Hi everybody, in this story I try and provide the story around what happened to Lister and the guys when they enter the Mirror Universe and set about their adventures to return and save Rimmer from the dieing Red Dwarf in my other Fic (Rimmer Re-Born).
We start the adventure with the guys stepping through the mirror to a whole new world of fun. I hope you like and reviews are most welcome.
Mirror Universe
by Andy001z
Lister, Kryten the Cat and Kochanski stepped through their own reflections into the mirror universe. They had no choice really, the microbe was spreading far faster than expected and Captain Hollister had already evacuated most of the crew. It was a simple choice. Stay and risk Rimmer not securing the antidote or step into the other universe that was not effected by the microbe and find Rimmer.
The Cat looked about the room. "Did we make it?"
"I believe so. Hmmm, let me check a couple of things." Said Kryten also taking in the fairly standard grey walled room.
He walked over to a storage locker and pulled out a guitar. "Arhh excellent. Mr Lister sir if you would be so kind." He said handing Lister the instrument.
Lister took the guitar and started to play, and instead of the normal din that occurred normally, this time when he played the room wall alive with guitar rips that just made you want to weep.
"Wow that's pretty cool man." Said the Cat, who was trying to turn and spin in time to the tune but finding somehow his feet would not follow him.
Kryten turned to Kochanski. "Excellent, now Miss Kocanski what do you fancy for Dinner?"
She looked at him with a puzzled expression but answered his question. "Errr, actually I could murder a curry. Hang on that's not right." She paused with a bemused look on her face, which then turned into one of need. "But, mmmm yeah a vindaloo with poppadoms washed down with a larger." She stood there with a distant far off look, dreaming of this special meal.
Kryten looked pleased. "Perfect just as I hoped. I can confirm we are in the mirror universe. In this universe Mr Lister here really is the Axe master of the guitar, while Miss Kochanski here no longer wants to eat salad all day but in fact now loves curry." Finished Kryten looking smug.
"Hang on bud, what about me what's the mirror version of me." Said the Cat.
They all turned to look at the Cat, who was right at this moment routing through a closet and pulling out a tank top and pair of brown corduroy trousers.
"Err Cat, you might want to take a look in the Mirror?" said Lister.
The Cat stopped his search and opened the door of the closet wider to reveal the mirror on the back of the door. "OH NO, not him anything but him."
Staring back from the mirror was Dwayne Dibbly. The Cats perfect hair and white straight teeth were replaced with the trade mark look of a Star trek convention nerd.
He closed the door and turned to the others. "I'm going back, dead is better than this." He took a step towards the mirror put he tripped on his laces and fell headlong towards it. The others winced as his face made contact with the smooth surface and he slowly slid squeaking down the glass.
The Cat rubbed his head and stood up. "Hey, what happened to the magic door?" He shrieked.
"It must have over heated and closed the gateway between dimensions." Said Kryten.
Lister examined the device on the desk. "Hang on, isn't this the same as the one in our universe? Kryten see if you can re-establish a link. Kris, and Dwayne you are with me. We are going to find Rimmer. Kryten stay in contact."
Lister, Kochanski and the Cat headed out of the room. "Any ideas on where he would have gone?" asked Kochanski.
Lister was going through his pockets and found what he was looking for; the once hairy mint was now shiny and untouched, he popped it into his mouth and turned to answer Kochanski.
"Not sure but there has to be some science labs on this ship, lets head up to B deck and see if they are there as they are in the same place as on our Red Dwarf." Replied Lister heading for the lift.
They all entered the lift and waited while the doors shut. "What if we don't find him, we are going to get stuck here?" asked Kochanski.
The Cat who was in the corner fighting to straighten his now thick matt hair, looked up at the others.
"Stuck here! Stuck here like this, that is not an option this kitty is willing to accept." Wailed the Cat.
"OK, everyone smegging calm down, we will find Rimmer, and sort this out. Just hit the button and lets go." Said Lister trying to avoid the others eyes.
Meanwhile Rimmer hummed to himself a favourite Reggie Wilson number. He had done a good days work; he had secured the name of the antidote, so that his Red Dwarf science team could make it. Rimmer got into the turbo lift and headed back down to the mirror he had stepped through and back through to his Red Dwarf. Unfortunately, he was completely unaware that the others had also come through and right at this moment were passing him next door lift, heading up while he headed down.
He thought he was returning to save the day and as he waited for the lift to reach the appropriate level he ran through his return. People would be shouting and cheering his name, he would be welcomed as a hero, probably be made 2nd in command or something.
His mind was brought back into focus by the lift PING, it stopped and the doors slid open. He stepped out and rounded the corner to the corridor where he would find his gateway back. He found the room and walked bristly through the door only to find someone he recognised in the room.
"Kryten, what are you doing here, oh wait don't tell me you're not Kryten, but actually a mirror version of him. Let me guess not a sanitation unit but some sort of clever droid engineer and you detected this device and have come to investigate." Began Rimmer.
Kryten started to try and explain that he was Rimmers Kryten and that the others had also come over, but Rimmer continued, ignoring Krytens comments..
"Look, nice to meet you and all, but I have this important mission and if you could just turn that on."
As if on his command the device burst into life and the mirror shimmered as the door to his world re-opened.
Rimmer smiled. "Fantastic, well must dash, I believe I will be having dinner with the captain tonight." Rimmer smiled and stepped through the mirror before Kryten could stop him.
Kryten fumbled with the Radio. "Sir, Mr Lister sir, please come in."
Listers questioning tone came over the radio. "What's up Kryten?"
"Mr Rimmer sir, he was here and oh it's all my fault, he's gone." Said Kryten going into guilt mode.
"Gone where?" asked Lister
"Gone back through the Mirror. He was babbling about dinner with the captain so I assume he has the antidote." Said Kryten.
"OK, we will turn around and re-group, hang on." Said Lister.
Krytens voice almost in full panic mode. "Wait sir there is more. The door has closed again and I can't seem to re-establish it."
Lister paused. Had Rimmer done it, was he and the crew now safe? He had to know. "Kryten we are continuing onto the Science labs. Maybe someone there can help us, Keep trying to repair that connection.
The lift arrived at B-deck and they stepped out into the gleaming white corridor. The faint sound of someone humming a tune was coming from one of the open doors further down the corridor.
Lister and the others headed for that door. Inside they where greeted with someone who looked like Kochanski. Her feet resting on the desk top, white cotton wool between each toe as she painted her tow nails. She was humming a tune as she did it. She head them come in and looked up.
"Oh hi, hey wait a minute is that me that's so cool." She said spotting Kochanski and dipping her nail brush into the bright pink nail polish.
Kochanski was not sure what her role was in this universe but it did not look like it was one where she needed a lot of brain cells. She spoke to this version, using her Lister after 20 cans of wicked strength larger voice. "Hi, is there someone we can talk to around here?" she asked.
"Oh yeah like sure, hang on." Replied the other Kochanski, who turned around and bellowed in the direction of an adjoining room.
"Professor, someone here to see you!"
The others waited and all of them stood there with their mouths open as in the door way stood what was clearly the Cat but wearing a long white coat and thick glasses. Looking very much the part of a scientist.
Lister could just make out the name tag on his lapel. 'Professor, Ships boffin'
"Arrhh more mirror universe visitors." Said the Professor "I say, this is a most splendid. I shall have to write a paper about this phenomenon. Do come in, yes yes do come in." Said the Professor, ushering the still shocked looking group into his lab.
Inside the lab he looked around at each of them, finally his eyes settling on the Cat. "My my, what do we have here, this is not right." He said raising an eyebrow.
The Cat aware that he was being talked about and not too, spoke up. "Dam right it's not right, look at me. I have already had three people ask me which charity shop I work for."
The Professor continued. "Yes, it would seem that you my friend have not inherited my good fortune and have reverted back to another polar opposite. "
"You call what you look like good fortune, get me out of here, this place is crazy!" said the Cat looking very downbeat.
The Professor explained that he had indeed been visited by Rimmer, and that he had given him the name of the antidote that Rimmer had brought to him.
"I even wrote it down for him on a very long piece of paper." Said the Professor, extending his arms to show the size.
He continued. "But I fear I made a terrible mistake."
"Why?" asked Lister.
"Well he asked me what was in his tube and I told him. But what he really needed was the name of the Microbe or better still a tube of it that is destroying your reality's ship. You see when he steps back into your reality it will all revert back to the destructive microbe and poor Mr Rimmer will be right back to where he started." The professor took off his glasses and rubbed the lenses with a hankie from his pocket.
Kryten stepped forward from the group. "Hmm I fear you are correct sir."
Lister found a stool and sat down. "So what now, if Rimmer has gone back with nothing but the name of the microbe. Smeg he's not going to make it is he."
"Yes I am afraid it would appear that way." Said the Professor.
"Face it guys, he's gone! Yeahawwwooowww!" Danced the cat badly.
Behind them they heard the other Kochanski make a swooning noise, they all turned to see another version of Rimmer standing in the doorway.
"Mr Ace Rimmer sir, what are you doing here?" said Kryten.
"Well I was just in the neighbourhood and thought it rude not to pop by." Said Ace his hair flopping from one side to the other.
"Are you the mirror version of Rimmer from this reality Ace?" asked Lister.
"He would be so lucky, no I'm 100% genuine article. I like to keep an eye on old iron balls, call it an investment. I heard there was a bit of a caper going down." Replied Ace.
"Yeah, it's Rimmer, he is in trouble and the Professor thinks there is nothing we can do." Said Lister.
"Nonsense Skipper there is always something we can do. Let me think a tick." Ace paced the room and in by the time he reached the other side he spoke again.
"OK got it. We just need to develop an antidote, cross travel between mirror universes and maybe time travel in the process. Nothing we can't rustle up hey Professor?" said Ace with a level of assurance that even made the Cat smile.
The Professor put his finger to his lips. "Hmmm let me think, well I do know the name of the antidote microbe and I might even have a sample that Mr Rimmer left for me to review. Give me some time and I'll see what I can do.
Lister turned back to the professor. "How much time exactly are we talking prof?"
The Professor walked over to his white board and began to furiously scribble equations. After what seemed an age he turned back to the others.
He took off his glasses again and retrieved his hankie to rub them, a nervous habit he had picked up when ever he had bad news.
"Well according to my calculations, it should take me approximately 2 years to develop the microbe. Yes, I would say about that long."
The Cat was first to react. He lept at the professor only to miss by a clear two feet and crash into a desk of papers. "Dam my nerdy clumsiness." He said.
Lister went to stand between the two Cats. "Look Cat, calm down, I am sure we can work something out."
"We better, because if I have to live like this for two years I will find the nearest air lock and start counting stars." Cat said picking himself up and failing to avoid knocking the rest of the stack of paper work to the floor.
Kochanski who was sitting across the room spoke. "It's a long time, we can't just go anywhere on this ship, effectively we are illegal aliens. They might lock us up or worse do experiments on us."
Ace held up his hands. "Now now, let's not get to excited there sweet lips. I have an idea. Professor does this ship have a sweet of stasis booths?"
The Professor thought for a second. "Yes I believe it does."
"Good, right here's what we do. You three go into Stasis for the time, while the Prof here whisks up the microbe. I will find a way to get you all back to your reality at the right time. I know this chap in Dimension 454 that might be able to help. Agreed?"
The others collectively nodded.
"Good, let's get this show on the road, Lister do you still have the keys to Starbug?." Said Ace.
"Sure, here you go." said Lister tossing them across the gap between them.
"Excellent, I'll explain all in two years." Said Ace turning to leave. "Smoke me a Kipper, I'll be back for a late breakfast."
Ace swept out of the room and past the other Kochanski who was being put onto a stretcher. Turning to one of the bearers, he said.
"Sorry about that chaps, I have that effect on women sometimes." And with that he was gone.