Rembrandt Brown held Wade Wells close.  The rain was pouring around them.  They should have ran for cover, but they wouldn't.  They were here to pay respects to a fallen friend. "It should have been me," Rembrandt said.  "Don't say that!"  Wade was trying to hold the tears back.  It wasn't working. "It shouldn't have been any of us! Especially . . . especially  . . . -"  Maximillian Arturo placed his arm around his two friends.  He was usually not an emotional man, but this event had changed all of them.  'There , there Miss We-Wade."  Tears filled all  their eyes  as they starred at the tombstone. Rembrandt spoke, "Rest in peace QBall."

What if you could travel to parallel worlds?  The same year, the same Earth, only different dimensions.  A world where the Russians rule America, or where your wildest dreams came true. We've found the gateway.  Now if only we could find a way home.
 
"Funeral For A Friend"
    The three figures stood in the rain.  They could not bear to pull themselves away form the resting place of their fallen comrade.  Wade fell to the ground and clasped the tombstone.  She was screaming at the top of her lungs, "WHY!  WHY! DEAR GOD WHY! Quinn . . .no." Wade broke down into tears once again.  Rembrandt and Arturo helped her up.  Arturo turned to rembrandt and spoke, "Take her back to the hotel."  "NO!" Wade screamed, "I want to stay here!"  "Very well.  Then would you please do me the common courtesy of allowing my some privacy to express my own thoughts?"  "I'll take her over here for a minute, Professor."  "Thank you, Rembrandt."  Rembrandt walked Wade to some cover and the two sat down.  He tried to comfort her in this time of pain.

    As Maximillian Arturo knelt before the grave, he felt the tears well up in his eyes.  He tried to wipe them away as he began to speak.  "Mr. Mallory . . . Quinn.  My prize pupil . . . the son I never had.  In the last year you have made me prouder than any father could have been of a son, and in the end I failed you.  I should have done more.  I'm not exactly sure what, but I should have done something! So here you lie, dead.  I will not fail you again Quinn.  I will get them home.  Wade will see her family again, Rembrandt will sing to his heart's content and I will make sure that not only your mother knows her son died hero, but . . . " the tears were flowing freely from his eyes.  He could barely speak, "I vow to you . . . the world shall know what an incredible mind it has lost and Quinn Mallory will be known as the inventor of sliding . . . . ."  The words ever so slowly escaped his lips, "Good bye . . .Quinn."

    The three remaining sliders made their way back to the Dominion Hotel.  Wade was an emotional wreck.  She couldn't handle the events surrounding Quinn's death and as Rembrandt opened the door and Wade saw Ryan sitting on one of the beds she burst into tears once again.

    Ryan was silent.  He didn't know what to say.  He didn't know Quinn.  He had only met him right before the slide that cost him his life.  He felt he ahd no right to attend the funeral, even to comfort Wade.  She had made sure to put an incredible amount of distance between the two of them since they exited the wormhole.  And for good reason.

    "You okay, Ryan?" Rembrandt asked.  "I'm fine, it's you three I'm worried about."  "we will survive Mr. Styles.  We must," Arturo replied.  Arturo slipped off his coat and jacket .  He pulled the timer from out of his coat pocket and laid it on the table.  He sat down and then pried the back off of the timer.  Wade walked into the next room and slammed the door.  "She's hurtin' real bad.  Quinn's death hit her worse than any of us."  "What do you expect Rembrandt?  If someone took a bullet for you and then told you they loved you right before they died in your arms,  how would you react?  I swear, I don't know what he was thinking."  "That is enough Mr. Styles!  Quinn Mallory loved Wade very dearly.  Rembrandt and myself could see that.  He did what he thought he needed to do.  Quinn let her know how he felt."  "And look what it did to her!" Ryan replied.  "I do not believe it was Quinn who *did* this to her.  I believe it was a bullet fired by a police officer on your world.  So if you will excuse me, Mr. Styles, I have a timer to repair so that we might be able to slide off of this world." Rembrandt spoke, "C'mon Ryan, let's take a walk."

    Ryan and Rembrandt walked down the streets of San Francisco.  The rain had stopped and the sky had cleared. Ryan spoke, "Rembrandt, thank you for accepting me."  Rembrandt replied, "You're  a good guy Ryan, your heart is in the right place, besides I feel like QBall would want me to.  That's how he was.  In the year I knew him, he showed me things  I never thought I'd see.  Part of me can never thank him enough for dragging me along on this crazy trip.  The truth is, if I could change any of it, the only thing I'd change is he'd still be alive."  Remmy got solemn for a moment then perked back up, "But enough about me.  What seems to be the trouble?"  "Rembrandt, I feel like I'm intruding on your lives.  The three of you have lost a dear friend and I'm just the guy who came along for the ride on the last world."  Rembrandt replied, "I kind of know what you mean.  Wade has shut everybody out and I've never seen the Professor like this before.  He's more driven then he was before.  The burden of getting the three of us home has fallen on his shoulders."  Ryan spoke, "I want to go with you guys."  "Huh?" "I want to go with you guys, when you slide.  It feels like what I need to do."  Rembrandt replied, "I don't know how the others will feel about it, but I'd be more than happy to have you along for the ride."

    Wade Wells could not stop the tears.  She still couldn't believe he was gone.  He'd died saving her.  If only she had listened to him about the Lottery.  He would still be alive.  And Ryan, she could barely stand to look at him.  He reminded her of that last world.  The world that cost her the man she loved.  She only hoped that the Professor could fix the timer so they could slide of this planet, leaving Ryan and all the bad memories that he represented with this world.

    Maximillian Arturo was always amazed when he took the timer apart.  Quinn had been a genius, there was no doubt about that.  Still, the inner workings of the device were quite complex, yet at the same time simplistic to someone of Arturo's intellectual abilities.  He had discovered the problem a faulty chip that he could buy at any Electronic Hut side shop.  He picked up his coat and walked to the door for the room Wade was in.  He knocked on the door and spoke.  "Miss Wells?"  Her voice was heard through the door, "Yes, Professor."  'I'm going to get some parts for the timer.  Rembrandt and Mr. Styles should  return momentarily."  The door to the room opened and Wade appeared.  Her face was tear stained.  She looked at Professor Arturo and spoke, "Can you fix it?" He smiled, "Yes.  We should be off this world soon."  She hugged him and spoke, "Thank you."  Arturo was taken aback.  "For what?"  "I know you'll get us home.  With Quinn . . . gone, if anyone can.  You can."  "No, thank you, Miss Wells for your faith in my abilities."  Arturo began to walk towards the door.  As he did it opened and Rembrandt and Ryan walked in.  Rembrandt spoke, "Good, you're both here.  We need to talk."

    "No! Absolutely not!  He is not coming with us!" Wade screamed.  "Calm down, Wade," Rembrandt said.  Arturo spoke, "Miss Wells, he is coming with us.  He has no place to go.  From the moment he jumped into the vortex he became our responsibility.  You know as well as I do that Quinn would say the exact same thing."  Wade spoke softly, "I know.  It just hurts to see him."  "That will fade in time.  As will your pain.," Arturo replied.  "Now if you will excuse me, I must obtain a new chip for the timer so that we may slide off of this world."  "I'll go with you Professor."  "Glad to have you along, Mr. Brown."  Rembrandt and Arturo left the room, leaving Ryan and Wade alone.  Ryan spoke, "Wade, I'm sorry about Quinn, but I care about you.  Let me help. Please."  Wade replied, "Ryan, I know you want to help and that you care, but the wounds are still to fresh.  Quinn loved me and he died for me.  Please, give me some time to work all of this out."  Ryan spoke, "Take as long as you need.  Just remember I'm here if you need me." Wade nodded her head and returned to the adjoining room.  Ryan sat down in a chair  and spoke, "What have I gotten myself into?"

    Rembrandt Brown and Maximillian Arturo were making their way back to the hotel.  Rembrandt felt the need to speak, "Did you mean everything you aid back at the room about Ryan?"  Arturo replied, "Yes, Rembrandt.  Of course, I had another reason for insisting that Mr. Styles join us.'  "And that would be?"  "The timer was originally calibrated to hold only three people in the vortex.  When you were dragged along, it upset the balance.  If we return to a three person sliding party, well, I'm not exactly sure what the results might be, so for all our sakes I believe it would be good to have Mr. Styles along with us."

    Arturo slipped the new l chip into the timer.  The readout lit up.  "Two hours till we slide," he said.  "Good, there's something I need to do," Wade replied.

    Wade Wells stood before the grave of Quinn Mallory, she was holding back the tears and spoke, "Thank you Quinn Mallory for inviting me along on the adventure of a lifetime.  Thank you for being there when I needed you.  I will always love you Quinn and you will always have a special place in my heart.  We will meet again someday.  Good bye Quinn."

    Wade was wiping the tears away when Arturo spoke, "It's time." He activated the vortex.  The three men looked at Wade.  She spoke, "After you guys.  From now on, I'm the last one in."  Ryan was the first to jump followed by Arturo.  Rembrandt turned to Wade and spoke, "You okay?"  She replied, "As well as I will be."  Rembrandt ran and jumped for the vortex. Wade took one last look back and then dove into the vortex, ready for the next world.

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