I woke up, but I was not in the master bedroom in my duplicate's Beverly Hills home. I was instead in a bed in a suite in the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Long Beach, with American Crown Princess Sophia sleeping next to me.
"Good morning," she said.
"Good morning, Sophia," I replied. I looked at the time. "I have work today."
"Perhaps we can have breakfast together before you leave for work."
I checked the time on the Panasonic clock radio on a small table next to the bed. "Sure, if it is for thirty minutes."
So that is what we did, eat breakfast. The Hyatt served a continental breakfast downstairs in the lobby. I ate with the princess, watched by a handful of Secret Service agents. I had Frosted Flakes cereal, scrambled eggs, some pastry, and orange juice.
"How did you end up traveling through parallel worlds?" asked Sophia.
"Well, around the time I was born, there was a war on my world," I said. "My parents sent me to live with their duplicates. It was not until about two years ago that I encountered my brother and he took me on a trip."
"And where is your brother now?"
"I don't know; I somehow got separated from him. As it turns out, I also now travel from one universe to the next on my own without a timer or anything."
"I'm sure your brother is all right out there."
"Tell me about your family."
"Well, I'm the oldest of three. I have a younger brother, Prince James, and a younger sister, Princess Kathleen. And of course I have my aunts and uncles and cousins, not to mention my parents."
"You must have some friends," I said.
"Yes, although I spend very little time with them, with me being a crown princess and all. Needless to say, I don't have much time for a love life."
I sipped the last of my orange juice. "Well, I will need to be going now. I'm expected on set."
"Of course. Colin, I'm currently on vacation now. I want to see you as often as I can before I get too busy."
And so the princess offered me a ride back to Beverly Hills. I got dressed and drove the Mercedes to the shooting location, which was in the University of Southern California, just south of downtown Los Angeles. Signs indicated where I would park the car. There was a shuttle that took me to the holding area for the cast.
The production crew set up shop inside one of the classrooms near the USC Student Union, where the scene is supposed to be filmed. I caught up with Angus Rickman, who was wearing a sweater with the logo for the Who, a British rock band.
"Hello, Mallory," said Rickman. "Glad you can make it."
"How was the MTV Movie Awards?" asked Luke Perry, who will also be shooting on this location.
"It was fun," I said. "I got to meet all those celebrities."
One of Rickman's aides handed me a copy of a script. Apparently, my character and Perry's character would be walking together and then talk to one of the students in front of the USC Student Union. I read that some fellow named Josh Hartnett would play the student. He actually had a significant role in the episode.
"Well, I guess I'll be working with the two of you," said Josh Hartnett.
"That's right," I said. "You know, I am getting the hang of this."
"I heard you got together with the princess."
I was surprised. "How did you hear that?"
"It was on Entertainment Morning; they said that some witnesses saw you come into the princess's private suite but did not see you come out."
"Enough of the chatter," said Rickman. "We'll need to do this reading."
So that's what we did.
Eventually, we were scheduled to actually film the scene. The first part would have me and Luke Perry walking to the front of the student union. Then we would speak to Josh Hartnett.
Perry and I were both dressed in suits and we stood a few yards from the student union. A Panaflex camera was placed on some wheels and the cameraman would roll it back as we walked to the student union. There were a bunch of people in their early-to-mid twenties playing college students; I recognized some of them from that classroom scene I had with Jenna von Oy.
The crew was finished setting up all the cameras and lamps for this shot.
"Okay everybody, let's get started!" shouted Rickman.
"Rolling," said the cameraman.
"A marker," someone said.
"B marker," someone elese said.
"Background," someone else said.
"And action!" yelled Rickman.
"Well, here we are back in college," said Luke Perry as we walked to the student union. "It sure brings back memories."
"Twenty memories, to be exact," I said. "Each and every one of them was swe-eet."
"I figured your major would be Sex Ed."
"Well, maybe I could get together with one of these ladies."
"They're about a decade younger than you."
"I've had someone a decade older. She was a professor."
"You dated a professor when you were a student? Well, we'll discuss this later. Let's get to business."
"And cut!" shouted Rickman."Let's reset."
So we did the scene again a few more times. After that, we had a lunch break and then we would film the scene with Josh Hartnett.
"You know," I said, eating my garlic chicken, "It's a good thing the school made this space available for us."
"The spring semester starts next week," said Luke Perry. "Besides, we paid the school a lot of money to use their campus."
After lunch was over, we filmed the second scene, with Josh Hartnett. Once again, the crew set up their equipment and stuff.
"Rolling!" shouted the cameraman.
"A marker," someone said.
"B marker," someone else said.
"Background," someone else said.
"And action!" yelled Rickman.
I walked over to the plastic table where Josh Hartnett was sitting.
"Excuse me, Pete Baker?" I asked.
"Yes," replied Josh Hartnett.
"I'm Detective Chuck Connor, LAPD. This is Detective John LeBlanc. We'd like to ask you a few questions about the rave last night."
"Well, I handed out flyers on campus advertising it."
"Did you know that drugs would be served?" I asked.
"Well, it's a rave. Of course drugs will be dealt. But why are you asking this?"
"A student from the school died of an Ecstasy overdose," said Luke Perry. "His name was Billy Dean."
"Never heard of him," said Josh Hartnett.
"Do you know anyone who deals drugs at these events?" I asked.
"I don't know. Listen, I'll have to get to class now."
"We'll be keeping in touch, Baker," said Luke Perry. "We may ask you some more questions later." Both of us walked to the next mark. "I think he knows more than he's admitting. We should take a closer look at his background."
"And cut!" shouted Rickman.
After filming the scenes at USC, we wrapped and I went back to the house in Beverly Hills. I decided to get settled in for the evening.
The telephone rang and I answered it. "Hello," I said.
"Colin, it's me," said my duplicate. "How are things going over there?"
"Well, I've taken your job and I'm actually getting a hang of this acting thing after a rocky start."
"Well, I saw you on the MTV Movie Awards last night. You were perfect."
"So how are you doing?"
"Well, I've been spending time with Molly and my family. They are doing fine."
"I'm glad to hear that."
"Well, family is important. I'm just so glad to be able to take this time away from work. Molly and I will check up on you again."
And then he hung up the phone. I turned on the television in the living room and I had just gotten settled into the couch when the phone rang again.
"Yes," I said as I answered.
"It's me, Princess Sophia," said a female voice on the other side. "What are you doing now?"
"Just hanging here at the house I'm staying," I said.
"I'd love to see you. We could go out together."
"It's a date then. Are you going to pick me up?"
"Of course."
A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. I opened the door and there stood Crown Princess Sophia with her Secret Service detail.
"Shall we go?" she asked.
"Definitely," I replied. I extended my hand and she took it and led me to the black Lincoln limousine parked next to the curb.
We went to a sports bar and grill located on Burton Way in Beverly Hills, not far from the house. I ride in the limousine with Sophia, accompanied by Maggie Beckett and another Secret Service agent.
Sophia wanted a down-to-earth place to eat out, so we came here. The floors were made of wood. There were logos for various sports teams deocrating the place, and the servers all wore polo shorts with the logo of the sports bar printed on them. The televisions in the bar showed various sports such as basketball and hockey and soccer and football and some sports I am not familiar with. We sat down around a table for two, while Maggie and the Secret Service agents sat at another table where they could keep an eye on us.
I took a leather-bound menu and read through it. The bar served a wide variety of food and stuff.
"Well, shall we order?" asked Sophia.
We ordered, starting with mozzarella sticks for the appetizer. I always liked the mozzarella sticks. My entree was a New York steak served with vegetables and white cheddar mashed potatoes and horse radish sauce. I savored every bite, as I do not eat well that much.
I spoke to Sophia about my adventures from sliding across parallel universes. She told me more about what she does in her role as a princess.
Then I noted flashes. I saw that some people had spotted Sophia, and were taking pictures. I noticed that other people were taping us with video cameras.
"Not a lot of privacy," I said.
"Well, I am a princess," said Sophia. "I've been used to this since I was a little girl."
Then I heard some tone. Sophia took out a cellular phone and answered it. "Hello there....You're back already?...Well, welcome back to the United States...Well, I'm vacationing in California; I'll come to visit you when I return to Alberton."
"Who was that?" I asked.
"It was my father King Leonard," said Sophia. "He told me that Air Force One had just landed at Andrews. He had been in China since Sunday, and now he's returned."
"Do you live with the king?"
"I live in Richmond Palace, the official residence of whoever is the crown prince or princess. I lived there when my father was the crown prince, and I moved back there when I was eighteen. I only spend half of the time there, since I travel a lot on official business."
"Well, I travel a lot too."
After finishing our dinner, we headed back to the house where I was staying. We decided to watch some television. We both watched this television show called South Park, which was an animated show about four children living in Colorado. It was funny, and at the end, some kid named Kenny died.
After that, we both went to bed.
The next morning came as a surprise. Sophia decided to stay for breakfast. I noticed the Secret Service being camped out just outside the house as I was picking up the Los Angeles Times. I scanned it for various events happening around the world, not to mention the sports scores in the Sports section.
It was the Calendar section which caught my attention.
Inside, there was a full-page story which noted that Crown Princess Sophia was spotted hanging around Colin Mallory, an actor who is a member of the regular cast of the television series Hollywood Detectives. Witnesses saw Colin Mallory enter the princess's private suite in the Long Beach Hyatt Regency after the MTV Movie Awards, and they were spotted at a bar in Beverly Hills. the story noted that Colin Mallory was married.
Sophia read the story. "It seems we're a news item now," she said.
I decided to turn on the television. The show Entertainment Morning was on. It was then that I saw the front story.
It was about an extramarital affair between Colin Mallory and Princess Sophia. There was video footage of us getting together at the post-awards party at the Hyatt Regency in Long Beach and at a sports bar in Beverly Hills. The show noted there were no comments from Colin Mallory's agent, or the princess's staff.
"Oh no," said Princess Sophia. "what have I done? I was with a married man."
"I'm not married," I said. "I'm from a parallel universe; my counterpart on this world is the one who is married."
"And how do I know that?" asked Sophia. "How do I know you didn't spin a story just so you can do a princess?"
"And I should ask you why you were willing to hop in bed with someone you just met. You have access to the Secret Service, the FBI, and the CIA. You don't do background checks on men whom you date?"
"you;re making this about me?"
"Listen," I said, touching her arm.
"Don't touch me!" she shouted.
"Okay," I said. "Look up Quinn Mallory; that's the brother of this world's Colin Mallory. You will find that he works in Slider Research Labs, and that he can prove what I said is true."
"Well, I have to go now, whomever you are. I have a royal reputation to salvage."
As soon as Sophia left, the telephone rang. I answered it. "Hello," I said.
"It's me, Colin," said the native Colin Mallory.
"What have you been up to?"
"Well, I know what you have been up to. How could you be screwing around with a woman, the Crown Princess of America no less, in public. The news media is going to make this their top story for the rest of the year. I have a reputation too, you know. I one of the few stars in Hollywood who don't cheat on their wives!"
"I can explain."
"Just shut up!" he shouted. And then he hung up the phone.
I sat down, and I realized how wrong I was. I've gotten in trouble on the basis that I looked like my duplicates, but I never got a duplicate into trouble. I was borrowing his life; I should have been responsible.
I felt like kicking myself.
I went to the set for some more filming later that day. I was able to pull it off, but I didn't talk much to my costars. They too, have heard about how I was dating a princess.
When I drove back to the house that day, the car radio was tuned to the John and Ken show on KFI AM 640. Their topic of the day was, of course,my so-called affair with Sophia. They mentioned that I had complained that many celebrities were unfaithful, and they mentioned how I was a hypocrite. Most of the show's callers called to tell me I was like a scumbag, although there were a few who tried to justify a married man having an affair with a princess.
The TV news was also about me and Sophia. It seems I made national news. Castle America, of course, was not commenting on the affair, although reporters kept asking King Leonard about it when he held a press conference about his business with the Chinese Emperor.
Then the phone rang. I wondered if this was a sales call or something. I answered.
"it's me, Sophia," a feamle voice said.
"I hope this isn't a crank call," I replied.
"Colin, I know you said you were from a parallel universe. We need to sort things out."
"Okay."
"I'll be taking a trip to San Francisco tomorrow on board Air Force Two. I want you to accompany me."
so that was what I did.
Air Force Two was parked at the Los Alamitos Armed Forces Reserve Center in Los Alamitos, California. It was a modified Boeing 747. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA was printed along the fuselage.
I boarded the 747, aloing with Sophia and her Secret Service detail. I heard Maggie Beckett barking orders to make sure the princess is secure. We sat down in wide, confortable seats located in a luxurious cabin fit for royalty.
"Air Force Two refers to any Air Force craft I'm a passenger in," said Sophia. "Unless the king is on board, which would make it Air Force One."
After a few minutes, I felt Air Force Two take off, and then I looked out the window and saw the Pacific Ocean.
It only took about forty minutes to reach San Francisco. Air Force Two landed at Alameda Naval Air Station. Once we were down, we boarded a U.S. Navy helicopter which took us to the San Francisco Harbor.
After landing at the harbor helipad, we walked on over to the building where Slider Research Labs is located. The security guard was surprised to see Sophia.
"Your Highness," he said. "What brings you here?"
"I am here to see Quinn Mallory," she said. "He is expecting me."
"I'll send you and your people in, my lady."
I noticed he did not notice whom I am. I guess Sophia gets more attention as a princess.
We walked through the halls and to the conference room where the security guard directed us. There I saw Quinn, with his white lab coat over his black shirt.
"Your Highness," he said as he bowed before Sophia.
"What's this about?" I asked.
"It's about me and your companion," a familiar voice said.
I turned and saw this world's Colin Mallory.
"Hello," I said.
"I am pleased to meet you, Mr. Mallory," said Sophia.
"It is an honor to meet you, your Highness," said Molly, who was with the native Colin.
"Colin," I said, "I want to apologize for what I did in public. I slid for nearly two years, and I had gotten mixed up in the lives of my duplicates. I should have known that my actions would affect your reputation, especially since you're a celebrity."
"Well, what do we tell them?" he asked.
"The truth," said Sophia. "I was fooling around with an extradimensional duplicate of yours. The proof is right here in this lab."
"It will make for good publicity," said Quinn.
"I want to ask you, why did you allow him to replace you?" asked Sophia.
"My job was putting a strain on my marriage, keeping me from my wife," said the native Colin. "between shooting TV shows and movies, I rarely get to see her. I allowed the other Colin to live in my houise and take my place so I can be with Molly.
"You are so sweet," said Sophia. "She is lucky to have you, and you are lucky to have her."
"Thank you, my lady," said Molly.
"I've made a decision. I'm going to take a sabbatical. I will not renew my contract for next season of Hollywood Detectives."
"What's gonna happen to your character?" asked Quinn.
"I'll talk to the producers and have him transferred to another precinct," said the native Colin. "I'm not going to completely cut myself out of the show. I'll probably appear in the one hundredth episode. In the meantime, I'm going to spend time with my wife and my new baby."
"Sophia," I asked, "I was wondering. Why were you willing to be with me after only a few hours?"
"There's very little time for relationships," she replied. "Being a princess keeps me busy. I try to date men when I can get vacations. You know, Colin, you're a very special person, and you are very kind. I wish we could be together longer."
"We can't, Sophia," I said. "I have to go."
"Your Highness," asked Quinn, "does the government have its own sliding research facility."
"I heard about a facility under Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado," Sophia replied.
"You're Princess Sophia," a female voice said.
I looked and recognized Quinn's secretary.
"Yes, I am she," said Sophia. "You are..."
"Wade Welles. I'm Quinn Mallory's secretary. It's a pleasure to meet you, your Highness. I just can't believe I'm here with you."
Eventually, the time has come for me to slide out. Quinn set up a device which could guide me to where my brother and his friends are. My duplicate and his wife were there, as well as Crown Princess Sophia and her Secret Service security detail.
"Goodbye," she said. "I'll always remember."
"Goodbye," I replied.
I was standing in the device, which was supposed to generate some sort of field. Quinn and the technicians turned it on.
I looked at my watch as it counted down my final seconds in this world.
And then I seeped through the dimensional barriers.
"Good morning," she said.
"Good morning, Sophia," I replied. I looked at the time. "I have work today."
"Perhaps we can have breakfast together before you leave for work."
I checked the time on the Panasonic clock radio on a small table next to the bed. "Sure, if it is for thirty minutes."
So that is what we did, eat breakfast. The Hyatt served a continental breakfast downstairs in the lobby. I ate with the princess, watched by a handful of Secret Service agents. I had Frosted Flakes cereal, scrambled eggs, some pastry, and orange juice.
"How did you end up traveling through parallel worlds?" asked Sophia.
"Well, around the time I was born, there was a war on my world," I said. "My parents sent me to live with their duplicates. It was not until about two years ago that I encountered my brother and he took me on a trip."
"And where is your brother now?"
"I don't know; I somehow got separated from him. As it turns out, I also now travel from one universe to the next on my own without a timer or anything."
"I'm sure your brother is all right out there."
"Tell me about your family."
"Well, I'm the oldest of three. I have a younger brother, Prince James, and a younger sister, Princess Kathleen. And of course I have my aunts and uncles and cousins, not to mention my parents."
"You must have some friends," I said.
"Yes, although I spend very little time with them, with me being a crown princess and all. Needless to say, I don't have much time for a love life."
I sipped the last of my orange juice. "Well, I will need to be going now. I'm expected on set."
"Of course. Colin, I'm currently on vacation now. I want to see you as often as I can before I get too busy."
And so the princess offered me a ride back to Beverly Hills. I got dressed and drove the Mercedes to the shooting location, which was in the University of Southern California, just south of downtown Los Angeles. Signs indicated where I would park the car. There was a shuttle that took me to the holding area for the cast.
The production crew set up shop inside one of the classrooms near the USC Student Union, where the scene is supposed to be filmed. I caught up with Angus Rickman, who was wearing a sweater with the logo for the Who, a British rock band.
"Hello, Mallory," said Rickman. "Glad you can make it."
"How was the MTV Movie Awards?" asked Luke Perry, who will also be shooting on this location.
"It was fun," I said. "I got to meet all those celebrities."
One of Rickman's aides handed me a copy of a script. Apparently, my character and Perry's character would be walking together and then talk to one of the students in front of the USC Student Union. I read that some fellow named Josh Hartnett would play the student. He actually had a significant role in the episode.
"Well, I guess I'll be working with the two of you," said Josh Hartnett.
"That's right," I said. "You know, I am getting the hang of this."
"I heard you got together with the princess."
I was surprised. "How did you hear that?"
"It was on Entertainment Morning; they said that some witnesses saw you come into the princess's private suite but did not see you come out."
"Enough of the chatter," said Rickman. "We'll need to do this reading."
So that's what we did.
Eventually, we were scheduled to actually film the scene. The first part would have me and Luke Perry walking to the front of the student union. Then we would speak to Josh Hartnett.
Perry and I were both dressed in suits and we stood a few yards from the student union. A Panaflex camera was placed on some wheels and the cameraman would roll it back as we walked to the student union. There were a bunch of people in their early-to-mid twenties playing college students; I recognized some of them from that classroom scene I had with Jenna von Oy.
The crew was finished setting up all the cameras and lamps for this shot.
"Okay everybody, let's get started!" shouted Rickman.
"Rolling," said the cameraman.
"A marker," someone said.
"B marker," someone elese said.
"Background," someone else said.
"And action!" yelled Rickman.
"Well, here we are back in college," said Luke Perry as we walked to the student union. "It sure brings back memories."
"Twenty memories, to be exact," I said. "Each and every one of them was swe-eet."
"I figured your major would be Sex Ed."
"Well, maybe I could get together with one of these ladies."
"They're about a decade younger than you."
"I've had someone a decade older. She was a professor."
"You dated a professor when you were a student? Well, we'll discuss this later. Let's get to business."
"And cut!" shouted Rickman."Let's reset."
So we did the scene again a few more times. After that, we had a lunch break and then we would film the scene with Josh Hartnett.
"You know," I said, eating my garlic chicken, "It's a good thing the school made this space available for us."
"The spring semester starts next week," said Luke Perry. "Besides, we paid the school a lot of money to use their campus."
After lunch was over, we filmed the second scene, with Josh Hartnett. Once again, the crew set up their equipment and stuff.
"Rolling!" shouted the cameraman.
"A marker," someone said.
"B marker," someone else said.
"Background," someone else said.
"And action!" yelled Rickman.
I walked over to the plastic table where Josh Hartnett was sitting.
"Excuse me, Pete Baker?" I asked.
"Yes," replied Josh Hartnett.
"I'm Detective Chuck Connor, LAPD. This is Detective John LeBlanc. We'd like to ask you a few questions about the rave last night."
"Well, I handed out flyers on campus advertising it."
"Did you know that drugs would be served?" I asked.
"Well, it's a rave. Of course drugs will be dealt. But why are you asking this?"
"A student from the school died of an Ecstasy overdose," said Luke Perry. "His name was Billy Dean."
"Never heard of him," said Josh Hartnett.
"Do you know anyone who deals drugs at these events?" I asked.
"I don't know. Listen, I'll have to get to class now."
"We'll be keeping in touch, Baker," said Luke Perry. "We may ask you some more questions later." Both of us walked to the next mark. "I think he knows more than he's admitting. We should take a closer look at his background."
"And cut!" shouted Rickman.
After filming the scenes at USC, we wrapped and I went back to the house in Beverly Hills. I decided to get settled in for the evening.
The telephone rang and I answered it. "Hello," I said.
"Colin, it's me," said my duplicate. "How are things going over there?"
"Well, I've taken your job and I'm actually getting a hang of this acting thing after a rocky start."
"Well, I saw you on the MTV Movie Awards last night. You were perfect."
"So how are you doing?"
"Well, I've been spending time with Molly and my family. They are doing fine."
"I'm glad to hear that."
"Well, family is important. I'm just so glad to be able to take this time away from work. Molly and I will check up on you again."
And then he hung up the phone. I turned on the television in the living room and I had just gotten settled into the couch when the phone rang again.
"Yes," I said as I answered.
"It's me, Princess Sophia," said a female voice on the other side. "What are you doing now?"
"Just hanging here at the house I'm staying," I said.
"I'd love to see you. We could go out together."
"It's a date then. Are you going to pick me up?"
"Of course."
A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. I opened the door and there stood Crown Princess Sophia with her Secret Service detail.
"Shall we go?" she asked.
"Definitely," I replied. I extended my hand and she took it and led me to the black Lincoln limousine parked next to the curb.
We went to a sports bar and grill located on Burton Way in Beverly Hills, not far from the house. I ride in the limousine with Sophia, accompanied by Maggie Beckett and another Secret Service agent.
Sophia wanted a down-to-earth place to eat out, so we came here. The floors were made of wood. There were logos for various sports teams deocrating the place, and the servers all wore polo shorts with the logo of the sports bar printed on them. The televisions in the bar showed various sports such as basketball and hockey and soccer and football and some sports I am not familiar with. We sat down around a table for two, while Maggie and the Secret Service agents sat at another table where they could keep an eye on us.
I took a leather-bound menu and read through it. The bar served a wide variety of food and stuff.
"Well, shall we order?" asked Sophia.
We ordered, starting with mozzarella sticks for the appetizer. I always liked the mozzarella sticks. My entree was a New York steak served with vegetables and white cheddar mashed potatoes and horse radish sauce. I savored every bite, as I do not eat well that much.
I spoke to Sophia about my adventures from sliding across parallel universes. She told me more about what she does in her role as a princess.
Then I noted flashes. I saw that some people had spotted Sophia, and were taking pictures. I noticed that other people were taping us with video cameras.
"Not a lot of privacy," I said.
"Well, I am a princess," said Sophia. "I've been used to this since I was a little girl."
Then I heard some tone. Sophia took out a cellular phone and answered it. "Hello there....You're back already?...Well, welcome back to the United States...Well, I'm vacationing in California; I'll come to visit you when I return to Alberton."
"Who was that?" I asked.
"It was my father King Leonard," said Sophia. "He told me that Air Force One had just landed at Andrews. He had been in China since Sunday, and now he's returned."
"Do you live with the king?"
"I live in Richmond Palace, the official residence of whoever is the crown prince or princess. I lived there when my father was the crown prince, and I moved back there when I was eighteen. I only spend half of the time there, since I travel a lot on official business."
"Well, I travel a lot too."
After finishing our dinner, we headed back to the house where I was staying. We decided to watch some television. We both watched this television show called South Park, which was an animated show about four children living in Colorado. It was funny, and at the end, some kid named Kenny died.
After that, we both went to bed.
The next morning came as a surprise. Sophia decided to stay for breakfast. I noticed the Secret Service being camped out just outside the house as I was picking up the Los Angeles Times. I scanned it for various events happening around the world, not to mention the sports scores in the Sports section.
It was the Calendar section which caught my attention.
Inside, there was a full-page story which noted that Crown Princess Sophia was spotted hanging around Colin Mallory, an actor who is a member of the regular cast of the television series Hollywood Detectives. Witnesses saw Colin Mallory enter the princess's private suite in the Long Beach Hyatt Regency after the MTV Movie Awards, and they were spotted at a bar in Beverly Hills. the story noted that Colin Mallory was married.
Sophia read the story. "It seems we're a news item now," she said.
I decided to turn on the television. The show Entertainment Morning was on. It was then that I saw the front story.
It was about an extramarital affair between Colin Mallory and Princess Sophia. There was video footage of us getting together at the post-awards party at the Hyatt Regency in Long Beach and at a sports bar in Beverly Hills. The show noted there were no comments from Colin Mallory's agent, or the princess's staff.
"Oh no," said Princess Sophia. "what have I done? I was with a married man."
"I'm not married," I said. "I'm from a parallel universe; my counterpart on this world is the one who is married."
"And how do I know that?" asked Sophia. "How do I know you didn't spin a story just so you can do a princess?"
"And I should ask you why you were willing to hop in bed with someone you just met. You have access to the Secret Service, the FBI, and the CIA. You don't do background checks on men whom you date?"
"you;re making this about me?"
"Listen," I said, touching her arm.
"Don't touch me!" she shouted.
"Okay," I said. "Look up Quinn Mallory; that's the brother of this world's Colin Mallory. You will find that he works in Slider Research Labs, and that he can prove what I said is true."
"Well, I have to go now, whomever you are. I have a royal reputation to salvage."
As soon as Sophia left, the telephone rang. I answered it. "Hello," I said.
"It's me, Colin," said the native Colin Mallory.
"What have you been up to?"
"Well, I know what you have been up to. How could you be screwing around with a woman, the Crown Princess of America no less, in public. The news media is going to make this their top story for the rest of the year. I have a reputation too, you know. I one of the few stars in Hollywood who don't cheat on their wives!"
"I can explain."
"Just shut up!" he shouted. And then he hung up the phone.
I sat down, and I realized how wrong I was. I've gotten in trouble on the basis that I looked like my duplicates, but I never got a duplicate into trouble. I was borrowing his life; I should have been responsible.
I felt like kicking myself.
I went to the set for some more filming later that day. I was able to pull it off, but I didn't talk much to my costars. They too, have heard about how I was dating a princess.
When I drove back to the house that day, the car radio was tuned to the John and Ken show on KFI AM 640. Their topic of the day was, of course,my so-called affair with Sophia. They mentioned that I had complained that many celebrities were unfaithful, and they mentioned how I was a hypocrite. Most of the show's callers called to tell me I was like a scumbag, although there were a few who tried to justify a married man having an affair with a princess.
The TV news was also about me and Sophia. It seems I made national news. Castle America, of course, was not commenting on the affair, although reporters kept asking King Leonard about it when he held a press conference about his business with the Chinese Emperor.
Then the phone rang. I wondered if this was a sales call or something. I answered.
"it's me, Sophia," a feamle voice said.
"I hope this isn't a crank call," I replied.
"Colin, I know you said you were from a parallel universe. We need to sort things out."
"Okay."
"I'll be taking a trip to San Francisco tomorrow on board Air Force Two. I want you to accompany me."
so that was what I did.
Air Force Two was parked at the Los Alamitos Armed Forces Reserve Center in Los Alamitos, California. It was a modified Boeing 747. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA was printed along the fuselage.
I boarded the 747, aloing with Sophia and her Secret Service detail. I heard Maggie Beckett barking orders to make sure the princess is secure. We sat down in wide, confortable seats located in a luxurious cabin fit for royalty.
"Air Force Two refers to any Air Force craft I'm a passenger in," said Sophia. "Unless the king is on board, which would make it Air Force One."
After a few minutes, I felt Air Force Two take off, and then I looked out the window and saw the Pacific Ocean.
It only took about forty minutes to reach San Francisco. Air Force Two landed at Alameda Naval Air Station. Once we were down, we boarded a U.S. Navy helicopter which took us to the San Francisco Harbor.
After landing at the harbor helipad, we walked on over to the building where Slider Research Labs is located. The security guard was surprised to see Sophia.
"Your Highness," he said. "What brings you here?"
"I am here to see Quinn Mallory," she said. "He is expecting me."
"I'll send you and your people in, my lady."
I noticed he did not notice whom I am. I guess Sophia gets more attention as a princess.
We walked through the halls and to the conference room where the security guard directed us. There I saw Quinn, with his white lab coat over his black shirt.
"Your Highness," he said as he bowed before Sophia.
"What's this about?" I asked.
"It's about me and your companion," a familiar voice said.
I turned and saw this world's Colin Mallory.
"Hello," I said.
"I am pleased to meet you, Mr. Mallory," said Sophia.
"It is an honor to meet you, your Highness," said Molly, who was with the native Colin.
"Colin," I said, "I want to apologize for what I did in public. I slid for nearly two years, and I had gotten mixed up in the lives of my duplicates. I should have known that my actions would affect your reputation, especially since you're a celebrity."
"Well, what do we tell them?" he asked.
"The truth," said Sophia. "I was fooling around with an extradimensional duplicate of yours. The proof is right here in this lab."
"It will make for good publicity," said Quinn.
"I want to ask you, why did you allow him to replace you?" asked Sophia.
"My job was putting a strain on my marriage, keeping me from my wife," said the native Colin. "between shooting TV shows and movies, I rarely get to see her. I allowed the other Colin to live in my houise and take my place so I can be with Molly.
"You are so sweet," said Sophia. "She is lucky to have you, and you are lucky to have her."
"Thank you, my lady," said Molly.
"I've made a decision. I'm going to take a sabbatical. I will not renew my contract for next season of Hollywood Detectives."
"What's gonna happen to your character?" asked Quinn.
"I'll talk to the producers and have him transferred to another precinct," said the native Colin. "I'm not going to completely cut myself out of the show. I'll probably appear in the one hundredth episode. In the meantime, I'm going to spend time with my wife and my new baby."
"Sophia," I asked, "I was wondering. Why were you willing to be with me after only a few hours?"
"There's very little time for relationships," she replied. "Being a princess keeps me busy. I try to date men when I can get vacations. You know, Colin, you're a very special person, and you are very kind. I wish we could be together longer."
"We can't, Sophia," I said. "I have to go."
"Your Highness," asked Quinn, "does the government have its own sliding research facility."
"I heard about a facility under Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado," Sophia replied.
"You're Princess Sophia," a female voice said.
I looked and recognized Quinn's secretary.
"Yes, I am she," said Sophia. "You are..."
"Wade Welles. I'm Quinn Mallory's secretary. It's a pleasure to meet you, your Highness. I just can't believe I'm here with you."
Eventually, the time has come for me to slide out. Quinn set up a device which could guide me to where my brother and his friends are. My duplicate and his wife were there, as well as Crown Princess Sophia and her Secret Service security detail.
"Goodbye," she said. "I'll always remember."
"Goodbye," I replied.
I was standing in the device, which was supposed to generate some sort of field. Quinn and the technicians turned it on.
I looked at my watch as it counted down my final seconds in this world.
And then I seeped through the dimensional barriers.