The harsh beeping of an alarm clock went off to jolt Professor Arturo out of a precarious sleep. He sits up in his reclining arm chair in front of his desk and yawns loudly. He rubs his eyes and looks at his watch, the time reading 8:03 A.M. He rises from his chair and looks outside to the dawn sun just beginning to break over the horizon, the early morning fog settling back down to the ground.
There was still about thirty minutes till the Slide and the Professor smiles slightly. He knew one way or another, this was the last time he would ever see this place. Thinking to himself, he found it quite odd how when he first Slid into this dimension, it felt so much like the home he had left behind. But for the past four years he hardly ever stopped to look at it. It just seemed like a counterfeit, like a lie. Now he was about to begin his journey anew, it truly felt like a new beginning.
Arturo quickly gets up and brushes his teeth and shuts off all the lights in the house. As he begins to take his final steps out the front door, he knocks over a pile of papers on one of the cabinets. Picking them up, he sees that they are some of his old lecture notes, or rather some his double's old lecture notes. It was than that he was flooded with memories as the image of Quinn Mallory grabs his mind. How often did he think about Quinn, Wade and Rembrandt these last four years. At the start, his longing for his lost companions almost drove him to suicide. But as time went on, his new found determination to get home, overrode his memories. It was a way to deal with the pain, his work consumed him. But at times like these, he stopped and thought about what became of his three friends. He wondered if they were alive or if they themselves had ever made it home.
He took a deep breath and regained his composure "Well no time for reminiscing now uh, I've got a wormhole to catch." The Professor gathered some paperwork and high tailed it out the front door…
Lt. Colonel Jason Chavez stood on a high balcony, overlooking the city. He sips a tall mug of hot coffee and just gazes out into the vast pre dawn expanse. His military dog tags hang around his neck and he brings them up to his eyes. Despite his successful military career, his world really held nothing for him. There was really nothing or no one he really cared about, save for his cousin, Maria.
This was just the opportunity he had longed for, to find out what new worlds were out there. Jason looks around and shakes his head. This reality was filled with nothing but fear, doubt, crime and inhumanity. He was glad to leave it all behind and essentially start fresh. What greater experience and adventure could await someone than traveling between different universes? Jason looks at his watch which reads 8:10 A.M. and he gulps down the rest of his coffee.
With a great sense of urgency, he zips up his black flight suit and goes back inside. With humorous abandon he tapes a small note to his mirror inside of his room. The note reads a whimsical…
"Out to lunch, be back never"
Jason makes his way out of his apartment and downstairs, where his new destiny awaited him…
Inside the lab Maria Chavez waits nervously for her two send offs. She has set up all kinds of monitoring equipment, including a video camera, ready to capture the glorious sight of the inter dimensional wormhole as it opens and closes. Maria flips open the Timer and breathes an agitated breath. The Timer read ten minutes to zero, where were they?
At that moment Professor Arturo casually walks in eating a glazed donut. He walks over to the large white board and starts to go over his numerous formulas. Maria walks over to him and crosses her arms in annoyance.
"Well good morning Professor, I thought you were never going to show." she says.
"Oh come now my good woman, you didn't expect me to Slide on an empty stomach did you?" he says as he turns around to face her, shoving the last bit of pastry into his mouth.
"Now if only Jason would be good enough to show." says Maria.
"Oh not to worry, not to worry, that cousin of yours has a damn good head on his shoulders. He'll be here on time." says Arturo.
Excitement begins to brim over in the Professor's mind. It had been over four years since he had experienced the rush of jumping into that fantastic swirling portal. The thrill of flying through the vortex and straight out the other side. The Professor chuckled slightly as he also remembered those uncomfortable but very frequent hard landings. Oh to get back into the swing of Sliding again, the very thought made his mouth water with anticipation.
Maria again looks at the readout on the Timer, which now reads only seven minutes to zero "Oh where the hell is he?"
A few minutes later Jason comes in sipping a cup of coffee from a local Seven Eleven. He waves to his cousin and the Professor as he gleefully preps for his dimensional journey. Maria goes over and lightly taps him on the arm.
"Dammit, where were you? I was worried something happened!" she shouted.
"Oh come on prima, if there's one thing you should've learned years ago, is that I can never start my day without a good cup of brew. So since this would be unlike any other day I've started, I figured a double dose of good ole' java was in order." says Jason.
Arturo goes over and pats the Colonel on the shoulder and laughs "Cheers Colonel, it seems we think alike already."
"I hope they have Seven Eleven in the next universe, aye Professor." says Jason.
"I hate to break up your little male bonding time, but you've three minutes to vortex." says Maria.
"Yes well, I do believe some goodbyes are in order. My dear Miss Chavez, you have been one of the most cheerful and brilliant minds I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. I shall never forget you." says Arturo.
"I'll never forget you either Professor. You could be an real pain in the ass sometimes, but you always kept me on my toes. I'll miss you so much." she says as she gives Arturo a long embrace.
Maria than makes her way over to her cousin and tears start to fall from her eyes "You take care little cousin. I still don't understand why you want to do this, but always know my heart is with you and I'll always love you."
Jason starts to get teary eyed to as he embraces his cousin "Oh I love you to Mariaita, hey you know me, spontaneous as they come. Come on now dry those eyes, it's a whole new world for me out there, or worlds." he says as both begin to laugh.
"Well thirty seconds to opening…" says the Professor.
Just than a horde of armed security forces burst into the lab, all brandishing small arms and pointed at the trio. In steps an imposing man, dressed in Army fatigues. This is Major General Thaddeus Strong.
"You know you people really should've put more thought into this little plan of yours. I mean you didn't think this whole lab would've been bugged. The military has gotta protect it's interests ya know. Now I'm afraid no one is going anywhere, kindly slide that little device over here and there need be no violence." says Strong.
Jason stands at attention "General sir, I can explain…"
Strong immediately cuts him off "Save your sorry explanations for your court marshal Colonel, cuz that's all you've got coming. As for you Professor Arturo and Dr. Chavez, I'm placing you under arrest for treason."
Arturo clenches his lips and looks down at the Timer which reaches zero. He clenches his teeth and activates the vortex, which appears as a brilliant blue swirling portal a few feet in front of them. A gush of wind bursts from the wormhole and the bright light of energy causes brief distraction amongst the armed soldiers. Jason sees his chance and lifts up a table directly in front of him and hurls it towards the security officers, knocking several of them back.
"Now go Professor, go!" shouts Jason.
Arturo leaps into the portal as gunfire begins to erupt. Jason grabs a hold of Maria and pushes her towards the portal.
"Well I guess we don't have a choice now, your comin along to cousin!" he says as he pushes her into the vortex.
"Dammit get back here!" shouts General Strong, still trying to recover from the table toss.
Jason gives him a defiant salute and leaps into the wormhole, mere seconds before it closes off…
Strong widens his eyes in anger "Son of bitch!"