• • •

Quinn quickly shuts the door, "I think we lost them"

"Guys, whats going on?"

"Sorry Maggie for showing up late, but we sorta got into a fight in the bar a few blocks down from the hotel, and those guys were ready to kill us"

The group hear noises outside the hotel, with Maggie looking out the window, "I think those guys are here. Its a good thing we slide in 35 seconds"

Ryan soon opens the portal, with the group quickly entering and the portal closing shortly after. The black vortex opens up in an alley, the group exit and quickly stand up, to realize its cloudy and starting to rain. Ryan feels raindrops on his face, "I guess we better head to the hotel, before we get soaked" the group take off running, and find the hotel a few minutes later.

When entering, Joe notices the hotel is exactly opposite in design, "I guess this world's Concord Hotel is backwards from the ones we usually go to. Instead of going to the front desk on the left side, we must go to the one on the right side. Geena and Quinn head to the desk, while the others sit down on a bench. When the hotel clerk looks to Geena, he is shocked, "Ms. Lequa, its so nice to see you visiting our establishment. We'll give you the best suite of all, and its on us"

"Thank you. Well I brought a few friends along, they'll be staying with me" the clerk agrees, giving her a key. When approaching the elevator, they enter, with 2 men already inside; Maggie and Joe hold each other, and kissing, while Doug watches. The elevator doors open in the garage parking lot, leading the men to get off, and forcing Geena with them, and taking off when a car shows up,and they get in. The sliders rush after the car, yelling to stop, but the car is too quick.

-The group return to the front desk, to report the kidnapping; the clerk looks concerned, telling them he would call the cops. The clerk dials the number, and a few minutes later, the police arrive, talking to the sliders.

"Now you say she was kidnapped by 2 men, did you notice them, or the driver of the vehicle?"

Quinn decides to speak for the group, "We noticed the men in the elevator both young looking, one had blonde hair, the other had red; we didn't see the driver, but they took off in a white jaguar, and we didn't see the license plate, sicne it was covered in dust"

"What about the rest of you, did you notice anything about the men?" the group nod their heads no, but then Ryan remembers something, "I recall the man with blonde hair, wore a patch, but that was it"

"Okay. Well, if we find anything, we'll keep you notified. You all will be staying here at the hotel, correct?"

Quinn speaks for the group again, "Yeah, we won't be leaving anytime soon"

In a separate that Maggie and Joe took, they relax on a bed, while watching the news, when they notice Geena's double speaking to reporters earlier in the day, "We should be finished with voting on the amendment to irradicate people from leaving the country, or even coming in. We need a safe civilization for society, without the help of foreign citizens that raid out world that can provide little to them"

A reporter asks, "But won't this lead to riots or even threats by anti terrorist groups?"

The double doesn't looked concerned, "Possibly, but like the rest of us normal people, we'll all need to adjust to the new living conditions. Adapt to our society, or die by your own hands"

Joe shuts off the television, with closing his eyes and ready to sleep. Maggie kisses him, and states she would be in the shower if he wanted to join her; Joe smiles about it, but opens his eyes and decides to undress and go to sleep, since they had work to do, to find Geena.

At a marina, on a large boat, Geena is thrown into a room, and the bag over her head is taken off, for her to see 2 men in bright light, which is shining on her body, and a person hidden in the darkness, speaking to her in a masked voice, to not reveal their own, "Senator Lequa, you have been taken hostage, so that your time here, will change your vote on your rediculous amendment about to take place"

"What are you talking about. What amendment. I just arrived in town a while ago, with a few friends-"

"None of this trickery Ms. Lequa. You have a day to change your mind, or we'll assist you on getting you tossed in the water with 12 cement bricks tied to your legs" the 2 men exit into the darkness, and the light is soon gone, leaving Geena in the dark, and scared for her life.

By the following morning, at the train station, Geena's double gets off a train, to meet a man named Bill Hassler, "So, I hear I was taken hostage last night from a hotel nearby"

"That was what I heard. I suspect a woman may of had ideas to disguise herself as you, to possibly change this vote, to continue relations with other countries, instead of your vote to stop relations"

"Well. I guess some others are fools now, for kidnapping an imposter. I did hear this woman was traveling with others. Do you think we could head to the hotel to speak with them, or possibly in detainment downtown in the police station"

"We can. We'll just have to call the cops before arriving at the hotel"

In the room, the sliders have gotten ready for the day, and ready to head to breakfat downstairs, when suddenly, the door is forced open, and cops storming the room, with forcing the sliders down on the ground. All are arrested and taken downtown to the police station and put into an interrogation room, "We really don't know whats going on. We arrived in town last night, and headed to the hotel. The hotel clerk did know our friend-"

"Because she looked like a senator?"

"Possibly. We don't really keep up with the news, we don't even own a television set; We just read a paper"

"Mr. Coplin. You and your friends are found to be part of a crime unit that may be planning to kidnap Senator Geena Lequa. Since you all should know of the states stopping relations with other countries"

"Look, I know our friend may have looked like the senator, but it isn't her. Haven't you ever considered the theory, that we all are suppose to have a double of ourselves, yet its astronamical of actually seeing each other"

"Mr. Mallory, don't patronize me. She is identical to her, and there's no doubt about your plans to act in terroristic ways to get society your way"

Senator Lequa soon shows up outside the room, along with an officer, "So. What are these people saying, jokes of meeting doubles"

"Its possible they all could be mentally ill, and should all be sent to an asylum"

"Works for me. Let me talk to them, maybe I can get something out of them"

The officer enters with the senator, and the interrogator exits the room, leaving her alone with the sliders.

"So, I hear you were with someone acting like me. Is it true, or are you terrorists?"

"I'm Quinn Mallory. I find all of you outlandish to believe we would want to attack this country, since we're stopping relations with Europe, China, or even South America. Our friend was kidnapped, and for some reason, the hotel clerk believed our friend was you"

"I think you planned everything. I won't believe a single person until this amendment is passed. I think you all are mentally ill, and should be reevaluated by psychologists in an asylum. If the time comes for our vote to pass, I would fully apologize to you all, and you can move on with your lives"

"How long will that be. We leave town later tonight, and we can't leave without our friend"

"Quiet down missy. One thing I don't get, is why haven't I heard your friends name. Or is it that you want to keep her name a privately kept secret"

"Its...Jenny Laker, from New York City"

"Nice try stud, but I heard a pause, giving you a chance to make up a name. I think you'll be sent to prison for all I care"

The senator exits the room, leaving the sliders alone and upset, "Great. Well I feel retarded. I wish one of you guys would of helped figure a name out"

"Joe, calm down. We can get out of this, we just need to concentrate"

"How about we take Geena's double hostage. I still have my butter knife I took on the last world" The others look to Doug feeling what a stupid idiot he is.

On the boat, Geena is awaken, by one of the men from before, and he gives her a granola bar and a can of Pepsi, "Here, enjoy"

Geena, who looks pissed off, sits up, "You know, I don't know why I was kidnapped by you. Like I said last night, I don't a damn thing your talking about. If you want the truth, here it is. I came here through a vortex, that opens up in parallel worlds. I'm from an alternate-"

"Don't lie bitch. Your senator Lequa, and your probably hoping to be rescued" the person with a masked voice arrives in the room, wearing a dark mask and revealed as a woman, "So, you claim to be from a another world. Prove it, and we may consider not killing you"

"I have friends back at the Concord Hotel, where I was going to stay at. They can back up my story"

"Fine, Cevin, head to the Concord, find her friends and bring them back here" the man nods, exiting the room.

"You have by 8 p.m. to decide changing your vote, or your dead" the masked woman exits the room, slamming the door.

At the station, the sliders are lead in a line, down a hallway, but Doug acts, with taking out his knife, and rushing to grab Senator Lequa, and putting the knife to her neck, "Stay back, all of you"

Quinn and Maggie grab guns from officers, pointing them back at the officers, "We'll be leaving now, see ya" Maggie watches the other sliders exit, as she soon joins them out of the station, and Doug forces the senator to give him the keys to her vehicle which a van; Ryan gets in to drive, while Quinn and Joe hold her in the back seat.

"So, where do we go from here. I doubt the hotel would love convicts staying there"

"How about the Concord basement. We wouldn't be seen"

Senator Lequa is able to speak by freeing her mouth, "Look, you guys will be captured by tonight. Now I don't know what your plans are, but I won't play any part of them"

"Senator, I think you have very few options right now. Maybe if you help us, we won't have to kill you" the senator doesn't look happy, and remains silent until the van arrives in the back of the hotel. Joe and Quinn force the double down a flight of stairs, and Maggie opens the basement door, turning on a light. Ryan finds a chair, and locates duct tape and rope, so the senator wouldn't leave. After the double was tight fitted, the group head back outside, standing by the van.

Quinn talks first, "I think we better ditch the van, then find a way to locate Geena"

Ryan then considers an additional option, "What about heading back into the hotel, maybe the hostage takers plan to meet us to discuss negotiations"

"I think I'll take my chances. I probably could find an old maids uniform down there, and when I see them, get them down with the rest of you"

"You probably should take the timer in case your forced back to their location. Because if they think Geena is the real senator, they won't believe a word you say, without proof" Maggie agrees, being given the timer by Quinn.

Maggie starts down stairs, with Joe stopping her, "Maybe I should come with you. I would hate the thought if you were killed for no reason"

"Joe, I'll be fine. I was a marine and a fighter pilot. I've fought the kromaggs and delt with other obstacles" Joe and Maggie share a kiss, and Maggie soon changes with her new disguise.

When entering the hotel, Cevin heads to the front desk, asking for the roommates of Senator Lequa's room. The hotel clerk states they were taken to the police for questions, and doubtful of their return. As Maggie exits the basement, and walking down a hallway to the lobby, she soon notices the man from the night before; she started to head for him, when being stopped by a hotel manager, "Miss, have you started cleaning rooms 340-560 yet?"

"No, I was just about to"

"Then get to it. I don't like slow workers" Maggie calms herself down, from punching the guy, but continues on to meet the man, starting to exit the hotel, "Excuse me sir, I think your looking too far"

"You with the senator?"

"Yes, and my friend was mistaken for her, and I think you have her" Cevin pulls out a gun, shoving it into Maggie's back, "Lets go lady, quietly, before I put my round in ya"

"What about the others, shouldn't they come along?"

"No, your enough proof for me" Cevin and Maggie soon exit the hotel, with the manager heading to the desk, asking the clerk where the maid was going, but the clerk didn't know; the manager states that when she shows back up, to fire her immediately; the clerk agrees, and the manager leaves the desk.

In the basement, the sliders remain, waiting for Maggie to show, Joe who seems the edgiest, and walking back and forth in the basement, feels like something is wrong, "Quinn, I think we should check to see if Maggie is still in the hotel"

"She told us she would show up. Besides, she does have a cell phone, and she would call if something came up"

"I don't mean to rain on your parade, but I think your friend will probably die, when those hostage takers don't believe your story about parallel worlds, and you'll probably see her drowned and floating in the bay" The sliders look to each other, all feeling nervous that it could happen.

Maggie is forced into a room aboard the ship, and has a bag over her head, but its taken off, when she sees the masked woman, sitting in a chair, "Welcome aboard my ship. Now your friends with this woman, claiming not to be Senator Lequa?"

"I am. I have proof that her claim is true" Maggie pulls out the timer, tossing it to the woman, "My friend at the hotel created the device we use and your holding our friend, who is in fact Senator Lequa's double"

"Impressive story, but I've considered the idea that maybe we could put this double to good use. I mean senator Lequa was kidnapped at the station earlier today, by a group of youngsters" the woman shows pictures of Maggie and the others having taken the double hostage.

"How did you get those photos?"

"I have connections, but those aren't the problem. Why would a group of people take a senator hostage, if they knew something the rest of the world didn't"

"We planned on trading her for our friend. Everything looks in place now. So if you send men back with us, we can give you the senator, and you can do whatever to her"

"Its a very interesting offer, but with your friend looking so much like Lequa, I think we could use her for a new plot"

"Can I ask why. Why do want this amendment not passed, is there a main objective to your lifestyle?"

"What I do is called business, and when we can no longer establish relations, I would run out of funding for my lavish lifestyle"

"So what about the mask and your voice. Or are you so afraid, that I might turn you in?"

"No problem here. I just needed a cover for Geena Lequa, because we're best friends from where we come from" the woman disrobes the mask and takes off her gloves, revealing an older white woman, giving Maggie a shock, "Don't look so surprised. I may not be some twenty something dame, but I still can kick butt"

"So what do you plan to do with me and my friend"

"If she is willing to save her and your lives, then she can act as her double, changing the vote, and this world will be better for everyone. If not, I think you and Geena can enjoy being pushed off this boat with bricks tied to your legs"

Back in the basement, the group still wait to hear from Maggie, "How long til the slide?"

"Ryan, I already told you this 5 minutes ago, we slide in 10 hours"

Doug finds an old television, and plugs the cord into the wall, with finding a news station available; he barely can hear the reporter, but can hear of the voting going to happen tonight at 9 p.m. that night, "I think we can catch those crooks"

"How? Its unlikely they would show up with your friend posing as me, since I do have friends in the senate"

"They will use her to vote, since its too obvious that our Geena looks exactly like you"

"Joe, we need to call the cops, get them prepared to catch those people when arriving" Quinn motions to speak of his idea, "Wait, I think we have plan here. If we can get those people in there, they would believe Geena would make sure the vote went through, then exit the building, with no one would realize they would be captured"

"Then we can make sure the cops arrive for the voting, and on their way out, busted"

Senator Lequa looks to Doug, then to Quinn, I think I have a better idea" the group looks surprised, then the senator looks to Quinn, "So, can I go free, or do you want to kill me?"

"Depends, will you turn us into the cops if we do"

"If your leaving like you say you are, then I'll let this incident go, but if you return, I won't hesistate to make sure you have the book thrown at you" Quinn smiles a bit, as the double looks at them, then Joe unties her, letting her get to her cell phone out of her purse.

By nightfall, Maggie (who has changed into a dress) and Geena are in the back of a van, that is traveling to the senate hearing, "I hope the others have a plan to get us away from this lunatic"

"Don't worry. After sliding for 4 years, you get use to being helped"

"I really wonder if my double will realize who kidnapped me, since you told me that lady was a fellow senator, and obviously against the amendment" the van pulls into the parking lot, with Geena and and Maggie forced out the back and Geena takes the lead, with Cevin, Maggie, and another man behind her, except the woman senator disappears to enter seperate from the 4.

When arriving at the main doors, Geena is stopped by a security guard, asking who the 3 with her were; Geena states they were friends, and none of his business. Maggie and the 2 men were unable to enter the main room, so they were forced to enter above, sitting in the balcony. Quinn, Ryan and Joe notice Maggie, but she doesn't see them. Joe figures he should get Maggie away from the men, before she was killed. Quinn agrees, but first the voting needed to take place; Doug appears, stating the police were in place, so when the people that took Geena hostage leave, they will be captured.

The lead senator stands, "As we figured before, Senator Lequa is the only remaining person that will decide on passing or agreeing to the new amendment. Senator Lequa, you have the floor" Geena gets nervous, but slowly stands, as her captor, Senator Beverly McCullah, sits beside her, "With my time to consider my vote, I've agreed to vote with my other colleagues to oppose this amendment" Geena sits back down, with Maggie shocked of Geena going along with the vote,and can't understand why the others weren't around, or even the real senator here to stop this voting process.

Again, the lead senator stands, "This concludes our voting session, your all dismissed" the other senators begin to exit through the doors, with people in the balcony exiting as well, including Maggie and the 2 men holding her captive. Senator McCullah stops Geena from nearing a door, "I can see we would of made a wonderful team, but this is it, so now I must kill you, since others can't know of your switching with your double" 2 police officers quickly enter, taking the senator under arrest, Geena looks to her, "I guess you'll have time to think about what you just said in your prison cell" the senator is taken away, with looking upset at Geena as she is led through the doors and Geena looks on, waving good-bye to McCullah.

Quinn and Doug take off down to the senate floor, while Joe and Ryan exit the area to join up with a few police officers to take the men holding Maggie, and arrest them. Maggie hugs Joe, "Its about time you guys showed. I can't believe this happened. What happened with the senator?"

"Its a long story. We had the double call a fake meeting with the senators, so this vote didn't count, and I think Senator McCullah is about to be arrested"

"How did you find out who it was?"

"We had a little help"

Senator Lequa appears, joining the 3 in the hallway, "I want to thank you guys for helping us find our defect in the committee. Did you tell her what I planned?"

"Yeah, but I think you can fill in the rest of the story"

"Well after I contacted the senate, I figured our crooked senator would obviously show up with your friend, so I made sure a helicopter was in place, to video tape her arrival"

Maggie is glad to be free, and states they need to get going; the 3 wave good-bye to Senator Lequa, and head downstairs to join Quinn, Doug and Geena for the slide.