To Quinn's surprise, Arturo was there to catch him as he exited the vortex, said man quickly setting him down in a nearby chair as he then proceeded to catch Steven, the red vortex closing behind the two. Maggie was by Steven's side in an instant, eyeing his wet clothes with curiosity and a smirk.
"You two take a bath or something?" she asked playfully, holding little Olivia in her arms. Steven chuckled slightly at the comment.
"World must be in flood season or something, there was water everywhere" Quinn answered for the two of them. Arturo stepped closer as he spoke, inspecting the wet medical tape on Quinn's arm.
"Good, it's still holding, though we should probably change it out for some dry tape anyway" Arturo mumbled, more to himself than anything. Quinn sighed as he replied, but he couldn't help the smile that came to his face.
"I'm telling you I'm fine, professor, and what was that? Asking Dr. Jensen to keep an eye on me during the slide? You're acting like an overprotective father"
"And you're acting like my stubborn son!" Arturo replied, turning away with a grumble. Quinn's smile grew at the comment.
"Well, dad, if it's any consolation I appreciate how much you care. But you can calm down a little. I'm really fine"
"You are insufferable, Mr. Mallory," Arturo sighed, crossing his arms as he turned back to face him, "You are always fine. You are well aware that it's perfectly alright to not be fine all the time, hm? You are always trying to lead us, and most of the time you do quite well. But sometimes, like now, you push yourself far harder than you should. You don't have to be strong all the time, we are here for you"
"I know Professor, it's just there are too many lives on the line right now. There's no time to rest"
"I know, my boy, but running yourself into the ground will not save these people. You were to the point of collapsing when you returned from the first slide with agent Rickman. What would have happened if you passed out on that water world and Dr. Jensen had been unable to find you? We would have lost the timer, which we need to save everyone here, and I would have lost another son. Please, Quinn, let me take your place on the next slide. Let me help you"
Hesitantly Quinn nodded as he reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out the timer and looking down at it. Slowly he offered it to the professor, who smiled as he took it, placing a hand on Quinn's good arm, pulling the young scientist into an embrace.
"Thank you"
Maggie was quick to get to her feet, brushing off her coat as she looked around the unexpected small countryside. Arturo stood beside her, the vortex closing as he brushed himself off and looked around at the lovely scenery. The two spotted miles of farmland on one side, the sun setting in the distance as they could see two large homes. Maggie turned to Arturo in confusion.
"Professor, shouldn't the timer have deposited us right outside of Caltech? Where are we?" She asked, looking down to the simple dirt road below her feet.
"Perhaps on this world, the city of Los Angeles is nothing more than simple farmland. A stark improvement over every other loathsome version of the city I've come across"
The two began walking down the simple dirt path. In the distance, Maggie spotted a cliff, a lighthouse sitting atop it while overlooking a small beach below and miles of endless ocean. The birds in the crystal blue sky were cawing and chirping as they sailed through the air.
"It's beautiful" She whispered, looking out at the scenery.
"I agree. It isn't often we come across worlds like this during our travels. Although I can't promise this world is 100% safe for settling down"
"It's alright, I have a good feeling about this place. Come on, let's go see the lighthouse before we have to slide back!"
"We've done it, Mr. Mallory!" Arturo announced as he stood, offering the timer back to Quinn as Steven attempted to catch Maggie, the two landing together in a giggling embrace. Quinn smiled as he took the offered device, looking down at it as he let out a breath of relief, which quickly turned into a short laugh.
"I am so very proud of you, Quinn. Because of you, these people have a chance."
"We did it together, professor"
It was then that Arturo noticed the large red spot on Quinn's soaked bandage, as well as the color gone from the young genius's face. Without hesitation he reached for the first aid kit the doctor left on the nearby table, opening it and pulling out a roll of medical tape.
"What are you doing?"
"What I should have done the moment you returned from that blasted Water world" he replied, gently beginning to remove the moist bandages from his pupil's arm. Quinn remained silent as he watched the professor rewrap his wound, thankful to the older Englishman.
"There we are" Arturo whispered, smiling at his handiwork before turning back to face the young scientist.
"Maggie and I will handle the prep work for the slide," Steven began, approaching the two and patting them both on the shoulder, "what I'd like both of you to do is find a place to rest, especially you, Quinn. When everyone's prepared I'll come and find you. Why not head to the Cafeteria, grab a bite to eat?"
"A capital idea," Arturo agreed, mouthing a thank you to Steven for looking out for Quinn. He then turned back, taking his good arm to help him walk. "Come along, Mr. Mallory. Perhaps a hearty meal will help you to feel a bit better"
"Are you sure the two of you won't need any help?" Quinn asked, looking to Steven and Maggie as the professor began to pull him away. Both of them smiled at the overworked genius, shaking their heads.
"No, Quinn, we will be fine. I can see why professor Arturo worries about you so much. Please, take this opportunity to take care of yourself. You will be the first to know when everything is ready" Steven replied.
"She was trying to protect her child," Quinn bit out, grunting as he moved to grab the timer, "I told you to listen to me. I told you we may not have all the information. Look at what you've done, Rickman!"
Rickman's eyes widened, stepping away from the boy genius as he found himself back at the scene of the crime. Behind Quinn lay the body of the innocent woman, the mother who died by his hands for simply trying to protect her child.
"No," he whispered, bringing his hands to his moist eyes as he tried to clear the vision from his mind, "I didn't know! She shot at us first! How was I supposed to know?!"
"By listening to me!" Quinn shot back, "You killed her, Rickman! You're a murderer! You are no better than the monsters you throw in prison! You're a disgrace to that badge!"
"No, no! It was an accident!" He screamed, moving his hands to cover his ears, desperately wanting to cut out these words that cut deep into his soul. Despite his best attempts, he could still hear the voices surrounding him.
"You killed my mommy! All she did was try to protect me!" the child's voice rang through his head, a cold sweat covering his body as he fell to his knees.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" He cried, squeezing his eyes shut as he felt moisture begin to form. The voices only grew louder, each voice sounding like Quinn.
"This child will have to grow up without a mother! Look at the pain you've caused, Rickman!"
"Open your eyes and face the truth, you coward! Look at what you've done!"
"She died believing you would murder her daughter. Can you imagine that? The pure terror running through that innocent woman's mind as she painfully passed away? Because of you? Will you kill her daughter too, murderer?"
"No! I would never!" Rickman replied, opening his eyes only to find himself face to face with a furious Quinn Mallory.
"Just like you would never kill her mother?"
"Please, stop!" He begged, squeezing his eyes shut once more. The tears still fell, the special agent shaking as he let out a scream of sorrow and regret. As he reopened his eyes he found himself in bed, his breathing heavy and his clothes soaked with sweat. Reaching up he felt the tears on his cheeks, shakily turning his head to the murder weapon sitting on the nearby desk.
A nightmare, he realized, but unlike most, he did not escape his upon awakening. No, reality was no better. He still felt the pain, still heard Quinn's voice echoing in his mind, reminding him constantly of the worst mistake of his life.
Sitting up in bed he wept, shaking his head violently as he screamed again, wanting nothing more than for these damned voices to go away.
"Shut up! Leave me alone! Please!" Rickman begged, grabbing his hair and pulling at it as he stood from the bed, pacing the room in an anxiety induced panic. He eyed the gun on the nightstand dubiously before taking it in his hands. He would end this suffering once and for all.