"I'll go get help." Duncan said, already running.

"Don't move her. Keep her still." Arturo said, moving around to sit next to Wade.

The Professor checked her pulse, and listened to her breath.

"Wade, you can't do this to me. Not now! Not again." Quinn said, crying.

"She's alive. But I'm not sure for how long."

He ran into a nearby store and ran to the counter, "You have to help me. My friend fell off of the bridge."

The man behind the counter picked up the phone and dialed 911. But before he started talking to the operator, he looked at Duncan, "Is she a basic subscriber, or full package?" he asked.

Of course, Mallory had no clue what this man was talking about, so he just picked one and ran with it, "Full package. Hurry, I think she's dying!"

"Yes, this is Dargan Wilber from the Green Tree store. There's a man in here. He says his friend fell off of the main street bridge." There was a pause while he listened to the other end, then, "Uh huh. She's a full package subscriber."

Then he hung up the phone. Duncan looked at him, still moving in place because of the adrenaline… and he looked back, just standing there.

"How long?" Duncan asked urgently.

"Five to seven minutes for full package subscribers, thirty to forty five for basic." Dargan replied.

Duncan just looked at him for another second, wondering what the hell this all meant, then ran out of the store.

"I'm sorry, you can't go in there." the nurse said.

As they watched through the doors, Quinn could see that the doctors were using equipment that was more advanced than anything he'd seen before. One doctor cut Wade open with a scalpel, and there was a sudden flash of red. Another doctor put some type of tube down her throat.

Arturo watched yet another doctor put some sort of lighted object into her cut, and then take it out again… the red was gone.

"Your friend's a full package… Dr. Parkins will do everything she can." the nurse told them.

"She'll be fine…" Quinn told himself.

"We just need you to fill out some forms." the nurse said.

Quinn couldn't pull his eyes off of Wade. Arturo and Duncan both turned to the nurse.

"What kind of forms?" Duncan asked.

The nurse nodded her head in that professional way people always did. "Insurance forms, blood registration, proof of cable, organ donation orders…" she counted off.

Duncan looked at her with a sort of confused look, "Organ donation? I thought you said she would be fine."

"She will, but we saw that your friend has several organs that could be put to use in other patients, and the new O'Donnell Bill makes donation off all unneeded organs mandatory for everyone." the nurse explained.

"Just what organs are you planning on removing, Madam?" the Professor asked.

"I'm not the doctor. But I've seen lungs, kidneys… pretty much whatever you can survive without." the nurse told them.

"And when you plan on doing this?" Duncan asked.

"As soon as she's healed enough, maybe a day or two… look, I'm not a doctor. You'll have to wait for her." the nurse said, "Now I need you to fill out the forms."

"I'll go." Arturo said, walking away with the nurse.

As he walked off, he touched Quinn's shoulder, and gave Duncan a look of comfort. Duncan walked to Quinn and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Look, we're gonna have to get her out of here before the slide. These doctors want to butcher her." Duncan told Quinn.

"We will." Quinn replied.

"Not to mention a pocket full of cash that we never used from about three worlds ago. My friends, we have it made." Mallory said, as he sat on the bed.

"Jinx it, why don't you?" Di said, taking off her shoes.

"Diana, are you picking up any vortex signals? Maybe our vortex caught onto Colin's." Maggie said.

Diana pulled out her PDL, and scanned, "I'm picking up a Kromagg signal, but I can't trace the point of origin." she said, "Look, Maggie, we're not even sure Colin made it out, I'm not too sure it would be smart to try running after every vortex we detect. I mean, there are thousands, if not more, sliders. Many of the ones we've come across weren't exactly nice."

"And it's not like we're on the Kromagg list for most loved group of sliders right now." Mallory said.

"So what are you saying? You want to just sit around, and hope Colin comes to us?" Maggie asked.

"Just calm down. I'm trying to backtrack the vortex to it's last world. If I can do that, we'll know for sure." Di told Maggie.

As Diana worked on her PDL, Remmy turned on the TV. On the screen, a tall man with dark brown hair walked. A long duster hit his legs as he did so. He placed a human heart on a table in front of an insane looking woman with long black hair.

"Angel, it's wonderful." the woman told him.

"I knew you'd like it, Dru. I found it in a quaint little shop girl." the man replied.

"Did anyone else just get the strangest feeling like they know these people?" Remmy asked.

"No. Why?" Mallory asked.

"I'm not sure. I could have sworn I've seen them before." Remmy told him.

"Well, I've seen this show before. 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer'… at least on my world. Pretty popular. Maybe you met the actors once." Mallory said.

"Maybe." Remmy replied, "Whatever it is, it's giving me the creeps. I'm changing the channel."

He flipped the channel. On the screen, a woman with her head turned came on the screen. Her head quickly turned to face the camera… it was a Maggie double.

"We now return to Melrose Place, on SCOX Major." the double said.

"SCOX? What kind of name is that? Sounds like something you wear on your feet." Maggie said.

She never did like seeing her doubles.

"Didn't we just turn off the SCOX channel?" Mallory asked.

"I've got it. The vortex is Kromagg, but it originated from a different Earth." Diana said.

"So it's not Colin." Maggie told herself.

"I'm sorry." Mallory told her.

"Sorry, Dru. I guess you're not invited." said a character on the TV.

Quinn and Duncan were in the room, Arturo just stepped out for coffee. Duncan was sitting on the floor in front of Wade's bed, while Quinn took the only chair in the private room.

"Did anyone just get a chill?" Wade asked.

"No, why?" Duncan asked.

"Yeah, I felt it too. Like we somehow saw these people before." Quinn told her.

He'd calmed down quite a bit in the last hour.

"Um, could that possibly be because 'Buffy The Vampire' is one of the biggest hits on TV… or at least it was on the world I was on." Duncan said.

"I don't care what it is, just turn it off already." Wade told him.

Duncan turned off the TV just as the Professor walked into the room. He held three cups of coffee and a bottle of water. He gave the water to Duncan, and the coffee to his other friends. IT probably wasn't what the doctors would want Wade to be drinking, but she wasn't about to doze off in this butcher shop.

"I managed to come across a history book in the hospital's library." Arturo said.

"Give it here." Duncan replied.

As Duncan started reading, Arturo began to tell the others what he already learned.

"Sounds like college to me." Remmy joked.

Diana ignored him, "Over the past hundred years, TV slowly took over everything. Television executives began making the calls after an earthquake destroyed Washington DC. People flocked to the TV to get coverage, and the TV started to dictate what people thought, how the dressed, how they acted. That was fifty years ago. Today, TV is this country's government. And worst of all, this SCOX network created a monopoly in the market. The owner of SCOX, David Pecktinraugh, pretty much runs America."

"I don't care much about this world's political system right now. We have to find a way to get Wade out of here before the slide." Quinn replied.

"We will, my boy. As soon as Ms. Welles is well enough to walk, we'll get out of here." Arturo said.

"I feel fine." Wade said.

"We should give it another couple hours at least." Duncan said, "The Rapid Regenerator works fast, but it puts a strain on the heart. See that patch on her leg?"

Everyone looked at Wade's leg. On it was a pink patch.

"It had medication on it. It keeps the body in a regenerative cycle until the patch runs dry." Duncan finished.

The others looked at him in awe. They didn't think he was much into actual knowledge.

"Photographic memory." Duncan said, holding the book up, "And a hell of a quick reader."

"You read that whole book already?" Wade asked.

"Not all of it. I skimmed the important stuff." Duncan replied, "anyway, the patch has another hour or two in it. Then you'll need a while to recover from the cycle. They usually make you stay a day or two is serious cases, just for observation, but in your case I'd say a little less than a day."

"Are you a doctor?" came a woman's voice from the doorway.

Dr. Sarah Parkins walked into the room, and took a look at Wade's chart.

"No. I'm just a fast learner. Those flyers in the waiting room are handy." Duncan said.

"Well, we have to do the extraction still. So your friend will have to stay here a while longer. The earliest we can get the O.R. is about six o'clock tomorrow morning." Sarah said with a look of discomfort.

"You don't look too happy." Wade said.

"I hate the extractions. They go against everything I stand for." said the doctor, "why I'm telling you this is beyond me."

"We get that a lot." Quinn said.

"What would you say if I told you that my friend doesn't want the extraction?" Duncan asked, then leaned in closer to Sarah, "She's kinda attached to her lungs."

"I'd say I'm sorry. There's really nothing I can do." Parkins replied.

The doctor left the room with a not-too-happy face. Quinn looked at his watch, then at the timer.

"Six o'clock is a half hour before the slide." he said.

"Well, looks like we have some time to think of a plan." Duncan said.

"Why don't you let me do the planning, Mr. Mallory. The last time you devised a plan, we ended up being caught." Arturo told Duncan.

Duncan frowned, "Nobody's perfect."

"Hey Dunc, why don't we go take care of that idea had before the slide. We have enough time." Quinn said, talking about the hair dying.

"Cool." Duncan replied.

"What idea?" Wade said.

"Oh, it's, uh, a surprise." Quinn told her.

Everyone could see that Quinn was loosening up. He was actually fun to be around for the first time since Wade and Arturo found him.

Quinn and Duncan walked out of the room smiling.

"What was that about?" Wade asked.

"It's good Remmy. Believe me, it tastes better than it smells." Maggie told him.

Remmy cut off a piece and put it in his mouth. He had to force himself to chew it, and swallow.

"Oh man!" Remmy said, looking like he was abut to cry.

"You don't like it?" Diana asked, putting more into her mouth.

"Not only do I not like it, but I would be happy if a group of Kromaggs broke in here right now and took us all prisoner, just so I didn't have to smell this anymore." Remmy replied.

"Are you kidding? This is the best steak I've had since that world where you and Quinn had to dress up like women and dance in a Kromagg bar because me and Colin were being held in the back room." Maggie told him.

"What?" Mallory asked with a huge grin on his face.

Remmy jumped up, "I'm going for a walk. I need some gum to get rid of this taste."

Remmy left the room, and as soon as he closed the door behind him, he heard a wave of laughter.

"Yeah, we'll see how funny t is when they need my help again." Remmy said as he walked down the hall.

He made his way down the stairs, and out of the hotel. As he walked down the street, a looked around at the world he was on. The world looked old fashioned. Like a small town. But he knew that behind it all, there was advanced technology, and an amazingly strange government.

The people looked nice enough. Several of them smiled or nodded in his direction as he walked. He approached a news stand, and picked up a pack of gum. Before he paid, he decided to look at some magazines.

As he flipped through a magazine, a man walked up beside him. When he spoke, Rembrandt knew the voice.

"Excuse me. Do you know where I can find a pharmacy?" the man asked the news stand runner.

Remmy looked up, and saw the face of his friends, Quinn.

"Q-Ball?" Remmy asked in a low voice, almost to himself.

The man looked at him, "I'm sorry?" he said.

"Never mind. You look like someone I know." Remmy said, frowning.

"Remmy pulled a dollar from his pocket and gave it to the stand runner. He then walked away dazed, not looking at anything as he walked. In the process, he almost bumped into a man who was coming out of a store just as Remmy walked by.

"Whoa." The man said narrowly avoiding Remmy.

"Whoa." Quinn said to himself, just missing the man.

When he looked at the man, he could only see his back. Quinn walked to Duncan who was at a nearby news stand.

"Did you see that guy?" Quinn asked.

"Yeah. What a weirdo. I think he called me a camel." Duncan replied.

"He didn't even look where he was going." Quinn said, handing Duncan one of the drinks.

"Anyway, the pharmacy's right over there. We can get the dye, and go back to the hospital bathroom to do it." Duncan told Quinn.

"Cool. Let's go." Quinn replied, starting down the street.

They walked down the street a few yards, and entered the pharmacy. Inside, a few rows of actual products were pushed to one side, and a soda fountain was on the other. The man behind the counter wore an apron that had red and white stripes, and had a matching hat. He had a black bow tie, and moved a cloth over the counter as he watched Quinn and Duncan move to the products. Two other men sat on stools at the counter eating sandwiches. Duncan couldn't help but notice that they were being watched. As Quinn looked at the hair dyes, Duncan found himself looking back at the man behind the counter. He never moved the cloth to any other part of the counter. Just the same area over and over.

"You boys aren't from around here." the man said.

The other two men turned on their stools, still chewing their food. Quinn looked up.

"No. We're, uh, from Canada." Quinn said to the man.

"Where's… Canada?" the man behind the bar asked in an interrogating tone.

Quinn and Duncan looked at each other, and had absolutely no idea how to respond.

"It's that way." Duncan finally said, looking back at the man, and pointing in a random direction.

He turned back to Quinn, who was holding two different colors of dye in his hands. They heard nothing from the man for a few seconds, so Quinn accepted Duncan's answer, and moved on.

"Blue or blond?" Quinn asked quietly.

Even with the men at the counter being silent, they still gave the two sliders the willies. Duncan tapped the box for the blond quickly, wanting to get out of this place. They rushed to the counter, and put the box on it.

"You boys basic, or premium?" the man asked.

"Premium." Duncan answered.

The man took box and rang it up, "Now, I'll just need your ID and a fingerprint from each of you."

Quinn and Duncan looked at each other, knowing that if their prints were taken, they'd have a few questions to answer.

"Both of us?" Quinn asked.

"The new Baldwin Act states that all shoppers must have prints taken in order to track criminal movements." the man replied.

Duncan put his hand to his mouth, and coughed hiding the word "Commie." in the noise.

Quinn looked at Duncan with an ice cold look. Luckily, the man behind the counter didn't hear him… or so it seemed.

The man pulled out a small pad with the outline of a thumb on it, "Please press your thumb on the outline."

Quinn looked at Duncan and pushed his thumb onto the pad. The man behind the counter studied the computer screen in front of him as the computer scanned the files for this print.

"Quinn Mallory." the man said to himself, then looked at Duncan.

Duncan and Quinn looked at each other, trying to think of something. Then it clicked.

Duncan quickly put his hand to his head, and rolled his eyes. Then he fell to the ground and didn't move at all. Quinn looked at him as though he were crazy. Then slowly looked back to the man behind the counter. The man was looking down at Duncan with a blank expression on his face. Quinn had to act.

"Call for help! Now!" Quinn yelled.

The man behind the counter slowly reached for the phone. The two other men looked at Quinn and Duncan, still chewing. Quinn looked back, trying to act like Duncan was in danger, but finding it incredibly hard to keep the act up without these people to play off of.

As soon as the man behind the counter picked up the phone, Duncan jumped up, and threw a few buck onto the counter, and he and Quinn ran out of the store.

The men at the bar turned back to their sandwiches. The man behind the counter put the phone down, and started cleaning the counter again.

"Is it just me, or was that the single most awkward escape of all time?" Duncan asked.

"Yup." Quinn said, handing the dye to Duncan.

"You'd think they'd have gotten past this by now." Remmy told himself, thinking of the reason they were laughing before he'd left.

He shrugged it off, and put a piece of gum into his mouth. Then he opened the door and walked in. What he saw was a shock. Something he'd never have expected. Around the room sat two Maggies, two Dianas, two Mallorys and a double of himself. They were all laughing. It was then that Remmy's double saw him.

"Judging by your incredible looks, I'd guess that you're Remmy." the double said.

Remmy just walked into the room, and closed the door. What could he say? A Maggie saw his face and stood up.

"Remmy, it's okay. They're us." she said, "Only they're different."

Remmy saw down, "They look the same to me."

"We're almost identical. As far as we can tell, you are a branch off from out Maggie and Remmy." the alternate Diana said.

"It happened just after that world we were on with the freaky train following vortex." the normal Maggie said.

"See, with us, we slid for a while before Quinn merged with his double." The alternate Maggie said.

"Slow down. Who's who?" Remmy asked.

The normal Maggie stood up, "I'm your Maggie." she pointed to a Mallory sitting on the bed, "He's ours, and she's ours." She finished, pointing to a Diana sitting near the window.

Remmy was finally getting it. The room fell silent for a few moments. Then Remmy offered everyone some gum by holding the pack out, everyone declined except for his double.

"My favorite kind." his double told him, then realized that that point was pretty much a gimme.

"Okay, what I'm wondering is… If all of Dr. Geiger's doubled were destroyed, how did your Quinn get merged?" the alternate Diana asked.

"Who's Dr. Geiger?" Mallory asked.

The alternate group kinda looked around, confused.

"If you never met Dr. Geiger, how was the accident created?" the alternate Diana asked.

The normal Diana thought for a moment, "I was working on an experiment in my lab. Somehow, their wormhole was pulled there by my equipment…" Diana stopped, obviously feeling bad.

"When I slid out of the vortex, I hit one of her devices. A shock was sent into the vortex just as Quinn was sliding out. Mallory was pulled to him, and the shock somehow effected the vortex and merged them." Remmy finished.

The alternate Diana thought for a few seconds, "Diana, can I look at your PDL?"

Diana looked around for it, then pulled it out of the drawer in the nightstand, "Sure." she replied,

handing it to the alternate.

"What's going on?" the alternate Maggie asked.

"What Remmy just described… it's not making sense to me." the alternate Diana told them.

"What do you mean?" Diana asked.

"I don't want to say anything right now, but if I can do some research, I might be able to help." the alternate replied.

"Wait. You can help them, but not me?" the alternate Mallory asked.

"I'm not sure. I need to figure this out." the alternate told them.

The room then fell silent. Everyone could tell that this slide was going to be interesting.

"And I'm telling you that you need your rest. Now lay down, and stay there until we tell you that it's time to go. I have to think, and I cannot do that while I'm constantly fighting with you." Arturo replied.

Wade sat back down in her bed, "Don't have you get all upset over it."

As Arturo put his nose back in a book, Wade turned on the TV. On it, a familiar face appeared. Wade smiled, as she saw Maggie looking rather… unlike Maggie. Her hair slicked back in a ponytail, looking like an android.

"We're all about to be killed by an ape-like race from another dimension… We now return to Matlock, on SCOX Major." the Maggie said.

"SCOX? Sounds like something you wear on your feet." Wade said, smiling.

The image of Andy Griffith came on the screen, but this wasn't like any Matlock Wade had seen before.

"Is it true, Mr. Beetree, that you in fact don't own a television?" Matlock said to a man on the witness stand.

"This world doesn't even make sense." Wade told herself.

At that moment, Dr. Parkins entered the room. She quickly scanned Wade's chart, then walked to her bedside, an urgent look on her face.

"Look, if anyone found out that I was helping you with this, I'd be canceled. But nobody should have to do this." Parkins told her.

"What?" Wade asked, sitting up again.

By now, Arturo had his book closed and was listening carefully.

"You have to get out of here. They're planning your extraction for two hours from now." Sarah told them.

"Wait, I thought we had until six. What happened?" Wade asked.

"The O.R. freed up." Dr. Parkins answered, looking Wade's injuries over, "Look, you're good enough to go. Just leave the patch on for another day to be safe."

"If you wouldn't mind telling us, madam, how might we exit this hospital without being noticed?" Arturo asked.

"There's a set of stairs three doors down on the left. You should be safe. Follow the stars sown to the parking lot. Once you open the door, an alarm in the security office will go off. It'll take another twelve seconds for their cameras to lock on you." Parkins told them.

"Twelve seconds?" Wade asked, "Isn't that a bit long for a security camera?"

Sarah looked at her, "No. They're state of the art."

"We have to hurry." Arturo told them.

"Go find Quinn and Duncan. I'll get dressed. I should make the escape myself. It'd be too dangerous for you all to get drawn into this." Wade told Arturo.

"Ms. Welles, while I appreciate your worrying, I will not allow you to do this alone. We are family, and as such, we shall not abandon each other in times of need." Arturo demanded, "Now I'll go find Mr. Mallory and… um… oh, you know what I mean. And we will meet you back here."

"Fine. But if we get caught just remember I told you so." Wade said with a smile, then looked at Sarah, "What about you?"

Sarah smiled, "I'll be fine. If not… Well, at least I'll know I did the right thing."

"I can't let you take the blame for this." Wade said, "Hey… my patch is coming off. Take a look?"

Sarah looked Wade in the eyes, and knew the plan. She leaned in and looked at the patch. When she did, Wade grabbed Arturo's book, and hit Dr. Parkins over the head. She fell across Wade's bed. Out cold.

"Let's go." Wade said, getting out of the bed.

"Good luck, Ms. Welles." Arturo told her, as he made his way to the door.

"Right back atcha." Wade replied, with one of her comforting smiles.

Arturo walked out of the door, and started down the hall. He took a few steps then looked around a corner. He saw Quinn walk through a door. He was about to yell his name, but figured that probably wasn't the best idea. Instead, he walked down the hall, and into the door. It was a men's room. And inside, Quinn and Duncan were standing at a sink. Quinn was pouring a pitcher of water over Duncan's head, into the sink.

He was rinsing his hair. It was then that Arturo saw what they were doing.

"Mr. Mallory, as much as I know you'd like a make-over, we have more important things to do." Arturo said.

Quinn and Duncan looked up. Quite a funny sight actually. Duncan's hair still dripping, the dye not fully rinsed out. Both with the same look of shock on their faces.

Wade was getting dressed. Right now, she was putting on her shows. Her clothes were dirty, and blood stained. An obvious repair was made down the center of the shirt, where the doctors had cut it.

"You know, your people need to take sewing lessons." Wade said, "Okay, Wade. Your talking to a woman who can't even hear you."

Then she heard a ruffling of the sheets, "Actually, I'm awake." Sarah said.

Wade jumped. Then she regained her composure.

"You're supposed to be asleep." Wade told her.

"You're supposed to be gone by now." Sarah said, sitting up.

Sarah picked up Arturo's book, "Okay, this time, a little harder."

Wade sighed. She didn't really enjoy this, but she had to do it. She grabbed the book, and without hesitation, she hit Dr. Parkins over the head again.

"Ouch." Sarah said, "You just can't do this right, can you?" Sarah asked, "You're too weak."

"Weak?" Wade asked, smashing the book over Sarah's head again.

This time there was no doubt. Sarah was out. A little bloodier than Wade would have liked, but not too bad off, considering.

"That was a giant waste of time." Wade told herself.

She moved Dr. Parkins into the correct position on the bed, and covered her. Then she turned out the lights, so nobody would know it wasn't the person who was supposed to be in the bed.

Then she waited for Arturo and the others. As soon as they came, she quietly followed them out of the room. They were perfectly quiet until they got to the stairs, then Wade asked the question.

"What's with your hair?" she asked Duncan.

"I was changing the color to look different." Duncan said, "Though, now that 'tingly feeling' that lets you know it's working… it's really more of a burning feeling now."

They made their way down the stairs. When they reached the bottom, they stopped.

"Now, when I open this door, we will have only a matter of a few seconds before their cameras lock onto us. We must hurry to find cover." Arturo explained.

Everyone nodded. The Professor waited a few seconds just to let everyone prepare. Then, just as all of their hearts were about to jump out of their chests, he opened the door.

They all ran out. Arturo led the way to the left, toward the cars. Duncan accidentally ran right. After a moment, he saw his mistake, and caught up with the other. They hid behind a car.

"I really have to learn to coordinate with you guys." Duncan said.

They waited a few more seconds. They saw the camera move to each side, and for some reason, up, then it stopped.

"Let's go." Quinn said, leading the way out.

They started walking. Just as they made it to the exit, Duncan turned back around, just to make sure they were safe. When he saw the camera trained on them, a chill moved up his spine.

"Guys. I don't mean to be bossy, but you might want to run." he said calmly.

"Why?" Wade asked.

"That camera we were just hiding from… it turned again." Duncan replied.

Just as they all caught on, and began to run, several men on motorcycles sped after them. They ran as fast as they could. Unfortunately, the wind reacted funny with Duncan's dye covered hair, and the burning became worse. He was lagging behind. His hair was burning. He was being chased by a bunch of motorcycle guys. Over all, not his best day. On the bright side, he was off the world he'd been stuck on for the past year or two. Then he remembered. He left his favorite coat there.

"Is it me, or does this day suck?" he asked the others.

Nobody answered. They ran into an alley, and out the other side before the bikers caught up. They lost them. And best of all, Duncan saw a fountain in their path.

"Hold on a sec!" he yelled.

The others stopped. They thought something was up. They were less than happy when Duncan stopped to dunk his head in the fountain.

"Is that how he got the name?" Quinn asked Arturo.

Arturo tried to catch his breath, "Actually, that's a much less interesting story."

Duncan took his head back out, and shook it like a dog would, to dry off, "Okay… resume running like hell." he said as he started running.

"Yeah." the other Mallory replied.

"Does this count?" the normal one finished, then was cut off.

"I don't understand it. These people just… let this company run their lives?" the alternate Diana said to her Remmy while watching the TV.

"You know what they say. Different strokes for different folks." came her reply.

"There's usually a rebellion or something. I'd be surprised if we didn't run into them." the normal Maggie told her.

"Yeah, when was the last time any of us had a vacation?" normal Remmy said.

Regular Diana walked into the room. She'd gone out for supplies.

"I got the LAM wires we need to connect the paddles." she said, putting the bag on a desk.

"What about the Doritos?" Mallory asked.

"No Doritos on this world." Di replied.

"We must put an end to this insanity." the alternate Mallory replied.

"So, instead, I got these cheese puff things." she continued, tossing them to a random Mallory.

Alt Mallory opened the puffs, and took a handful. Normal Mallory grabbed some of his own.

"How can you eat those things? Your hearts are probably sputtering as we speak." Maggie… the normal one, told them with a scrunched nose.

"Hey. My philosophy is, if you can't pronounce it, it's good for you." the Alt Mallory replied.

"Is that why you're always ordering a Big Mace and freeze?" the alternate Remmy replied with a smile.

"Our paddles are slightly different." Alt Diana said to her counterpart, "It'll take a while to reconfigure them."

"We need some quiet." Normal Di said suggestively, turning to face the others.

The others took a few seconds to get the hint, then they all jumped up together.

"We'll just go…" Alt Maggie started, then blanked on a way to finish the sentence.

"Find a twins convention or something." normal Maggie finished without hesitation.

The two Maggie paused, and looked at each other.

"They're like those twins from 'Sister, Sister'…" the two Mallorys said in unison.

Both Remmys let out the same chuckle. Suddenly the room was empty of all smiles except that of the Dianas who soon realized that they had the same smile on, and quickly tried to look different, taking several seconds to stop moving in the same uncomfortable way.

"This has to stop." both Mallorys said, then looked at each other annoyed.

"And… cut!" yelled the director, "Beautiful, Maggie. You get better every day."

"Quit the suck-up. Are we done for today, or what?" the Maggie replied.

"Yes, we're done for today." the director replied in a semi-mocking tone.

Maggie shot him a punishing look, as she stepped off of her chair, and walked off the set.

"Uh, Ms. Jenson?" came a nervous voice behind her.

Maggie spun around quickly and grabbed the girl who addressed her, "What did the memo say?" she asked.

"The… The memo?" the girl, Jenny Baker replied.

She was a young intern working to find her way into the biz. She was pretty, but hid it. Her brown hair was collected in a bun on the top of her head that was coming un-bunned. She wore glasses that she had had since they were in style, about eight years earlier. And her clothes were nice, but hid the fact that she worked out every morning.

"Yes, the memo." Maggie mocked, "If you were capable of reading, you would know not to call me 'Jenson' anymore. The divorce was final this morning you uninformed little person."

"I'm sorry. I didn't…" Jenny started.

"I don't have time for chit chat, sweetie, what do you want?" Maggie barked.

Jenny never had much by way of self worth. Her daily verbal beating by Maggie always crushed her spirit, and ruined the rest of her say. She was constantly on the verge of tears around the office.

She had to force her reply, "Mr. Pecktinraugh wanted to see you in his office as soon as possible."

Maggie let out a huff, "Why didn't you tell me?"

She turned and walked off to her meeting. After she was gone, Jenny turned to walk back to her desk.

"I just told you, you pointy pony-tailed freak. Maybe if you could figure out how to spell IQ, you'd realize that." Jenny said in a whisper, "I should have said that."

Maggie walked through the office, still in her orange futuristic costume from the morning shoot.

"Hello, my love." Pecktinraugh said from behind his desk, which was amazingly empty for a man hard at work.

"Did you miss me?" Maggie said.

She walked behind his desk, and planted a kiss that walked a line between romantic and disgusting.

"Like an amputated heart." came the reply when they finally broke apart.

Maggie took a seat on his desk, "You know, my divorce was final this morning. I'm legally able to marry you."

"And take your place at my side as half owner of the SCOX Network…" Dave started in a neutral tone.

"Uh huh." Maggie replied, moving closer to him.

"I don't think so." Pecktinraugh told her, jumping out of his seat.

Maggie stood and watched him walk back to his bar, "What are you talking about?"

He poured himself a glass of some brown fluid, and gulped it down.

"Look, doll, I didn't get this far by being stupid." he said after recovering from the drink's burn.

"No… You inherited it from your father." Maggie shot back, "Look, precious, we both know that I hold more power here than you. I'm the face. I bring people back to the set. I'm the one who runs the business. I'm the one who keeps you in those pretty suits of yours. If I don't get what I want, I'll walk, and bring everyone with me. I hear Russia's looking for a prime exec for their COMM Network. I go to them, and they'll own SCOX within a year."

Dave looked at her, and put his glass down. He walked slowly to her, and grabbed her tightly by the shoulders.

"I hold more power than you might think. You'd be cold before you reached the door." he told her.

"Maybe… But not before your laying bloodless by your phone." Maggie responded.

They shared an icy look that seemed to last hours. Then, finally, they moved. They slammed together in a loving embrace, and made with the kissing some more.

"I love it when you talk dirty." Dave remarked in between smooches.

When the others looked they saw a club for twins only called "Doubles".

"Isn't that a little… single-ist?" the other Mallory replied.

"It might be a good place to lay low until we're allowed back into the room." Remmy told them.

"Shall we?" the normal Maggie said to her double.

The two locked arms, and started walking across the street. They stepped onto the sidewalk in front of the club, and were about to head for the door, when a woman bumped into them, and dropped a bunch of papers to the ground. She bent down to pick them up.

"I'm sorry." the woman said, "I didn't mean to…"

"It's okay." the Maggie double replied, bending down to help.

They gathered the papers, and stood back up.

"I'm Jenny Baker…" the woman said, looking at the Maggies for the first time, and looking not too thrilled.

"Maggie Beckett." Maggie said, "And, uh, this is my sister…" she had no idea how to finish that sentence.

"Tami." the alternate finished.

"I'm sorry, Ms… Beckett, I didn't mean to…" Jenny started.

"It's okay." Maggie told her in a calm voice.

"What's wrong?" Remmy asked Jenny.

Jenny tried to sort out her papers, "I finished my work. I was just on my way home. I didn't mean to bump into you." Jenny said to Maggie, sounding like a servant who just spilled hot coffee on the boss.

"I think there's been a mistake." Maggie replied, "I'm not who you think I am."

The group had found a way into an old warehouse, and stayed there for the night. Wade and Duncan were trying to sleep, but trying to lay on top of wooden crates actually wasn't as comfortable as it sounded.

"Did you guys hear me?" Quinn asked.

"We heard you, we're just in too much pain to answer." Duncan said, sitting up.

They readied themselves for the slide, and Quinn opened the vortex. Arturo jumped in first. Then Duncan.

Just before she jumped in, Wade turned to Quinn, "I feel like we're missing something on this world."

"What? Like what?" Quinn asked.

"I don't know. It feels like I'm leaving something special behind." Wade told him.

"Wade, we don't have time." Quinn replied.

Wade pushed her feelings back, and jumped into the swirling red vortex. She was once again surrounded by the tunnel that she had nightmares about. The dark, red tunnel that reminded her way too much about the creatures that took her from Remmy. She had once enjoyed sliding… perhaps a little too much. But now she dreaded it. She was finally thrown out of the tunnel and into a street. It was surrounded by beautiful blue buildings that looked like water, formed into whatever man wished. Above them, pods floated by. Beautiful pods that were protected by an energy field.

"It's incredible." Wade finally said to the others who just stood in awe.

"This would could present the opportunity I've been waiting for." Arturo said.

"What are you talking about?" Duncan asked.

"I might be able to begin to reconstitute the device that I used to deliver Quinn back to us." Arturo told him.

Duncan just looked at Wade.

"He's gonna make a thingy that can get Remmy back and help us get home." Wade explained.

"Oh." Duncan replied.

"Device? Sounds kinda… simple." Quinn said to Arturo.

"And I suppose 'timer' is an amazingly brilliant name, the likes of which man has never seen before?" Arturo shot back.

"Wha-pow." Duncan smiled, remarking the blow Arturo just dealt.

"How long do we have here?" Wade asked.

Quinn looked at the timer, "Three days."

"Then, let's get to work." Wade replied.

"So, why don't you just vote this guy out?" Mallory asked.

"Vote? The last time this country had a vote, it was for which color the model F would be." Jenny replied, smiling and drinking her coffee.

This was the first time she had smiled. She was starting to trust them. Finally starting to shed her shell.

"Why did you stand for this? How could people let the country fall so far?" the alternate Remmy inquired.

"Hey. Don't blame me." Jenny laughed, "Nobody likes this. But the change was so gradual, nobody really started caring until it was too late. By the time we started, anyone who did anything about it was… and get ready for the worst pun ever… they were canceled."

The Maggies smiles and looked at each other. They loved seeing Jenny so happy.

"I… I just wish we could do something." Jenny said, her smile quickly fading.

"Now, listen, Sweetheart, you happen to be sitting in the same room with eight of the best problem solvers in the entire world." the alternate Remmy said.

"Which one?" Jenny asked, not smiling, but joking anyway.

Maggie leaned forward as if to tell a secret, "You wanna teach them a lesson? We will."

"What did you have in mind?" the alternate Maggie asked.

"Well, I happen to know someone who looks a hell of a lot like this world's Maggie. I'm sure nobody would notice if she were to suddenly be replace." Maggie told them

"Did I see this in a movie once?" Mallory asked.

"Or twenty." his double added.

Maggie ignored them, "See then what we're gonna do is…"

In the background, the morning news was playing on the TV, "It appears that she was beaten, then shot by an escaping patient. Dr. Parkins had worked at the hospital for six years. She was 34." the reporter said, finishing her report.

They had been walking for hours, but nobody really felt tired. The sidewalk wasn't the normal cement type from practically every other world they ever landed on. This felt like it was walking for you, even though the walking was still up to the walker. It was blue, and hummed a little.

"How can you tell? All the… buildings look the same." Duncan replied, "And what's with these sidewalks?"

"They look like they manipulate gravity somehow. We aren't tired because we're lighter. And it's guiding us in this direction." Quinn told them.

"I don't feel lighter." Wade responded.

"And I don't feel anything pushing me." Duncan added.

Arturo smiled, "Would you care to convince them, Mr. Mallory?"

Quinn stopped walking. The others did the same. He looked around for a moment, trying to think of something to do. Then he reached in his pocket and pulled out a coin. He dropped it on the ground.

"It's not hovering." Duncan observed.

"On the contrary, Mr. Mallory." Arturo replied, indicating to Duncan to watch.

Quinn bent down, and pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. He took the paper, and carefully slid the paper underneath the coin.

"So… the coin's hovering. I think we're a little heavier than a coin." Wade remarked.

"I think it modifies itself to work on each objects individual weight." Quinn explained.

Then Quinn gently nudged the coin and sent it gliding across the sidewalk.

"And if it just pulled us without our control, we'd lose our balance." Wade figured.

"This world has discovered a way to not only create anti-gravity, but to manipulate gravity in unbelievable ways. If this technology is used for such luxury, imagine what the scientists of this world have discovered that haven't been released to the general public." Arturo said.

"If they can manipulate gravity like this, they might have sliding equipment more advanced than anything we've ever seen." Quinn told them.

"Does this mean we can finally get a vortex that doesn't feel like a trip through the stomach of a monster?" Wade asked desperately.

"Not only that, my dear, but we might be able to get home." Artruo answered.

"Raise your hand if you think the two brains are making a lot of assumptions based on a sidewalk version of air hockey." Duncan joked.

"Excuse me!" came the voice of a woman behind them.

Wade's face went blank. Everyone else turned to see who it was.

"Excuse me, are you the trans-dimensional travelers?" Kelly Welles asked, running after them.

Wade finally turned around, and saw Kelly's face drop at the sight of her.

"Wade?" Kelly asked.

"Not exactly. See, I'm sorta like her double." Wade replied.

"An alternate version of my sister from a parallel universe." Kelly smiled, "Amazing."

"You know what we are." Quinn commented.

Kelly took a breath, and looked at Quinn, "Yeah. On this world, we've been studying inter-dimensional travel for years. We're able to trace wormholes the their exact location. When we picked up your signal, I had to meet you."

"If you are able to traverse trough the inter-dimension, why would meeting other travelers be so remarkable?" the Professor asked.

"We've only seen one other traveler before. We sent one team through the wormhole, but they're not scheduled for return for another month. Nobody here really knows hat to expect." Kelly responded.

"You've only just discovered sliding?" Quinn asked, a puzzled look on his face.

"Sliding? That's what the other traveler called it too. Is that the universal… or multiversal, name for it?" Kelly asked.

"It seems to get around." Quinn told her.

Kelly smiled, "We've known about the wormhole for years. We've tried sending objects… cameras, transponic scanners… even some animals, through the wormhole. But we've taken our time with this. Up until a few years ago, everything that went in came back charred. We only just got around to sending the first team in."

"Interesting. On most worlds, scientists are in a hurry to develop their findings. But on this world you take your time… and look at what you've accomplished." Arturo noted.

"Yeah. It's not every world that has air hockey on the sidewalks." Duncan said with a grin.

Kelly smiled. The looked at Duncan, and then at Quinn. Studying their looks.

"You're alternates?" Kelly asked.

"I like to think of him more as my costly split-screen special effect." Duncan joked.

Kelly laughed, "You look the same, but everything else is different."

"See, I do have some luck after all." Duncan quipped.

Quinn only replied with a sarcastic grin.

"If you don't mind, Ms. Welles, what type of equipment have you developed for your interdimensional research?" Arturo asked, ignoring all the jokes.

"Well, all of it's pretty much a theory, since we haven't had a way to test it in the field. But I think we've made some pretty remarkable advances. It's stored in the lab in my building, if you're interested." Kelly replied, extending an arm to lead the way to her building.

The others smiled, and started walking. Duncan and Wade walked behind the others a way.

"Are you okay?" Duncan asked her.

"Fine." Wade replied, "Just a little freaked out."

They continued walking. As they walked, Quinn talked to Kelly.

"So, what other anti-gravity advances have you made?" Quinn asked.

"It's only part anti-gravity, see, what we do is use the…" Kelly explained as they rounded the corner.

"I have feeling this trip is going to be boring in a big way." Duncan told Wade.

She's read in history books about America's old days. Voting… a strange concept these days. A time when the American people got a choice in the way the world was run. The closest thing to that today was call in polls. And everyone knew that it was only Subscribers that watched TV. Of course the polls would be out in their favor.

"Might as well hold a taste test at Jenny Craig headquarters." She mumbled to herself, not realizing that she said it out loud.

She walked into the elevator, and pressed the button for the studio level. Behind her, three men in suits entered behind her. Each of them took turns pressing the button for the basement, almost like they didn't see the others pressing it before them.

The elevator finally reached her level, and she happily exited. The men in suits were freaking her out.

She quickly walked to the office of Ms. Beckett… or whatever her name was today, and knocked on the door. No answer.

"Wow, she's not in her office. I'm in shock." Jenny said sarcastically to herself, "What's with the sarcasm, Jen?" she asked herself before finally chalking it up to being tired.

She entered the office using a key she had in her coat pocket, and walked to the windows in the back of the room.

She pulled back the curtains, and saw Maggie, Maggie, Mallory, Mallory, Remmy and Remmy all of the window washer's scaffolding. She opened the window, and let them in.

"Wow, nice office." Alt. Mallory said.

"Yeah, who knew that sitting on you butt all day doing nothing could get you a seat in the Society?" Jenny replied.

"Where is she?" the normal Maggie asked.

"Probably rubbing shoulders with Mr. Pecktinraugh himself… literally." Jenny told them, "I don't think she'll be back here for a while, so we should have time to set up."

As she said that, the door opened, and the third Maggie walked in.

"What the hell is going on in here?" she yelled, storming at Jenny, nit seeing her doubles.

"You could be wrong." Mallory remarked.

When the Maggie neared, the other two Becketts took the chance to lay in a punch, not planning on the other doing it. They hit her from both sides. Her head didn't turn like normal punches would have made it. Instead, she just stood there for a moment before finally dropping to the floor.

"Ouch!" Alt. Maggie said, shaking her punching hand.

"I think we broke something." the other Maggie commented.

"Don't worry, she has a thick skull." Jenny told them.

"Oh, I couldn't care less about her, I think my hand's broken." Maggie replied.

The inside walls looked just as liquid like as the outside, and the room seemed to light itself without bulbs or anything of the sort. For some reason, Duncan just wanted to dive into the walls, and see if he could swim to the next level. Luckily for everyone involved, he held back.

"EdilsCor?" Quinn asked.

"After Peter Edils, our founder." Kelly explained.

"Oh." Quinn said in a downcast tone.

"Is something wrong?" Kelly asked.

"No, I just…" Quinn started.

"I believe the young man thought that he, or rather his duplicate, was responsible for Sliding on this world." Arturo cut in, "Years of experience have left his ego inflated like a balloon, I'm afraid."

Quinn just replied with a sarcastic smile.

"Wait." Duncan said, holding his finger up, "I can't swim up the walls, duh. The floor is the same liquid stuff, and I'm not getting wet."

At that moment, Duncan realized that he had said that out loud. He looked around the room and saw everyone looking at him with confused looks.

"And that's why you love me, right? I'm special." he smiled.

"Let's go for a walk, Duncan." Wade said, pulling him out the door.

"We're going for a walk." Duncan said to Arturo who was still looking at him.

After they left the room, Quinn and Arturo looked at each other.

"Point taken, Professor." Quinn told Arturo.

Wade led the way out of the building, pulling Duncan behind her.

"I don't know. I guess… seeing Kelly was kinda weird. I mean, she's my sister, but at the same time, she's not my sister. She's as alien to me as some Star Trek character."

"You noticed the resemblance too?" Duncan asked.

"Huh?" Wade looked at him, confused.

"Never mind." Duncan replied, "I need a vacation."

They walked around the corner onto a street that was filled with stores and restaurants. The buildings all had the liquid look to them, but were many different colors. A smile grew on Wade's face.

"Okay, what is the one way that you know of to cheer just about every sane woman up?" Wade asked Duncan.

"There are sane women?" Duncan smiled.

Wade smacked him on the arm, and started pulling him toward the shops. They crossed the road, and entered one of the shops.

Down an alley near where they crossed, a blue distortion filled the air. Its light was dulled by that of the buildings on either side. The wind it generated would have blown papers and garbage around if there was any. And then as fast as it had appeared, the distortion vanished. The only evidence it left behind was a micro-chip on the ground beneath where it had been.

As she walked down the hallways of the building, she noticed that nobody looked directly at her. Probably because of the way they were normally treated. She tried to walk in a way that would appear somewhat bitchy. She'd taken an acting class once in high school. In it, she was told to become the character that she was trying to play. It was a lesson that came in handy when she was playing the soldier to please her father.

So, with that lesson in mind, she put on a straight face and a glare that could kill most small animals, and did her best Susan Lucci walk. And she did it good too. She actually noticed people see her and turn corners with a scared look on their faces. It was look she'd only seen once before. When she had a cold and had to go out for medicine without and make-up and without doing her hair.

"Maggie, darling,, you have to film in ten minutes and you're not in costume." came a voice from behind her.

She turned to see a man with back hair slicked back into a ponytail, and thick framed glassed with yellow lenses. Not how Jenny described Pecktinraugh, so it was probably a director or something. In other words, she didn't have to play nice.

"I'll be there when I'm ready." she said bluntly.

The man just swallowed nervously and said, "Right. And do you know when that might be."

"Do I have to report to you now? Because the last time I checked ranks, I was your boss." Maggie replied, almost feeling badly for talking like that.

"Well… I just…" he started.

"Look, you bumbling excuse for a director, I have things to take care of. Why don't you come to my office in ten minutes and remind me about this little production of yours. I'll probably forget you by then anyway." Maggie said to him as she got in his face.

The man looked as though he were about to break into tears as Maggie walked away. When she was finally gone, he started down the hall.

"Director?" he asked himself as he walked.

"Well, if I know her, and I really should, she's in there with Peckinpah already." the alternate Maggie replied.

"Pecktinraugh, not Peckinpah." her Remmy reminded her.

"That's what I said."

"No, you said Peckinpah." Mallory jumped in.

"Why would I say Peckinpah? who's Peck…" Maggie started, only to be cut off by a knock on the door.

Jenny walked to the desk and pressed a button on the computer's keyboard. On the screen, a security camera view of the outside of the door showed the man with the slicked back hair.

"Chaz O'Connor." Jenny told the Maggie double, "The make-up artist for the SCOX Major spots."

"What do I do?" the Maggie replied.

Another knock at the door, followed by some muffled yelling.

"Just act as mean as possible, and go along with him. You're… or this world's you, is scheduled for a shoot. You have to do it." Jenny told her.

The other sliders scurried into the large private bathroom and shut the door.

"I have to act?" Maggie asked Jenny as she went for the door.

"I'd hardly call it acting, but yes. Don't worry, it's not that deep." Jenny explained.

"And just when I thought those high school acting classes were useless." Maggie joked as she opened the door.

"Maggie, darling. You've really got to get into costume. Jerome's getting huffy, and my crew is packing their blush." Chaz told her, "Not that I want to sound harsh."

"I'll be there in five, and not before. You don't like it, you and your crew can use that blush to accent your cheek bones." Maggie shot back, slamming the door in his face.

"Not bad. Our Maggie may have made that blush comment a little more blunt, but you did pretty good." Jenny smiled.

"Okay, fill me in on this commercial thing." Maggie replied.

"You know how when you leave a house, after a while it's just not home anymore?" Wade asked, "Like, it's the same house, but it's not the same."

"Yeah, I know just what you mean. One time, I was hiding out in this really nice sewer…" Duncan started before Wade cut him off.

"I hate this feeling. She's my sister. I'm supposed to feel the bond no matter what." Wade went on.

"It's not so strange." Duncan said, "On my world… version 1.0… a guy, Lawrence Hatchens once said that the people we see in front of us are the projections of their souls. I think if you saw your sister again you'd feel the connection, but this isn't your sister. You can't judge your feelings for your sister based on her any more than you could judge your sister based on me. I don't usually like to talk this seriously, but you bring something out in me."

After he was done talking, Duncan looked to his side to see Wade, but she wasn't there. He looked back and saw her standing still, looking very confused. He walked back to her.

"Wade?" he asked.

She didn't answer right away, she just looked down a nearby alley. Then she looked back at Duncan.

"Duncan, have you ever had a thought something, but it was like… you didn't actually think it?" she asked him.

"You know… more times than you'd imagine, actually. I heard about this thing once. Your brain splits into two parts and the second part develops a second personality, and your own hand can be taken over in the middle of the night and strangle you. And by split, I mean literally, not some mental thing. It's weird, you know. I mean…" Duncan was once again cut off.

"No. I mean, this is like a voice in my head… but my voice. Like I'm thinking of something, but I don't know where this is coming from." Wade explained.

"It's not saying anything about killing the blond guy, is it?" Duncan asked.

Wade just ignored him, and started down the alley, looking at something on the ground. Duncan looked at where she was looking and saw something catch the light.

"Shiny!" he said, as he started for the object, making sure to stay away from Wade's hands.

Wade beat Duncan to the thing and picked it up. She studied the red piece of plastic. It had metallic dots on it, and black lined that looked like veins.

"Looks like some kind of computer chip." Duncan said.

"But who would just leave a chip like this laying on the ground?" Wade asked, "And it doesn't really look like this world's style."

Good Luck, said that voice in Wade's head.

"You have done more than enough, Ms. Welles. These few parts are more than anything we expected from you." Arturo replied.

Quinn hadn't even heard her. His mind was racing with other thoughts.

"Professor! Quinn!" Wade's voice came from around the corner.

Arturo looked up from his work just in time to see her and Duncan run into the room. By the time they'd reached the table, Quinn was already standing. Away from his work.

"Wade, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Quinn asked.

"I'm fine. Look!" Wade replied, holding up the chip.

"What is it?" Kelly asked.

"I don't know. But there was this voice, and it told me where to go." Wade explained.

"Stay away from her hands." Duncan warned.

Arturo looked at the chip, and put on his glasses. He put it under a magnifying glass, and looked closer.

"No serial numbers or writing of any kind. I can't determine it's purpose just yet. It will require further study." Arturo reported.

"I can study it here in the lab if you guys want to keep working on the device." Kelly offered.

Wade looked at the table and saw what looked like an iMac version of a camcorder with it's insides on the outside, "That it?" she asked.

"Yup. We got a few pieces from Kelly and the new shell. We'll need more things from other worlds, but we're getting close. If all goes as planned, we could be home before Christmas." Quinn told her, grinning.

"Remmy." Wade smiled.

Quinn and Wade hugged each other. As they broke apart, they caught each other in the eyes and looked at each other in a way they hadn't done for years.

And as they did, Duncan watched. His face blank. His heart dropping.

Di came out, and walked to Diana, "What is it?"

"When my group's Quinn and Mallory were merged, the combine left a distinct energy signature. Quinn was absorbed into Mallory. But these scans of your Mallory are different. There's no energy signature like the one in my Mallory." Diana explained.

"What are you saying? I saw them merge." Di told her.

"Or did you? Look at this. There's nothing of Quinn inside your Mallory. None of the markers we found in mine. Which leads me to think…" Diana started.

"Oh my God." Di said, her face dropping.

"And… Cut!" the director called to Maggie, "Maggie, darling, that was beautiful! Your best work yet. You're bound to get another Emmy."

"Man, your lips must be tired form all that puckering." Maggie said under her breath.

"What was that, sweetheart?" the director asked.

"I said your hips must be tired from all that… um… leave me alone, and let's do this work already!" Maggie yelled… that bluff never seemed to work for her.

"C'mon, Beckett, you have to find something." Maggie told herself.

Drawer after drawer, nothing to be found. Then she heard a key in the door.

"Great." she said, trying to find a hiding place.

She looked around, and saw nothing she could reach in time.

The door opened. Maggie quickly threw herself back in the chair, almost falling over, and put her legs up on the desk. Then she watched as Pecktinraugh walked in. He smiled when he saw her.

"This is a surprise." he said, putting his brief case on the ground.

"I thought you'd like it." Maggie replied, now walking slowly to him.

He was even more repulsive in person than in the magazine pictures she'd seen. She could almost see the slime dripping from his chin.

"You were right." he smirked, pulling her close to him and kissing her.

She felt her breakfast coming up. Her gag reflexes kicking in. She'd never had this reaction to a kiss before, no matter how disgusting the person was. When it was finally over, she has to force herself not to spit on the floor.

"But, we have business to discuss." Dave said, walking to his desk.

Without realizing it, Maggie let out a sigh or relief. When she noticed it, she quickly looked up at Pecktinraugh to see if he noticed. Luckily, he didn't.

"What kind of business?" Maggie asked.

"Well," he started, opening a drawer, "We have this meeting with France in an hour. They want to talk about a merger of sorts. They call it an 'alliance' or some such thing."

He pulled a piece of paper from his drawer. Maggie noticed the title on top.

"Declaration of war?" Maggie asked.

Dave looked up at her, "You don't expect me to listen, do you? Next thing you know, they'll be poisoning our children with their democratic ideas."

"And who'd want that?" Maggie replied with just a hint of sarcasm.

"Mag, are you feeling okay?" Pecktinraugh asked.

"Fine." Maggie replied, "Just fine."

Dave smiled, "Good. I'll need you to work your… magic, on their diplomats."

Maggie could feel her heart jump, "Why?"

Dave grinned, "Well there is always the chance to uncover some of their other secrets."

She's just gotten back from her meeting with Pecktinraugh.

"Well, what else do you want to do?" Mallory replied.

"Look, nobody's selling their bodies. We'll figure out another way." Alt-Remmy told them.

"I have an idea." Jenny spoke.

Everyone turned their heads to look at her. Something Jenny was not used to.

"We…Well, I was thinking. Maggie has the authorization to take total control of the company if something were to happen to Mr. Pecktinraugh." she told them.

"Are you saying we should kill Da… Pecktinraugh?" Maggie asked.

"Maybe not kill him… But we could make it look that way." Alt-Maggie replied to her double.

"How?" Alt-Mallory asked.

"Remmy, what do you think?" Maggie asked.

Alt-Remmy almost spoke, but realized that he wasn't who Maggie was talking to.

"I wish I had something more creative, but all I can think of is kidnapping this Pecktinraugh guy, and making it look like he's dead." Remmy said.

"Well, it sounds like a plan to me." Alt-Mallory grinned.

They were in a separate section of the lab working on the chip that Wade had found.

"What is it?" Wade asked.

Kelly leaned over to the other side of the table and placed the chip in a box. When she closed the box, a light blinked on it. Then the computer screen in front of Kelly changed.

"When a add the chip to my models of our interdimensional… sliding machine, it reacts. Look at this model." Kelly pressed a button on the screen and an animation appeared on the screen. The animation showed the timer being programmed using a sample of DNA and opening a vortex.

"What's it doing?" Wade asked.

Wade still felt a little weird around Kelly. She'd been working with her for a while now, and she did like her sister's double as a person. But she couldn't help but feel that there was something missing. She'd caught herself a few times staring at Kelly. Like now for example. She blinked and turned her head a little and listened to Kelly's reply.

"It looks like it's using a sample of DNA to lock onto the dimensional frequency of the user. It's programming the timer to open a rift that would lead to the sample's home Earth." Kelly explained.

"Yes." Kelly replied, "But it's not quite that simple. This program can determine the function of a chip without us actually having the technology to use it."

"What are you saying?" Wade asked.

"I'm saying… this chip isn't compatible with my technology right now. And with the modifications the computer is telling me to make, it could take months to work it into the machine."

"What about our timer? Or the Professor's device?" Wade asked, her grin fading.

"It is possible, I think. I don't know the specifics of your technologies, but I think this chip was made to work with them. But your device will still require modifications with technologies not compatible with my world's. I could tell you what you'll need, and how to install this into your current device, but it won't work until you get the rest of the equipment it requires." Kelly told her.

Wade wasn't grinning anymore, but she still held hope, "And what will we need?"

"You'll need a way of scanning DNA. The chip can determine the frequency, but it has no means of scanning the DNA itself right now. You'll need to complete work on the device as Mr. Arturo is planning now. And after this is done, you'll need to find a way to search for your dimensional frequency in the multiverse in order to find your friend." Kelly replied.

"I guess this is good. The scanner we used in the last device was the hardest thing to find. This is good." Wade told Kelly, "This is good."

"Why, is something wrong?" Alt-Remmy replied.

"No. Nothing's wrong." Mallory told him still seeming unsure, "It's just… it's so… unoriginal."

"Sorry. Next time we'll try to think of something more creative. But for now… Let's go!" Maggie shot back, slapping Mallory on the head.

The second Mallory then leaned into his double, "Is your Maggie always this abusive?"

When the Mallory looked back at his double's Maggie, the look on her face was enough to make him whimper.

"I'll go get the rest of the supplies." Jenny told them, hanging up the phone, "The window washers are on the way. I told them a bird hit the window."

"Good. We'll take care of the rest, Jenny. You go back to work. We don't want to raise suspicions." Alt-Maggie responded.

Jenny nodded, "I'll get the meeting room ready. I'd normally do that anyway."

Maggie smiled at her as she walked out of the room.

"That girl's been through so much." Alt-Maggie said.

"I just hope we can help her." Maggie replied.

"Sir!" she jumped at the sight of Dave Pecktinraugh.

Dave walked into the room and closed the door, "Jenny. Right?"

Jenny looked at the ground, then back at the leader of her country, "Yes, sir."

"Hard at work, I see." Pecktinraugh said, taking some stems into the room, seemingly inspecting it, "I just came to see if everything was set for the conference."

Jenny didn't say anything, she just looked at the ground. She hated the man in front of her. She helped plan his kidnapping. She planned to destroy him. But to talk to him… to be in the same room. He seemed so normal.

"Are you okay, Jenny? You look nervous." Dave spoke, stepping closer to her.

He placed his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm… I'm okay, sir. I just… I have per… personal problems." Jenny replied.

"Anything I can help with?" Dave asked.

Jenny didn't speak, she just nodded.

"Oh. Okay, I know what you need. Come here." Dave said, stepping closer and pulling her into a hug.

"Sir, I…" Jenny started.

Dave shushed her, "It's okay."

When he didn't break away from the hug, Jenny started to worry. Her heart began to race.

"Come here." Dave told her, lifting her chin with her hand.

Her tried to kiss her, but she turned away.

"Sir," Jenny tried to speak.

Dave grabbed her face and turned it back to face his and forced a kiss on her.

"You're hurting me." Jenny told him.

"It's okay." Dave said to her, "I'll make you forget your problems."

"No." Jenny ordered.

But Dave ignored her.

"Come here." he said, pulling her closer to the table.

For the first time in her life, Jenny felt a force build up inside her. She's always taken whatever people dealt. But not anymore. Not this.

"You want a kiss?" Jenny asked.

Dave smiled, "You know I do."

Jenny leaned back on the table, and reached back, "Well slap this on your kisser."

With that said, Jenny grabbed the glass pitcher and smashed it against Pecktinraugh's head with as much force as she could. As he fell to the floor, she smiled.

"Well, that had to hurt." Maggie said from the doorway.

Jenny looked up at her. Maggie walked into the room and stood over Dave.

"Not nearly enough, but it had to hurt." Maggie finished.

"I can't believe I just did that." Jenny grinned.

As she said that, Maggie saw Remmy and Mallory lowering themselves on the window washer's scaffold.

"Well, his ride's here." Maggie told Jenny as she walked to the window.

Maggie opened the window and let Remmy and Mallory in. The two men looked at the floor where the bleeding Dave was laying.

"What happened?" Remmy asked.

"Oh, he just got a little thirsty, so I gave him a drink." Jenny blurted.

"Okay, sarcasm girl, time to calm down." Maggie said, patting Jenny on the back.

Jenny grinned again, "Sorry. I've just never felt like this. I feel so… strong."

Remmy and Mallory grabbed Pecktinraugh and put him on the scaffold.

"Going up." Mallory said to Jenny.

Jenny looked at the mess on the ground and at Maggie, wondering how it was going to get cleaned up.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it. You go." Maggie told her.

Jenny thanked Maggie and got on the scaffold. Remmy and Mallory followed, and then they went up. Maggie closed the window and turned to pick up the glass. Then the door burst open.

"Jenny, did you hear?" asked the woman before seeing Maggie.

When she did see Maggie, she quickly backed off and started to leave.

"Wait." Maggie yelled, trying to keep in character.

"I'm sorry, ma'am." the woman said, looking at the ground.

"What's going on?" Maggie asked.

The woman swallowed, "It's Mr. Pecktinraugh. We just got a phone call. They say he's dead."

"Dead?" Maggie asked, acting surprised yet as cold as possible.

"Yes, ma'am." the woman replied.

"That explains this." Maggie said, indicating the bloody mess on the floor.

The woman looked at it and took a deep breath.

"Well I didn't do it." Maggie barked.

"Yes, ma'am. I mean, no ma'am. I never…" the woman was obviously uncomfortable.

Maggie hated this. She felt sorry for this poor woman. But she had to do this. It was for the greater good.

"Get carpet cleaners up here. I have a meeting with the representatives from France in less than a half hour." Maggie ordered.

The woman just nodded and walked out of the room. Maggie stayed behind and just sat in one of the chairs.

"Well, the doubles did their jobs. Let's just hope the rest of the day goes as planned." Maggie said to herself.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." the first man, Luke, said, kissing her hand.

He was a charmer. Mid to late thirties. Brown hair. Brown eyes. Reminded Maggie of her late husband in some ways.

"Same here." Maggie smiled.

The second man, Jean-Paul, was older. Late fifties. Overweight. Sweaty.

"We've been trying to set this meeting up for some time. But your boss always seemed busy." Jean-Paul said, "Where is the good Mr. Pecktinraugh?"

Maggie grinned, "He's busy. But I assure you, I've been given the ability to sign any deals we might work out."

"It is a shame that we will not be able to meet him. But if his absence was the only way for us to meet you, I am glad that be was preoccupied." Luke said softly.

"I'm glad too." Maggie said, "What he's working on has been coming for a long time."

The French guys just smiled.

"Shall we get down to business?" Jean-Paul asked.

"Sure." Maggie replied with a smile.

"What we have planned is this…" Luke started.

"Here's the deal," Maggie interrupted. "You guys take over the country. Institute democracy. Once we can stand on our own two feet, say... half a dozen years, we continue on our own. In return, America will aid you in any medical or technological ways we can. We'll also stand by you in any disagreements that you may have with other countries for the span of six years. Is this acceptable?"

The French delegation was in shock. This was more than they expected. More than they'd hoped.

"I suppose this deal would be acceptable," Luke muttered, still in shock. "But we will expect your country to fund this program yourselves."

"Deal." Maggie smiled.

Then she pulled out a piece of paper from under the table and put it in front of them, "Sign here."

"We cannot just… We must check with our government. We have a process." Jean-Paul told her.

"Oh, don't worry. France can pull out any time. But rest assured, America is committed to the deal already." Maggie told them.

"This is odd indeed." Luke told her, "Very odd."

"Well it took longer than I expected, but yes." Maggie replied, "For my first diplomatic conference, I think I done good."

"I'd have loved to see their faces when you did all this." Alt-Maggie smiled.

"It was pretty funny." Maggie replied.

Jenny smiled, "We're free."

She rushed at Maggie and hugged her.

"So who's gonna run this place?" Alt-Remmy asked.

"Well, the French guys said that a representative named Rupert Weese was coming to fix things up." Maggie told him, "He did the same thing in China a few years back."

"Very cool." Mallory grinned.

"Guys, I hate to be the party stopper, but we should get back to the hotel." Remmy spoke up.

"Diana… I'd forgotten all about her!" Mallory jumped.

"I'll call you later." Maggie told Jenny, "We'll say bye before we leave."

"Okay." Jenny replied.

Everyone hugged Jenny good-bye before they left the room. It was dark now, so they wouldn't be seen.

As Maggie was leaving the room, she quickly turned and looked back at Jenny, "Oh, I almost forgot. I told the police that Dave and I were faking his death to avoid the taxes he'd owe under the new government. They'll be out of business for a while." she said, "It didn't make much sense to the police, but they're taking care of it anyway."

Jenny smiled again, but the smile faded, "Who's gonna run the TV network?"

Maggie smiled, "Two guesses."

Then Maggie walked out with the others. Jenny was left alone.

After a few moments, her firend, Sally walked in.

"Jen, did I just see the elevator close?" Sally asked.

"Yeah. Just some friends." Jenny replied.

"Oh." Sally said, then smiled, "Wanna go to the bar to celebrate?"

"You know… I'd love that." Jenny said, walking out of the room.

They walked out of the office toward the elevator.

"You know what, Sally… I just had an idea for a new show." Jenny said as she pushed the elevator button, "It's called, 'Sliders'…"

"Hey, I helped." Quinn smiled.

"So, who wants to go for dinner?" Kelly asked.

"I saw a great looking place while we were out. All you can eat liver balls for only 5 rumpets." Duncan said, "By the way… what's a rumpet?"

"Don't worry. My treat." Kelly told them.

The group walked out of the office.

"How long until the slide?" Wade asked.

They stepped into this world's version of an elevator and the doors closed behind them.

Back in the office, Kelly's computer began to beep. A red light appeared on the screen. In the office, a red vortex opened and a person fell out of it. The woman stood up and brushed herself off.

"If you ever find those morons, you really have to thank them extra for these landings." the woman said to herself.

She looked around the office, and walked around a bit.

"Nice walls. Gotta tell my decorator about them." she said.

As the woman searched the tables for anything interesting, she came across the device. She picked it up and studied it.

"One moment, I forgot my glasses." came the familiar voice of Max Arturo.

The woman put the device down, and hid in another section of the office. She listened as Arturo came and grabbed his glasses.

"Hurry up, Professor!" came another familiar voice.

"Quinn Mallory." the woman said to herself, "Logan, you've got a big day ahead of you."

"Where have you been? We've been trying to get a in touch with you for hours!" Alt-Diana yelled.

"What's wrong?" Remmy asked.

"What's wrong is this." Diana said, holding her PDL up for all to see.

Both Maggies looked at it, then at each other.

"Di, I'm trying to learn this stuff, but you'll have to help me." Maggie told her Diana.

"What is this?" Remmy asked.

"This is information that proves something that I never even thought of before. Remmy, Maggie, your Quinn isn't inside of Mallory. He's in another dimension." Di told them.

"What?!?" Mallory yelled.