Rembrandt stared at the fierce swirling red vortex, it shimmered, howling like a tornado, as the wind blew towards him. A shimmer of distortion surrounded the area immediately around it, but this area was quickly shortening, as the power of the vortex was beginning to fade. At that moment in time, he turned to his companions: Maggie, Diana, and Mallory. There was only enough power to send one of them through the vortex, and perhaps his only chance of ever returning home. But the Seer�s words continued to echo through his mind, if they ventured through this gateway � it could be their last.
As he looked around at his friend�s faces, he could already feel the wind lessening. It was now or never, one of them had to decide, one of them had to slide. His gaze slowly wondering over to the case with the virus on the desk, he caught sight of the syringe right beside it, and in that moment, he had decided, he had to do this. Before the others could even stop him, Rembrandt reached forward, injecting the virus into his arm.
�Remmy?!� Screamed Maggie.
It was too late. The virus was now coursing through his veins, circulating through his bloodstream. He noticed the looks of worry on his friends - they did not like this, but they also knew that it was the only way. �I have to save my world.� Rembrandt stated, solemnly.
�Remmy, have you forgotten what the Seer said?" Maggie slowly shook her head, feeling completely helpless. "He said that this slide could be our last!�
�You just don�t know what you are going to slide into.� Added Mallory.
Diana remained silent, her mind still processing what he had done. �You, you might not even make it! The exotic matter of the vortex is already collapsing�� Her words were suddenly cut off as Rembrandt stepped forward, pulling her into a close hug. �Remmy��
�I � I don�t want to lose you.� Tears began to well up in Maggie�s eyes as she wrapped her arms around him tight, not wanting to let go.
Sighing, Mallory reached out his right hand, and they shaked. �Be careful, man��
Taking one final look back at his friends, Rembrandt rushed forward, jumping into the vortex, and a flash of bright light emitting as his body entered the gateway. As soon as he had gotten through the vortex, it began to fade out of sight, and with a final flash and howl, disappeared. Maggie, Diana, and Mallory stood close to one another, the fate of their friend unknown, as they continued to watch the area where the vortex had dispersed.
Silence.
�... So what do we do now?�
As Rembrandt entered the vortex, his body was jerked roughly forward, being pushed and pulled along the vortex's tunnel. An intense falling sensation gripped hold of him, his body slipping through the abyss of light and energy, suddenly gasping as he witnessed the events directly behind him. A few meters behind him, he could see the sides of the vortex unravelling, a pure void of darkness right behind.
Panic suddenly rushed through his emotions. Could this be what the Seer had predicted? What if the tunnel collapsed before he had made it to the other side? But before he could even ponder these questions, a bright light shone from up ahead, the exit. Practically willing himself forward, dark and light ends met together, and the vortex collapsed with a loud bang�
What if you could slide into a thousand different worlds?
Where it�s the same year
And you�re the same person
But everything else is different
And what if you can�t find your way home�
Starring: Cleavent Derricks as Rembrandt Brown
Kari Wuhrer as Maggie Beckett
Robert Floyd as Mallory
And Tembi Locke as Diana Davis
� Sliders!
Lying on the floor without his sight, his other senses soon took over, and he tried to see if he could make out any nearby sounds. A few cries and gunshots sounded from not that far away, but nothing was clear, and he was not able to make out the words. Finally giving up, he was left alone to go over his thoughts. Was this home? Had the co-ordinates been correct and this was indeed Earth Prime? And if so, was the Resistance still going strong? Reaching up to rub his aching head, thoughts returned of the last time he was here�
2 years ago�
�Go!� Quinn turned to his two closest friends. �Remmy, Wade go! The portal will take you guys back home!�
Rembrandt turned to the swirling pink vortex that glowed slightly above the ground on the cliff's edge. This was the chance that they had all been waiting for, the chance to finally return home. It had been their goal, their one reason to continue on, for all these years. As he turned his gaze to glance over at Wade, he knew what she was thinking, because he was thinking the same thing too.
�We can�t leave you, Q-ball.�
�Go on, Quinn. I can�t survive on your world.� Stated Maggie, looking into her hand and at the other timer.
�No way Maggie! I�m not leaving you here! I�ll find a way to let you breathe our atmosphere.� Quinn turned to his friends.. �Guys, go! We�ll follow!�
Hesitating for several moments longer, they both turned as Rickman and the hybrids came into sight.. Another minute longer, and then hand in hand, Rembrandt and Wade jumped into the howling vortex, its power pulling them inside. As they flew through the gateway between worlds, they just hoped that Maggie and Quinn were following right behind, by using the vortex from the other timer.
The bright light that shone up ahead heralded the end of the tunnel, and with a flash of light, Rembrandt was thrown clear, landing roughly onto the ground. Wade appeared not far behind, landing directly on top of him. With a final flash and a howl, the vortex then closed, the wind dieing down.
Hesitation gripped them once more. Not wanting to look up, not wanting to face what would happen if they were wrong, if this were not their real home. It was Wade who finally looked up first, and she let out a scream, her body starting to tremble. Rembrandt stood up and quickly ran over, putting his protective arms around her as she sobbed.
�No�� The tears began to slide down her cheeks. �No��
Rembrandt looked around. The layout of buildings and names were exactly like he remembered them, but there were major factors that shattered their reality: buildings were on fire, blast marks scorched the ground, and people ran for their lives as they looked up into the sky. There, slicing through the clouds, was a Kromagg manta ship.
�This can�t be home!� Wade cried out. �It just can�t be!�
Rembrandt fell silent, knowing that any words of comfort would fall flat, knowing that he could not contradict her words because he knew that it had to be, that this was their world. Their world was being invaded by the Kromaggs. �Wade ... come on, we�ve got to get out of sight.� He tried to pick her up.
Something suddenly flashed across her mind, and she turned to look behind her. �Quinn! � Maggie?� She wriggled out from his grasp. �We�ve got to wait for them!�
�Girl, there�s no time!� Rembrandt grabbed hold of her arm, and dragged her from off of the streets, as the Kromagg manta ship descended and began firing a laser, that ripped through the ground in a dazzling explosion of energy.
Rembrandt quickly led her through the streets, ducking into side alleys whenever he could, to lose themselves from the battle. Wade stumbled along as she was dragged forward, the wind blowing her tears away, her mind numbed cold. Looking up, she spotted a group of people who were standing over a manhole, and saw a young man with light brown skin, clean-shaven features and hairstyle, saw them approach.
�Who are you?� He shouted, lifting up a rifle.
�Woah� hold on! My name is Rembrandt Brown and she�s Wade Welles.� Remmy scanned their faces. �What�s happening?�
The guy reluctantly lowered his rifle, giving them both a weird look. �Where have you been?! We�re in the middle of some kind of invasion!� He turned to the others who were descending down the manhole and then looked up. �Welcome to the Resistance�� He motioned towards the darkness below, and Rembrandt and Wade followed, descending down into the sewers�
Present Day�
Watching her friend go was the hardest thing that she had ever had to do. She had almost lost him once, when he wanted to stay and protect Wade, but this time was different, this time he was truly gone. She silently wiped the tears from her eyes, as she realised that they were now on their own, she had to take charge and fast.
�Do you know anywhere safe that we can go?� Maggie suddenly turned to Mrs Mallory.
�Well I � I know of an abandoned church not far from here.�
�A church?� Inquired Diana.
�After the religion of Slidology took off, the old beliefs were quickly forgotten and left to die out. So there was no need for the churches.�
�Ok then. Diana look around and grab anything that you think looks useful, Mallory take Mrs Mallory and start heading out, we�ll catch up with you in a moment.�
He nodded and turned to her, helping her run out of the room.
�Diana!� Maggie shouted.
�Ok, ok.� Diana quickly scanned and picked up any useful pieces of equipment, and all the pieces of paper, that she could get her hands on. Looking up, she saw Maggie�s worried expression so picked up the pace, running towards her. �Ok, that�s it.�
The two rushed down the long corridor, emerging into the open air. They soon caught a glimpse of Mallory waving to them from a side alley, and so headed in that direction. Once reunited, the team kept running at a good pace, heading towards the abandoned church. It was not long before they spotted the large golden cross from off into the distance, and soon reached the front door.
The Chapel of Our Sister Mary looked run down and was boarded up. Maggie and Mallory took a few steps back and together they managed to kick the door open. They quickly mad their way inside, and then closed the door shut behind. Not a word was said for a long time, as they struggled to regain their breath.
�Do, do you think he made it?� Asked Mallory, breaking the silence.
�He had to.� Said Maggie with confidence. �I don�t want to think otherwise.� She saw Diana beginning to sort through the equipment that she had salvaged. �Do you think there's any way that we can rebuild the timer?�
�I-I�m not sure. I�m just not sure��
Rembrandt was brought out of his reverie into the past by a loud shout that sounded several feet from his location. As he turned his head around to get a better sense of the sound, he could make out voices and the sound of gunfire. Attempting to open his eyes, a small smile spread across his lips, as he found that he could just about see, though a haze still covered his vision. Up ahead, five humans were firing at a group of Kromaggs soldiers, who were chasing them not far behind. Remmy looked around, finally seeing the place where he had landed, realising that he was in a large warehouse. The humans closed the shutters, and proceeded to run across to the back exit.
�Hold up!� One of the men suddenly signalled to the others. �There�s someone back here ... and he looks hurt.� The man turned to jog over to him, looking him over. �Are you ok?�
Rembrandt shook his head. �I think so. Though my vision isn�t all that good.�
�Come on.� The guy placed Rembrandt�s arm around his shoulder and helped him to stand. Another of the fighters rushed up, and went to his other side, and together, they soon rejoined with the others. As they reached the back exit to the warehouse, the front shutters were blasted open by an energy weapon, and the Kromaggs entered inside.
�Fire!� Shouted the Commander.
Red pulsating beams from the Kromagg�s weapons roared through the air, some of the fighters turning to fire back, and one being caught in the chest, falling to the ground in a pool of blood. Firing a few more shots, the last of the fighters rushed through the exit, attempting to flee from the scene.
�We�re never going to be able to out run them!� One of them said, gasping for breath.
�Then we�re just going to have to slow them down.� The one to the right of Rembrandt let go of his arm, reaching into his backpack. He retrieved a strange circular device and then pressed a series of buttons. It began to flash red.
�What is that?� Asked Rembrandt.
�A small paralysing device. We acquired it on one of our raids of the Magg�s storage facility to the west of the city.� He turned, throwing the device overhead, and watching as it started to roll down the streets. �Everyone, clear!� They all ducked into a side alley as the first of the Kromaggs appeared on the streets. There was a loud deafening roar, followed by a blinding flash of light. �... Takes care of them for a while.�
It was not long before the fighters came to a deserted street. They ran towards the third house on the right, quickly heading inside, and then disappearing down into the basement. Rembrandt began to smile, as he finally realised where he was. �Resistance HQ � You mean you guys are part of the resistance?�
They slowly nodded their heads, suddenly turning as a side door opened, and a light brown skinned guy walked into the room. He quickly stopped his movements as he caught gaze of Rembrandt. �No it can�t be��
�Calen?�� Said Rembrandt, squinting slightly.
�Remmy!� The two old friends hugged. �I can�t believe it's you!� He took a single step back, looking him over. �... It is you, right?� Rembrandt nodded his head. �What happened to you? How did you survive? The Kromaggs had taken you and Wade away��
He slowly sighed. �It�s a long story. We were taken to one of the Kromagg's holding facilities, and held in a cage. Eventually Wade was shipped off to a breeding camp and I was left all alone. But Quinn and Maggie saved me. We found out that he isn�t from this world, that he has a brother, and then Quinn gets merged with his duplicate from another world�� Remmy sighed once more, shaking his head. �Not to mention a whole load of other stuff. Like I said, it�s a long story.�
Calen nodded. �Well we�ve got plenty of time to catch up on things. Come on in and sit down, we�ve got a lot to talk about.�
�But more importantly than all that right now�� Everyone turned to him as they heard a hint of seriousness in his voice. �I carry in my bloodstream a virus that will wipe out the Kromaggs once and for all!�
To Be Continued�