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He had been struggling with it for weeks. Frantically searching. Endless hours he had labored, trying countless solutions, but all his work had been for naught -- without the slightest glimmer of hope.

The walls of the dimly lit lab seemed to glisten for a moment as reality folded in on itself. A series of beeps began to emit from one of the consoles, and as the words 'incoming wormhole' appeared on the screen, a bluish-white cylindrical rip appeared. Four figures were thrown from it. He was taken aback for a moment, and then he heard that voice.

"Is everybody okay?" Rembrandt Brown rose from the ground and helped Maggie Beckett up.

"I'm fine Rem," she replied.

Diana Davis took in her surroundings and spoke, "Guys, we're not alone."

The group turned to see the figure standing in front of them.

He spoke, "It can't be . . ."

Rembrandt Brown and Maggie Beckett could only stare in disbelief as one word escaped Maggie's lips, "Colin . . ."
What if you found a portal to a parallel universe? What if you could slide into a thousand different worlds, where it's the same year and you're the same person, but everything else is different? And what if you can't find your way home?

Starring:
Cleavant Derricks as Rembrandt Brown
Kari Wuhrer as Maggie Beckett
Robert Floyd as Mallory
Tembi Locke as Diana Davis




by Chaser9
Produced by Q-Ball79 and Chaser9

"Is it really you, Farm Boy?" Rembrandt could scarcely believe his eyes.

"I could ask you the same question, Remmy." Maggie and Rembrandt rushed to Colin's side and hugged him.

"But how? You were 'unstuck', how did you get here?" Diana inquired.

Colin looked her over. He didn't recognize her or her companion. He could only assume they were new additions to the team. His thoughts turned to his brother Quinn. Where was he?

"Oh sorry Colin, this is Diana Davis and . . . Mallory." Rembrandt wasn't sure how to explain Mallory to Colin.

"Colin, I remember you. We're brothers! I mean you and Quinn are brothers... were brothers."

Colin looked strangely at Mallory. "Where's Quinn?"

"It's a long story Colin, but he's safe." Maggie replied.

"Then I guess we all have a lot to talk about."

"I would have to agree." A voice came from the doorway of the lab. The sliders turned to see Michael and Elizabeth Mallory.

"Wait a minute! If you two are who I think you are . . ." Rembrandt's mind was beginning to grasp the truth.

Colin spoke, "That's right Remmy. You're on Kromagg Prime."


"I'm still not sure I understand all of this." Colin said. The confused look on his face had been there since the group had begun their story.

"Some days I'm not sure I do either, but Q-Ball was merged with Mallory, then he wasn't. He's out there with Wade and the professor."

"So he's not my brother?" Colin asked.

"No, it was a Kromagg trick or his double's mom got confused. Your real brother must still be out there."

Michael Mallory spoke, "This combining of worlds you spoke of, it sounds very familiar."

"Maybe Dr. Geiger's double on this world was trying the same thing," Diana suggested. "Of course, he was probably destroyed with all of Geiger's other doubles."

"Geiger!" Michael Mallory exclaimed. "Oberon Geiger! I knew those theories sounded familiar. I should have realized it when we first discovered Colin, unstuck, sliding aimlessly from world to world. I knew it seemed familiar, but it never clicked." Michael Mallory shook his head. "It explains so much."

Diana was the first to respond, "What are you talking about?"

"Oberon Geiger was a trusted friend of this family and a valued intellect on our world." Elizabeth spoke with disdain in her voice.

"I don't understand. What would Geiger's double have to do with Colin?" The confusion in Maggie's voice seemed to ring the sentiments of everyone in the room.

"Not Geiger's double," Michael explained. "It's complicated. Oberon Geiger worked on the Slidecage project with me back during the war."

"Small world," Rembrandt said.

"He was brilliant. He understood theories of trans-dimensional displacement better than most doctorate holders at the time. He didn't like the idea of the Slidecage; he thought he had a better idea -- combining worlds. Geiger assumed that by combining the worlds in the multiverse, we would do away with the Kromaggs and exist on one perfect world. His theories weren't tested. We tried to convince him he couldn't foresee the damage it would inflict upon the multiverse and the very fabric of space-time. He proceeded with an unauthorized test of his combine device and in the process unanchored himself and his lab assistant from this dimension."

"What happened to them?" Diana asked.

"I'm not sure about Geiger. I was never able to draw him back to this world. It took years, but I was finally able to re-anchor his assistant, and it was at this time we found Colin. After he was re-anchored, we discovered he was our son that we had left behind so many years ago. He told us of all of you, of your Quinn, who we thought was our Quinn."

Colin spoke, "That's why I was in the lab. I've been trying to track you down for months."

"But what about the Slidecage?" Maggie asked. "Why didn't it stop us from landing here?"

"Once we learned of the widespread Kromagg Plague," Elizabeth answered. "We disabled the Slidecage so that war veterans and former prisoners could return home."

Diana spoke, "Something I don't understand. If your Geiger is 'my' Geiger, then why did he say he needed someone with a similar quantum signature to merge with to undo his unstuck condition?"

Elizabeth looked to Michael and spoke, "Would that work?"

"In theory perhaps, but where would he have found someone from our Earth?"

Rembrandt's eyes widened, "He tried to merge with Mallory. We always assumed it was because they were from the same world . . . but . . . would that mean . . ."

All eyes turned to Mallory.

"That he's our son."


"That's impossible!"

"Calm down, Mal. We'll figure all of this out," Maggie replied.

"Wait a sec. Mallory, you didn't recognize Quinn's mom, but Elizabeth, does she look like your mother? " Rembrandt was grasping for straws.

"Yeah, but I just assumed it was a set of doubles, I mean not all Quinn Mallorys out there look like yours or have the same parents."

"But we left our sons with doubles of ourselves. Doubles of Michael and Elizabeth Mallory," Elizabeth felt hope rise inside of her.

"There is an easy way to figure all of this out. We simply run a test of Mallory's quantum signature. If it matches this world then we have our answer."

"Ms. Davis, how do you know so much about quantum signatures and trans-displacement?" Michael asked.

Diana was slow to answer, "I was Oberon Geiger's protégé."

Michael's eyes widened. "Did he seek you out?"

"Yes . . . I don't understand what that has to do with anything. I was sought out to work on his project with him. To help others and people with conditions like his. It was a fascinating opportunity. We were trying to figure out how to anchor him back to that dimension."

"The more I hear the more sense it makes. Ms. Davis, did you have an older brother on your world?" Michael's question seemed strange.

"No, I was an only child. What does that have to do with anything?" Diana showed confusion.

"Geiger's lab assistant, the one who became unstuck with him, his name was Delvin Davis." Michael Mallory's words were slow; almost calm. "He sought you out on purpose hoping you would be close enough in intelligence to your 'brother' to help him succeed in his plans."

"So you're saying he was looking for me. If that's the case then he must have known about Mallory too. He must have known he was from this world."

Mallory's words were quick, "Guys, we don't even know if that's true. How do we know this is real, any of it? Rem, Maggie you told me you'd been fooled before. How do we know this is really Kromagg Prime? I mean come on! Look out a window! The sun's shining, there's trees and greenery growing everywhere. Sgt. Vernon said the environment had been destroyed because of their secret weapon. How do we know this isn't a trick?"

Rembrandt looked to Maggie. Mallory had a point. Colin's presence had led them to believe this was in fact Kromagg Prime, but Mallory was right.

Elizabeth spoke, "Sgt. Vernon Larson. So you visited the outpost. You were made aware of the Veraton bomb. Yes, it did destroy our ecological systems. It nearly destroyed this world, but this world's greatest minds were able to find a way to reverse the horror that had befallen our world. Geiger must have known you were our son. All he would have had to do was scan your quantum signature to be sure."

Diana interrupted, "And we know he had the power to do that. How else would he have been able to give us our home world's coordinates?"

"I'm still not buying it." Mallory was determined not to believe this.

"If you are so sure, then let us scan your quantum signature. It will reveal the truth." Michael Mallory's words were almost pleading. If this truly was his son, he needed to know the truth.


"It can't be!" Mallory screamed. "It just can't be!"

Diana was first to speak, "It's an exact match. You are from Kromagg Prime."

"That's impossible. It can't be," the disbelief in Mallory's voice was almost pleading.

Rembrandt spoke, "Calm down, Fog Boy. This isn't the end of the world."

"Oh, let's see, my life is a lie? I'm from another earth? I'd say it's pretty far up there."

"I understand this is a lot to take in, but it's the truth -- and beyond the signature scan, I discovered something else."

Michael Mallory stepped to a computer screen and spoke, "This chip at the base of 'Mallory's' neck, it's the micro-dot we implanted Colin and our Quinn with. It was suppose to remove itself painlessly from their bodies at age 16. If their foster parents deemed it time for them to know the truth, it would reveal all to them. From what Colin has told me, his malfunctioned. It removed itself from him at a very early age; hence his mother placed it with her things until he was old enough to understand it. And from my readings, yours did as well. It never removed itself -- instead it caused feedback through your nervous system."

"That has to be what caused your disease, Mallory. The feedback from the chip infected your body. That's what paralyzed you." Diana replied.

"Hold on a second, a woman claiming to be Quinn's mother gave him the micro-dot when we were in a Kromagg prison. We always assumed it was just given to the wrong Quinn, but now, something doesn't add up." Rembrandt Brown eyed the Mallorys carefully. If this were a trick, he would not be caught off guard.

"I know. Colin had told us this, but with this recent turn of events, I can only assume that the Kromagg infiltrators were able to steal the design for the microdots. That is why your Quinn believed he was our son. The Kromaggs must have built an exact duplicate of the micro-dot."

Maggie spoke up, "That way they could use any Quinn Mallory to find Colin and get them back to Kromagg Prime."

Michael Mallory smiled, "Exactly."

"So much to take in." Mallory sat down and buried his hands in his face.

Maggie rushed to Mallory's side and placed her hand on his shoulder, "It'll be okay Mal. Look, let's take a walk, maybe that will make you feel better."

Mallory half-heartedly agreed and the two left the room.

Michael turned to Rembrandt and spoke, "Do you think he'll ever accept it?"

"Yeah, eventually. It's a lot for him to take in. Heck, it's a lot for anyone to take in."

Colin spoke, "In good time he will come to grips with this. I only hope he will remain here. I'd like the opportunity to know my brother -- my real brother."


Mallory stared up at the blue sky, "I can't believe they fixed this place. I always expected something like a toxic waste dump."

Maggie looked him over carefully. "So you're starting to believe it?"

"I guess so. It makes sense in a weird kind of way. Explains why Geiger wanted me in his project so bad. Why he was so eager to heal me."

"So you going to be okay?" Mallory could sense that Maggie's concern was real.

"Yeah, I think I will be. For the first time in a long time, I think everything's going to be okay."

The two exchanged a hug and Mallory spoke, "C'mon, let's get back, I'd kind of like to get to know my folks."


The Mallory home, several hours later, the time has come for decisions to be made.

"So what do we do now?" Mallory asked.

"Will you quit that!" Maggie replied.

"What?" Mallory cracked a sly grin.

"He has a point," Rembrandt spoke. "What happens now? Do we keep sliding? Or do we stay here and try to track down Quinn and the others?"

Michael Mallory spoke, "I could send you home, Mr. Brown."

"Home . . . my real home . . . I don't know."

"Rem, it's what you want. It's what you've wanted for so long," Maggie replied.

"Without the others though, it just wouldn't be right."

Colin spoke, "There is another option, using Remmy's quantum signature as an anchor, we might be able to draw the others here."

"Hmmm, that could work Colin. Of course, it might take several months to actually track them down."

A small triangular device began to blink on the table.

"What's that thing, "Maggie asked.

Michael's eyes widened, "Incoming vortex . . . we have to get to the lab!"

The blood red vortex closed and three figures rose from the ground. The door to the lab swung open and Rembrandt could barely believe his eyes.

"Mr. Brown! Do you have any idea how difficult it was to track you down?"

"Professor!" Rembrandt screamed.

"Hey don't forget about us," Wade Welles smiled.

"But how . . ."

"Did we find you?" Quinn spoke.

"That's an excellent question." Michael Mallory replied.

"And you would be, sir?" Arturo asked.

"Michael Mallory, and this is my wife Elizabeth."

"Good Heavens! It would appear we've landed on a world where all our loose ends will be tied up!"

Quinn looked at Arturo and spoke, "What?"

"Nothing lad."

Colin Mallory stepped to the forefront, "So how did you find Rembrandt?"

Still astonished at the sight of Colin and the others, Quinn spoke. "It was all the Professor's doing. He used his timer's memory to return to the world where we ran into you. After that, we just tracked your photon trail earth by earth."

Rembrandt looked at Quinn, Wade and the Professor, then turned and looked at Diana, Maggie, Mallory and Colin. "So, what do we do now?"

"Don't you start that!" Diana screamed.


"Are you sure about this?" Rembrandt looked at Diana Davis with concern.

"Yes Remmy. I don't belong on your home world and there's not really anything for me on mine. I can make a difference here."

"Mal?" Rembrandt was slowly feeling his heart break.

"Hey, you're going home and strangely enough . . .I am home. I've got a brother and parents I don't really even know." Mal cracked a sly grin. "Besides, how do I know there isn't a double of Daelin on this earth just waiting for me?"

"Maggie, you could come with us." Rembrandt was holding back the tears.

"Stop living up to your name Remmy, I don't want to see any tears. We both know there's a good chance I can't breathe on your home world and anyway . . ." Maggie glanced over at Quinn, Wade and Arturo. "You belong with them. It's the fab 4, not the fab 5."

Rembrandt grabbed Maggie and held her close. Mal and Diana joined in on the hug.

Maggie looked up with tears in her eyes, "Now you go home and make sure the multiverse never forgets The Cryin' Man."

Rembrandt turned to Arturo, Quinn and Michael and spoke, "You sure this is going to work?"

"Using the same method of quantum signature scanning I used on Mallory, I can scan your signatures and use them to send you to your home earth."

"Let's give it a go," Quinn said.

"I can't believe it after all this time, we're going home," Wade was fighting back tears.

The Mallorys retrieved the coordinates and Arturo programmed them into the timer. Within a few minutes, a beautiful bluish rip in the fabric of reality appeared.

"After you Mr. Brown."

Rembrandt smiled, "No way, after you Professor."

Quinn and Wade dove into the vortex followed by Arturo. Rembrandt waved goodbye to the others as he dove into the vortex. He was going home.

Elizabeth Mallory whispered to her husband, "Are you sure we should have done this?"

"We sent them home, didn't we?"

"Yes," Mrs. Mallory retorted. "But I think we should have told them…"


The ride was the smoothest that Rembrandt could remember. So much like sliding had been in the beginning. As the light at the end of the tunnel began to shine through, Rembrandt braced himself, smiled and landed right on top of Arturo.

"You blistering idiot! Will you get off of me!"

Quinn and Wade couldn't help but laugh.

The four arose from the ground and saw Quinn's house in front of them.

"Shall we?" Quinn asked.

"By all means, Mr. Mallory."

Quinn walked to the gate in front of his house, opened it and heard the familiar squeaking sound he had longed for for so long.

He cracked a smile. The door to the house opened and Amanda Mallory came walking outside.

"Quinn? Oh my god! Quinn! You've come back!" She ran to him and they embraced. "After all this time I thought I'd never see you again!"

"We're home mom," Quinn said. "We're home."

That was all the group needed this time. No deep research into this world's history, just a mother who thought she had lost her son exuberant at his return.

"Guys, I'm going home. I want to see my family." Wade said.

Arturo smiled, "Go on Miss Welles . . . I believe Rembrandt and I shall give these two some time."


Wade Welles stood in front of her home. There was the slightly rusted black mailbox by the front door; the steps that led up to it; the old oak tree peeking out from behind the house. The rush of emotions was so intense that Wade had to stop and regain her composure. What was she going to say? It's me? Hey, look who's here? I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd drop in? She slowly walked to the door and knocked. She could only imagine the looks upon her family's faces. The door slowly opened and Wade found herself face to face with herself.

The other Wade looked at Wade and spoke, "It's you…"

Wade answered slowly, "It's me…"

To Be Continued...


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