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Half a dozen uniformed police officers battered down a door and followed their quarry into a ceiling vent. The man they were chasing emerged onto the roof and ran to a device. The police aimed their guns at him. POLICEMAN MAN The man put his hand to a device. The police didn't know what the device could do, so they backed off, still pointing their guns.  Quinn looked at the timer. One minute. This world was normal enough, but not Earth Prime. Quinn was ready to go home. He opened the vortex, and jumped inside. Arturo followed and Wade jumped in. The man had his hand on the switch. He was going to pull the lever. The police believed that it was a hoax and moved to fire at the man. POLICEMAN MAN The man pulled the switch and a barrier of crackling red energy formed around his position. After holding for a few seconds, the wave rushed outwards and knocked down the policemen. The man frantically tried to pull the switch back, but it wouldn't move. The shockwave continued to spread across the city, knocking people unconscious. The wave approached the vortex as Rembrandt jumped inside. Rembrandt saw it as he jumped. Maggie prepared to leap, but was struck by the shockwave. She was knocked down, and the vortex closed directly in front of her. A few minutes later, Maggie pulled herself up and looked around. She was alone. She had missed the slide... On the other side, the four sliders emerged. When the vortex closed, they all looked around for Maggie. She was nowhere to be found. WADE QUINN REMBRANDT Quinn gestured helplessly to the timer. QUINN WADE REMBRANDT Rembrandt was just trying to keep things calm. In truth, that shockwave had looked pretty vicious, and Rembrandt feared for Maggie's safety. Maggie struggled up and looked around. There was little structural damage, but everyone around her was unconscious. This was bad. In her semi-conscious state, she spent a minute or two assuming that Quinn would come to her assistance. Finally, she decided to seek out some help. She walked through the streets, which were littered with unconscious bodies. No one was awake. She had to find some answers. She walked towards the building that was glowing red. That's where she'd find them. As she approached the door, she fell, and began to tremble. She was having a seizure. The shockwave had affected her more than she had thought. When it was over, she arose and walked up the stairs. She was still a little dazed, so it took her a while. She reached the roof and saw where the red light was coming from. The man's device had created a "forcefield" around the immediate vicinity. Maggie gestured that she meant no harm, and the field's occupant reluctantly disabled the machine. MAN MAGGIE MAN MAGGIE MAN MAGGIE Maggie didn't really want to talk to this man, but he was apparently the city's only hope. MAGGIE MAN MAGGIE MAN Maggie laughed; that was a new one. MAN On another world, Quinn and the Professor were talking. They had been busy the last few weeks and decided to talk of home. ARTURO QUINN ARTURO QUINN ARTURO QUINN Arturo looked confused. QUINN Arturo didn't fully understand, but went along with it. QUINN ARTURO Thomas was working on the machine, and Maggie began to have another seizure. THOMAS Maggie collapsed and began to shake violently. This one lasted longer than the other, but she recovered again. Thomas helped her lean against the door. THOMAS MAGGIE Maggie didn't want to reveal that she was a slider. He might ask to come along. THOMAS Maggie didn't want to answer the question, so she acted as if she had fallen asleep. THOMAS Rembrandt and Wade were exploring this world. The streets were unusually empty. This world was odd. Nobody was outside. They passed an apartment building and saw a woman. WOMAN Wade and Rembrandt looked at the sky. It might rain, but they didn't think a flood was possible. But they knew nothing of this world, and the woman did. They decided to come inside. The woman met them at the stairs. She took them to her apartment and began to talk. WOMAN REMBRANDT WADE The woman looked worried for them. WOMAN The woman's face was stern. She seemed very serious about something as small as missing the weather. Remmy and Wade were confused. Something must be weird about the weather on this world. REMBRANDT WOMAN Thomas was helping Maggie. She was still recovering from her latest seizure. They were a result of the shockwave, no doubt. Maggie knew this, but decided to keep it from Thomas. At a time like this, more guilt was the last thing he needed. THOMAS Maggie began to sit up as Thomas opened up to her. THOMAS MAGGIE THOMAS Thomas wiped his face as he stared out onto the city. It was dead. THOMAS Maggie looked at Thomas, wondering how it got this far. THOMAS Thomas put his face in his hands. THOMAS Thomas stood up and looked at the horizon. There still seemed to be little movement in the city. The people directly below them were still unconscious, but Thomas wanted to check the entire city. On the other world Quinn and Arturo were talking about Maggie's situation, and what could have happened. ARTURO QUINN Arturo looked worried, wondering about how many times Maggie had been left behind on some world. QUINN In the woman's apartment, the woman was quietly watching the Weather Channel, not concentrating on anything else. Rembrandt and Wade assured themselves of their safety and decided not to tune in. Wade observed the walls. WADE REMBRANDT The woman looked at the two with a stern face, and then her facial expression changed into one of worry. Why weren't they concerned with the weather? Wade continued, with a quieter voice. WADE REMBRANDT WADE Rembrandt agreed, but he had a strange sense of danger. They had been on a world, once, where television controlled your mind, using hypnotic images. Maybe the Weather Channel had a similar grasp over the minds of this world. The thought of this made Rembrandt laugh to himself, though. Thomas returned with the binoculars he had been given as a present. He wanted to check the surrounding blocks. All the people in the streets were not moving. This made Thomas nervous. If any of these people had long-lasting injuries, he was in for a lot of trouble. If any of them died..... He chose not to think of that. The city was dark. In Thomas's section of San Francisco, not many buildings were lit. Because of this, Maggie saw something. MAGGIE THOMAS MAGGIE THOMAS MAGGIE Maggie caught herself. She hoped that Thomas hadn't caught on, but he did. THOMAS Maggie thought quickly. She still didn't want to reveal what had happened. She came up with another excuse. MAGGIE Thomas looked as if he believed Maggie's story and turned to the horizon. THOMAS MAGGIE Thomas got worried. THOMAS Thomas began gathering his things, but he stopped when he saw Maggie struggling to get up. THOMAS It was getting dark, and the woman was still fixated on the television. Remmy and Wade were watching and saw no reason for any panic at all. WEATHER MAN The woman became very nervous. She began grabbing items frantically as it began to rain. Remmy and Wade watched on in amazement. They looked at each other. Sacramento was over 100 miles away. Why were they even concerned? WOMAN Rembrandt had to intervene. REMBRANDT WOMAN Wade tried to calm the woman down, as Rembrandt watched people flood to their cars to flee the city. This world was extremely paranoid about the weather. Remmy was just glad they were only here for a day. On the other side of town, Arturo and Quinn were also seeing the effects of the bulletin. ARTURO QUINN ARTURO QUINN Quinn turned on the news, and the weather men were monopolizing all the stations. QUINN Quinn seemed to be insulting the world, so a calmer Arturo answered him. ARTURO QUINN Quinn glanced at the timer. QUINN ARTURO Morning came and Thomas wasn't able to sleep. He was worried about being caught. He wanted to let Maggie rest, but felt the need to move her. He woke her up and they moved downstairs. Maggie was still weak, but she moved with Thomas. The military was closing in. They spotted Thomas and Maggie. ARMY OFFICER Thomas and Maggie began to run. OFFICER Thomas kept running, but Maggie fell behind. She was having another seizure. She collapsed and the army caught up to her. OFFICER COMMANDER Maggie woke in a hospital. Everyone was around her. QUINN MAGGIE ARTURO MAGGIE The army officer in the room made his presence known. OFFICER MAGGIE QUINN MAGGIE THOMAS POLICEMAN THOMAS Maggie made it to the roof, in a wheelchair, being pushed by the officer. MAGGIE THOMAS MAGGIE Thomas was too exhausted to run anymore. He moved to turn off the machine, and a worried officer fired, hitting Thomas in the chest. MAGGIE Maggie rose from the wheelchair and stumbled to Thomas's side. MAGGIE THOMAS Maggie rose as Thomas died. She looked over at the officer. She felt sorry, because she had lost a friend, and now an innocent officer would be put on trial for an accident. If only the situation hadn't gotten out of hand... In an alley, the sliders were preparing to slide. REMBRANDT Maggie tried to stay happy, but she wasn't in the mood. She was worried about the seizures, hoping that they would stop once she left. Also, she was thinking about Thomas. She knew he was in a better place. Quinn looked at Maggie. QUINN MAGGIE Quinn opened the vortex. Maggie ran and jumped in, anxious to leave. The others followed. The vortex closed behind them.
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