By
Paul Jennings

Co-written by Jayelle Carey

Wade was running as fast as she possibly could.  Her heart was beating, almost out of her chest.  The
sweat dripped from her brow and made her clothes cling to her small body.  Everyone was in the same
condition, and even Arturo was racing behind the other four.  The tunnel was long and dark, only their
flashlights were helping them all see where they were going.  The beams from the lights were flickering
all over the tunnels, as the team rushed to what they could only hope was safety.  They didn't know
what the door would hold for them. It had to be better than this, but Wade had come to accept that was
rarely the case when sliding.  She'd been through a world covered in fire, but that seemed to pale in
comparison to what was happening now.  The chase was on.

The dogs were closely following Arturo's legs as he ran far behind the rest of the group.  Soon enough
the dogs took their advantage and pinned him to the floor.  Three of the dogs were taking their fair share
of Arturo's flesh.  As the other's looked back in shock, Quinn and Rembrandt tried their best to rescue
the injured professor.  Their time on this world was up, and Quinn pulled the timer out of his pocket,
pointing it at the tunnel wall.  The luminous blue wormhole opened upon the backdrop of the dull dirty
wall, and the dogs ran away in fright.  As Wade and Maggie jumped through together, Quinn and
Remmy rushed to pick up the bloody and weakened Arturo.  They all heard voices coming from the
distance and, with the light of the wormhole, they could see several dark shadowy figures coming from
both ends of the tunnel, waving various weapons of destruction.  With that threat fairly evident, the three
jumped into the wormhole just as it was about to close.  The screaming and shouting, with the barking of
the dogs, echoed throughout the tunnel as the light of the wormhole dissipated and was gone.

Going through the wormhole felt different this time.  It was longer and Wade felt a definite jolt near the
end, as if they were supposed to come out, but didn't quite make it.  Flying through the wormhole was
weird enough without needing this to add to it all.  Soon after she could see the end of the wormhole,
and the darkness that encompassed it.  Strange since there had almost always been some light at the
end, mainly due to the bright blue of the wormhole's vortex itself.  Then the jolt came and she had come
out from her trip around the galaxy.

They found themselves in a pitch black room, not totally different than the tunnels of before.  The floor
was hard and cold.  Wade sat up, and started walking round the room, and instantly she could tell that it
wasn't much bigger than the room all five of them took up.  She could feel six walls, equally cold as the
floor, but a smoother material, possibly tiling of some form.  Still no one spoke.  All they could hear of
each other was their breathing, and Arturo's was practically non-existent.  Wade's heart started beating
again, harder than ever; she was worried about her old friend.  If he could die once, he could die again.
 
Quinn pulled the timer from inside his jacket pocket.  The red digits on the display gave the room a little
light; just enough so see that they were all there.  Maggie was looking over Arturo with Remmy, and
Wade was against one of the walls clutching her shirt.  The digits showed that they had four days on this
world, and it looked like it was going to be either very dull, or more than a little interesting.  That was
when it happened.  The wall Wade was leaning against started to open causing Wade to quickly stagger
forward, and the light behind her bore the figure of an ominous figure, one that would hopefully hold all
the answers...
 

*****

What if there was a world where the Russians ruled America?
Or where the dinosaurs never died off?
Or where women were in control instead of men?

These worlds do exist.  Same planet, different universe.  My
friends and I have found the gateway to reach them.  Now all
we have to do... is find a way to get home....

SLIDERS... Infinite Slides....
Based On the Original "Sliders" TV Series
Created by Tracy Torme and Robert K. Weiss

*****
 

"Welcome. My name is Kelsey, Kelsey Juno.  You must be Quinn, Maggie, Wade, Rembrandt, and
Max.  We've been expecting you," he said with what bordered on jubilation.

Before he said anymore, two men came into the room and took Arturo away on a stretcher, supposedly
for treatment of some kind, after the incident on the last world.  No one fought his removal from the
group, it was better something happened to him than nothing.

Kelsey started walking down the corridor with the suggestion that the others followed him.  Quinn and
Wade led the team with Remmy and Maggie muttering to each other at the rear.

"You maybe wondering how I know your names," Kelsey asked them.  "Well my teams have been
tracking your and several other groups of sliders for nearly a year now, and we chose you.  We lost
your signal a few months ago, after you left Earth 67584, but we got you back on our tracers recently
and brought you hear after your last slide. And you certainly needed to get out of that world,"  Kelsey
versed with a huge smile on his face.

"Earth 67584?  Why did you bring us here, and how did you bring us here? You can't control our
slide...can you?"  Quinn asked with some confusion.

"The Earth in question is the Earth where you were separated due to Angus Rickman, and we simply
altered your exit wormhole, and brought it here, that's why you may have experienced a longer slide
than usual."

The team stared at each other in almost total confusion as they continued down the corridor and
followed Kelsey as he continued talking.  Quinn and Rembrandt seemed most interested in what they
were all doing there in the first place.

"Why did you bring us here, Mr. Juno?"  Rembrandt asked with almost total contempt, as he repeated
Quinn's earlier question.

"Good question,"  Kelsey replied. "There's a very good reason behind it all.  This planet is slowly dying
because of it's own stupidity.  I need your team's help to help get me and my group out of here and at
least try to set the record straight here after we leave.  We won't force you, but once you see what's
been going on, you'll understand."

Kelsey walked the group into a small room, with one round table and enough chairs to seat them all.
Quinn took the seat, which reminded him of his interrogation on Maggie's home Earth. On a display
opposite all of them a map of the planet appeared, showing what little remained of it.  North America
was a desert, with only California, now a highly fortified citadel remaining in the entire country.  The only other place left was a similarly fortified structure stretching over several parts of Europe.  Africa was
partially submerged in water and Australia, New Zealand and most of Asia were gone.

"After years of war and natural disasters, this is what remains of this Earth.  Both remaining countries are
involved in a war of secrets, constantly trying to destroy the other with scandal, though we believe the
final end to everything is near.  What is left of our government is planning to launch a full attack on the
other side, and it will have lasting effects all over the globe.  My wife is one of the people there and I
have to save her.  That is why we are sliding out of here, when you do in several days," the proud and
yet uneasy Kelsey proclaimed.

"That still doesn't answer why you brought us here."  Maggie and Wade said almost simultaneously,
much to each other's annoyance.

"Very well," Kelsey replied. "We need all of you and your talents to help us get out of this mess.  Wade,
we need you to work with a specialist called Evan Ryers to help get out a media broadcast to the
public, to air after we leave.  Mr. Brown, we need you to help get Arturo well as soon as possible. We
may need him later.  Quinn and Maggie, you are both needed to help us destroy the opposing side's
sliding equipment.  Both of your talents are key to stopping them from following us when we leave here.
It won't be easy. One of your 'old' friends is working for the other side: Logan St. Clair."

Wade and Quinn turned in shock and surprise, with Rembrandt more than stunned as well, though
Maggie seemed out of place, not knowing who Logan even was.  Quinn knew he could speak for the
others in answer to the request for help. "We'll help, but we need assurance that we can leave at any
time."

"You have it, without a doubt.  Now if you follow me this way to Operations, we can begin the task at
hand.  I can tell you, thousands of people will appreciate your help and we can never repay the debt.
Most of all me, I have a wife in the other country. One of many that are on their way here."  Kelsey
managed to respond with quickly, as he walked the team out of the conference room, having turned off
the display.

Entering Operations Control was something of a site for all of them.  It was filled with people at
computer terminals, and people placing things in storage boxes and monitors everywhere possible.  At
the other side of the room, Quinn and Wade could see some doctors performing surgery on someone
and it dawned on them that it was Arturo.  Strangely Quinn didn't feel as much as he thought he would
about his old friend's condition.  Maybe it was because it wasn't really his old friend.  Neither he or
Wade really knew this man the way they had known the Professor.  This man had grown up in a way so
different to way they had, it was hard to deal with their feelings for him.  Still they hoped he would
survive.  Quinn knew only too well that Wade couldn't manage anymore if Arturo died again, it would
kill her.

Rembrandt stood over Arturo's bruised body.  It hadn't even been a year since the Professor had died
saving the others from Rickman, but this was somehow a very different scenario.  This time there was a
chance for survival.  Turning back, Rembrandt saw Wade and he guessed that she was planning on
throwing herself into the work to stop her feelings coming through.  In the few years that they had been
together, it was fair to say that Wade had easily been the hardest hit by almost everything that had
happened.  She obviously wanted to get home, just like Quinn and himself, but she also wanted to settle
down.  He could sense that if they found a world close enough for Wade's liking, she'd leave the group,
and most likely she'd ask Quinn to stay with her.  She'd want a fresh start if he wouldn't stay, she'd try
to forget it all and start the family she'd always wanted.  Rembrandt knew one thing, if Wade could
change the past, she'd probably have stayed with Ryan and left this all behind her.  She would never
have had to see Arturo die or suffer the torture from the Kromaggs.  Anything more happening to her
now would send her over the edge.  This could be that one thing.

With Quinn and Maggie having left with Kelsey, and Remmy having been escorted off to see Arturo,
Wade moved over to introduce herself to Evan who Kelsey had pointed out for her.  He was a man
who looked barely old enough to have finished high school, but by the way he was using his computer,
he seemed to know what he was doing.

"Hi, I'm Wade Wel-" she started to introduce herself.

"I know who you are.  Wade Kathleen Wells: journal writer, poet, computer specialist, and slider.
Father Don, mother Elizabeth, sister Kelly.  I've been briefed on every possible detail about you.  It's
nice to meet you by the way," he said, without turning away from the computer monitor, while Wade
extended her hand so that she could shake his.

Suddenly Evan did turn back and he seemed quite stunned at what he saw, a young attractive woman
that had good taste in fashion, at least that's what it seemed like.  Wade took the chair next to him and
sat down.

"So what's the job?"  Wade asked Evan, who was still in awe of her.

"Um..uhh..well, we need to hack into the News and Information Network mainframe so that we can
broadcast the resistance findings on the two countries, before we leave.  I hope you're familiar with
Chronowerx OS, it's what we're using," came his nervous reply.

"If it's the version I've used on the last few worlds, then yes.  I take it this is what you're working on.
You've got a little of this wrong, here let my set it right," she stated as Evan gave her space to move in
front of his terminal.

As Wade typed faster than she had ever done so before, she could see Evan's reflection in the screen.
She saw he was smiling and quietly thinking, probably about her.  She didn't feel any real attraction for
him.  He was good looking, but far too young and not really Wade's type at all.  He was sweet though,
and she felt quite flattered, but for some reason, she couldn't help but think about Quinn.

-----
 
Quinn and Maggie were on their way down a long tunnel to what Kelsey had called C&C.  Maggie
whispered to Quinn, "So who is this Logan; you've never mentioned her before?"

"She's one of my doubles, and yes, I mean she.  We met her about six months before we arrived on
your world.  She was going to use sliding to strip mine any world she and her research team could, but I
put a stop to that when I altered her timer.  I guess she must have ended up here somehow and found
herself working for this country's opposites," Quinn replied with an equally low whisper, just before his
next question to Kelsey. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you create sliding on this Earth, and how
did it get into your hands?"

"Well that's a quite a strange one.  Just as we had started this little rebellion, a young woman named
Mary came to us and gave us a timer and equipment to work with, an since then we've almost perfected
it, but when Logan came along, she started working with the other side to do the same.  Luckily they're
nowhere near our level of sophistication.  We would have tried to find your double, but he, his parents,
his brother Colin, and sister Rachael, died in the blast of '86 on this world.  The same with Arturo's
double."
 
"What happened to Mary, if you can tell me?"

"As far as I know, she disappeared, probably sliding to another world now.  She mentioned something
about the Kromaggs, but only in name, nothing else," Kelsey told him.

That one name put the sense of dread into Quinn, like an old memory, or more like a nightmare.  He
couldn't help but wonder if this Mary was the same woman he had met.  He was sure she had died, but
who knew what could have happened.  He had seen stranger things after all.

The fact that Logan was on this world scared Quinn, and he knew exactly why.  He knew that she
would do anything to get back at him after what he had done to her timer.  She deserved it though, she
had killed her world's Arturo, the inventor of sliding for her civilization, and her plans for the project
were hardly something that would benefit the multi-universe.  She could be capable of anything now,
and if she could give the other side sliding equipment, she would have more power than was acceptable
to anyone.

-----

C&C was as impressive as Operations, but a great deal more complex and had a military feel about it,
something Maggie would more than appreciate.

"I'm Karmic, I've been working with Kelsey to solve the problem of the other side's sliding equipment.
As you know we have to get rid of it, if we want to safely get out of here in a few days.  This is the map
of the complex and the techs for the building, and specifically this level where the equipment is held.  I've
heard, Miss. Beckett, that you can help us formulate some kind of plan," the official looking man said.

"Well, judging by the schematics, you'd need total silence.  The sensors placed around the room and
most of this level are sound sensitive and anything about a few decibels would set them off.  No one
could speak during the mission and it would have to be limited to a few people.  However, once you're
there, all you'd need to do to wipe out the main computer and destroy the sliding equipment is some
kind of explosive small enough to just destroy the equipment and nothing else.  That's all pretty simple,
it's just getting there that's the problem. It would take days, and we're due to leave in much less than
that,"  Maggie stated, knowing what she was talking about.

Kelsey shined with optimism though. "Well, that's another part of our plan.  We're going to slide in.
We've found a way to slide on the same planet, using another world as a crossover point, without
actually exiting the wormhole."

"You can do that?" Quinn asked amazed.

"Yeah. Mary showed us how to modify our timer with that capability. We would be glad to give your
timer the ability as well," Kelsey answered him. "In fact, we can do that right now while Karmic and
Maggie finish ironing out the final touches on the plan"

"Lead the way," Quinn said enthusiastically.

 "Then come with me, and, Maggie, you go with Karmic. We can start our little plan."

Maggie stared over at Quinn, as if to ask what the hell they were doing. Even though she was against his
plans, Maggie co-operated with Karmic and walked off with him to a computer terminal across the
room, while Kelsey remained with Quinn to discuss this new form of sliding.

-----

Logan could feel the hope building inside of her.  Revenge was almost near and with the new equipment
she could be sliding back to her world in a matter of hours.  All she needed was the coordinates from
Quinn. And with Maggie in Steven's hands, they would soon be in her possession.  Now was the time
for celebration and soon she would be doing a lot more of it.  She looked out the window, over the
grand landscape of the entire continent.  On a clear day, she swore she could see America over the vast
wasteland.  One day she'd return there, and she'd get back what was rightfully hers.

Logan pressed a button on the table next to her window.  A dark image of a man was displayed on the
large monitor near the door.

"It's time, do whatever you can.  I want everything you can bring me.  If you must carry out your original
plans, make it fast, I want his head."

She pressed the button again, and the image was gone.  She continued to look out the window, with a
glass of water in her hand.  Her hand started to shake uncontrollably and her glass fell to the floor.  The
water went all over the hard tiling and the glass shattered into hundred of pieces.  The small device
coming out of the end of her sleeve stunned her and she quickly covered it up, while leaving the mess on
the floor for someone else to clear up.  She continued looking out the window.  It was calming and
serene, but soon all that was to change.

-----

Steve walked towards his room, overlooking most of the citadel.  He turned off the lights and the
computer terminal he had just been using.  As he exited the room, he could see the sun shining through
the windows of the corridor.  It was particularly hot today, more so than usual.  The ozone rebuild had
been failing for weeks. The government had little or no resources to fix it until the winter.  Looked like
everyone was in for a very hot and sweaty summer.  Walking across bridge to the outer edges of the
citadel was risky at best.  Most of the homeless and roughest people lived there, but Steve wasn't
afraid. He'd seen worse and he was more than willing for a challenge.

The people laid down in the shade, as best they could.  Steve could see ahead of him a range of people
who seemed interested in getting anything they could from his pockets.  As he neared them, they also
progressed to meet him, with an assortment of weapons, mostly knives, but some sticks and some other
'classics' too.  The group began to surround Steve making various threats and throwing any verbal abuse
at him that they could think of.  Without muttering a word, Steve took them all out one at a time, leaving
the one who seemed to be the leader to last.

As the others lay either dead or seriously injured on the floor, Steve walked up to the leader of the
gang.  He pulled a knife from his side pocket and pushed up to the throat.  By this time the gang leader
was obviously scared, or at least worried in some way.

"Ever mess with me again, and you'll end up like your friends. Or worse,"  Steve said, as he quickly
swiped the knife not over the gang leader's throat, but his chest, leaving a deep and heavily bleeding
wound.

Steve walked off, calm as ever, not even a bead of sweat falling from his forehead.  He cleaned the
knife with his tongue and placed it back in his suit pocket.  Other gang members rushed to their leader's
aid, but it was most likely too late.  The resistance entrance was near and soon revenge would be
Steve's most revered prize.

-----

Maggie sat at the computer terminal while Karmic was chatting with another of his fellow workers in the
resistance.  She was bored and had nothing else to do.  Quinn was busy with Kelsey, Wade was
working with Evan, and Rembrandt was with Arturo.  She decided to take a short walk around the
compound.  It was pretty much all the same.  Computer equipment everywhere, a mess in general, but
then they were all due to be leaving in a few days, once the mission to the other side had been
completed.  Suddenly Maggie felt a hand on her shoulder.  She turned around, expected it to be Quinn
or Karmic, but was more shocked to see the face of Steven Jensen, her late husband.

Her heart almost stopped at the site of seeing her one love in the multi-universe. But as she opener her
mouth to talk, his hand hit her forehead, and she flew against the wall.  No one could see her and there
was no way to call for help.  She fell to the floor and Steve pinned her down and injected her with
something.  Whatever it was, it knocked her out straight away, and he dragged her down the tunnel,
disappearing at the end, no one having seen anything...

-----

As Rembrandt approached Evan and Wade, he could see they were celebrating.  He had reason to as
well.

"Remmy!  So what's the news?"  Wade asked with anticipation.

"The Professor...I mean Max, is going to pull through. He'll be up and about in a few hours.  Looks like
you've done okay for yourselves to."

"Yeah, the broadcast is set to air, we just have to wait for Kelsey's signal and we're set,"  Wade happily
replied, with a glass of orange juice in her hand. "Thank goodness."
 
"I know what you mean, sweetheart. I don't know what I would have done if we lost someone else. He
took a lot of bruises from those dogs, but nothing too severe. The doctors figure he hit his head when he
fell knocking himself out. He has a nasty bump on his head that would attest to that."
 
"Yeah well, maybe next time Maggie should watch who she hits and we wouldn't be in that kind of
danger," Wade said bitterly.

Rembrandt sighed. He'd wondered when she would bring that up. "Come on, Wade. That guy was
harassing you; she was only trying to help."

"That guy was the leader of that stupid underground civilization, and Maggie goes and beats the snot out
of him in a society that thinks women shouldn't even know how to fight. I could have handled his
advances."

"She was only trying to help, Wade. Come on, aren't you being to hard on her?"
 
"No. She goes off at the first chance and picks a fight. She hasn't changed a bit." Wade countered.
 
"Oh really, Wade? That's funny. I seem to remember a time where Maggie would have just said it
wouldn't hurt to have a little fling just this once. Not being willing to fight someone who didn't show you
a little respect." Wade was silent that time. She had to admit Maggie didn't used to be the person who
would be offended by that kind of behavior, especially to her. "She has been trying real hard to make up
for the way she has been treating you, Wade. Maybe you should give her a chance. I think she is
sincere. I think Q-ball does too."

"Maybe," Wade mumbled.

"She's not going anywhere anytime soon, sweetheart. Fighting with her when she is trying to make peace
is only making it harder for all of us."

A series of beeps started coming from in front of the trio, interrupting Wade and Remmy's talk.  A
message had appeared on Evan's computer terminal.

[YOU WANT MAGGIE BACK?  ROOM 13 AT THE CC DOMINION HILTON, ANY TIME.
GOOD HUNTING.  JENSEN]

Wade felt numb, this was her last chance to stop another team member dying, and she couldn't let
anyone get in her way.  Not now, not ever. Even if it was Maggie, she was not about to let them lose
another one after just coming out of Max's scare.

-----

Kelsey and Quinn, with their backups, were more than ready for their first manned inter-planetary slide.
They both knew it was silent running for the whole mission. One slight pickup of a voice would alert
everyone to what was happening.  Quinn was worried about Maggie. If it wasn't for her, this plan
wouldn't work. She had planned most of it. He hoped that Wade would be able to save her.

The timer they'd be using was smaller than what Quinn was used to.  It was the size of a watch face,
easily concealed, and just enough to do the job.  Kelsey pointed his timer at the wall and a deep purple
wormhole appeared in front of the team of four.  They all jumped in and the wormhole closed behind
them.  This was the longest and strangest slide Quinn had ever experienced, though it was a first of sorts
for Kelsey, and certainly for the other members of the team they were taking.  The wormhole reopened
in a darkened room, somewhere in the fortress's science labs.  Using his tracker, Kelsey quickly located
the sliding equipment and signaled the others to follow him and his backup to it.  Kelsey and Quinn were
sandwiched between both backup members.  Quinn didn't know either of their names, all he knew is
that they carried guns big enough to destroy the entire lab if needed, should the original plan not work.

They all entered the room with the equipment, and it was, as expected, bare of anything but the
necessary tools and gear.  Quinn placed the device Evan had given him on the computer terminal near
the sliding machine and it seemed to have done it's job. It erased everything on the mainframe and every
piece of information on sliding on the known fortress and country wide networks.

Next, Kelsey placed the explosive behind the sliding machine, he could risk the fact that someone might
be able to re-create Logan's experiments.  They had just enough time to escape, but as they left, Logan
blocked the door.

The alarm had sounded and no doubt troops were on their way.  As the others stood stunned and
motionless, Quinn took the timer from Kelsey and activated an automatic sequence to open the
wormhole.  The troops started nearing the lab, until the wormhole suddenly opened.  Kelsey and his two
men jumped in, without thought and before Quinn could do the same, he pulled an angered Logan in
with him.  As the troops arrived, several of them tried to jump through the wormhole too, but only
managing to hit the hard cold floor with great finesse as it closed.

Logan was taken off to another room almost as soon as she touched the ground, and it seemed to
everyone, that the mission had been a success. Though to Quinn, it was more worrying to see that
Logan had once again become intertwined with his life.

Logan was pulled against her will into a room with a single metal slab and several pieces of medical
equipment.  A middle aged woman with greying hair stood in the corner looking at some medical display
of some sort, while two men strapped Logan down to the metal slab.  As they left, locking the door
behind them, Logan tried to wriggle her way out of the restraints, but to no effect.  She was immobilized
completely.  She still hoped to escape though.  After all, she'd been in tighter situations, and she'd made
it out of them with ease and style.  This time it may prove a little harder though.  But even if she couldn't,
Steve could find her. By now he already had Maggie, and that hopefully wouldn't take too long.  He
could easily track her. He knew where the resistance compound was and the tracking devices she had
would finally have some use.  Or maybe her fellow workers from the other side would come to her
rescue, though considering the way they regarded her, it seemed doubtful.  All she knew was, escape
was hers, any way she could.  Then the shadow of the woman fell over her, and a prick in the arm
signaled her descent into sleep.

-----

Maggie couldn't remember much, and the room still seemed blurred.  She could just make out a wall
and a large window, but nothing else.  She fell unconscious again.  By the time she woke up next, she
could see the room far more clearly.  It was, from first view, a hotel room. Something that seemed quite
ridiculous in a country that measured less than a few miles across, where all the population has to do
was get a transport home.  However, that wasn't important.  Maggie couldn't move properly, her body
felt numb and she could only just manage to lift her neck.  Tilting her head to the side, she saw what she
only imagined was a vision, or a drug induced hallucination.  Could Steven possibly be there? It was too
coincidental, her own husband kidnapping her.  He just sat there looking at Maggie, with a gun in his
right hand and a glass of something in the other.  Something of a change from the wheelchair bound man
she had married several years earlier.  He seemed so much fitter and handsomer than she remembered
him.  He clearly hadn't been in the skiing accident her husband had been in, but then where was there to
ski anymore on this world?

As Steve sat at a table next to the balcony window, he started talking to Maggie, even though he wasn't
facing her. "It's been a while, Maggie, my dear.  It's certainly been a while.  You may not be the woman
I loved and pined for, but you'll do.  Once Logan told me you were here, I couldn't wait to see your
face again.  Do you know what your double here was like?" he asked with contempt and malice in his
voice.  "Your double was a vicious slut only interested in her latest conquest.  I did everything I could
for her, but when she had an affair with that Angus guy, I would take no more shit from her.  She had
her chance more than once, and this time she'll get what she really deserves, or at least you will."

Maggie could understand what sort of thing had happened.  Whatever her double had done, it had sent
Steve over the edge, and Maggie would be powerless to stop him from extracting his revenge.

"When Logan offered me this chance, I knew I'd take it.  First though, I need some details.  I need to
know if your Quinn Mallory ever knew Logan St. Clair? When you answer, I might untie you, but then I
might not."

Maggie nodded to answer Steve, to show that Quinn had known Logan, though she herself had never
met or heard of her until a few days earlier.

"Good girl.  However, your usefulness is almost over.  I need you only for one thing now.  You shouldn't
mind it too much; you were always a tough as nails military woman."  He sat his glass down and walked
over to her, then he cut her ankles free.

Maggie was scared of this person who looked so much like the man she'd once loved.  Seeing doubles of
people she knew was still unusual for her and hard to deal with.  Especially now, with a double of her dead husband.

Steve was now positioned over her, preparing to free her bound hands, but he stopped and just looked at
her.  "You always were pretty, Maggie," he said, then ran his hand over her shoulder and down her arm.
She flinched at his touch, but he didn't stop.  He put his lips to hers and started to kiss her.

Maggie spit into his mouth and kicked at him with her free legs.  He slapped her hard across the face and
cursed at her.  "Just like your double, aren't you?" he stated while pinning her down in a way that
prevented her from moving.

She was terrified, but managed to stare defiantly at him.  She still struggled to get away from him, even
though she knew it would be impossible in her drugged state.  And part of her felt that whatever hatred he
felt toward her was just.  She was guilty of everything he accused her double of.

"That's better," Steve said when her squirming had lessened.  He began to remove her shirt while she lay
there, helpless against him.

Just then, Evan and Remmy burst into the room with Wade in quick pursuit, only to see that Steve's plans
for Maggie were already in clear effect.  He pulled away from her, as he heard the loud voices of the
team.

Maggie dropped from the edge of the bed onto the floor, desperately trying to get away, or do anything
to flee.  Wade felt in her gut that she had to do something, but Steve already had the barrel of his gun
sited at Maggie's sweaty, loose head.  Wade couldn't believe how weak Maggie seemed for the first
time.  She was making every attempt to pull herself up, using anything she could with her bound hands, but only managed to bring more things down with her.

Before Steve had a chance to shoot Maggie, Evan pulled out his gun and fired a warning shot, just
missing Steve's arm.  Steve turned around to fire back, and Maggie kicked him just hard enough for him
to pay more attention to her.  He pulled his gun back up again, and aimed for what seemed to be Evan's
head.  As he fired, the bullet flew across the room.  Rembrandt pushed Wade and Evan out of the way,
and the bullet narrowly missed them.  Not realizing it, the bullet hit the fire alarm, and Steve escaped
with Maggie through the door, as water sprayed over the stunned team.

As Steve hurried out of the room, taking Maggie with him, Wade could see only one course of action,
and it was the most drastic way she could possibly think.  She took Evan's gun from his sweaty hand
and ran after them.  By that time, Steve was already half way down the staircase, so Wade fired a
warning shot.  It completely destroyed the lighting above Steve's head, plunging where he was into
darkness.  From the light on the other levels, Wade could see that Maggie was staggering to escape,
only to fall down the last few steps to the next floor, where she collapsed to the ground.  Steve had
stopped to think by then.  Should he continue with his mission and deliver Maggie into Logan's hands or
get into a fight with Wade.  Not realizing Wade was already down the stairs when he had decided to
continue with his original plan.  He slammed Maggie's head with his gun, forcing her to plummet into the
wall next to her and fall almost completely unconscious.

 Wade's rage finally consumed her and she took aim and fired.

Wade couldn't believe what she had done.  Steve's body just lay there on the floor, at the bottom of the
staircase.  A large open wound was spilling blood all over the carpeting, leaving a definite dark red stain
against a pastel blue.  Maggie stood behind Wade barely conscious and cowering in the arms of
Rembrandt who'd picked her up off the floor, covered in bruises and small cuts.  She was crying, the
first time Wade had ever seen her do that.  It finally showed to Wade how Maggie really wasn't as bad
as she had made her out to be.  Wade looked at the gun in her hands, then threw it down, where it hit
the dead Steve's head, making the wound even worse.  She was sweating again, her forehead was
drenched and she wiped it with her sleeve which was also wet, but she didn't notice.

Remmy took Maggie through the fire exit door, and Evan pulled a stunned Wade away with him.
Shock still consumed her entire body as Evan pulled her further through the door and into the transport.
Sitting her down, Evan saw how badly Wade was reacting to what she had done, just as the transport
was moving off.  Images started flashing though her mind: Ryan, the Kromaggs, the Prime Oracle, the
last three and a half years, it all seemed so insignificant to what was happening in the here and now.  So
insignificant to everything...

-----

Wade sat at the end of Maggie's bed and could see that Maggie was already fighting to get up.  She
was no more interested in being bed ridden that Arturo had been.  She was the ultimate fighter, and
Wade couldn't help admire her, considering all she'd been through.  She'd lost her husband, lost her
family and home, been invaded and violated by a parasite, and tormented by Rickman on as many
occasions as he could. And now these recent events on top of all that.

"Thank you ,Wade," came from almost out of no where, at least from Wade's point of view.  "Without
you, I'd be dead, and I can't thank you enough."

Wade somehow knew that Maggie was still very hurt inside, but she knew now that they were as close
to being friends as they were ever going to be.  However, it was time for Wade to leave, and complete
working with Evan on uplinking the broadcast to both sides of the planet.  It would be easy, they just
needed handy work and they'd be done.  As Wade walked away, Maggie fell back to sleep, entering a
dream that would help her escape it all.

-----

Logan just lay where she was, not trying to move.  Not yet.  She needed a plan.  She'd waken a while
ago and had overhead somebody talking about how Wade had accidentally killed Steve.  He had been
her greatest hope of rescue.  Now he was dead.  Spite and hate rose up inside of her.  Wade again.
She'd murdered Steve and ruined their plans.  Logan knew his death had been no accident.  She
despised Wade.  She was like a cat who just wouldn't die.  Logan had kidnapped and even tried to kill
her once before, but she'd failed.  She always failed.

Perhaps Logan's hatred for Wade was even stronger than that she had for Quinn.  She didn't know.
But she would hurt both of them, of that she was sure.  "Even cats only have nine lives," she said silently
to herself with a small laugh.  "And I know you're down to at least eight."

-----

Quinn walked with Kelsey to an area of the compound he hadn't seen before, it was like a small lab
crossed with a hospital.  He could clearly see Logan strapped down across the room, with a woman in
a white lab coat, and with greying brown hair.

"Quinn, this is Beverly Armstrong, our resident doctor.  She's been studying what she can of Logan with
the medical equipment."

"Hello, this is quite a case you've handed me, Mr. Mallory.  I've seen some strange things in my time,
and added to the fact that I've been briefed on your entire story, this would make an excellent paper.
Shame I won't have anywhere to publish it when we leave, but what a find!"  the doctor said, bordering
on excitement.

Still, that wasn't enough to excite Quinn.  Logan was someone you'd never want to cross paths with,
and she'd do anything she could to escape.  When he neared her, she was still heavily sedated, and
Quinn wanted to find a way to reason with her.  He could think of no way.  He didn't know if she
deserved to die or if she should live in pain for the rest of her life on this world that was soon to be
almost completely annihilated.

Logan laid there on the metal slab, strapped down with the strongest restraints Dr. Armstrong could
find.  With her jacket removed, the true horror of what had happened to Logan was fully apparent.  Her
right arm was covered in a small array of computer parts and wires leading up the back of her neck, and
just next to her wrist was her timer, or what was left of it, built right into her.  Quinn could see on her
timer that Logan would be stuck on this world for years, maybe more, which was the most obvious
reason for her incredible need to escape.  The display was failing slightly, flickering in and out, but
seemingly still working enough for Logan to know what her situation was.  Armstrong returned from her
scanning equipment, hopefully with the results of Logan's medical examination.

"My scans are conclusive now, she's almost completely wired up.  Her implants, wherever she got them,
are connected directly to her brain.  Her timer, or what's left of it, is also connected in the same way;
she's basically a cyborg.  It's a pretty shabby job, whoever did this didn't finish the job.  I could remove
most of these implants on the outside of her body, but the timer and the systems in her brain are molded
into her, it's impossible to remove, without removing her entire arm and severing her spine.  She's a lost
cause,"  the young doctor said, with hesitation and regret.

Quinn had one last chance for her to survive, even though he knew the others would never agree to it.
For some reason he felt an obligation to her, technically it was his fault she was this way.  It was
something he hoped he would never have to do, ever. "I won't give you your coordinates, Logan.
You're far too dangerous with those in your hands.  I have another option for you, you may like it, odds
are you won't though.  This is a one time offer, Logan, stay here for the next few years, or join us."

-----

Logan thought carefully.  Even if Quinn wouldn't give her the coordinates now, she could always get
them later.  She'd have an infinite number of chances on an infinite number of worlds to get back at him.
The only problem was that they weren't quite as in synchrony as before, but she could change that if she
needed.  She'd almost manipulated him before, and after all, she was a master of it.  It would need
consideration.  As the ten minutes passed she thought that she'd much rather take her chances by going
with Quinn.  She couldn't decide if that was her judgment, or the implants lining the inside of her brain,
but she wanted to return to whatever normality she once had.

"Very well, old friend.  I'll take you up on that offer.  You take me with you, and when I'm cured, you can
cut me loose, leave me on whatever world you choose.  I know you'll make the right decision in that
scenario.  I trust you implicitly."

Armstrong was surprised, if not shocked, at what Quinn had offered a woman who had almost killed
every member of his team, and murdered at least one person.  She didn't agree with his plan, but it
didn't concern her.  She wasn't going with him or his team, she was going with Kelsey and the others.
Still, she more than realized the consequences of his actions.

Logan starting plotting her escape in her take.  Take his timer, leave him stuck in a multi-universe where
no one gives a damn.  By himself.  Let him become a test subject for the latest experiment.  She'd get
her revenge.  All in good time.

As she continued to plot against Quinn, the hatred grew inside her.  He'd done this to her, made her
what she was now.  She'd only wanted to help her own world, make it a better place.  Maybe gain
something for herself also, but who didn't want a little power?  So what if she'd killed a man to get what
she wanted?  He'd stood in her way; he was a threat to her perfect plan, her perfect world.  Take what
she needed from other dimensions to help her own- it had seemed so simple.  Until Quinn had shown
up.  She'd offered to let him rule the universe with her.  And he'd stranded her.  Lost forever.  Alone.

The time she'd been sliding had made her crazy.  The things she'd seen had been too much for any one
person to handle.  No one could survive what she had by themself.  They'd have given up, lost all hope,
and maybe died.  But she was stronger than most people, and driven by hate.  Her need for revenge
had kept her alive, if not sane.

She felt like crying.  Crying over what she'd become and who she was now.  She didn't like the person
she saw in the mirror every day, but she couldn't change.  It was too late for that.  She turned her head
and stared at Quinn.  He'd made her like this, and she'd make him pay for it.  Envy, jealousness, anger,
hatred.  Her emotions overwhelmed her like a title wave- drowning her, killing her, filling her with rage.

The equipment in her was overloading and the strapped down Logan began to feel the power running
through her and her implants.  As she reached what was almost a point of total euphoria, the pain set in.
The straps came loose and she fell from the bed and walked towards Quinn and Armstrong.  She could
feel the energy concentrating in her arm, where the timer was.  She started to run towards Quinn and his
fellow worker, but suddenly stopped.  Her arm glowed with an intense orange color.  It soon covered
her whole body, as it started to fluctuate and twist.  A wormhole was forming around her and was
slowly enveloping her.  The room became a magnet for the energy Logan was producing.  Quinn and
Armstrong made their escape and Logan's screams filled the entire building, and with that the wormhole
exploded and Logan was gone.  All that was left was the burnt in impression of  the wormhole's shadow
on the floor and wall.

For some reason, Quinn knew that considering what he'd seen in the past, this wasn't the last he'd see of
Logan. This one or any other.

-----

As the transports started leaving the citadel, Kelsey and Quinn remained.  The operations room was
bare to say the least, with only a small set of equipment left to set up the broadcast.  With the last of the
things they needed, Quinn headed for the exit, as Kelsey pressed a key on the keyboard.  A countdown
on the main screen started.  In ten minutes, once the last of the transports was clear of the entire citadel,
a message would broadcast that could cause widespread chaos throughout the place he had once called
home, but that would be a distant memory soon enough.  Standing the doorway, looking back Kelsey
realized that he had some good memories of this place. Though after what he was doing, it would never
be the same.  He'd taken his last view, it was time to leave.

The ten minutes had passed.  The computer in the operations room of the resistance booted up, with the
message for the population coming online, and soon it would be seen by everyone.  The satellite started
relaying the message to the large mass of the Californian Citadel, and televisions, computer terminals and
public viewing screens everywhere suddenly changed to show the image of Kelsey.

"This is a public message from the Brotherhood of Freedom, please do not adjust your visual
equipment.  For the past year, the Californian government have been planning to annihilate everything of
the Berlin/Moscow Fortress and five hundred and sixty million people, most of which are completely
innocent.  This slaughter of the masses of the only other nation on this planet is unacceptable.  However,
since we have been unable to stop it's progression, we have no choice but to leave this planet, for our
own safety.  The fact is that the power of this blast will have a significant affect on the few million people
here in what remains of California, and we cannot let our children suffer that.  Our government must be
stopped and only you can do this now.  You can save our planet, after they destroyed most of it
decades ago.  This is your chance to save yourselves.  Make a difference."

As the broadcast finished. The people in homes and on the streets simply took no notice.   It was to
them, another media broadcast, offering no reality just as the others on the air.  There was little point, it
could have been a joke, no one cared.  Kelsey had failed, and he would never know it.  His chance for
greatness had passed, and he would never know it.  His home was a lost cause, and he would never
know it...

-----

Quinn was far enough from the city now to feel just a little relieved.  He could feel that Logan was
somehow still out there somewhere, and she would do anything in her power to get back at him for what
he and the others had done.  Hopefully that was a long time coming, if ever.  It still filled him with dread
though. Logan was hardly a woman to scorn, he was proof of that.

Wade was thinking about the time both her and Quinn started working at Doppler back in San
Francisco on Earth Prime.  He was pretty much the same as now, only cleaner around the edges and
unaware of what hand fate was planning to deal him.  She had just broken up with Jake, but they were
still friends, and she had more than a passing interest in Quinn back then.  Life seemed so simple back
then, no sliding, just work and junior college.  All she wanted to do was have a happy life and settle
down a few years down the line.

The transport had begun to slow down and out of the window, Wade could see the other resistance
members gathered together.  She could see that there were at least a thousand people from both
California and Moscow.  They were all waiting to start a new life on whatever new world they had
chosen.  Wade looked back at Arturo.  He was still weak and tired, but with the coordinates Kelsey
had given them, they could go somewhere he could recuperate for a while.  She then took a last real
look at Evan.  He was so young to be in this resistance, but he reminded her so much of herself; stuck in
the middle of a situation he can't control...a situation he can't ever get out of.

The transport had landed on the hard desert ground.  As everyone walked off the transport, others
started getting on, readying themselves for their first ever slide.  As Evan and Wade reached the
ground.  Wade could see Quinn, Maggie, Remmy and Arturo on the other side of one of crowds.  They
had just separated from Kelsey, who was in the arms of his wife.  Evan said one last thing to Wade.
"Hey, maybe we'll meet again someday."

"You never know, with sliding anything can happen. We'll always have Operations!"  Wade stated with
a small grin.

Without warning Evan put his arms around her and this signaled to her their last meeting.  She walked
off, looking back only once to see him looking toward her with nothing but sincere regret at losing her.
It had been harder for him, than it had for her, but they'd always have memories.  Maybe they had
achieved a happy ending for themselves, however it wasn't the one everyone had probably hoped for.

Maggie had the timer in her hand and opened the wormhole, just as they counter reached zero.  With
Remmy's help she pulled Arturo into the wormhole, though Wade could see that Maggie was still
weakened by what had happened.

Quinn extended his hand to Wade, and after taking it, they jumped in together, after the others.  Wade
could see the power of the wormhole was putting all of Quinn's hair out of place, and strangely she
found that funny.  She had rarely seen Quinn with messy hair before, it had always seemed so perfect.
Wade's last glimpse of the gatherings was the first of the transports going through the resistance
wormhole.  She thought she could see Evan at one of the windows of the second transport, but at that
distance it could have been anyone.

As promised by Kelsey, the new world was a paradise, exactly the world to help Arturo recover fully.
They had enough time to relax themselves too.  Wade took the timer from Quinn and erased the last
world's coordinates from the memory chip.  She never wanted to go back there again.  She hoped it
really was the last battlefield for any of them, but she knew only too well that nothing in her life was
certain.

-----

Wade stood on the precipice over looking the ocean.  It stretched to what seemed eternity.  It had been
a while since she'd seen the ocean.  It reminded her of home in a sense, she had always liked the beach
on a hot afternoon.

She could see Quinn and Maggie sitting as far apart as possible, it was obvious Maggie was still trying
to keep her distance from him, and everyone else.  Arturo seemed to be almost fully healed and Remmy
seemed most concerned about finding something constructive to do.  She sat down under the tree
nearest the edge of the cliff, in shade of the monstrous oak.  She drew out her journal and started
writing.

February 13th, 1998

Another day, another world.  I wish I had some good things to say about the last world, but it's hard to
find anything.  Sometimes I wonder why I agreed to do all this.  It seemed like such a thrill at the time,
something to talk about when we got home, but even that never happened and I wonder if we ever will
make it back.  I guess by now, I've probably lost my job at Doppler (even I'm allowed some sarcasm),
and all my friends have forgotten me.  I wish so much that I could see Mom, Dad, and Kelly again.
What I wouldn't do to be back at home, drinking a cold coke and watching one of those trashy talk
shows on SFN or The X-Files.  Hell, they probably canceled it anyway!  You never can trust FOX.

Quinn and Remmy, even Maggie, have helped me through this, but I can't help feel that we're never
going to get home, and I'm never going to get to start a family.  I sometimes think I should have stayed
with Ryan, maybe then I'd have had a chance to do all those things.  He was a nice guy, dependable,
but I think I stayed for Quinn.  It seemed so important to stay then, but sometimes he seems so very
distant from me, I wonder if he even notices I'm here anymore.

It will still be several days before we slide, but this world is nice, if there was some kind of civilization
here, I might have considered staying.  Time is growing shorter, and so is the short life all of us have.
 

THE END