Special thanks to my good friend Tucker07 for her help with this chapter
Logan yelled as she exited the vortex, expecting to once more land on her face as she had done countless times before. To her surprise, she landed in the arms of professor Arturo, who quickly set her down beside him, offering a smile as he turned to catch Quinn upon his exit. Rembrandt scowled as he got to his feet, rubbing at his sore elbows.
"Oh, so it's okay if they land on you but not me?" he muttered, Arturo turning to him with a knowing smile.
"Ah, so you finally admit that it's intentional, Mr. Brown?"
"That's not what I meant and you know it," he replied, the vortex closing behind them. Wade stood up, brushing herself off from her abrupt landing as well. She soon noticed the looks she and her friends were receiving as strangers walked past, most looking at them with surprise, fear, or anger.
"Well, the people here don't seem so friendly. Wouldn't you say, Professor?" she asked, the group watching as another person sneered at them, an older lady muttering something about going to the police as she passed. Arturo looked grim as he replied.
"Indeed, Miss. Welles. If the looks these people are giving us are any indication, our doubles must have already caused some sort of trouble on this world. Perhaps it would be wise to get off the streets"
"Yeah, we should get moving. There's no way to know what those four did before we got here," Rembrandt agreed.
The five began walking, trying to keep their heads down as they made their way toward the Dominion Hotel. Quinn stopped suddenly as they were walking past an electronics store, spotting several box televisions sitting on display. His eyes widened in horror as he stared at the screen.
"Guys!" he called out, the others turning back and approaching him to watch the TV behind the shop window. The television was centered on a news broadcaster, and at his side, there was a video of the four sliders which appeared to be security footage. They each held a gun, pointing them at different innocent people as they yelled demands to the tellers at the bank.
"Today at 11:47 am these four suspects were seen robbing the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. According to eyewitness reports and surveillance footage, they held several victims at gunpoint, demanding to be let into the vault. Once inside they closed the door, only to be gone as police arrived, along with five hundred thousand dollars. The San Francisco Police Department warns all citizens to be cautious upon seeing these suspects and to report them as soon as it is safe to do so. Be careful, these people are armed and dangerous."
"Good Heavens! They timed their slide with robbing a bank" Arturo managed to exclaim.
"Right. We should find somewhere to hide," Quinn suggested, looking from the television and into the distance.
"Can you just scan for the coordinates from here?" Logan asked, looking desperately at Quinn as another person glanced at them while walking by.
"No, Miss St. Clair. Our wormhole tracker can track the location of a previous wormhole, but to get a clear reading on the leftover emissions we must be within a 50-yard parameter," Arturo explained. A brief look of hopelessness crossed Logan's face at this new information.
"How are we supposed to get that close to the bank? It's likely heavily guarded by now, and I don't want to put your lives at risk" she replied. Wade reached over, grabbing Quinn's arm as she nodded toward the television.
"Quinn, this is worse than we thought. Look!"
On the television now sat three pictures, complete with names and addresses beneath them.
"The lead male suspect remains unknown, but the remaining three have been identified as Wade Welles, Rembrandt Brown, and Maximillian Arturo. Police Chief Logan Mallory had this statement to make" the reporter continued, the screen shifting to a video of Logan's double dressed in the garments one would expect of a cop. Logan breathed in sharply as she gazed at her duplicate on the screen, looking to her uniform in surprise.
"Oh my god, our doubles on this world are going to take the fall"
"Actually, this can prove quite beneficial," Arturo muttered, turning his attention to Logan, "While I regret what will happen to our doubles, if you're the police chief on this world then you will have the authority to enter the crime scene. If you smuggle in the timer you can gather the needed coordinates"
"We don't need to bring more doubles into this mess," Quinn interjected, "If we get just close enough to the bank, I'll be able to get a proper readout,"
"And how do you propose we do that, my boy?" Arturo asked.
"We disguise ourselves. Logan, you can be on the lookout. When the guards aren't looking, we'll get around to the sides of the building. From there I can figure out where they went," the younger scientist explained. Logan shook her head at the idea.
"I don't know, Max has a good point. I don't need to go inside like he suggested but I can use my double's authority to bypass the guards and simply approach the building" she argued.
"No, that's too dangerous. I'm not putting you at risk like that," Quinn quickly shut down the idea. Logan placed her hands on her hips, shooting him an incredulous look.
"I'm putting all four of you at risk by simply asking you to help me, not only on this world but from your crazy doubles. I can offer to take a little risk for all of you too, you know" She shot back.
Quinn sighed. "What if I just go alone? It'll be quicker that way and then you guys are safe."
"So then you get to take all the risk. My double's the police chief, I think it would be safer and more logical if I go"
"Guys, while this is a lovely argument and all, should we really be doing this in public? We need to hide," Rembrandt reminded them.
"Good idea, Remmy. Follow me. I'll find someplace we can hide out till we figure out a plan," Quinn said, turning and leading the way down the street.
The five began to walk once more, making it no farther than a block before the familiar sound of a police siren echoed through the air. Turning to look back Rembrandt yelped, his hands flying into the air as a police officer leapt from his cruiser, gun already drawn and aiming at them. Seeing this Logan slipped into a nearby alleyway, waiting for the proper moment to jump in and help.
"Hands above your heads!" The officer yelled, stepping closer as the three remaining sliders slowly complied. Logan stared out at the officer, taking in the insignia on his shoulder before stepping out of the alleyway with a smirk.
"Good job, Sergeant!" She yelled, causing the young officer to turn to her, seemingly surprised with her presence.
"Chief? When did you get here?" he asked, his look of surprise shifting into confusion. She waved him off, smiling at him as she replied.
"Happy coincidence. I see the leader here has something in his hand, let me take a look at this thing" She demanded, reaching over and snatching the timer. She then peered down at the device, pretending to examine it as she pointed it toward the empty street. "What is this thing? Looks like a cellphone, are you working for someone?"
Quinn quickly shook his head. He didn't want to risk saying anything as he knew Logan was taking a huge risk for them here. She winked at him, offering a small smile as she turned her focus back to the timer, turning the dial as the familiar sky blue vortex came to life beside them. The police sergeant's eyes widened in surprise, completely focused on the wormhole. Using this distraction Arturo quickly approached the young officer, his fist colliding with his temple. Both the police officer and his gun clattered to the ground, the professor rubbing his hand as he sighed.
"That's the second police officer I've had to knock unconscious since I've rendezvoused with the three of you," he said with a chuckle, Quinn and Rembrandt both grinning at the comment, the wormhole closing beside them.
"Try not to make a habit of it, Professor," Wade replied with a smile, the five turning to run down the street, fleeing the incapacitated guard.
"Something tells me a simple distraction like that won't work a second time, especially if we get caught by multiple officers at once," Logan said, looking at her surroundings as more police sirens began to echo around them, "How far are we from the bank?"
"Few minutes. Come on, guys," Quinn announced between breaths, trying to lead the team. Behind them several police cars suddenly came into view, some of them shooting past as one quickly parked in front of them, the doors flying open as officers began to climb out. With quick thinking Quinn turned down an alleyway, the others following closely as the sound of footfalls could be heard from behind.
"Freeze!" one officer yelled, pointing his gun at the fleeing sliders. Another quickly pushed his arms down, staring at him with wide and angry eyes.
"Lower your weapon! Don't you see the chief? They must have taken her hostage, we can't risk firing on them until she's safe!"
The same officer quickly turned away from his fellow policeman, reaching up as he spoke into his radio.
"This is Detective Smith, the suspects are heading north toward the Federal Reserve Bank. They have a hostage, I repeat they have a hostage. It's Police Chief Logan Mallory, hold your
fire!"
Exiting the alleyway brought a sight that chilled Logan to the bone. Surrounding the five sliders were several police cruisers, each with one or two officers standing behind the doors, their weapons raised. They all looked nervous, their fingers away from the triggers as they kept their eyes focused on them. One raised a microphone, desperation clear in his voice as he spoke.
"Release the hostage and place your hands on your head!"
"Hostage?" Rembrandt whispered, looking between each of his friends with confusion.
Wade nodded towards Logan, quickly grasping who the cops were referring to. Logan's eyes widened at the realization, feeling Arturo gently grab onto her arm. Her mind wandered back as she felt the familiar touch, remembering when her Arturo would interlock his arm with her own. She leaned back against the larger Englishman, the five slowly beginning to walk toward the bank which was only across the street.
"Can you pick up the emissions yet, Mr. Mallory?" Arturo whispered. He kept his face hard, but his grip soft, Logan carefully moving with his steps as the two walked in perfect rhythm.
"Not yet, but we're almost there. Just a few more steps," Quinn replied, Rembrandt looking nervously between the police officers and their weapons.
"We need to hurry, Q-ball. What if they find out this Logan isn't the police chief?"
"They still wouldn't shoot an innocent civilian," Wade replied, "I hope,"
"Or they'll assume she's with us, fill all of us with holes," Rembrandt said with a shudder, Quinn pressing a button on the timer.
"Don't worry, I got it! Go, go!" Quinn yelled, turning the dial as the vortex came to life before them. The surrounding officers watched this happen in awe, staring in confusion and uncertainty as the five sliders leapt into the wormhole, it soon closing and leaving no trace of them behind.