remmy, that's not water. That's air. I think I can tell the difference," She charged back.

"And I can't?"

"Quinn, what do you see?" Wade asked. Rembrandt also turned to him for vindication.

Quinn shook his head. "That's just it. I don't see anything at all." To Quinn, the entire world had become a colorless mist in which only he, Wade, and Rembrandt resided.

***

Arturo remained in a heap on the floor of these shallow woods, his eyes still riveted on the spot where the vortex had once been. It was gone and he was still here. His hands groped at his jacket pockets in a vain search for the timer that he knew to be with Quinn. He knew there'd be no pursuing his friends, yet he still could not look away.

He had missed the slide.

He was now alone.

And he despaired.

For a long while, he sat there cursing fate, fortune, the gods, and anything else that came to mind. Why was his lot always to be left behind? He let out a howl of anguish and pounded the ground with his fists.

The moment passed and he was now very embarrassed.

Arturo took a deep breath and gathered himself up. The logician in him once again assumed control. Lying around in the woods wasn't going to bring Quinn and the others back to him, nor would it get him back to them. He knew that the boy would do whatever it took to find a way back and rescue him. It would only be fitting he make the same attempt here.

But where to start? The task was all too daunting. The military technology on this world was far behind. Did that hamper their other technologies as well? Even if the means to create a new timer were there, how on earth would he build it? Even Quinn hadn't been completely sure just how he had succeeded in building the bridge. It was an accident. Furthermore, even if he managed to recreate the experiment, it would still require volumes of new research into everything on the subject in order to chase his friends throughout the multiverse.

Perhaps it would be best to just wait and hope they came back.

"Nonsense," he muttered to himself. He shook the dried leaves from his pant legs and righted himself. The long road ahead would not intimidate Maximillian Arturo. If he had to spend this time trapped in purgatory, he would not do it idly.
***

"You choose Purgatory after all?" misswells asked. "But…but…why did you open the segment with the Squirrel Nut Zippers' "Hell"?"

"It's a great song!"

misswells smacked R317 upside the head. "What am I going to do with the world you left the other three on? How can all three be seeing a different world simultaneously?!"

"Purgatory is many things to many people," SL4ever cryptically noted before leaving to practice with his band.

"Hey, I think there's something wrong with your Oz-idote," ThomasMalthus said. "I seem to remember the people in here having, well, a lot less hair."

"Heh heh, well that's all the time I have here. See you next Story Game!" he declared before bolting out the door.

R317

The day dawned bright and fair in the Story Cave. The Story Gamers woke to the sound of heavy things being pushed around and humming.
When they opened their eyes, it was to a completely different Story Cave.
Last night, the Cave had been normal - a little dark and small, maybe, with rocky walls, but it was cave ... and there was the bar, and some kind of entertainment center (as a side note, wouldn’t our Cave be kind of like Purgatory, then? I’m never sure if what I see is the same as what everyone else sees. Like, we have wings?).
This morning, however, the walls were smooth and a kind of - metallic white, almost like opals. The morning sun streaming in through the cave entrance, which was somehow much bigger, bounced off the walls and hurt the still-groggy Story Gamers’ eyes.
“What the - ” HurriKain spluttered.
misswells turned around. She had been amazingly pushing a LARGE entertainment center, all black, with a humongous TV and accessories, into the place of the old one. She grinned. “Good morning everyone! What do you think? I spent all night working on it. I’m not quite done, though. You’ll have to forgive the mess. As soon as you guys get off the couches, I’ll be able to move the new ones over there, and - ”
SL4ever cut her off. “Hey, hey, slow down.” But then he seemed at a loss for words. “Umm ... what are you doing?”
“Redecorating. Like I said, the place needed some sprucing up.” She shoved the TV and stuff into place, dusted off her hands, wiped her forehead, and started for the cave entrance.
“Hey, wait! Where are you going?” HK jumped off the couch.
“To get the couches. That is, if you guys are all done sleeping?”
Most SG’s seemed to be too bewildered to nod, but misswells just shrugged and left.
Everyone sorta just stared at each other, until she got back, shoving a couple of couches that were stacked on top of each other, with ease.
TM jumped up also. “Ummm, do you - need help .... ?”
misswells smiled at TM and said, “Thanks, but I’ve got it.” The befuddled SG Cave dwellers watched as misswells performed amazing feats of strength in lifting couches, rearranging the huge black leather furniture, and then pushing the old ones out the door. Finally, misswells sank down onto one of the new black leather couches and sighed. “Whew, I need a breather. I’ve been planning this out for days, and last night everything came in, so I just went to work. I think it really makes the Cave look - ”
“Umm, misswells? I mean, the Cave looks great and all, but, the story ... ? Have you finished your part?”
misswells looked at HK. “Of course I finished it. It’s on the desk.”
Still bewildered, HK picked up the finished document from the Story Desk. He skimmed through it, then turned to the others, and shrugged. “Well, it is finished.”
The other gamers crowded around HK to see what misswells had written:

===========================================================

Quinn had given it a lot of thought. “Wade, you are most afraid of heights. You’ve been spending the entire time with your eyes closed, not looking at the edge, and the empty sky, right?”
Wade nodded slowly. “I hate heights. I don’t like falling.”
“And Remmy, you’re afraid of being lost at sea, I guess, and all the things that come with it; sunstroke, starvation. Right?”
“You got that right, Q-ball.”
Wade looked at Quinn. “What are you afraid of, Quinn?”
“Do you remember the world we landed on where my double had basically wiped out the entire earth. Sent all the people Sliding? That’s the closest I’ve ever seen it, until now.” He sighed. “Nothingness. Loneliness. This isn’t truly hell, or I wouldn’t see you two, either.” He shook his head quickly, as if to banish some thought and then said, “Anyway, what I’ve been thinking is this: the mind is a very powerful thing. Could you two try to - persuade yourselves - that you are mortally afraid of something else? Anything. Try to understand what makes that something else terrifying, and tell yourself that you are afraid of it. As a kind of - experiment.”
Wade and Remmy glanced at each other, but decided to give it a shot. What else did they have to do?
As Wade began to close her eyes, Quinn said, “And remember, whatever you see, just remind yourself that it’s not real.”

Wade closed her eyes and began to think of something. Thunderstorms. That would do. And she could see being afraid of a thunderstorm way up here, where maybe the lightning would strike her and the thunder deafen her and shake her off the top of this and no cover from the rain. Thunder was loud and ferocious and terrifying and -
And it had started to rain. Rain? The sky had been clear blue half a minute ago. Where had the rain clouds come from?
“Guys? Now what? Do you still want me to think about thunderstorms, Quinn?” she shouted into the howling wind. She had forgotten about the wind. That would surely blow her off the mesa.
Suddenly, there was a clap of thunder, right above them. It was eerie, as of the storm had just started this minute, born of nothing, of thought, maybe.
“I don’t know, Wade, what do you see? And hear?”
“Rain and thunder and this horrible wind.” It occurred to her that Quinn was not shouting, but she could hear him perfectly. What was going on?
Then she remembered what he’d said. ‘Remind yourself that it’s not real.’ It felt real. But - but the storm had started with nothing to start it, and she could hear Quinn talking normally, even through the thunder. She willed herself to forget the storm.
And suddenly, it stopped.

Remmy heard Wade laugh. He had no idea why she was laughing. He felt like screaming. He couldn’t understand it. He wasn’t afraid of spiders. Not normally. But normally, spiders don’t crawl out of the ocean as if they belonged there. He tried to think if maybe there was some strange breed of spider that lived in the water. He shook his head. Snakes maybe. But not spiders.
What a freaky place this was. First, they all start seeing different things, and now -
Then a light bulb clicked on in his head. And he understood why Wade had laughed. Then he realized that before she had laughed she had said something. She’d asked Quinn if she had to keep thinking about thunderstorms. So he stopped thinking about the spiders. Fairly forced them out of his mind. And the spiders crawled backwards into the water, and he realized this time what he hadn‘t noticed before, without a ripple.
“Quinn, what is this place? Did I make the spiders appear?”
“Yes. Did you make them disappear, too?”
Remmy nodded. “Sure did. This place is insane, man.”
Quinn shook his head. “No, not insane. But it’s somehow based on us, on our thoughts and perceptions, and not on reality as we know it. It’s a new kind of reality, that’s all.”
“But what can we do about it?” Wade pleaded. Whatever momentary elation she’d felt when she had finally understood this place was gone, and now she was just plain worried.
Quinn stood. His senses still rebelled in him, how could he be sitting, there was nothing to sit on. For that matter, why was he able to stand? There was no gravity, and no solidarity for him to push against to bring him to a standing position. But he knew that what he saw was not all there was. “Close your eyes if you like, but I’m going to walk.”
He heard Wade gasp, but he focused all his attention on walking. For him it wasn’t so bad, but he figured Remmy and Wade’s senses were rebelling like his had been, watching him walk on air and water.

Quinn was right. Wade knew that he was going to be fine, but still, as he had walked off the edge of the mesa, it was all she could do to stop herself from running at him and pulling him back.

Remmy shook his head in wonder. “That is the freakiest thing I’ve ever seen,” he said, watching Quinn walk on water. "Alright, I’ve got to try it."

Wade bit her lip as she watched Remmy near the edge. But she watched his face the whole time, and noticed that it wasn’t until he was about fifty feet over the edge that apprehension began to dawn. So his island had been bigger than her mesa. Figures. Finally, she sighed. She didn’t want to be left behind.
So she took a deep breath, and stepped off the mesa.
She did not fall some thousand feet into oblivion, and she did not feel wet. In fact, the air beneath her feet felt very solid. When she closed her eyes, she almost picture herself in some park or something. She opened her eyes again, and careful not to look at her feet, almost ran after her two friends.

===========================================================

When they looked up from the story, they found that misswells had finished putting finishing touches around the Cave.
HK sighed and sat down to write his segment.
SL4ever looked around at the new Story Cave. “You know, guys, it doesn’t look much like a Cave anymore.”

mw :)
http://fin-chan.tripod.com

One there, he picked up the pen...

---

After an hour of hiking, Arturo finally made it back into town, but this time with sunken spirits. Not much has change since the group left: the local market was still having a sale of 4 loaves of bread for $1 alond with 2 sacks of potatoes the same price, local teenagers speeding home in bicycles after a long day of learning, and 2 elderly workers tending to the beautiful garden in Jonah Park. Usually, such visuals of a utopia would brighten the professor, but all that dwelled in his mind was a closing vortex. During the long hike and walk back towards the Noran Inn, he tried to find ways to rectify his situation. His forehead was developing permanent creases due to his deep thinking, and it hurt even more so when he always came up short. Through the direness of his situation, he refused to give up. He would not allow himself to be defeated. Too much pride. He also knew that the odd of his friends returning to get him was astronomical. It was a small chance in hell if his companions can even find a previously visited parallel world. Angry, the professor on the ground, utterly disgusted. He sudenly dug in his pocket and found that he only had $150 left of this worlds currency. That would earn him at least 5 nights stay at the inn, and he may also need to work.

As he arrived and entered the inn, the Professor rubbed his temple, apparently trying to sooth the growing pain in his head. "Too much thinking can bring stress", Wade once told him. The thought of Wade's childish smirk brought a brief smile to his face, and made him miss his travelling companions even more so.

"Ah... I didn't expect you back so soon." The clerk said, wearing a big smile.

"Slight change of plans, my good man." he replied.

"Ah... um... where are your friends... the other three people you were with?"

"Uh... I honestly don't know. Hopefully I hear from them soon. But in the meantime, I would like a room."

"Well, the room you had previously is still available. Would you like that?"

"No no... A single will suffice." His heart almost sank when he made that request.

"Okie. How long will you be staying?"

"5 nights."

As the clerk tallied his total, Arturo saw a sign near the stairway. It advertised a newly open position for cook. Nice Pay. Free Room and Board. Definetly something for Arturo to get by.

"Uh.. excuse me, my good man."

"Yes?" the clerk looked up as he prepared the reciept.

"Who should I see about the Cook position?"

"Uh... that would be Linda, the manager. She's currently unavaible but she should be free in about 2 hours."

"Yes... yes. Would you give me a call the minute she gets in?"

"Certainly, sir."

Arturo paid the man $100 and grabbed his room key. Given that the nearest university is 120 miles away, this foray into the work force will have to do. Even if his friends won't be back, he can still manage to support himself in this world. Though... the last thought made him shiver.

--

HK: There! Oh... almost forgot...

<hands misswells a folded piece of paper>

misswells: What's this?

HK: A list of violations you performed as well as a "cease and desist" order from the Story Game Committee. This new makeover was part of the reason I was late, they nearly tore my head off.

Suddenly, a bunch of moving men walked inside and removed the white backgrounds along with replacing the furniture and bar.

misswells: Hey! I worked hard on that!!

HK: You should have settled with the powers that be. Or asked me first.

TM: Hey! I was mixing that!

SL4ever: Hey, I was sleeping on that!!

MisingSliderRyan: Hey, I was hiding in that!!

HK: There you are!

MSR: Dammit!

MSR took Torch and went into the writing room. Sitting down at the table, she began to write…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A thick fog descended upon the wandering trio, disorienting them and separating them from each other.

“Quinn! Wade! Where are you?” cried Remmy into the foreboding white swirls. “This isn’t funny! Aw, come on! The joke’s over! This is NOT happening!” Remmy heard his stomach grumbling. “Man, the Professor. Hope you’re doing okay.”

“Cryin’ Man? What a ridiculous name,” came from Remmy’s right side.

Remmy spun in the direction of the voice, but saw no one. “Hey, it’s what I do best. Who are you?” He smiled nervously, feeling the coldness on his newly grown back mustache.

“You know who I am, Rembrandt.”

“Sorry, man. I don’t. I’m looking for my friends. Have you seen them?” He opened his hands, raised them up and showed that they were empty. “Look, I’m just looking for them.”

“Friends? You called those that you left, friends too, but where are they now?”

“What are you talking about? Man, this isn’t getting me anywhere. I’m leaving now. Thanks a lot,” he replied sarcastically as he walked off.

“He told you in confidence. Only you. What did you do? You left them.”

“Hey! That’s not what happened! We didn’t have time. It was the right thing to do.”

“Sure if that’s what you’ve told yourself. A lie that you know believe is the truth. You keep telling yourself that, Rembrandt. Now, they’re stuck on that world. Live with the consequences of your decision.”

“I had to make sure! He could have been lying. I wouldn’t risk their lives. I didn’t have a choice. They’re loved on that world! They’ll survive without me!”

Silence answered him.

~*~*~

“Remmy! Wade!” screamed a desperate Quinn as he ran pell mell through the clouds. The burden was his and now he couldn’t find the others. He stopped, exhausted from anger and worry. Bending over and placing his hands on his knees, he took deep breaths. *This is getting ridiculous. One minute we were together and now they disappeared.*

Taking out the timer, Quinn gasped as he saw the timer counting up. “We missed the window?” He shook it a couple of times to be sure. “REMMY! WADE!”

“What’s the matter, my boy?” echoed around Quinn.

Startled, Quinn shoved the timer back into his pocket. “Who’s there? Where are my friends?”

The disembodied voice replied, “Please, you know who it is. You’re a genius. Think.”

“I’m tired of these games! Tell me where they are! We need to go back and find another one,” retorted Quinn.

“First, Quinn, you have to face the truth.”

“Truth! How do you know my name? I don’t have time for this.” Quinn picked a direction and started walking, pulling his collar of his jacket closer to his neck.

“They’re going to find out sooner or later.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Quinn, you know exactly what I’m talking about. You’ve been lying all along.”

Quinn stiffened, stopping in his tracks. “I had to do it! There was no other way. I made a promise!”

“Promises can be broken, lies… well… there are consequences.”

“Don’t you think I know that! Don’t you know that I’ve been carrying that burden with me all this time! This is the only way.”

“So be it. It will only be a matter of time. They will all know about…”

“No, they won’t! They don’t know the words! They will never know.”

Silence answered him as Quinn heard the song running in his mind.

~*~*~

Wade nervously wandered over the terrain, waiting for someone to answer her calls. “Quinn! Remmy! Stop screwing around!” Wade pulled her jacket closer around her as she felt the air grow colder. “Get a grip Wade. They can’t be far. I know they can’t be far. It’s all in your mind.”

“My, my, little girl, how far you have come,” boomed a voice from all around Wade.

Wade jumped out of her skin. “Ahhhhhhhhh.” She looked around wildly, trying to pinpoint the location of the voice.

The voice decreased in loudness. “So Wade, what do you seek?”

A chill gripped the back of her neck. “How do you know my name? I seek my friends! Tell me where they are!”

“Does it matter how I know you’re name, my dear girl?”

“Don’t call me a girl! Where are my friends? This isn’t funny. Show yourself.”

“They are close in finding out the truth, Wade. Are you prepared for that eventuality?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The chill moved down her spine.

The voice replied from Wade’s left side, “The truth. Are you scared of it? Of course you are. You’ve deluded yourself for so long, you think it’s the truth. But we know both know the truth.”

“Stop talking in riddles! I want to find my friends!”

“Come on, Wade. You were always a proponent for the truth… when it came to everyone else. Lying has become so easy for you.”

“HOW DARE YOU! I did what I had to do to survive!”

“Tell yourself that if it makes you feel better.”

“Don’t you think I think about it every second of the day? That it haunts me in my nightmares and I can’t tell them that! How it eats me inside knowing the evil I did.”

“The truth will set you free but that’s not true in your case, is it, Wade?”

Tears started running down her cheeks. “I did what I had to do. Don’t do this to me, please. Please. Don’t do…”

“Wade, how many have told you the same thing and you ignored their pleas? You made a bargain.”

Her throat tightened causing her to gasp out, “It’s done.” The memories began to overwhelm her as she sank to the ground, unable to carry the weight of the past.

“They found you and you told them a horrific lie to cover up your bargain. How many lives Wade? How many worlds? You were their speaker. Now speak the truth, free yourself from this burden and suffer the consequences.”

Wade pulled her feet to her chest and began rocking back and forth, sobbing as she relived the horror on the faces of the dead. Their voices howling and condemning her for her betrayal, pleading for their lives, taunting her sanity, burdening her with guilt.

Raucous laughter filled the air.

~*~*~

Arturo was sitting impatiently outside in the hallway, having finished his survey of Impressionist Native American lithographs on the hallway walls for the tenth time. Richly decorated Roman gods and goddesses partaking of sweet ambrosia and a sumptuous feast adorned the manager’s doorway. The striking differences in design made for a bizarre juxtaposition of colors with the garish Roman colors and the mute subtle brown tones found in the lithographs. The small corner cherry table beside the chair was more neutral in design to which Arturo focused upon for the last five minutes.

“Good Lord, woman. I’ve been waiting here for more than thirty minutes now. Will you get off that phone?”

He rearranged his tie once again and checked the time. “Two hours he said. Might as well be tomorrow. This is getting out of hand. In my day, you wouldn’t…”

o/` Somewhere out there
Beneath the pale moonlight
Someone's thinking of me
And loving me tonight o/`

Arturo was entranced by the voice and began to sing the next part, spurred on by a deeply buried memory.

o/`Somewhere out there
Someone's saying a prayer
That we'll find one another
In that big somewhere out there

And even though I know how… o/`

The door opened, surprising him. A young woman’s head poked out, “Were you singing that?”

Arturo smiled as he stood up. “Yes, madam. I was. Does it please you?”

She smiled. “Yes, sir, it does.” She turned her head toward the receptionist. “Hold all my calls. Tell them I have another meeting or something.”

“Yes, ma’am,” answered the woman as she became a flurry of movement, doing as she was ordered.

As she came out of her office, Arturo took a deep breath in awe of her beauty. Her red pants suit accented by her yellow scarf were the perfect combination on her.

“The name’s Linda…”

Arturo immediately took her right hand and kissed it gently. “Pleasure to meet you. Maximillian Arturo at your service.”

Linda was momentarily speechless at his gesture and hoped that she wasn’t blushing too much. “Thank you kind sir. How can I help you?”

Arturo released her hand, afraid and exhilarated by her touch. “I wish to apply for the position for Cook, madam. Is it still available?”

She found it hard to think straight as she looked into his eyes. “Yes it is. Are you available tonight? I’ve closed the dining room so that I can sample your… er I mean all the applicants’ gastronomical delights.”

His eyes lit up more. “What time, madam?”

“How about six?”

“Very well. Six it is. How do you want me dress?”

Linda just stared at him. *Linda, he’s charming. He’s everything you’ve ever wanted.*

Arturo coughed, breaking the spell.

“I’m sorry. I have so much on my mind. What you have on is fine.”

“Thank you madam. I will take my leave. Till we see each other again. Good bye” Arturo bowed in respect. He turned on his heel with a spring in step, imagining the good time they would have with each other.

* ‘God created all parallel worlds and allowed Sliding to be possible as one more test of faith…’ My dear boy, you could be correct. I’ve got a second chance.*

When he was out of sight, Linda began to sing again.

o/`Somewhere out there
If love can see us through
Then we'll be together
Somewhere out there
Out where dreams come true o/`

Linda opened her door and went to her desk, touching the top of her nameplate. She picked it up and sighed. “I should have changed my name a long time ago. Linda’s a lot better than Logan.” She replaced it back on her desk and daydreamed about the future.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

MSR wandered out of the room with a smile on her face.

“Oh, this is bad,” remarked Sarah as she walked by.

MSR sat back in front of the monitor and typed in her password once again.

You have just entered room "Negotiate This.”

CajunGrill: WHOOOHOOOOO BAGK

PoeticChick: *blows smoke from gun*

RiverMan: Girl, you ROCK!

Pies4Me: WB. We ran the session after waiting 2 hours for you.

PurpleWonder: Miss Welles, we owe it all to you.

TimerGenius: Thanks guys! Group Hug!

Pies4ME: Anyone going to help Logan from bleeding to death?

CajunGrill: WHAT? WHAT HAPPENED! NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

PurpleWonder: *Hugs*

PoeticChick: HUGS BACK

RiverMan: Hugging and Crying for joy!

Pies4Me: Logan’s gun backfired and she fell backwards off the balcony. She lost 5 HPs from the fall. Three minutes have gone by where you lost a total of 9 HPs.

CajunGrill: I had 20 HPs!

Pies4Me: No, you had 17 HPs because you decided not to bandage that leg wound. Another minute has passed. You’re dead Logan. Time to say bye bye.

CajunGrill: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

PurpleWonder: Good riddance to bad rubbish.

RiverMan: Bye bye colorblind gun toting uh… YOU NEVER SAW ME SLIDE!

PoeticChick: Told you Logan to let me help you.

TimerGenius: I got the last laugh! BWAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA

CajunGrill has left the room.

Pies4Me: Man, I told you to wait for her.

RiverMan: Hey, it was her turn to write for the storygame.

PoeticChick: She’s addicted to the RPGing.

TimerGenius: You think she’ll find out?

Pies4Me: Not from me!

RiverMan: Or me!

PoeticChick: I don’t think AIM lets you know who warned you anonymously.

Pies4Me: Looks like she never checked her warning level. ROFL

RiverMan: Hehehehehehehe

TimerGenius: BWAHAHAAHAHAHAHAH

PoeticChick: Heh

MSR

Sarah: Oh, yeah…

-----

Rembrant Brown swung his arms around in the fog, trying at least to contact with something. Anyone. The more he thought about it, the more worried he became. What if they were all dead and this was really it? For the rest of eternity? He didn’t think he’d be able to hack that for very long. And the disembodied voice concerned him just as much.

Eventually his arms hit something. A brick wall? He felt out in front of him properly. The fog had lifted a little, but not more than enough to see a few feet in front of him. Rembrant moved sideways along the wall, hoping to find a door or something, a landmark of some kind.

“Quinn? Wade? Can you hear me?” he called desparately. “It’s getting a little eerie here!”

There was no answer from either of his companions, but a voice did sound from behind him. A different voice this time, one belonging to a woman. “You left me, Rembrandt.”

He spun round quickly, expecting there to be no one there, just like before. But he was wrong. This time there was a body to go with the accusing voice. “M… Maggie,” he stammered. “What are you doing here?”

She put her hands on her hips and started walking back and forth in front of him, as if to taunt him. “You left us there, Remmy. We were supposed to be our friend, but you left us all. How could you do that to us?”

“I had to! If we’d all gone would have died, the Seer told me, he SAW it!”

Maggie threw back her head and laughed. “You can’t lie to me here, Remmy. I know why you went. I know he told you that you’d find Quinn if you went alone…”

“Wha… how?”

She brushed him aside. “… you never even came back for me, Remmy. You know how I felt about Quinn, why didn’t you return?”

“I… I…” The Crying Man was completely stuck. Why hadn’t he gone back? The whole gang was back together again, but what had he done to the others?

As if an extension of his own thoughts, Maggie began to taunt him again. “What did you leave us to, Remmy? You don’t know, do you. We were barely there long enough to find out properly, but that didn’t matter to you, did it? All you wanted was your precious original foursome. We were superfluous.”

“No… you know it wasn’t like that.”

He stopped as he realised something. “You’re not real. You’re part of this whole purgatory thing, right?”

There was no answer from Maggie, she just smiled sweetly and knowingly.

Rembrandt took that as a ‘yes’ and left it at that. “I don’t suppose you’ll help me find a way out, will you?”

There had to be something around here. It couldn’t all be just fog and wall. And ghost people who should be here. Idly he wodered what the professor was doing. Maybe he had the best of it after all!

It seemed like Rembrandt was moving, but he wasn’t. He was definitely proceeding, but Maggie stayed exactly where she was without moving. This was getting weirder and weirder. He had to get out of here, if only to make things right with her again.

As he pondered what he’d do if he could ever get back to the friends he had abandoned, his hand found something that was wooden. He looked up and found a bolted door. At last! A way out of here! He didn’t need to think further, he pulled it open and walked boldly through…

* * *

Wade pushed through the fog, calling all the while, and eventually came to what seemed to be a clearing in the trees. There seemed to be no fog there, but when she turned to look behind her, she couldn’t see more than about a foot, the fog was still there.

She noted how strange it was, and proceeded through the undergrowth. Ahead of her, she could hear some voices, perhaps it was Quinn and Remmy! The brush scratched. this had to be real. Their visions earlier hadn’t hurt them at all.

Emerging from the forest, Wade wasn’t prepared for what she saw.

“So, you came back to us… Breeeedeeeeer,” a Kromagg sneered from beside a fire.

Around him were around thirty beings, half were human, the other half Kromaggs. There were startling differences between them. The Kromaggs were in uniform, but the humans were dressed in rags, battered and bruised. If she looked carefully, Wade though she recognised every single person there.

As she realised this, she took a quick gasp. Without realising, she emulated Remmy’s response at exactly the saem moment. “Wha… how?”

The Kromagg stood up. “You have to face up to your past, Breeder. And Speaker. What you did to all these humans and their worlds.”

“No!” Wade held her head in her hands, not daring to look. “No, no, no! I had to do it!”

One man stood up. “We don’t see it like that.”

“It’s not my fault!” she screamed, “You did it not me!”

And with that she ran back into the forest, crying and finally dropping down behind a bush where no one could see her.

* * *

There was nothing to be seen in the thick fog. Quinn drew his arms around himself in an attempt to keep out the chill wind. He tried to shout for his friends, but the fog seemed to block sound as well as sight.

He walked for what seemed ages, alone in the whiteness. All the time he was walking, he tried to imagine something else, bring anything to the fore of his mind, but it seemed to have no effect, unlike before. Quinn longed for the voice, just to prove he wasn’t lost and alone.

The song was still running in his head, but not out of choice. He tried to block it out, tried singing something else but to no avail. Even though it was inside him, it seemed to get louder and louder, until he could not help but think about what he had done.

As he wandered aimlessly, he fell over a rock. It seemed to be the only other thing in this wretched mist. Sighing, the boy genius sat down on it. There was nothing else do do, and at least he could rest his legs.

Quinn hadn’t been sitting long when the voice returned. But this time it was different. It was his own voice, and there was a speaker, a mirror image of himself.

“I killed him,” the double said, and did a strange little dance.

“What do you mean you killed him cha cha cha?” Quinn exclaimed angrily. “Who are you and who did you kill? Remmy?”

The mirror image laughed. “I didn’t kill anyone,” he said, carefully, crouching down next to Quinn. “You did. I’m you. In here.” He tapped Quinn on the head.

“But I didn’t kill anyone.”

The image stood up again and started circling around where Quinn sat on the rock. “Yes, you did. The professor took the bullet for you, remember? Ergo, your fault. But that wasn’t enough for you, was it.”

“What… what do you mean?” Quinn stammered. “I don’t understand.”

“Yes you do, you know it. You felt so bad about the professor’s death that you found a replacement, didn’t you.” He leaned down to scream the last part into Quinn’s ear.

Quinn cowered. “No! It wasn’t like that!”

“It was and you know it! You hypnotised his double to join you, DIDN’T YOU! Not contend with ruining enough lives already, you stole his! You can’t hide from me, I know everything.”

Despite everything, Quinn started to cry. “Yes, I did it! All I wanted was him back! I’m sorry.”

But when he looked up, his duplicate was gone. Quinn just held his head in his hands in self-pity.

* * *

Feeling lonely, professor Arturo made his way down to the bar. It wasn’t appropriate to have a drink before his interview, but a coffee would not hurt. Or even a good cup of tea if they made a good cup.

The hotel bar was sparsely populated, but the firendly looks on the faces made him feel comfortable anyway. There was a big screen in one corner, showing sport. When the professor looked more closely, he could see it was football, or what these people called ‘soccer.’ He hadn’t seen any of that in years. In his world, Americans had shown little interest in soccer.

“Excuse me sir,” he asked one of the patrons, “but who’s playing? I’ve been out to the loop for a while.”

The young woman had no hesitation in replying. “Chelsea - Arsenal. FA Cup Semi-Final Replay.” She shook her head. “But it’s not going well for poor old Chelsea. It’s nearly over, but they’re two one down. First goal was an unfortunate own goal by John Terry, shame as he’s such a fantastic player, but he’s already redeemed himself by scoring a proper goal. And he’s cute.” A shout from the collective crowd went up on the screen. “It’s all over now, Arsenal are winning 3-1. Don’t you just want to hug poor Joh Terry?”

“Er… not personally,” the professor muttered under his breath. Then, feeling he should add something to end the conversation he said, “Well, there’ll be other years.”

He left the man bemoaning the loss, and accepted his coffee from the waitress. Suddenly, there was a sharp pain in his head. He put his hand up immediately, but it was gone almost as soon as it appeared. Noticing the waitress was watching him, concerned, he said, “It’s okay, just a slight headache.” When she tried to offer him soemthing for it, the professor replied, “Don’t worry about it ma’am, I’ll be fine.”

But he wasn’t sure he would be fine. That one jabbing pain appeared to have done something in his head. It was all jumbled. Quinn… he could rememrber Quinn singing something to him. That song… it wasn’t very clear in his head. Wade and Rembrant… he suddenly barely remembered them. What was going on?

-----

Recall: Can you tell us what’s going on now?

Sarah <pouts>: I’m not talking to you. You beat us. And you’re better than us (it was you, right?)

SL4ever: Okay, can you tell us what’s happening now?

Sarah: Nope, you have to wait and see. Oh, unless you’re Anix…

HurriKain: Er… he might be not coming.

Sarah: Oh. In that case, if it’s not Anix, then… <consults sheet>… TM!

TM: Oh darn… erm… I’ll just go by some drinks!

Sarah: Well, whoever it is, if you get confused, call me! (on slider_sarah@hotmail.com)

MSR: (rolls her eyes) That goes without saying.

**********************************************

Quinn Mallory was only partially surprised to find himself in a three-piece suit walking into a ritzy hotel filled mostly with Asian people. After the last few minutes, anything was possible. This could be a mirage, a hallucination or just some kind of bubble world manifestation of his subconscious fears. But whatever it was, it was really starting to tick him off.

Quinn started to leave...until he tried to step out the door and his foot didn't have anywhere to go but down. He managed to grab the sides of the doorway and pull himself back inside. Once in a position of safety, he saw that there was nothing outside but ocean. "This just gets weirder," he grumbled to himself.

Straightening his tie for a reason unknown even to him, he strolled back inside as casually as possible. The place had a retro feel, sort of like the 1920s or 30s. As he checked himself out in a nearby mirror, he noticed he had a wide brim hat with a feather on. He didn't care much for the look so he deposited it on a nearby hat rack. When he returned to the mirror, however, the hat was back on his head. He turned back to the rack. The hat was still there. Quinn placed his new one there as well, but once again the mirror said it was still in place.

'Great,' Quinn groused mentally. 'It's Bartholomew Cubbins world. This is just too weird.' Deciding to keep this hat in his ensemble he walked to the bar and sat down. "Give me a drink, barkeep. Whatever the house special is, just as long as it's nothing fruity." He looked around at the walls with their vivid recoco style. "What is this place anyway?"

"We like to call ourselves One Night in Bangkok, ma'am," the smiling Filipino bartender told Wade.

"Why's that?" Wade asked disinterestedly.

"Because you can only spend one night here and it's in Bangkok," he answered earnestly. "The guy who built it couldn't speak much English, so..."

Wade downed her mai tai quickly and stood up. "Put it on my tab?" She wasn't sure she had a tab, but she was willing to bet that this place was weird enough for the comment to make sense. Luckily for her, it was. The bartender nodded and she soon found her way to the dining room.

"Glitzy," Wade assessed as she walked in. She sat down at a table, unfolded her napkin and waited for someone to serve her. Nobody came. "Hm," Wade complained curtly. She rose, found her way to some sort of a buffet table and served herself some truly weird looking food. There were some sort of reptile's legs and something else labeled ant thoraxes. She hoped it was a figurative name as she piled some onto her plate.

Wade walked over to another table to pour herself something to drink. While there, a man called out to her from behind another table. "Would you like some steak?" He then got an apologetic look on his face. "Oh my. You're not a vegetarian, are you?"

"No, sir," Rembrandt answered the man with vigor as he hastily accepted a piece of prime sirloin. "Thank you. Time for a real meal. None of this insect crap." He sat down and dug in quickly. After finishing his dinner (or was it lunch?), he couldn't honestly remember how he'd come to be here. Wasn't he just sitting at the bar a few moments ago?

Standing up to investigate this place further, and pushing his chair back in like any good gentleman should, Remmy started walking around the lobby. As he looked out the window, he saw a large ship steaming away. Picking up a conveniently placed pair of binoculars, he held them up to his eyes. "The SS Timer. Huh, that's weird." As he lowered them, he saw a pretty young woman standing behind him. "Wade?"

The woman, who was clearly not Wade, giggled. "I'd rather go swimming, actually. I'm not the wader type." She looked him over approvingly. "Well, come on. I'm not going to wait all day."

"Madam, I'm afraid you've misread my intentions," Professor Arturo explained to her. "I merely mistook you for an old friend. I do apologize."

She wasn't dissuaded. "You're shy. I like that. Bet I can cure you of that really quickly."

"I'm busy...doing something, right now," Arturo stammered. "Perhaps later, hm?" The Professor walked back to the front desk and got a good look at the sign over it for the first time. "One Night in Bangkok? Wasn't this an American hotel?"

"Who cares, pal," somebody walking by told him. "It's a parallel world! Go with it!"

Arturo's face twisted in a grimace. "How incredibly odd."

*************************************************

TM: (in a really bad Mexican accent) Proofreaders? We don't need no steenking proofreaders.

Recall: Um, are you sure about that, TM? Because there are some pretty blatant errors...

TM: Bah! TM smash! <ThomasMalthus does his Incredible HK impression and splinters his writing desk to, well, splinters.>

Blinker: You DO remember you're handling the furniture bill for this story, don't you?

TM: D'oh! Erm, I mean, put it on my tab?

The bartender nodded and he soon found his way out of the story cave.

TM: Excellent!

sliderules: Hey, wait a minute! You're the bartender!

ThomasMalthus

Wade wandered into the hotel lounge, and was --

HK: What? No skit?

Robin: The last few weeks have been crazy. You're lucky you're getting a seg within a reasonable amount of time.

HK: You call that reasonable?

Robin: :-P

<SL4ever runs through as per his contract.>

Wade wandered into the hotel lounge, and was overjoyed to see Quinn and Rembrandt each entering the room looking as confused as she felt. She called their names as she ran to Quinn and hugged him - he felt real. Remmy came up and touched both of them, then himself, to be assured no one was a figment of imagination. Without speaking, they looked at each other, and read in their expressions the pain each had suffered during their separation. Each was curious about the others’ experiences, but all three made silent promises not to reveal how they’d been convicted by their own conscience.

Suddenly, the room faded away and the three sliders each found themselves in an invisible prison. Remmy was wryly reminded of a mime’s box as he realized he was separated from his friends by seemingly solid air.

“What’s going on?!” Wade cried, as she thrust her fist against the imprisoning air in front of her. Neither Quinn nor Remmy could give her an answer. The words and people that had been haunting them in their solitude danced through their minds once again.

Then Quinn made the connection. They were imprisoned by their secrets. Confess, repent, and they’d be free. That’s why they’d been brought to this purgatory. That’s why the Professor had been left behind - he’d been hypnotized and brought along by Quinn, he had no secret. But Quinn… he carried that sin with him. He would have bet that Remmy and Wade carried skeletons in their closets as well. But could they bring themselves to admit it? They’d be free, but freed to what? What would they think of each other? Could they bare their souls, trusting the others not to judge their crimes?

~Robin

sliderules: AHHHHHH!!!
---------------------------

Quinn knew he had to tell the others his secret. Quinn knew he had to hear theirs. The only question was how the hell would he do it? These people are his only companions on the lonely road that is the multiverse. Would they ever trust him again if he revealed the lengths he went through to make their group a foursome again? Would they still look at him for answers if they knew how twisted, how downright wrong, he had become? And, most of all, would he be able to live with himself for ruining this reunion that each of them wanted so badly?

He had to.

He couldn't, could he?

He had to.

Quinn walked over to the front of the invisible prison, which faced both Rembrandt and Wade's cells. Although he appeared to be surrounded all the way around by this force field, he knew they would hear them. So, with one loud burst, Quinn Mallory risked it all to get out of the in-between.

"Guys, I have something I need to tell you. You won't like it, but it's something you need to know."

"Do you really think now is the time to start giving us your life story Quinn? How do we get out of here??" Wade responded in desperation.

She hated being trapped, and this invisible prison reminded her too much of her past in the Kromagg prisons. White walls, no human contact, and worst of all, the invisible force field. It looked like all you had to do was walk out, and you could end up on your merry way. It's the worst possible min-game anyone could play with a human, and the Kromaggs had done it. It was just another reason to hate them. Now her captors were not Kromagg, not human, but some other force. And all that Quinn had to get them out of here was a secret? Had he given up on them after all this time?

"I have to Wade. I think that's what this prison is made of. It's made of our secrets. The wrongs we've done in the past that none of us would ever reveal. That's what will save us Wade; the truth, and nothing but it."
-----------------------

Meanwhile, a world away, Professor Maximillian Arturo was quite confused. He seemed to remember being with three companions, all of which he had known for some time now. Yet, Maximillian could not remember their names for the life of him. It was insane! Ward? Ronald? Quill? No, none of those were it.

"To think, a physics professor at Cal Tech for years, and I suddenly cannot explain my memories. Why, I'm not even sure if I'm a professor anymore! What the hell is wrong with me??"

"I think I might be of service to you," a man in a brown hood said suddenly, approaching Arturo from the back of the bar.

"And why would you say that? I haven't the bloodiest idea what I'm even doing here anymore, and I'm pretty damn sure it wasn't the beer here. So how could you possibly help me?"

"...because, old man, helping lost sliders is my field. My name is Andrew Arturo, and I am your son."
--------------------------

Rembrandt Brown was afraid of this. He had many secrets, all of which he felt were too personal to be told. The lies. The half-truths. The betrayal. He'd done it all in the past three years. Ever since he joined this band of sliders he's done nothing but lie. He lied to get in the fold. He lied to leave others behind. And, worst of all, he lied to himself about his friends. He never had a mustache. These sliders were never his. And he never told a soul. Could he now, to save the people he now slid with?

He took a deep breath, gulped down hard, and looked at Quinn as he was about to tell the truth, like Rembrandt should have.

"Wade, Rembrandt, I did something to get us all back together. The Arturo you've been sliding with since we made it back together isn't ours. What I told you about him being from Azure Bride World was a lie. He's not ours, and never was ours. I hypnotized a double, guys.

“Oh, Quinn. No…” Wade responded, more shocked than she ever had been before.

Both Rembrandt and Wade were shocked by this development, but Wade was obviously more than just shocked. The Professor had been a father figure to her as much as he had been to Quinn. His return was the greatest happiness she had felt since Last Days world, where Quinn and her shared passion for the first, and last, time. Now, she looked at Quinn and was not sure how to feel about him. Was this sweet, or was it was twisted as it appeared to be? Sweet, who was she kidding, it was crazy! All doubles were real, and lived real lives. So, finally, all Wade could do was cry. She spoke no words, but her tears spoke volumes. Could she ever trust Quinn again?

The look on her face angered Quinn. He was angry at himself, and at this force that was keeping them here. If not for him, this truth would have stayed hidden, and life would have gone on.

“I HYPNOTIZED A DOUBLE! THERE, HAPPY NOW? THE TRUTH IS OUT!!! HAPPY NOW??????????" Quinn shrieked, with tears streaming down his face.

And, with this, Quinn's door opened.
---------------------------

HK: Excellent job, sliderules mi amigo! EPPA, ONDELAY, ARRIBA!!!

sliderules: Has he been drinking the special punch again?

All: YAHUH!

----------------------------

sliderules
"Truth: Red, White, and Black"

"Bollocks," Sarah snarled.

/|\/|\/|\-=-=-=-=-=/|\/|\/|\

Quinn turned to his remaining friends, "You may not like it, but at least I'm free."

"He's got a point," Rembrandt turned his anguished eyes on Wade. "I'm not yours. The Seer told me I'd find Quinn if I slid alone."

"What do you mean you aren't our Rembrandt," more tears slid down Wade's cheeks.

Turning and agonized look on Quinn, Rembrandt finished, "I never had a mustache. I was in the Navy. I lied to have a chance to travel with the three of you again. Quinn, I guess that makes us equals." The barrier dropped.

Quinn and Rembrandt embraced in that manly, friend way.

=-=-=-=-=

"What do you mean you help lost sliders?" Arturo turned a puzzled look on the man claiming to be his son.

"Do you want to remember?" Andrew asked.

Images flashed through Arturo's mind. Different versions of the same moment kalideoscoped--shattering, reforming. Choosing to slide, choosing not to slide. His wife's gravestone--again and again.

"Do you?" Andrew repeated.

"Who am I?" Arturo dazedly asked.

Andrew touched Arturo's hand and everything changed.

=-=-=-=-=

Rembrandt and Quinn watched helplessly as Wade lay curled in a fetal position at the bottom of her chamber. Neither man could quite make out what she kept moaning. They knew it had to have meaning, but they didn't know what. She seemed to be locked in her own world. It was as if neither man existed.

For Wade, they didn't. No one did. She was locked in a prison far more effective than Purgatory. "Stand up," Wade demanded.

"No," Wade rocked back and forth.

"You made choices. Sure you screwed people over who trusted you. You had to survive," Wade's foot tapped in annoyance.

"They trusted me," Wade's forehead rested on her knees.

Wade rolled her eyes, "Yeah. They also knew the risks."

"I betrayed them," Wade whispered; by now her knees were soaked. "I was too weak."

"Bullshi--" Wade snarled.

"Now, now," Wade floated serenly in a lotus position. "I agreed to this only on the promise you stay calm."

Wade turned quickly, "I am calm. Cursing doesn't mean I'm not bloody calm."

"Hmmm," Wade floated.

"Too weak," Wade whimpered.

"If you are so da--," Wade ignored an attempted interuption. "They picked you because you were the strongest. The Kromaggs demanded a volunteer. No one knew what that meant. You tried."

"I stole her life," Wade's voice had taken on a new tenor. With a sniffle, she stood. "They needed a volunteer and I didn't want a child. Not one of their children. You can't understand what it was like," she paused. A deep breath in through her nose, a deep breath out through her nose. Something subtle in her shifted again, "I wasn't just a breeder. I was chosen to be Speaker. I was to represent all the human women. They'd found a way for me to harness my doubles. Or some scientific crap like that," a mirthless smile fleeted across her face. "You look at me and you see a scared little girl whose only moment of happiness was the one time Quinn kissed me.

"You see me as weak, because I play to that. I've become the ultimate chameleon. I've told so many lies," as she spoke she looked a her hands as if seeing them for the first time. "My lies have cost lives. I thought I knew how to save them and how to save myself.

"I knew Rembrandt wasn't the same. He's the Rembrandt I saved. A head in a washing machine. Fishbowl girl. Mistress of illusions. I'm such a good little actress. You didn't know. That's how good I am," a hollow laugh left her.

"I'm not sure I follow all of this," Rembrandt said. One minute Wade was practically catatonic.

The next minute, Wade was a woman he didn't recognize, "Me too." Quinn wasn't sure how he felt at the moment.

"I know you don't understand," Wade now freed from her prison, softly carressed Rembrandt's cheek. "No one should understand this. I can only carry hypocrysy [sp] so far. We don't belond to each other. This body," Wade motioned to herself, "belonged to you. Her time in the camps left her mindless. I stole her body. I didn't have one any more, she wasn't occupying hers." Wade's eyes closed in pain, "I left them all. I knew that my escape meant all the breeders in my quorum would die. I left them anyway."

"I guess we've all made hard choices," A new voice entered the conversation. A familiar voice.

"Professor," Quinn exclaimed in shock. "How?"

"I thought Quinn tricked you," Rembrandt blurted out.

Arturo smiled, "I know that's what Quinn thinks. It's even what I thought for awhile. Until I remembered who I was."

"How come you weren't with us?" Rembrandt queried.

"Quinn said it earlier. I don't have any secrets."

Wade shook her head fiercly, "Why are you here then?"

"To do my job, my dear girl," Arturo slung an affectionate arm around Wade. "If I'd ever been lucky enough to have children, you and Quinn are exactly what I would've ordered."

"I betrayed you," ignoring the tears slipping down his face, Quinn's eyes begged for forgiveness.

"You just wanted your family back," Arturo answered.

Rembrandt looked around, the woods were the same. The root the group had found so troublesome peeked along the pathway. Tree branches quivered in the breeze. Birdsong and squirrel chatter floated through the air. All in all, it presented a pretty little picture. "Why are we back here?"

"We never left," Arturo waved a hand around. "This was my original home. It's not the utopia we imagined it to be."

"This is your world?" Wade kept trying to shake her head clear. "I don't understand."

"Ha," from Rembrandt's direction.

"My world is Purgatory," Arturo looked at each memeber of the group.

"Like that TBT movie?" Rembrandt kept glancing around.

That elicited a belly laugh from Arturo, "No, think Dante or Catholocism."

"Freaky," Quinn snuck a look at the timer. "So you got heaven and we got what?"

"We all gained our freedom," Wade had finally stopped shaking her head.

"You always were the one with common sense," Arturo glanced at Quinn, "when do we slide, m'boy?"

"You still want to slide with us?" Quinn held the timer and looked at each of his companions in turn. "Do you all want to slide?"

"Yeah, Qball. I've got friends to find. I'd like to have my family with me while I look," Rembrandt clapped Quinn on the back.

"It gives me a chance to for redemption," Wade's eyes would never fully lose the guilt or pain that now lay in their depths.

With a nod, Quinn lifted the timer. Twin bolts of lightening flew from the machine as a pinpoint was pierced between the universes. There were still unanswered questions, but they didn't seem to matter as the vortex expanded. Swirling blues and grays, power sparking along its edges, leaves whipping into a frenzy. One by one the members of this found family moved on.

/|\/|\/|\-=-=-=-=-=/|\/|\/|\

"Huh," HK leaned back and his whip of bossitude dropped.

"Worht the wait?" LiquidS pleaded.

"Huh."

"Gee, that's helpful."

[Well, folks. I tried to do it justice. I hope it follows the visions of all who've gone before...]