Quinn yelled as he exited the vortex, landing on the harsh wet pavement as drops of rain splattered against his quickly wetting clothes. Behind him came the yell of a young woman, whom Quinn managed to catch as he spun around to his back, outstretching his arms and wrapping them around her as she landed on top of him. Quickly the two broke apart and rolled out of the way, the sound of another yell echoing throughout the small alleyway as the much larger Englishman landed on the ground where the two sliders previously lay. Unlike Quinn, he chose to quickly roll out of the way rather than attempt to catch his friend, letting the pavement greet the last of the sliders much like it did the first.
The four friends got to their feet, soaking wet as they quickly exited the alleyway and peered into the rainy city. A crack of thunder could be heard in the background, the wild storm raging around them as a gust of wet wind smacked into each of them. Arturo lifted his hand, pointing to the nearby Dominion Hotel as he used the other in a feeble attempt to cover his eyes.
"This way, we need to get out of this rain!" He yelled back to them. The others needed little convincing as they followed after him.
Rushing into the nearby hotel lobby the sliders barely had a chance to collect themselves as a loud scream echoed throughout the room. Frozen in place the Sliders watched as all heads turned to them, the person responsible for all this attention watching them with a look of disbelief. Even Calhoun was watching them with wide eyes from behind the counter.
"Aw no, what did our doubles do this time?" Rembrandt mumbled, managing to take half of a step back before the crowd launched themselves at the sliders.
Each of them braced for the impact, surprised as the many arms only grabbed at the professor. The Englishman yelled as he was pulled into a small crowd, Quinn reaching out instinctively in an attempt to help him.
"Professor!"
"What's going on here?" Wade asked aloud, not really expecting anyone to respond. To her surprise, one of the women in the group turned to her with a look of confusion.
"Don't you recognize him? It's Maximillian Arturo!" she told her, looking absolutely giddy as she did.
"I take it he's popular?"
"What kind of question is that?" The woman sneered, looking less giddy and more annoyed now, "You've never heard of Arturo? How? He's only the single most popular Opera singer on the planet!"
"Opera singer?" Rembrandt repeated, a large grin quickly overtaking his previously worried look. He clapped his hands together, laughing as he did, "Oh man, this is fantastic!"
"Isn't it?" The woman quickly replied, misreading Rembrandt's sudden happiness and rushing back into the crowd. From within you could hear Arturo yell, pushing between the people as he reached for the front door.
"Aw, where are you going, honey? It's raining mighty hard out there" One woman cooed, grabbing at Arturo's shoulder and gripping his jacket, keeping him from moving further away.
"Madam, I will take my chances in the storm, now let go!" Arturo yelled back, managing to free his shoulder only to be grabbed in several other locations, being pulled away from the door despite his best attempts to reach it.
"We have to help him," Quinn said aloud, still smirking from learning this worlds Arturo was an opera singer. He quickly approached the counter, Calhoun turning to regard him as they approached.
"We need a way out of here, do you have a back exit?"
"We do," Calhoun replied with uncertainty, "but you really shouldn't go out in this weather"
"Well we can't stay here, the professor's being eaten alive" Rembrandt chimed in, gesturing to the group of people each fighting for a piece of their prey. Quinn looked at the poor man being ravaged by the merciless fans, quickly coming up with an idea that may get the clerk to agree to help them. He turned back to Calhoun, a look of determination on his face.
"Look, are you a fan of his?" Quinn asked.
"Well, I like a few of his songs but mommy's the real fan. She owns all of his records" Calhoun answered.
"Alright then, you help us get him out of here and I'll get you an autograph" Quinn promised, Calhoun's eyes widening at the idea.
"Oh, that would make mommy's year! Alright, I have an idea" he replied quickly, reaching under the counter and pulling out a phonebook. As he opened the book Quinn approached the crowd, attempting to reach in and catch the professor's hand. As he did so however, some of the crowd turned to him, another woman letting out a shriek as she grabbed his arm.
"Oh my god, it's Quinn Mallory! This day just can't get any better!" She screamed, pulling him mercilessly into the group now.
"What?!" Quinn yelled in surprise, having not expected to catch these people's attention like the professor previously did.
"Quinn Mallory?!" Another yelled in joy, now jumping at him with a hungry look in her eye.
"Mr. Mallory?!" Arturo called, yelling as he was pulled in several different directions by blood thirsty fans, his cloth torn in several places thanks to the relentless mob.
"Quinn's popular too?" Wade asked in confusion, Calhoun nodding as he put the phone to his ear.
"Yeah, he's a well-known model. Supposed to be heading out to Paris after his next shoot or something. Some of the women in mommy's circle love him" Calhoun answered, turning his attention to the phone as he heard someone pick up, "hello? Yes, I need a cab at the Dominion Hotel as soon as possible!"
"I'm not complaining here, especially considering what happened on the world where my double was popular, but I'm surprised nobody wants a piece of the Cryin man," Rembrandt said to Wade, the woman rolling her eyes at the statement.
"Then all three of you would be in the lion's den and I don't know if I'd be able to pull you all out" Wade replied, hearing the phone click back onto the receiver.
"I called for a cab, they contacted the closest driver and he should be here shortly. He was only a block away and I told him to wait by the back exit" Calhoun informed the two.
"Thanks" Wade replied with a nod. Rembrandt however smiled at the man, turning his focus completely his way.
"Hey my man, am I popular too?" he asked.
Calhoun squinted at the singer, studying him for a long moment before shrugging his shoulders.
"Um, who are you?" He asked. Rembrandt's smile dropping to a frown, looking as if he were struck.
"Who am I? I'm the Cryin man!"
"Never heard of you" Calhoun replied, turning and entering a back hall to prepare the slider's escape. Rembrandt watched him leave, crossing his arms as he turned back to Wade and the crowd.
"Never heard of me? Man, some people have no taste" Rembrandt muttered bitterly, Wade lightly slapping his arm as she walked past him.
"We don't have time for this right now, Rembrandt. We have to save Quinn and the professor" She chastised, Rembrandt sighing and nodding as he followed her to the crowd.
"Q-Ball, professor! One of you grab my hand!" Rembrandt yelled, reaching into the crowd as he felt someone latch onto his hand almost immediately. As soon as he did, he began pulling, noticing a disheveled Quinn gripping his arm like a lifeline. He pulled again, freeing the young scientist from the crowd of rabid fans. His hair was far more messy than the norm, and his clothes were lightly torn and hanging off of him in some places. He quickly reached for his jacket pocket, breathing a sigh of relief as he felt the timer within.
"This is what you and the professor went through on Cryin man world? Oh my god" Quinn whispered in exasperation, eyes wide as Wade took his arm and began to lead him toward the back exit. Rembrandt turned his focus back to the task at hand.
"Professor, grab my hand!" he yelled, once more reaching into the crowd, scanning the sea of people in search of Arturo. As he felt a firm grip around his wrist he pulled, grunting from exertion as he freed the professor. The two barely had a second before the crowd attempted to swarm them, booking it both men ran for the door Calhoun held open nearby. Once inside he slammed it shut, holding the door as the two sliders ran down the back hallway.
"Thanks again!" Rembrandt called to the clerk, slamming through the back exit door and once again feeling his clothes soak with the harsh pouring rain. The two spotted the nearby cab, Quinn and Wade waving for them from within the back seat. Without missing a beat, the two ran for the cab, Rembrandt jumping in the back seat with his fellow sliders, Arturo climbing into the front.
The friends barely had a moment to breathe as the familiar cab driver, Pavel, let out a loud gasp. He smiled as he pointed at Arturo, soon reaching into his center console and pulling out a small cassette tape. On the cover was a picture of Arturo's double, the words Nessun Dorma and other classics performed by Maximillian Arturo written on the case.
"Oh no…" Was all Arturo had time to mutter, Pavel soon cutting him off in excitement.
"Maximillian Arturo! I am big fan! Own all your cassettes!" Pavel gushed, soon taking the tape out of its case and inserting it into the Cassette deck, much to Arturo's chagrin. The car suddenly came to life with Opera music, Pavel pretending to sing along as three of the four sliders couldn't help the wide grins from adorning their faces.
Unlike his friends, Arturo simply glared at the radio, as if his ire alone would cause the bloody thing to short circuit. Turning his angry glare to his friends, he focused on Quinn Mallory, who tried and failed miserably to hide his wide grin.
"Mr. Mallory…" He began, the irritation clear in his voice, "How long are we stuck on this backwater world?"
"Oh um, let me check" Quinn quickly replied, barely able to keep himself from chuckling as he pulled the timer from his pocket, "3 weeks, 4 days"
"God help us" Arturo complained, Rembrandt smirking as he leaned forward.
"Hey professor, at least they didn't confuse you for Pavarotti this time"
"Mr. Brown!"
Pavel turned to Arturo with curiosity, clearing his throat to catch his attention. Arturo let the angry retort die on his tongue, turning his focus to the cab driver.
"Mr. Arturo, why are you here? You are supposed to be out of town, on tour"
This sobered the professor up quickly, nodding to the cab driver as he came up with a quick lie.
"Ah yes, well, some things came up and we had to push it back. Next month, perhaps"
Pavel nodded in understanding, beginning to drive toward a specific destination as if he knew it.
"Where are we going?" Wade asked from the back seat.
"To Mr. Arturo's manor. Please do not think of me as stalker. Almost all of his biggest fans know where he lives" Pavel answered nervously.
"My manor?" Arturo questioned, looking surprised at the prospect.
"Yes, your manor," Pavel clarified.
Looking back to his friends, the four seemed to think about it for a moment. If his double was out of town then they could possibly stay there for the long duration of this slide, saving them money on hotel costs. Much like the time when they stayed at Quinn's doubles house on the world where intelligence was respected. It didn't take long for them to decide, all four nodding in agreement. Turning his attention back to Pavel, Arturo agreed with his statement.
"Yes, to the manor"