Disclaimer-- I don't own any of the characters (although I wish I did!). They belong to Universal Studios, the Sci-fi Channel, and St. Claire Entertainment (even though they haven't really been taking care of them lately). Please don't sue me--all you'll get is pocket lint!
NOTE: Decided to post another one of my Sliders stories from way back when. I have one other one besides this one, but it is unfinished so I don't know if I will post that one.
When the Past and the Future Collide...
Quinn slowly opened his eyes and was almost immediately aware of a feeling that something was not quite right. His eyes widened as he recognized the hotel room. The Dominion hotel room. In San Francisco. He sat bolt up-right in bed. He couldn't be in San Francisco--they had been sliding in L.A. for the past year and a half. They had also been staying in the Chandler hotel--not the Dominion. He ran to the window and looked out. He was in San Francisco.
"Either I'm dreaming or I've completely lost it!" Quinn mumbled.
"If you're dreaming, Q-ball," Rembrandt said startling him, "then so am I."
"How the heck did we end up in San Francisco?!" Rembrandt asked, looking around.
"There has to be a reasonable explanation for this," Quinn said pacing.
"Yeah, well when you find it then be sure to tell me," Rembrandt replied.
"The timer has a 500 mile radius, so maybe it dropped us off in San Francisco again....." Quinn said slowly.
"Don't you think we would remember how we got here though?" Rembrandtasked skeptically.
"Not necessarily, maybe something happened on the slide in and...." he stopped as the door to the room opened.
They both turned to see who had entered and to say they were shocked would be an understatment.
"If you can find a reasonable explanation for this Q-ball, I'm all ears," Rembrandt said quietly.
Quinn didn't answer as he stared in shock at the pair that had just entered the room.
"Wade.... professor?" he whispered in disbelief.
Then, all they could do was stand there dazed as Wade babbled on about how glad she was that they were finally awake.
"Miss Wells, I think they're in shock," the professor pointed out.
"We're uh, fine," Quinn managed to choke out, "excuse us for just a second."
He dragged Rembrandt over to the other side of the room.
"Any ideas?" Rembrandt asked.
"Not a clue."
They stood there in silence stealing glances at the two figures across the room.
"Maybe it is a dream," Quinn said uncertainly after awhile.
"Both of us having the same dream?" Rembrandt looked at him skeptically, "That's kinda unlikely, Q-ball."
"Do you have a better idea?"
"Could be Kromaggs."
"But, why would they go to all this trouble?"
"Who knows with those eyeball eating freaks."
They turned to look at Wade and the professor.
"They're not holograms, right?"
"Could be doubles."
"I don't know, Remmy...." He wanted to believe him but his heart was telling him that this was his Wade--not some double.
Rembrandt sighed. "Well......ok, say it is a dream--how do we wake up?"
-------
"Professor, something doesn't seem right," Wade said anxiously watching them from across the room, "they seemed so surprised to see us."
"I noticed that too, Miss Wells--it was almost as if they had seen a ghost and...." He stopped surprised as he watched the two men.
"What on earth......?"
---
"Ok, I think we can rule out the 'its just a dream' theory," Quinn said as theyhadjust unsuccessfully tried every method they could think of to try and wake up.
"I still say its Kromaggs," Rembrandt insisted.
"It's not the Kromaggs."
"Well, since you think you know it all why don't you figure it out and tell me!" Rembrandt said in frustration.
They finally decided to just go along with it and see where it led them. They found out that they had apparently been in a coma-like state upon entering this world. The professor thought it had something to do with an irregularity in the vortex--which still didn't explain how they were here with Wade and the professor instead of with Maggie and Colin. And today they were sliding out.
On the next world....
"This world looks remarkable similar to the last one!" the professor commented after his usual remarks on Rembrandt's aiming accuracy.
"You're right it does!" Wade said surprised as the last world had been pretty unique.
(Golden Gate Park had been dedicated to President DiCaprio--scary thought, huh?)
After walking around a bit they concluded that it was indeed the same Earth.
"I think I know what happened--well kind of anyway," Quinn said slowy, an idea forming in his head. They looked at him expectantly.
"Well, on this one world there was an irregularity in the vortex which caused Maggie and I to create a kind of 'bubble' world where we lived a whole lifetime separate from our own but when we woke up that world ceased to exist which meant we ended up right where we had started," Quinn explained starting to pace.
Wade and the professor looked on with confused looks on their faces.
"The only problem with that theory is that on the last world Remmy and I were out for a whole week where as last time I was only out for a few hours...and it was only a 'bubble' world not a whole 'bubble' universe....and you guys were there--yet you weren't really," Quinn finished, shaking his head in confusion.
"What on earth are you talking about, Mr. Mallory?" the professor asked, not understanding a word that Quinn had just said.
Quinn and Rembrandt explained as best they could while leaving out a lot of what had happened to them in thepast year and a half. They felt it was best not to tell them since they themselves wished it had never happened. The professor and Wade seemed satisfied with this explanation though they realized that they hadn't been told the complete truth. A thought suddenly occurred to Wade.
"Quinn, who's Maggie?"