Sarah stood up after she'd caught her breath.
"You're hurt," Wade said. Sarah looked down. Her knees were scraped and bloodied from when she'd fallen on the stairs.
"I will get some bandage cloths," Passepartout said, hurrying off.
Wade and Quinn helped Sarah to a chair. "I figured out what happened," Sarah said. "The portal generator's connecting wire overheated and fused with the VCR wire. So, instead of taking the coordinates from the computer, it took them from the VCR. The tape acted as a sort of timer. As each new show on the tape started, the portal opened the new coordinates."
"So why-" Crichton was interrupted by a strange crashing noise. Everyone but Sarah ran to the windows. They watched as what looked like a worm suddenly fell through the hole in the sky. Only this worm was thirty feet long and ten feet wide. It fell into the trees below, making the same crashing noise they'd heard before when the first worm had come through.
"Is it dead?" Wade asked. No one needed to answer because they saw it burrow into the ground then disappear below the surface.
"What in God's name was that!?!" Phileas demanded.
"Has anybody heard about a movie called Tremors?" Susan asked.
Jane, Georgette, and Ella gasped simultaneously. "That's what that was?" Crichton exclaimed. "Tremors? The movie where the giant worms. Sneak up on people from underneath by following their vibrations?"
Sarah nodded solemnly.
"I am thinking we are very fortunate to be in the sky," Passepartout said. He'd returned with the bandages.
"Indeed," Phileas said. He took the bandages from Passepartout, poured some brandy onto them from a flask on the table, handed them back to Passepartout, then poured some more brandy into a glass and downed it. "Giant worms," he mumbled. "God I miss England."
"This is going to hurt," Passepartout warned as he pressed the brandy soaked bandages to her leg. "But it will disinterfect the cut."
She hissed in pain, but it died down in a few seconds. "Disinfect," she corrected.
"So, you have determined what is wrong with the machine, but have you determined how to remedy it?" the Professor asked.
Sarah shrugged. "Sure, all I have to do is reverse the destination and starting coordinates and it should return everyone automatically and close the rip. But there are two problems." She got up and walked to the window. "And they're both down there somewhere."
Suddenly the door to the closet behind Sarah burst open and someone grabbed her around the neck. Another arm closed tightly around her waist, trapping her against her attacker as a human shield. "I'm afraid, my dear," an all too familiar voice said, "that you have three problems. And the last one is right here."
Crichton, Aeryn, Phileas, and Rebecca all had their guns aimed, but couldn't shoot without hitting Sarah. "Let her go, Scorpius," Aeryn commanded.
"I think not, Officer Sun. Because if I do, you will kill me. And I can't have that. Now put your weapons down!" He growled menacingly. "Or I'll snap her fragile little neck."
Sarah laughed, surprising everyone. "No you won't, Scorpius. I'm your only ticket home. You kill me and you won't ever get back. It's going to close for good in about an hour and a half."
"What makes you think I want to go back, my dear? I rather like it here."
Sarah smiled. She knew he was bluffing. "Oh really? How many cooling rods do you have left? Enough for a day? A week? Not enough to last for a lifetime on this planet. And you won't find anyone who makes them around here."
"Ah, but if I let you go, your friends would kill me. I think I'll feel much better if you die along with me, thereby trapping Crichton and the others here forever. With those horrible monsters below, oh my, they might not survive it."
"Exactly, so how about we make a deal?" Sarah offered.
Scorpius looked intrigued. "A deal? How interesting. Do tell."
"To fix the machine, I'll need to get to the basement, but that'll be pretty hard with those worms around. They're attracted to vibrations. They'll come as soon as I start the machine up."
"Yes, yes, but what does that have to do with me?" Scorpius asked impatiently.
"Your ship has weapons, doesn't it?"
"Of course!" Scorpius growled.
"Well, the worms are attracted to vibrations. If you were to shoot at the ground, it would draw the worms away. I only need a few minutes to fix the machine."
"I could do that, but why do you need me?" Scorpius asked suspiciously. "Officer Sun could easily pilot my ship."
"It might be dangerous. The worms learn fast. They might catch on and figure out a way to get at the ship."
"And you'd rather it was me who got eaten, hmm?"
"Well...yeah," Sarah answered. She winced, expecting to be hurt.
"Very clever," Scorpius replied cheerfully. "If I agree to do this, do I have your words that no one will kill me?" he asked the group in front of him. Rebecca and Phileas nodded and lowered their weapons.
Reluctantly, Crichton lowered his. He looked at Aeryn, who still had hers stubbornly pointed at Scorpius. "Come on Aeryn, it's our best chance."
"He'll betray us, John. You know he will!"
"Yeah, but we don't have any other choice. We'll just have to trust him."
"I won't do that, but," Aeryn lowered her weapon, "you're right we don't have any other choice."
"Marvelous!" Scorpius released Sarah and she rubbed her neck. "Now, how do I get onto my ship without being eaten?"
Sarah smiled. "I have a plan."
************************************
Ten minutes later Scorpius was dangling from a rope above his ship. "Lower!" he growled. "And keep it steady!"
"I like this plan," Crichton said, grinning as Scorpius nearly lost his grip. "Hey, Passepartout, can you move it a little more?" he asked.
Scorpius finally managed to drop onto his ship. A few minutes later his ship took off.
Crichton contacted the D'Argo on the transport pod to make sure Scorpius had made contact like he was supposed to. Since the Aurora didn't have a radio, only Crichton and Aeryn's communicators, D'Argo would be relaying messages between Scorpy and the Aurora.
"He says he's ready, John," D'Argo notified him.
"Good, we're just about over the house now," Crichton answered. "Tell him to start shooting."
Sarah was over by the hatch preparing to go down on a rope ladder. Phileas walked up and cleared his throat. "I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings earlier. I know you didn't mean for this to happen."
Sarah smiled. "You didn't hurt my feelings. I know you were just upset, but thanks for apologizing. It really means a lot to mean."
"Scorpius says both worms are following him," Aeryn said.
"It looks clear," Crichton confirmed from the window.
"Ok, when I reverse the polarities, the worms should get sucked back first. As soon as you see them go, Jane, Ella, Susan, and Georgette, you guys have to get down onto the ground right away. I don't know how long you'll have before the Aurora gets pulled back in and I don't think you wanna be in it when it happens. Well," she said looking around at the group. "I guess this is goodbye. I just want you all to know I consider you my friends and it was an honor to meet you." With that, she began descending the ladder.
"Be careful," Jules called after her.
Sarah dropped down onto the porch and sprinted into the house and down to the basement. Quickly, yet carefully, she set the coordinates to reverse. "Here goes nothing." She threw the switch. The machine roared to life, but the reversal wasn't activated. "Oh crap! What's wrong now!?!" She rechecked the coordinates and threw the switch again. "Still nothing."
"Sarah!" she heard Jules yell from the top of the stairs. "Scorpius says that the worms have stopped following him. You have to hurry!"
"Jules, I can't get it to work!" she cried.
"Then, come back to the Aurora, we'll make another plan. Come on, we don't have much time."
Sarah didn't want to give up, but knew he was right. "I don't get it. I set it to use the tape for return coordinates." They emerged onto the porch. "What could be wrong?" Jules had just started up the ladder when both of the worms suddenly surfaced in front of the porch. Sarah screamed and fell back. Belatedly, she remembered to keep still. "Don't move," she whispered to Jules.
"Can you make it to the ladder?" Jules asked.
"Start climbing," Sarah commanded. "I'm gonna make a run for the door. I just figured out why the machine isn't working."
"You'll be killed!" Jules hissed.
"I can make," Sarah said with more confidence than she felt.
"I'll jump down and divert them," Jules said.
"No! You'll be ripped apart! Keep climbing." Sarah slowly rose to her feet, trying not to shift her weight.
"Don't do it," Jules warned.
"I can make it!" All of a sudden she sprinted toward the door. The worms roared and one came crashing through the railing of the porch.
"Hey!" Jules yelled. He jumped down, grabbed a splintered piece of wood, and chucked it out into the yard. To his relief the worms turned from their pursuit of Sarah for a moment. He prayed it was long enough.
Inside, Sarah raced to the living room and looked around wildly. She spotted the object of her search on the arm of the couch. The controller! She grabbed it, aimed it at the VCR, and pressed Rewind. Immediately, she heard a roaring and two thumping sounds. She got out onto the porch in time to see the two worms sucked back into the hole. Jules heaved a sigh of relief. He was sprawled on the ground on either side of two giant holes.
On, the Aurora, Jane, Georgette, Ella, and Susan started down the ladder. Crichton and Aeryn followed as the transport pod landed a few feet away. "The Sliders' timer just activated," Crichton told them. "We have to hurry and get back on the transport or we'll be pulled back into space without any oxygen."
"Bye!" they called as Crichton and Aeryn boarded the pod and lifted off.
Jules dusted himself off and joined the group of girls on the now slightly smaller porch. They watched as the transport pod was drawn back into the hole a few minutes later. "I guess I should get on board the Aurora," he said.
Sarah hugged him. "Thanks. You saved my life." She sniffled. "I'm going to miss you," she said tearfully.
"Well, maybe next time it'll be you who visits us," he said. He began climbing the ladder.
When he got back on board, he and the others appeared in a window, waving. Sarah smiled and waved back as the Aurora was drawn into the hole. Then the hole seemed to seal itself back up, leaving no hint of what had been there. Sarah sighed. "I'm gonna miss them."
Susan scoffed. "Mom's gonna kill you when she sees this mess." She pointed to the wrecked porch. "I'll be in my room." She disappeared into the house.
"Well," Georgette said, "we better get going too."
"Okay, bye guys. And sorry for dragging you into all of this."
"Are you kidding," Ella said, "this is the most fun I've had all summer!"
"Ditto," Georgette agreed.
"Just, please don't ever do it again," Jane added.
"Oh, I won't," Sarah promised. She added when they were out of earshot, "Next time, I'll be sure not to make the same mistake. Next time, I'll be the one who gets transported." She grinned at the thought and went back downstairs to work on her machine.
The End!!!
I'm finally finished! (gets out of her chair and does a happy dance, drawing stares from all) Tell me what you think. Wanna see a sequel? ^__^
"You're hurt," Wade said. Sarah looked down. Her knees were scraped and bloodied from when she'd fallen on the stairs.
"I will get some bandage cloths," Passepartout said, hurrying off.
Wade and Quinn helped Sarah to a chair. "I figured out what happened," Sarah said. "The portal generator's connecting wire overheated and fused with the VCR wire. So, instead of taking the coordinates from the computer, it took them from the VCR. The tape acted as a sort of timer. As each new show on the tape started, the portal opened the new coordinates."
"So why-" Crichton was interrupted by a strange crashing noise. Everyone but Sarah ran to the windows. They watched as what looked like a worm suddenly fell through the hole in the sky. Only this worm was thirty feet long and ten feet wide. It fell into the trees below, making the same crashing noise they'd heard before when the first worm had come through.
"Is it dead?" Wade asked. No one needed to answer because they saw it burrow into the ground then disappear below the surface.
"What in God's name was that!?!" Phileas demanded.
"Has anybody heard about a movie called Tremors?" Susan asked.
Jane, Georgette, and Ella gasped simultaneously. "That's what that was?" Crichton exclaimed. "Tremors? The movie where the giant worms. Sneak up on people from underneath by following their vibrations?"
Sarah nodded solemnly.
"I am thinking we are very fortunate to be in the sky," Passepartout said. He'd returned with the bandages.
"Indeed," Phileas said. He took the bandages from Passepartout, poured some brandy onto them from a flask on the table, handed them back to Passepartout, then poured some more brandy into a glass and downed it. "Giant worms," he mumbled. "God I miss England."
"This is going to hurt," Passepartout warned as he pressed the brandy soaked bandages to her leg. "But it will disinterfect the cut."
She hissed in pain, but it died down in a few seconds. "Disinfect," she corrected.
"So, you have determined what is wrong with the machine, but have you determined how to remedy it?" the Professor asked.
Sarah shrugged. "Sure, all I have to do is reverse the destination and starting coordinates and it should return everyone automatically and close the rip. But there are two problems." She got up and walked to the window. "And they're both down there somewhere."
Suddenly the door to the closet behind Sarah burst open and someone grabbed her around the neck. Another arm closed tightly around her waist, trapping her against her attacker as a human shield. "I'm afraid, my dear," an all too familiar voice said, "that you have three problems. And the last one is right here."
Crichton, Aeryn, Phileas, and Rebecca all had their guns aimed, but couldn't shoot without hitting Sarah. "Let her go, Scorpius," Aeryn commanded.
"I think not, Officer Sun. Because if I do, you will kill me. And I can't have that. Now put your weapons down!" He growled menacingly. "Or I'll snap her fragile little neck."
Sarah laughed, surprising everyone. "No you won't, Scorpius. I'm your only ticket home. You kill me and you won't ever get back. It's going to close for good in about an hour and a half."
"What makes you think I want to go back, my dear? I rather like it here."
Sarah smiled. She knew he was bluffing. "Oh really? How many cooling rods do you have left? Enough for a day? A week? Not enough to last for a lifetime on this planet. And you won't find anyone who makes them around here."
"Ah, but if I let you go, your friends would kill me. I think I'll feel much better if you die along with me, thereby trapping Crichton and the others here forever. With those horrible monsters below, oh my, they might not survive it."
"Exactly, so how about we make a deal?" Sarah offered.
Scorpius looked intrigued. "A deal? How interesting. Do tell."
"To fix the machine, I'll need to get to the basement, but that'll be pretty hard with those worms around. They're attracted to vibrations. They'll come as soon as I start the machine up."
"Yes, yes, but what does that have to do with me?" Scorpius asked impatiently.
"Your ship has weapons, doesn't it?"
"Of course!" Scorpius growled.
"Well, the worms are attracted to vibrations. If you were to shoot at the ground, it would draw the worms away. I only need a few minutes to fix the machine."
"I could do that, but why do you need me?" Scorpius asked suspiciously. "Officer Sun could easily pilot my ship."
"It might be dangerous. The worms learn fast. They might catch on and figure out a way to get at the ship."
"And you'd rather it was me who got eaten, hmm?"
"Well...yeah," Sarah answered. She winced, expecting to be hurt.
"Very clever," Scorpius replied cheerfully. "If I agree to do this, do I have your words that no one will kill me?" he asked the group in front of him. Rebecca and Phileas nodded and lowered their weapons.
Reluctantly, Crichton lowered his. He looked at Aeryn, who still had hers stubbornly pointed at Scorpius. "Come on Aeryn, it's our best chance."
"He'll betray us, John. You know he will!"
"Yeah, but we don't have any other choice. We'll just have to trust him."
"I won't do that, but," Aeryn lowered her weapon, "you're right we don't have any other choice."
"Marvelous!" Scorpius released Sarah and she rubbed her neck. "Now, how do I get onto my ship without being eaten?"
Sarah smiled. "I have a plan."
************************************
Ten minutes later Scorpius was dangling from a rope above his ship. "Lower!" he growled. "And keep it steady!"
"I like this plan," Crichton said, grinning as Scorpius nearly lost his grip. "Hey, Passepartout, can you move it a little more?" he asked.
Scorpius finally managed to drop onto his ship. A few minutes later his ship took off.
Crichton contacted the D'Argo on the transport pod to make sure Scorpius had made contact like he was supposed to. Since the Aurora didn't have a radio, only Crichton and Aeryn's communicators, D'Argo would be relaying messages between Scorpy and the Aurora.
"He says he's ready, John," D'Argo notified him.
"Good, we're just about over the house now," Crichton answered. "Tell him to start shooting."
Sarah was over by the hatch preparing to go down on a rope ladder. Phileas walked up and cleared his throat. "I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings earlier. I know you didn't mean for this to happen."
Sarah smiled. "You didn't hurt my feelings. I know you were just upset, but thanks for apologizing. It really means a lot to mean."
"Scorpius says both worms are following him," Aeryn said.
"It looks clear," Crichton confirmed from the window.
"Ok, when I reverse the polarities, the worms should get sucked back first. As soon as you see them go, Jane, Ella, Susan, and Georgette, you guys have to get down onto the ground right away. I don't know how long you'll have before the Aurora gets pulled back in and I don't think you wanna be in it when it happens. Well," she said looking around at the group. "I guess this is goodbye. I just want you all to know I consider you my friends and it was an honor to meet you." With that, she began descending the ladder.
"Be careful," Jules called after her.
Sarah dropped down onto the porch and sprinted into the house and down to the basement. Quickly, yet carefully, she set the coordinates to reverse. "Here goes nothing." She threw the switch. The machine roared to life, but the reversal wasn't activated. "Oh crap! What's wrong now!?!" She rechecked the coordinates and threw the switch again. "Still nothing."
"Sarah!" she heard Jules yell from the top of the stairs. "Scorpius says that the worms have stopped following him. You have to hurry!"
"Jules, I can't get it to work!" she cried.
"Then, come back to the Aurora, we'll make another plan. Come on, we don't have much time."
Sarah didn't want to give up, but knew he was right. "I don't get it. I set it to use the tape for return coordinates." They emerged onto the porch. "What could be wrong?" Jules had just started up the ladder when both of the worms suddenly surfaced in front of the porch. Sarah screamed and fell back. Belatedly, she remembered to keep still. "Don't move," she whispered to Jules.
"Can you make it to the ladder?" Jules asked.
"Start climbing," Sarah commanded. "I'm gonna make a run for the door. I just figured out why the machine isn't working."
"You'll be killed!" Jules hissed.
"I can make," Sarah said with more confidence than she felt.
"I'll jump down and divert them," Jules said.
"No! You'll be ripped apart! Keep climbing." Sarah slowly rose to her feet, trying not to shift her weight.
"Don't do it," Jules warned.
"I can make it!" All of a sudden she sprinted toward the door. The worms roared and one came crashing through the railing of the porch.
"Hey!" Jules yelled. He jumped down, grabbed a splintered piece of wood, and chucked it out into the yard. To his relief the worms turned from their pursuit of Sarah for a moment. He prayed it was long enough.
Inside, Sarah raced to the living room and looked around wildly. She spotted the object of her search on the arm of the couch. The controller! She grabbed it, aimed it at the VCR, and pressed Rewind. Immediately, she heard a roaring and two thumping sounds. She got out onto the porch in time to see the two worms sucked back into the hole. Jules heaved a sigh of relief. He was sprawled on the ground on either side of two giant holes.
On, the Aurora, Jane, Georgette, Ella, and Susan started down the ladder. Crichton and Aeryn followed as the transport pod landed a few feet away. "The Sliders' timer just activated," Crichton told them. "We have to hurry and get back on the transport or we'll be pulled back into space without any oxygen."
"Bye!" they called as Crichton and Aeryn boarded the pod and lifted off.
Jules dusted himself off and joined the group of girls on the now slightly smaller porch. They watched as the transport pod was drawn back into the hole a few minutes later. "I guess I should get on board the Aurora," he said.
Sarah hugged him. "Thanks. You saved my life." She sniffled. "I'm going to miss you," she said tearfully.
"Well, maybe next time it'll be you who visits us," he said. He began climbing the ladder.
When he got back on board, he and the others appeared in a window, waving. Sarah smiled and waved back as the Aurora was drawn into the hole. Then the hole seemed to seal itself back up, leaving no hint of what had been there. Sarah sighed. "I'm gonna miss them."
Susan scoffed. "Mom's gonna kill you when she sees this mess." She pointed to the wrecked porch. "I'll be in my room." She disappeared into the house.
"Well," Georgette said, "we better get going too."
"Okay, bye guys. And sorry for dragging you into all of this."
"Are you kidding," Ella said, "this is the most fun I've had all summer!"
"Ditto," Georgette agreed.
"Just, please don't ever do it again," Jane added.
"Oh, I won't," Sarah promised. She added when they were out of earshot, "Next time, I'll be sure not to make the same mistake. Next time, I'll be the one who gets transported." She grinned at the thought and went back downstairs to work on her machine.
The End!!!
I'm finally finished! (gets out of her chair and does a happy dance, drawing stares from all) Tell me what you think. Wanna see a sequel? ^__^