The commotion alerted the attention of several police and within a matter of minutes, a contingent of squad cars had descended on the area. People were still frantic, as many of them were unsure whether the sudden attack was over or simply delayed for another onslaught. The cops slowly began to take control of the situation as they cordoned off a large portion of the block and began interviewing bystanders. Jason was still face on the ground his head covered by his arms, several shards of glass peppered along his back as two policemen grab him by his arms and hoist him up.
"Ok buddy, what's your story, are you hurt?" asked one policeman.
Jason squints slightly, the loud popping of the shattered window temporarily giving him hearing trouble "Is it over?"
"Yea it's over, did you happen to see anything? A face or a car or anything that could help us catch whoever did this?" asked the policeman.
"Well um, other than the poor guy who got shot right in front of me, I was to busy ducking for my life to notice anything." says Jason.
"Well ok, we'll get you checked out at the hospital just in case you…" the policeman suddenly stops and narrows his eyes as he suddenly realizes he has seen this man's face before. "You look familiar, hold the phone! My God in heaven, could it really be? Hey Joey get a load of this!"
Another officer makes his way over to were Jason and the other policeman are standing and widens his eyes.
"Check this guy out, who does he look like to you?" says the first officer.
Jason grins nervously "Hey fellas, it's nothing really. I'm alright, in fact I feel better than I have years, I gotta go." he says as he tries to hurriedly walk away from the scene.
The first officer grabs Jason by his arm "Hold on there fella!"
Officer Joey gently turns Jason around to get a better look at his face "What in the…Mr. President, is that you?"
"I knew it, no one can mistake that face! Mr. President what in the world are you doing here out in the open, and looking like that? I mean you look twenty years younger, what ya get a face lift or something?" asks the first cop.
"President, oh no, you guys are making a mistake. I just got one of them faces that's all. Trust me I'm not the President." says Jason trying to pass off that he has no knowledge about his double.
"I think you better come with us, we'll sort all this out down at the station." says Joey.
While all the commotion was happening, Maria and the Professor were ducking behind a car, waiting for the right moment to emerge. Slowly they peek over the hood to ensure the danger had passed.
"Sliding, it a dangerous business. Are you alright my dear?" asks the Professor.
"Yes thank you Professor, just a little shaken up I suppose. What the hell was that about?" asks Maria as she dusts herself off.
"I don't know and quite frankly I don't care. I just want to get as far away from here as possible." says Arturo.
"Agreed, let's find Jason and get out of here." says Maria. She suddenly stops cold and spots her cousin and the police that flank him. She over hears the last bit of conversation and panics "Oh no, Professor look."
"Good heavens, they must think the Colonel is their President. Come we've got to get over there!" The Professor grabs Maria and the two of them shuffle franticly to intervene on Jason's behalf. They break through the mob of bystanders and police and start shouting "Excuse me officers, that man is with us. I can assure you he knows nothing about this crime, all of us are just passing through." says Arturo.
"Uh yea, yea were just passing through officer. The three of us are strangers here, we don't know anything about the President or anything else for that matter. So uh we'll just be on our way, huh." says Jason as he again tries to make a B-line away from the scene.
"Nobody is going anywhere until we get this all sorted out. Now who the hell are you and the lady and what angle do both of you have in this?" asks Joey.
"No angle at all my good fellow, as my friend explained all of us are simply passing through." says the Professor.
"Ok so you say your not the President, so than who are you? I wanna see some I.D." asks Joey.
"Now look here, the boy has done nothing wrong! What right have you to question him like some criminal?" shouts the Professor angrily.
"That's it, I'm taking you all down the station and than maybe we'll get some answers, hands up all of you!" shouts Joey as he and several other officers force the Sliders against one of the squad cars and begin to handcuff them.
"You guys are crazy, we haven't done anything!" shouts Maria.
"You call yourselves police, your nothing but a bunch of empty headed buffoons." shouts Arturo.
"Professor, your only making it worse. Just calm down, we'll get all this straightened out, you just gotta keep it cool." says Jason.
Arturo looks at Jason and frowns "Are you mad, we have nothing to do with these people!"
"Alright enough jabber all of you, get in the car." says another officer as he forces the three into the squad car.
Maria and the Professor sit in a moderate size interrogation room, both sitting behind a long table with their hands still cuffed. A single overhead lamp illuminated the expanse of the room and the two look nervously at each other.
"So did this thing happen often in your Sliding travels Max?" asks Maria.
Arturo impatiently stands up with an annoyed look upon his face "More times than I care to remember! It seems these alternate universes are just as maddening as when the first time I embarked on this insane journey!" He lowers his head and whispers to himself "Damn you Mr. Mallory, if only I could've gone with you."
At that moment the door opens and a uniformed police officer walks in carrying two manila folders. The man is stocky in size, but well built and sports a crew cut. He approaches the table solemnly and opens one folder "Would you care to take a seat…Professor Arturo is it? My name is Sergeant Mike Douglass and I'm going to be asking you some standard case questions. If you'll have a seat sir, we can begin."
Arturo turns around and glares at Douglass "So I suppose your going to explain why you have imprisoned three innocents without the slightest bit of just cause, and where is our other companion?"
"You've not been imprisoned Mr. Arturo, your companion is being held in another room for security purposes, now I'll ask you again, please have a seat." says Douglass, after which Arturo reluctantly sits down.
"Thank you, now I suppose we'll start this interview with your said identities." says Douglass.
"Interview, more like inquisition!" shouts Arturo.
"Professor enough !" says Maria.
Douglass just stares down Arturo for a few moments and looks down at the open manila folder "We have no record of a Professor Maximillian Arturo on any national data base, so that name is obviously an alias. Now as for you miss, you told us your name is a Dr. Maria Chavez. But it's interesting to note that a woman by that name died ten years ago. What struck us as most odd however is that your picture and fingerprints match up identically to the deceased. So you wanna tell me how in the world you have the fingerprints of a woman that's been dead for a decade? Now the face can be made up surgically, but fingerprints are quite another story, it would be impossible to fake those. It seems we have quite a mystery on our hands, I'd say you two have quite a bit of explaining to do."
Arturo and Maria just give each other another awkward stare and the Professor takes a deep breath "I can assure you, your not going to believe a word of the explanation I'm about to give you."
Douglass just wipes his chin "Try me."
Jason sits handcuffed behind an identical table, in an identical room as that which holds his two companions. The harsh overhead light glares into his vision as two police officers stare down at him. Seeing no other option but to tell the truth or be jailed for impersonating the President, Jason has spilled the beans to the two officers. He looks for a response on their stone emotionless faces.
"You really expect us to believe that shit story? Well I'll tell you something son, you get an A for creativity, alternate universes huh? That's the most original defense I've heard yet. Now look, I'm gonna give you five minutes to come clean or else we are gonna bag your ass for impersonating the President, which might I add is a highly volatile Federal crime!" says one of the officers.
"Look I know how hard it is to believe, trust me I do. But as God as my witness, I swear to you it's the truth! Me and my friends are from a parallel dimension, we mean no harm to anyone." says Jason.
"So lemme get this straight, your trying to tell us that our President Chavez is your twin or something?" ask the officer.
"They are called Doubles, in many parallel universes everyone has a different version of themselves. In this universe, my double just happens to be the President!" says Jason.
"Ok than, tell me something, if he's your double or whatever you call it, why is he older than you are?" asks the first officer.
"That's a new one on me, look I'm not a scientist. Ask the Professor, he's done this kind of thing before. It's my first Slide for goodness sakes!" says Jason flustered.
"Oh this is bullcrap, I bet your some kind of Canadian spy or something. I hear they practice all kinds of weird experiments up there! This guy could be some kind of cloning operation gone wrong or a mutant or something!" shouts the other officer.
"Look I don't know anything about this world's politics or anything else that's going on. I'm not a spy or a clone or a mutant or anything like that." says Jason.
"I say we book this space case. Let the shrinks handle him and his other friends." says the other officer as they both get up and move towards the door.
"Wait I'm telling you the truth, you have to believe me!" shouts Jason as the two officers laugh it off and walk out of the door.
The Oval Office sits as a proud and dignified monument to greatness. Several distinguished men have sat in it's confines, the nation's greatest honor for it's worthy elected leaders. The most recent of these sits at the head desk intently watching news reports on the television sitting near the far wall. President Jason Miguel Chavez listens and watches intently as the news flashes images of the shooting incident that took place earlier that day. President Chavez has aged well, although he has graying hair and a few undistinguished wrinkles, he is the model of health. At fifty five he is still considered quite a handsome man and more vital than he ever was when he was in his thirties. The look of a man who was wise but hardened by time and his surrounding circumstances, adorns his face.
"Earlier today Police responded to a shooting just south of downtown. Details are sketchy at this time but one of our cameramen caught this astonishing video of a man being hauled off by police. Amazingly he bears a remarkable resemblance to President Jason Chavez. The buzz is the shooting was an attempt on the President's life, but bigger questions remain. Is this man truly the President and if so, why does he appear to be twenty years younger than our present Commander in Chief? The man is allegedly being held at the San Francisco police department…" says the news broadcast.
President Chavez bridges his eyebrows and shakes his head slightly "What the hell is going on?"
At that moment a black man wearing a black suit and tie opens the door to the Oval Office "Mr. President have you seen sir?"
"Indeed I have Peterson. I think I wanna check this out for myself." says the President.