By this time Sarah was tired of gently breaking the news to people that they were actually fictional televison characters. "Look," she said. "You're gonna have to take my word on this. You're all fictional television characters who somehow got transported here because something went wrong with my dimensional transporter."
"That is the most preposterous thing I have ever heard," Professor Arturo said, laughing.
"Look, Professor, I could probably prove that what I'm saying is true, but frankly I'm getting sick of it. So believe me or don't. I don't care."
"How did you know my name?" the Professor asked.
Sarah groaned. "I know all about you because I watched your show...until it ended." Sarah frowned in confusion. "Come to think of it, you died a season or two ago. How is it that you're here?"
"Whoa, whoa, what do you mean died?" Quinn demanded.
"Why don't you all come in the living room and we'll figure this out," Sarah suggested. Their reaction to the Farscape characters was a lot better. They accepted her assurances that they were peaceful aliens-- well, good aliens anyway. After hurried introductions, and explaining to Jules that the Professor was not his friend Dumas, who the same actor had played after leaving Sliders. Sarah began questioning. "Okay, there's some things that don't make sense. Like for instance, why did you all arrive at different times? And why are the Sliders from season one and not from the current one?"
"I have a question," Rygel announced. "Where do you keep the food in this place. I'm starving."
"Can it Sparky," Crichton said.
"In the room across the hall." Sarah decided that it would be better to have Rygel occupied with eating instead of getting into mischief. He smiled and glided out of the room. "Now, lets see if we can figure out a pattern here. Jules, Phileas, Rebecca and Passepartout arrived first, then Crichton and the others came about an hour after that, and now the Sliders come about an hour after them. The Jules Verne and Farscape people are from current seasons, but the Sliders people are from the first season. It doesn't make sense!" She shook her head.
"Why don't you tell us more about what the machine was supposed to do," Wade suggested. "Maybe that will give us an idea of what went wrong."
"Well, it worked a lot like a timer only the destination is programmable and there is no time limit," Sarah said. "I think the problem was the wire running from the computer to the actual portal generator overheated and fused with another wire next to it."
"What wire?" Quinn asked.
"Uh, I never did find out. Jane called to tell me Crichton had landed in her backyard."
"Well, lets go find out," Quinn suggested.
"I'm afraid this is a bit out of my depth," Phileas announced. "If you'll excuse me, I shall return to the Aurora."
"I'll go with you Phileas," Rebecca said. They both exited the room.
"I think I'm gonna go get some food before Rygel eats it all," Chiana said. She turned to D'Argo, "Coming?" D'Argo looked at Crichton who nodded. They too left leaving Jane, Ella, Georgette, Jules, Passepartout, Crichton, Aeryn, Quinn, Rembrant, Wade and the Professor.
"Okay, I need someone to stay up here and tell me which wire moves when I wiggle it," Sarah informed them.
Jane shrugged, "I'll do it."
Jane, Ella, and Georgette remained upstairs while the rest of them went down to the lab with Sarah. Everyone, except Jules who'd already seen it, gasped as they entered the room. The lab consisted of a row of computers against the far wall, a workbench and shelves filled with miscellaneous electronic parts waiting to be assembled, and in the center was the most impressive part of all. It was a square machine about five feet tall, the portal generator. "Wow," Crichton said as they entered the lab. "I didn't even get a chemistry set when I was a kid."
"Amazing," Arturo remarked, examining the portal generator.
Sarah followed the wire back over until it dissappeared into the ceiling. "Hey, can one of you reach this?" she asked.
Quinn, who was closest reached up and wiggled it.
"I'll go see if they know where it goes," Sarah said. She ran back up the stairs and into the living room. "Did you see where it goes?" she asked Jane.
Jane shook her head. "Do it again."
Sarah ran back to the top of the stairs and yelled, "Do it again." Then she ran back to the living room. Georgette was watching the wires on behind the entertainment center when she gave a triumphant yell.
"I found it! It looks like it goes to...the VCR."
Sarah hurried over. "The VCR?" Sarah asked, puzzled. "Are you sure?"
Georgette stepped back and let Sarah see. It was indeed the wire to the VCR that was wiggling.
"The VCR," Sarah repeated, thoughtfully. She thought for a moment trying to figure out how the VCR could cause so many problems. Suddenly,her face lit up. "Of course! I know what happened now!" The smile on her face melted away and was replaced by a look of terror. She turned to Georgette. "Get to the Aurora, right now! All of you! Tell them to get ready to lift off."
"What? What's going on?" Jane asked.
"No time now. Go! Run!" Sarah said in a panicked voice. She ran across the hall and into the kitchen. "You have to go. You have to take off in the transport pod right now!" She said to D'Argo, Rygel, and Chiana.
"What about Crichton and Aeryn?" Chiana asked.
"They can go in the Aurora. It doesn't matter. We just have to get off the ground. Right now!"
Sarah sprinted to the basement door and down the steps. She was going so fast she tripped on the last step and landed on her hands and knees. She scrambled up as the others gathered around.
"Are you okay?" Wade asked as she saw Sarah's terrified expression.
Sarah was fighting down an all out panic attack. "Everybody hurry. We have to get to the Aurora. We have to take off! We have to get off the ground!"
"Whoa, whoa, slow down," Crichton said.
"No, no, we have to go. NOW!!" Sarah insisted.
"What's wrong?" Jules asked.
"There's no time! Please, just trust me. We have to get off the ground."
"Okay, okay, we'll go," Quinn soothed.
Sarah sighed hurried back up the stairs, pausing at the top to make sure they were all still following her. They got outside just in time to see the transport pod take off. Sarah didn't pay any attention to it, she just kept running toward the Aurora. Finally, they all reached the Aurora.
"What the devil is going on here?" Phileas demanded.
"We have to take off," Sarah said quickly. "I'll explain after we're off the ground."
Phileas hesitated for a moment then said, "Fine, Passepartout, prepare for take off."
Sarah sighed in relief. They were all safe. So why did she feel like there was still something wrong? "Susan!!!" Sarah said jumping up. "I forgot! She's still in her room!" She ran out of the balloon and across the yard. It seemed to her that she was running in slow motion. Like this was some nightmare where, as hard as you tried, you just couldn't run fast enough.
Finally, she got to the door and threw it open.
"Susan!" she screamed in a hysterical voice, running down the hall to her bedroom. "Susan!"
"What now?" Susan asked, annoyedly.
"We have to get out of here!" Sarah cried.
"Why?" Susan asked, skeptically.
"Tremors!" Sarah said.
"What?" Susan squawked as Sarah pulled her down the hall and out of house. They both sprinted towards the Aurora; Susan had figured out what Sarah meant. As soon as they had both collapsed inside the Aurora, it lifted off.
Okay, so I lied. The next chapter will be the last...Probably. Please R&R.