DISCLAIMER: The Pretender characters Miss Parker, Sydney, Jarod, Broots (etc) and the fictional Centre are all property of MTM and NBC Productions and used without permission. The characters Quinn Mallory, Wade Welles, Maggie Beckett, Rembrandt Brown and the concept of sliding are all property of St. Clare Entertainment and Universal Productions plus the Sci-fi Channel and used without permission. This is our idea of what would've happened if Pretender met Sliders, before the 4th season of Sliders. (This is our first crossover fic and our first collaboration! Please tell us what you think. Thanks!:))

Rated PG.

AWARDS: Nominated for the 1999 Pretender fanfic Zanna award.

San Francisco, California

There was a knock at the door. Mrs. Mallory opened it and gasped in surprise. "Wade? Wade Welles? Quinn's friend."

Wade nodded. "Mrs. Mallory, I need to introduce you to Rembrandt Brown. He was lost with Quinn and the rest of us."

"Hi there. It's good to meet the real Q-ball's mom," Remmy greeted, shaking her hand.

Mrs. Mallory nodded in disbelief. "Where is Quinn?" she asked. "He came here with a girl who got sick. They rushed to the hospital and I never saw him again."

Wade continued, "And this is our friend." She and Remmy moved aside to reveal their third companion, a good-looking man in his thirties. He held a silver case in his left hand. There was an air of straightforward friendliness about him as he held out his hand.

"Good to meet you, Mrs. Mallory. You can call me, Jarod. I'm here to help."

"Stop here," Miss Parker ordered. The car halted in front of a white house with a white picket fence. Miss Parker, Sydney and Sam got out of the car. They walked up to the house. The gate to the fence squeaked as they went through. Sam kicked open the door and Miss Parker entered holding her gun rigidly. She was ready to shoot at anything that moved. "Syd and I will check the basement. You check upstairs," Miss Parker told Sam. They turned in different directions.

Miss Parker opened the door to the basement cautiously, then rushed in. She hurried down the stairs, reaching the landing just in time to see Jarod and another man standing in front of what looked like a bluish white hole. It seemed to be some kind of vortex.

"Hold it right there, Jarod!" Miss Parker yelled. "Don't move or I'll shoot!" The other man leaped into the vortex. Realizing Jarod was about to do the same, Miss Parker pulled back on the trigger of her gun aiming at Jarod. "This is your last warning!"

Jarod turned toward the hole. Miss Parker released the trigger but Sydney pushed her arm so her bullet hit the ceiling. Jarod leaped into the vortex and it closed.

Left behind was a young woman with brown eyes and short red hair. In her hands, she held a red notebook and something that looked like a black cellular phone. Jarod and the other man were no where in sight.

"Whose side are you on, Sydney?" Miss Parker demanded.

"You could have killed him," Sydney answered.

Miss Parker looked around the basement. "Where is he?" she asked the woman in her no-nonsense-you-had-better-tell-me voice.

The woman hesitated and then noticed Miss Parker's glare and her gun. "He slid," she said. She wondered who these people were and what they wanted with Jarod. She also noticed another scary looking guy come down the stairs, also wielding a gun.

"Slid where?" Miss Parker demanded, pacing. She examined the basement noticing a lot of equipment she'd never seen before. "Who are you anyway?" Miss Parker snatched the red notebook and began leafing through it. "Quinn Mallory: Quantum Physics Genius," "Mother Mourns Disappearance of Son," and "Quinn Mallory, Still Missing After 3 Years," were the main headlines.

"Wade Welles," the woman said. Now, she sounded annoyed. "Jarod and my friend Rembrandt slid into another dimension."

Sydney noticed the object Wade still held. He noticed red numbers on it. They read 00 15 17. The numbers on it were counting down. It wasn't a cellular phone it was some kind of timer. "What is that?" Sydney asked.

"It's a timer," Wade explained. Miss Parker snatched that too. Jarod had been holding one of those when he leaped into the vortex.

"Where did you get this?" Miss Parker demanded.

"I'm not telling you anything more until you tell me what's going on!" Wade replied.

"Sam, cuff her," Miss Parker ordered.

"Miss Parker!" Sydney protested as Sam moved in and handcuffed Wade. "You can't-"

"Yes, I can Sydney!" Miss Parker interrupted. "I'm sick of running into Jarod's red- headed friends and not getting any answers." Then, Miss Parker turned her gun on Wade. "You had better start spitting out the answers I want to hear. Now, where is Jarod, and what will this timer do?"

"When the timer hits zero, you push that top button and it opens a vortex into another dimension. Jarod was trying to help me find my friends," Wade explained. "Jarod made his own timer, the one you're holding and right now, he's using ours. We slide from world to world using that timer."

"That's all I wanted to know," Miss Parker replied. She put her gun away and pushed the button on the timer and the vortex opened.

Wade began to protest. "No! You have to-" Before she could finished Miss Parker pushed Wade into the vortex.

Miss Parker noticed Sydney's shocked expression. "I am going to catch, Jarod!" she exclaimed. "No matter what." Sydney nodded and leaped into vortex. Miss Parker glanced at Sam and then realized he was too scared. She leaped into the vortex. It closed.

Alternate Earth 1

Timer: 26 35 56

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The three sliders landed hard on the ground as they fell out of the sliding hole. Miss Parker got up and began brushing herself off.

"What's wrong with you?" Wade yelled. "You can't slide before the timer hits zero! Are you crazy?"

"Shut-up!" Miss Parker yelled. She looked around. They were in a park surrounded by people dressed in heavy clothes with scarves over their heads.

"You'd better hope that timer was set on tracking," Wade continued. "Or we could be very lost."

"Now, why exactly do we need to wait for the timer to hit zero to slide?" Miss Parker demanded. She glanced at the people murmuring around them.

"If you don't, then you slide randomly. I have no idea what parameters have been set now. We could be on this world for weeks! And who knows what the next one we land on will be?" Wade, too, began looking around. She realized the people watching them were carrying chickens and the majority were walking. There weren't many cars.

Sydney was observing quietly. However, he finally said, "Well, Miss Parker now that we're here, what do we do?"

"We find Jarod!" Miss Parker replied.

"Well, you can start by taking off these handcuffs!" Wade realized Miss Parker was not going to do it on her say so. "Where am I gonna go?"

"Fine," Miss Parker said. "One wrong move and I leave you on this world." Then, Miss Parker took off Wade's handcuffs.

Wade got a look at the timer. "We're going to be here over night. Come on, I know a place we can stay." Wade headed off and Miss Parker and Sydney followed.

Miss Parker caught wind of one of the murmurs. "Wait a minute," Miss Parker ordered. She halted Wade by grabbing her arm. "Where are we? These people are speaking Russian."

"Don't you know anything about different dimensions?" Wade inquired. "For every event there is more than one possible outcome. Things that happen one way on our world happen differently on others. So, maybe in this world, America was settled by Russians."

Then, the trio moved on. They checked into a hotel. Sydney decided to rest. Miss Parker took Wade and began her search for Jarod. She found on this world, the United States, was New Russia. There were no ATMs or computers accessible to the public, and there were not a lot of flights in and out of Moscow City.

Miss Parker, of course, spoke Russian and was able to inquire about Jarod. No one had seen him. They stopped back by the hotel to get dinner. Only Sydney and Wade ate.

"Why are you two after Jarod, anyway?" Wade asked. Miss Parker and Sydney were silent a second. Wade looked at the two of them. "Fine, don't tell me."

"We're 'friends,'" Miss Parker invented. She turned to look out the window.

"Oh. With friends like these...." Wade began. She was silenced by Miss Parker's glare. Wade finished eating and got up. If she could get away, she could try to find Jarod and Rembrandt. Maybe they had their timer set for a day on each world. And if she could only get a look at the timer Miss Parker had, she could find out if it was set on tracking. However, that was a lot of ifs. Miss Parker seemed dead serious about leaving her behind and Sydney, well, he was just there.

Wade moved towards the back bedroom.

"Where are you going?" Miss Parker asked. She turned away from the window.

"To get some sleep," Wade answered.

Miss Parker pulled out the handcuffs. She laid them on the table, next to her gun. "If you run, I swear I'll shoot you myself," Miss Parker warned. Wade nodded. She was much too tired to resist now. She went into the back bedroom and fell asleep.

Alternate Earth 2

Timer: 00 03 17

Unbeknownst to Wade, Jarod and Rembrandt were a world away. Their first slide had only been for a few hours. They had already left New Russia and were moving on. However, they had detected the slide hole that opened right before they left. Jarod knew it must be Miss Parker. So he couldn't resist planning her actions on each world.

Jarod placed a red notebook in the lobby of the Dominion Hotel. A man with ebony hair and a mustache approached. He had dark, chocolate brown skin and wore a suit. "Come on, Jarod it's almost time to go," he said.

"Alright Rembrandt, just leaving a present for Miss Parker," Jarod replied.

"You sure they've got Wade?" Rembrandt asked as they left the hotel.

"I'm counting on it," Jarod answered. He pulled the timer from his pocket and watched it count down. 3...2...1...He opened the sliding hole. They leapt in and it closed.

Alternate Earth 1

Timer: 00 07 54

"Get up!" Wade ordered.

Miss Parker and Sydney got up sleepily.

Wade would have much rather slid alone but (1) she just couldn't bring herself to do it and (2) she couldn't find the timer.

"What would happen if we didn't slide when the timer hits zero?" Sydney queried.

"Then, we'll be stuck here for 29 years," Wade answered.

Miss Parker grabbed her gun and put the handcuffs in her pocket. She took the timer out of her hiding place (she had taped it underneath the couch) and looked at how much time was left. There was about four minutes.

Wade saw it too. "It's better to slide outside," she said.

Miss Parker looked annoyed but opened the door and they headed outside. They waited as the timer counted down to zero. Miss Parker hit the button and the hole opened.

Wade took one last look at this world, wishing she'd been allowed to bring her journal, before she leaped in. Sydney went next and then Miss Parker.

Alternate Earth 2

Timer:179 05 23

Splash! Splash! Splash!

The trio fell from the sliding hole into a fountain. They were soaked.

Miss Parker got out immediately splurting water exasperatedly. She pushed her wet auburn hair from her face and took off her wet navy blue suit coat.

Wade got out and helped Sydney out. "Is the timer okay?" Wade questioned.

Miss Parker glared then took it from her pocket and checked. "It's fine!" she exclaimed. "My outfit, on the other hand, is ruined," Miss Parker brushed a tuff of wet hair away from her face again. She looked to see Wade and Sydney smirking to choke back laughter. "What are you two finding so amusing?" she demanded dryly.

"Your mascara's running," Wade said. "But now that we're all so wet we can all buy some decent sliding clothes." Noticing Miss Parker's questioning glance Wade added, "Short, tight, skirts just don't cut it when it comes to sliding."

The trio turned in the direction of a clothing store . Suddenly, a red-headed woman ran through them pushing her way past. She stopped a second puzzled as she saw Miss Parker. They were identical. "Stop her!" came a male voice. The woman ran on.

A bunch of men came running past in black suits. They looked like sweepers and in the lead was Jarod. He was yelling orders to all of them to catch the woman who looked exactly like Miss Parker.

"Looks like your double has gotten herself into some trouble," Wade said.

"My double?" Miss Parker inquired.

"On just about every world we have a double. That was yours and the guy chasing her was Jarod's double. We found out your double doesn't have to have your personality or even your gender," Wade explained.

Miss Parker stood there puzzled a second, then they headed into a clothing store. Wade helped Miss Parker pick out something appropriate for sliding. Blue jeans a white tee-shirt and Miss Parker insisted on a black leather jacket. Wade picked out something similar except she got a brown leather jacket and Sydney got another gray suit.

Afterwards, they headed for the Dominion Hotel. There was a long line but at least the people here spoke English. They waited in the lobby. "Miss Parker, look!" Sydney held up the red notebook Jarod had left.

Miss Parker snatched the notebook and began flipping through. On the top of some clippings were the words THE CENTRE GAZETTE. There were several articles pasted in. "Pretender Escapes the Centre," "Pursuers Foiled Again," "Unexplained Phenomenon Reported." Next to the last headline was a picture of a sliding hole which would have been blue and white if the picture hadn't been in black and white.

"The Centre runs a newspaper on this world?" Miss Parker queried. Sydney shrugged. Miss Parker noticed a building behind the picture of a sliding hole. She was about to send Sydney up to the desk to check in alone when her double walked in.

The double glanced around worried as she checked in. She was very inconspicuous, and somewhat mysterious, even to Miss Parker. "Go ahead and check us in," Miss Parker told Wade and Sydney. "I'm going to have a talk with my double."

Miss Parker followed her double up the stairs to her room. Her double went in but, before she could close the door all the way, Miss Parker barged in. "Who?" her double began.

"I'm you, but that's a long story. Just tell me, why are you running?" Miss Parker asked.

"Haven't you read the gazette? I'm a Pretender," her double replied.

Miss Parker studied her double. She took out her lighter and fiddled with it as she continued her analysis. "When did you escaped from the Centre, Miss Parker?" She said the words strangely. It felt odd to call some one else by her name.

"Three years ago, and I prefer to be called Missy," said the double. "Please don't smoke in my room. I believe it is a very disgusting habit."

"How did you escape?" Miss Parker asked, putting the lighter away.

"Somehow I get the feeling you ask that question for your own gain," Missy replied. "Now, what do you want?"

Miss Parker sighed. She might have known that would be the answer. Missy almost reminded her of Jarod. "I'm only here for a short time and I wanted to know some things about me, you, us."

"Well, I'm not here to give you information. I'm resting until things die down around here. It might do you some good to do the same. Jarod might mistake you for me."

"Giving me advice, are you?" Miss Parker asked.

"Yes, unlike you I don't believe the world revolves around me. Which brings me to the question of where you're from and how you got here," Missy responded.

"I'm from a parallel universe, Sydney and I slid here," Miss Parker explained. "I know how ridiculous it sounds but-"

"No, it makes perfect sense. You must of found a way to open some type of vortex to a parallel universe. I suppose you have a timer under your belt next to a gun and a pair of handcuffs," Missy answered. Miss Parker nodded. "Oh things must be a lot different there."

"Yes, for one, I'm not a Pretender. Jarod is and Sydney and I chase him," Miss Parker sounded a tad bit proud.

"Sydney's alive on your world?!" Missy exclaimed.

"Yes, we slid here together with another person while we were chasing Jarod. Isn't he alive here?" Miss Parker asked.

Missy shook her head. "They killed him because they believed he helped me escape. Where is he? I'd love to see him."

"Probably in our room," Miss Parker replied. Missy and Miss Parker got the room number from the front desk and went to it.

When they first entered the room, Missy paused. She looked at Sydney. "It's so good to see you," Missy said softly.

"This is Missy," Miss Parker introduced.

"Nice to meet you," Wade responded.

Sydney only looked into Missy's eyes. He recognized her look. It was one he'd seen in Jarod's eyes many times. She knew him. "You're a Pretender." Sydney stated.

Timer: 173 20 27

Missy spent the evening with them. They discussed their world with her and she thought it sounded interesting. The worlds were pretty similar.

"I noticed the Centre runs a paper on this world. How can they do that and still remain a secret?" Miss Parker questioned.

"Why would they want to be a secret?" Missy asked.

"So the governments wouldn't stop them," Miss Parker answered.

"What government? The Centre controls everything, it is the government," Missy answered. "It's amazing I've managed this long. Here, if you don't work at a common needs store you work for the Centre. Everyone is out to get me. They have branch offices and operatives everywhere. I can't stay anywhere more than a day or two."

"Why don't you leave the country?" Wade asked.

"Because of the hundreds of people the Centre still has captive, mostly because of my sister, Mary," Missy got up from the table. Her hair was longer than Miss Parker's so she could pull it back into a pony-tail.

"You have a sister?" Miss Parker asked. She had always wanted a sister. "Is she older or younger?"

"Younger, by about ten years. Her hair eyes are brown instead of blue like mine." Missy looked sad as she spoke of her sister. "I took her with me when I first escaped but...We stayed in Arizona too long and Jarod caught up. I'm just waiting for him to try and use her as leverage against me."

"I really wish there was some way we could help," Wade said.

"Maybe there is," Missy said, brightening up. "When do you have to leave?"

"Seven days, why?" Wade asked.

"Come to Delaware with me two days before you have to leave. You can slide from the Centre, just please, help me save my sister," Missy pleaded.

Miss Parker couldn't resist Missy's plea. It gave her four days to search for Jarod before she'd help Missy save Mary from the Centre. And it wasn't really going against the Centre, it was helping herself. Her alternate self anyway. "Alright," Miss Parker agreed.

"Oh, thank you so much. It's late and I have to get some rest. I'll be gone early in the morning but I'll see you in Delaware," Missy replied. Then, she turned and left.

Miss Parker turned to Wade and Sydney. "I think getting some sleep is a good idea," Wade said. She headed towards the bedroom.

Miss Parker shot her a warning glance letting her know she was still serious about Wade not trying anything. Wade got the message and went into the bedroom and closed the door. Miss Parker looked at Sydney and noticed he was deep in thought.

"What are you thinking, Syd?" Miss Parker questioned.

"I just find it amusing that you are going to help someone escape from the Centre," Sydney replied. "Especially since Jarod's escape angered you so much."

"Don't analyze me, Syd," Miss Parker answered dryly. She got up from the table and went into the other bedroom.

Sydney smirked and quietly laughed to himself.

Timer: 159 34 45

Miss Parker was up early the next morning. She wanted to get a head start on looking for Jarod. She ordered breakfast and while she was waiting she heard a knock at the door. She looked out the peephole. It was Jarod's double. Remembering Missy's advice, Miss Parker sent Wade to the door.

"Good morning," Jarod's double greeted. "We are looking for an escaped Pretender. We heard she might have stayed here last night. Have you by any chance seen this woman?" The double held up a picture of Missy.

"I might have seen her in the lobby when we checked in, but I haven't seen her since," Wade answered.

"Well, don't worry. We'll catch her," Jarod's double replied. Then, he headed to the next room.

Wade closed the door.

After breakfast, Miss Parker insisted they looked for Jarod. Sydney of course came along, but he was finding this much more of a vacation than the everyday chase. They searched for most of the day. In late afternoon, Sydney had gone back to the hotel.

Wade and Miss Parker went to the building Miss Parker had seen in Jarod's notebook.

It was a bank-- and not just any bank but a Centre Bank. One which would have Centre operatives inside. Centre operatives that would be looking for Missy and might take her by mistake. Miss Parker hesitated outside the bank a while. Several people who could have been operatives went in and out and none of them noticed Miss Parker.

"Are you just going to stand here all afternoon?" Wade asked.

Miss Parker pushed Wade towards the door and followed her in.

The bank was full of people but no one seemed to notice Miss Parker or Wade. Miss Parker pointed Wade toward one of the tellers. "How may I help you?" asked the blonde woman.

"I was wondering if this man had a safety deposit box here?" Miss Parker held up a photo of Jarod.

"Oh yes. For a Miss Parker. He said you'd be in later to look inside. Please come with me." The woman had them follow her to the safety deposit boxes. "Would you like to look inside?"

Miss Parker answered impatiently.

The woman opened the box. "There you go," she said. Then she left.

Miss Parker looked inside. There was a red notebook. Inside were a bunch of pictures of places at the Centre; sim-labs, rooms sub-levels. On the last page was a handwritten note. "Welcome to Blue Cove, Delaware."

Miss Parker wasn't sure what that was suppose to mean. Suddenly, a siren went off. Red lights flashed. Miss Parker and Wade looked around puzzled. Then, a side door opened. Several sweepers and Jarod's double entered.

"Good to finally see you face-to-face Missy," the double hissed.

"This is a mistake--" Miss Parker began.

"I know you wish it was," Jarod's double said. "I don't know how you faked Sydney's death but we've got you all now. And who's this?" Jarod pointed to Wade. "Is she a new friend, Missy?"

"Miss Parker!" she corrected. She glared at the sweepers that grouped around her.

"And how did you find out your last name?" Jarod's double demanded. "Ah well, it won't matter once we get you back to the Centre. Bring them!"

The sweepers cuffed the both of them as he led them out of the bank.

"I can't believe I've gotten mixed up in this. You'd better hope they don't find out about the timer," Wade warned.

"Shut-up!" Miss Parker snapped.

Jarod's double led them to the car. He pushed the two of them into the black limousine grinning from ear to ear.

"I'll get you for this Jarod!" Miss Parker grumbled. She was thinking about the Jarod who had gotten her into all this.

Jarod's double was the one that heard it though. "I love your optimism," he mocked.

"You would," Miss Parker answered, dryly.

The limo stopped at an airport. Another pulled up a few seconds later. Miss Parker, Wade and Sydney were loaded onto the plane. "Now why does the Centre want us again?" Wade asked.

"They think I am their Pretender," Miss Parker replied.

"Go figure," Wade frowned. "Lady, why didn't you wear a disguise?"

After they had all been handcuffed to their seats the plane took off. Jarod's double sat two rows ahead of them, very proud of himself. The plane leveled out and the double got up. "Raines is going to be so pleased," he stated.

"Raines isn't in the burn ward?" Miss Parker queried.

"As much as we'd all like him to be in the burn ward he is alive and well and in full control of the Tower," Jarod answered.

"Raines is in control of the Tower," Sydney said in his usual not quite questioning manner.

Timer: 136 47 23

The next morning around eight, Miss Parker awoke in a room at the Centre. They'd arrived too late for anything to happen that night. Wade was in the room too but Sydney was no where to be seen.

"Where's Syd?" Miss Parker asked.

Wade looked at her. "They took him away an hour ago. Now, are you going to tell me what's going on around here? What kind of organization is the Centre?"

"A research organization," Miss Parker answered shortly. She got up and took a look around. There was a small rectangular window in the door. She peeked out. A sweeper stood outside the door and there were lots of people walking by.

They waited. Food came, Jarod's double dropped by to taunt them awhile but he wouldn't tell them anything about Sydney. And days began to pass.

Timer: 02 12 54

Hours ago they were suppose to have helped Missy break her sister out of the Centre. However, they were suppose to be on the outside at the time. Now, that they were caught how were they supposed to help?

The sealed door opened. A person wearing a black sweeper suit entered. Oddly enough, she wore a hat. "Who-" Miss Parker began with a funny expression directed towards the hat.

"Shh." The sweeper took off her hat and dark sunglasses to reveal her identity. It was Missy. She put down a suitcase and opened it. Inside were two more sweeper outfits. "I know the hats look wrong to you, but here sweepers wear hats. Now come on. We haven't got much time."

Miss Parker and Wade changed into the suits quickly while Missy kept a look-out. Then, they all snuck out and hurried down the hallway. The Centre was at least the same on this world. Missy led them to an elevator. They stepped in. It was empty. As the doors closed, Missy let out a relaxed sigh. "Okay, my sister is being held in Sub-Level 19 and Sydney is on Sub-Level 11," she whispered. "Do you still have the timer?"

Wade held it up. Miss Parker snatched it and gave Wade a killer glare. "We slide in two hours," Miss Parker stated.

"When there are ten minutes left pull the fire alarm on Sub-Level 11. It releases everyone. Pull any more you happen to see on your way out. You grab Sydney and run for the exit. Mary and I will try and meet you there, but if we don't make it slide without us." Missy became silent as another person got on the elevator on Sub-Level 3. The person got off at Sub-Level 9.

"And what are we supposed to do while we're waiting for the timer to get to zero?" Wade asked.

"Plan your escape route and try and act like a sweeper. Serious but stupid," Missy laughed. Miss Parker almost smiled but just then the doors opened on Sub-Level 11 and her and Wade got out.

Miss Parker walked in her usual proud manner but took a non-authoritative stance by the elevator and Wade did the same. Miss Parker found this pretending to be a sweeper business rather annoying. She was not a sweeper. She was the daughter of the chairman. At least...on her world she was....

After standing there an hour and a half she felt her legs begin to ache. It was then that she saw Sydney be led into a nearby room with a glass window so she could see in. He looked at her almost as though he recognized her in her sweeper disguise.

With ten minutes left on the timer, Miss Parker pulled the fire alarm. The men in the room with Sydney looked out bewildered. Miss Parker and Wade rushed in.

'Who are you?" one of the men in the room demanded.

Miss Parker glanced at Wade trying to remember the excuse they had come up with. "We're security," Miss Parker exclaimed, trying to deepen her voice to a masculine tone. It almost sounded right.

"Here already?" one of the men questioned.

"We'll escort this man out and meet you outside." Before the men could agree or object Miss Parker and Wade ushered Sydney to the elevator quickly and closed the doors before the other men could follow.

"That was close," Wade said, letting a out a sigh of relief.

The elevator doors opened. Two real sweepers stood there. "It's not over yet!" Miss Parker exclaimed, giving the men a sideways kick in the stomach. As the men fell over, the trio exited the elevator and took off down the hallway.

"How much time is left on the timer?" Wade asked as they reached the exit.

"About two minutes," Miss Parker replied. She huffed trying to catch her breath.

Missy and Mary were nowhere in sight.

"What now?" Sydney asked.

"We wait," Wade answered. Hundreds of people were exiting the Centre and none of them seemed to care about the three people waiting at the exit. Just then, running from the stairwell came Missy and Mary.

Miss Parker glanced at the timer. 3...2...1. She hit the button. The vortex opened. Sydney jumped in first, followed by Wade. Missy and Mary made a running leap in followed by Miss Parker. The vortex closed before the sweepers who had been in pursuit could begin to figure what had happened to their fugitives.

Alternate Earth 3

Timer: 80 35 12

Thump! Thud! Plop! Plop! Thump!

The five sliders landed rather hard on a large amount of brush and mud.

"I think I'm too old for this," Sydney stated.

"I've had worse landings," Wade replied.

"Wow!" exclaimed Mary. She had red hair like her sister but she had brown eyes.

"This must be a world where the Centre doesn't exist," Missy decided.

"Next time I see Jarod, I'm going to kill him," Miss Parker grumbled.

"Don't worry. Mud comes right out of sweeper outfits," Missy explained. "Besides, there must be some place we can buy some clothes on this world."

"It's not that," Miss Parker snapped. "It's the Armani, I have on underneath!"

Sydney smiled in amusement. Miss Parker glared at him.

Everyone was now standing. Wade, Missy and Miss Parker were dressed as sweepers. Sydney was in a dull gray suit and Mary in a black skirt and a white shirt. All of the outfits were now pretty muddy.

"Now, what do we do?" Mary asked.

"We find a store!" Miss Parker snapped, taking the lead in exiting the woods.

"Move over. I can't see," came a whisper from the brush.

"Shh! They might hear us."

"Quiet both of you."

Everyone stopped walking to listen to the quiet whispers and unidentified voices coming from the brush and trees around them. "Show yourselves!" Miss Parker ordered.

There was a rustling but the whispers stopped.

Mary walked over to a group of bushes. She pulled them back to reveal three children who looked about twelve. A set of twin girls with red hair and a boy with brown hair. "Hello," Mary greeted. The children looked at each other nervously but said nothing.

Wade stepped forward. "Hi, my name is Wade. What are your names?"

The children hesitated. Finally, one of the twins stepped forward. "My name is Ashley and this is my sister Andrea. Oh and that's my brother Ryan. Can you fly too?"

Ryan elbowed his sister.

"Fly?" Mary questioned. "Why would you think we can do that?"

"Because we saw you arrive. You just appeared," Ryan answered.

"Who are you people?" Andrea demanded. She walked up and took a good look at Missy and Miss Parker. "And how come you look just like my mom does?"

Everyone looked puzzled as they glanced from the children to Miss Parker and Missy. Sydney looked the most interested. "Where are you parents?" Sydney asked.

"My dad's at home and mom is visiting grandma in Maine," Ashley replied. "Why? Do you want to meet them?"

"Actually, Ashley, I would," Sydney replied.

"Okay, follow us," Ryan said.

Miss Parker, Sydney, Wade, Missy and Mary followed Ashley, Andrea and Ryan to their house. It was about a block from the forest in the suburbs. It was a sunny yellow one story house with white trim and shutters. The front yard was deposited with items that showed evidence there were children living there.

Sydney followed the children up to the door. "Dad! We've got company!" Ashley announced as she entered the house.

Ryan stood back. "Dad's great. This is the first time mom's left us with just him and he's been able to take care of the baby and cook and everything," Ryan commented.

"Come on in," Ashley told them. She led the group to the living room and they all sat down.

They waited.

Just then, a man entered carrying a baby. He had dark brown hair, sparkling brown eyes a friendly smile. "Jarod!" Miss Parker exclaimed slightly startled. The double also looked startled to see two people sitting in his living room that looked exactly like his wife. He relaxed much more quickly than Miss Parker did.

"Actually I just go by J," he laughed.

Miss Parker got up and looked at the family photo that sat on the coffee table next to her. It showed Jarod and five kids and herself on this world. Sydney also took a glance at the photo and shot Miss Parker an amused smile which she returned with a glare.

After spending a very awkward evening mostly of explanations the Sliders checked into the Dominion Hotel, which on this world had one in Delaware. Miss Parker watched Sydney relax into a chair still looking amused.

"You knew!" she growled.

"Yes, I did," Sydney smirked.

"How?" she demanded.

"Those twins looked just like you as a child," Sydney replied.

Miss Parker thought of the children a second and had to admit they resembled her at that age. She was much more calm about the whole thing. She finally went to bed.

Timer: 65 15 31

The next morning during breakfast Missy made an announcement. "Mary and I have decided to stay on this world. The Centre here has long ago been torn down and this seems like a really nice place. From what Wade tells me who knows what could be on the next world. Mary and I want some stability. Now, that we finally have lives we want them to be good ones."

There was a silence around the table. "We'll miss you," Sydney finally said.

It was blinking and there were strange symbols on it. Miss Parker showed it to Wade. "What does this mean?" she demanded.

Wade looked at it. "Jarod and Rembrandt must not have slid yet. They're still on this world," she exclaimed.

"Can you tell me where they are?" Miss Parker asked.

"No, not until they slide," Wade replied. "But this signal is kind of weak. They must be pretty far away."

"How far?" Miss Parker demanded.

"I can't say," Wade replied. "Maybe San Francisco, maybe L.A."

Miss Parker snatched the timer. "You can't say," Miss Parker repeated. She turned around and grabbed Wade by the collar. "You can't say or you won't say!?" she yelled. She pulled Wade up out of the chair.

"I don't know!" Wade yelled.

"Are you sure?" Miss Parker yelled. She pulled her gun.

"It's the truth. I don't know! They could be on the moon for all I know." Wade yelled.

Miss Parker let go.

"Jarod has really gotten to you," Missy commented. "Relax, Miss Parker."

Miss Parker turned away from all of them and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Sydney asked.

"Out!" she replied. She exited the hotel. Miss Parker felt like a walk. In a way, she was hoping to see Jarod. She didn't expect him to walk right into her clutches but she was beginning to believe anything was possible.

Miss Parker decided they should fly back to San Francisco. By the time they reached California, Jarod and Rembrandt had slid.

Alternate Earth 4

Timer: 14 02 12

Miss Parker climbed out of a flower garden. Wade and Sydney giggled. Miss Parker's glare silenced the both of them. She studied the timer. Then, looked around. "Where are we?" she demanded.

"Well, we aren't home," Wade answered.

"How do you know?" Sydney asked.

"Not quite no one," Miss Parker countered. She nodded towards a large poster on a building. It was of a woman with short blonde hair and a red lolly. Underneath it read: Brigitte For Re-election.

"Brigitte," Miss Parker said contemptibly.

Wade got a newspaper. "On this world, this Brigitte person is president."

"Talk about a living nightmare," Miss Parker grumbled, running her fingers through her hair.

"Why?" asked Wade, curiously. "You know her or something?"

Miss Parker's face contorted into a strange grin. Her fingers went to her side and she touched her gun for a moment. Her expression fell into seriousness. "Too well," she replied, looking about cautiously. She started when Sydney began to speak.

"Miss Parker, there seem to be many parallels on these other worlds to our world. The people are essentially the same, although there are variations. If Brigitte is in control here, then it may be best if we take shelter and endeavor to keep a low profile until we know more about this place."

Wade gaped at Sydney. "That's the most I've ever heard you say. You sound like someone I used to know." She relapsed into silence.

Miss Parker continued scanning her surroundings and then replied, "We're in San Francisco and I'm way ahead of you, Syd!" She stared at Wade and half-asked, half ordered, "To the Dominion Hotel."

There was a small detour on the way to the hotel, Miss Parker insisted they stop at a department store where she bought several essential items. Cash was starting to run a little low and in the end, she put it on her card. One of the two items she hadn't lost while sliding...her credit card and her gun.

When they had arrived and checked into a suite, Wade sat on the couch, munching on a candy bar and watching the news. It seemed to be about rainbow-colored fashions, so she turned. She flipped from channel to channel, until finally Miss Parker could stand it no longer and snatched the remote throwing it into the trash.

"Hey!" Wade cried. "Ever heard of manners?"

Sydney sat in a chair pouring over a history book.

Miss Parker fell stiffly into another chair, at last ending her endless pacing of the room.

"And now a word from our President," said the TV announcer.

At these words, Miss Parker stumbled from her chair, fished the remote from the trash, and pounded on the volume button.

Wade stopped chewing and stared fixedly at the screen.

"Good day people of America!" said a woman dressed in an outlandish suit of green and purple, sitting in the presidential seat. "I address you as a nation and thank you for your kind support of our honorable cause. I also give special thanks to the help and donations of TFP, for without them, the standards which have been set to make a better tomorrow never would have been reached." The blonde held up a badge shaped like a large yellow lollipop and smiled.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Miss Parker hissed, dropping the remote once more.

"TFP?" Wade asked. "Who's that?"

"The Fashion Police," Sydney replied, still reading the textbook. "A foundation Brigitte organized in her special service...it seems that they also perform the jobs of the Secret Service. TFP members also head the regular police force. To be TFP is to have higher status than the FBI."

"Really?" asked Wade, suddenly interested. She took the book from Sydney and looked it over, summarizing aloud as she read. "Okay...it seems this Brigitte chick used the phrase here is "necessary means" to "apprehend the greatest threat to human society as we know it." Then, it says, she exposed "the sinister corporation that had fostered this threat and allowed it to run rampant." Man, why don't they just speak plain English? Come right out and say it."

"Brigitte exposed the Centre?" Miss Parker raised her eyebrows, continuing to watch the bobbing blonde head on the screen in fascination.

"Yes," Sydney replied, now reading the magazine called "Beat the B"...evidently a rebel publication from an opposing party. "Brigitte caused a nationwide panic by capturing Jarod and portraying him as a super-genius freak for which the Centre was the spawning ground. People saw it as a threat to their own jobs and their freedom. Educators thought that the presence of super-geniuses who could become anyone they want to be would corrupt the educational system, filtering into other systems. Controversy broke out....most saw Brigitte as the savior of the nation."

Miss Parker nodded, listening. She moved off of her seat and over to the dresser. "So in the midst of this controversy, Princess Eyes did some neat social climbing until...."

"Until, bam! She's the pres," Wade cut her off. "I must hand it to you two. You know some pretty interesting people. I just wish they didn't know you."

Miss Parker gave her hair several strokes with the brush. Her sharp mind was moving rapidly. "Sydney," she asked. "When Jarod was captured...what did they do with him?"

Sydney scanned the columns for information. "He's being held on public display," Sydney's words took on a disguised tone of repressed outrage. "In Washington D.C."

Miss Parker gathered up several of her items and put them into a small suitcase. She waved the timer. "Get packed!" she ordered Sydney and Wade. "It takes a Jarod to catch a Jarod!"

Unbeknownst to the visitors from another world, they left not a moment too soon. Exactly one hour later, the door of their empty room was flung open and in swept several persons in brightly clad uniforms. Yellow-colored badges flashed on their breasts with the inscription, "TFP."

"How is she always so positive she knows where Jarod is?" Wade whispered to Sydney as they were sitting on the plane. "And I still don't understand why the Centre and she can't simply leave him alone. And how do you fit into all this?" Wade asked. "I mean do you really want the Centre to catch Jarod or do you want him out in the world helping people?"

Sydney smiled amusedly and replied, "I'm sure that those who know of the Centre have spent many a Saturday night asking themselves the very same question, Miss Welles."

Timer: 01 11 49

They arrived in Washington D.C. and had no trouble finding the location Jarod was being kept as, most naturally, in it was in the tourist brochure and advertised as an exhibit. Time was running out.

"Stop!" Miss Parker cried, holding up her gun and aiming it at Jarod and Rembrandt.

"Well, well, well, Miss Parker. I was beginning to worry you might have gotten lost for twenty-nine years."

"Man, Jarod! What did you do to make her so disagreeable?" Rembrandt asked. "Hi, Wade! How's she been treating you?"

Wade indicated the gun that was trained on Jarod and Rembrandt. "Like this," she replied.

"Shut up!" Miss Parker cried.

"How'd you find me?" Jarod asked, inching sideways.

"Quit moving! I knew once you found out where you were being kept on this world, you wouldn't be able to resist freeing yourself, Jarod." Miss Parker grinned, triumphantly.

"I must commend you," Jarod replied. "You have adapted to the improbabilities of sliding very well. Although, you could work on your people skills." He glanced at Rembrandt.

"You can say that again," Remmy nodded, pulling the timer from his belt.

"I work for the Centre, Jarod. It's my job to adapt if it means it will bring me any closer to catching you," Miss Parker replied in a bored tone. "Now, hand over that timer."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think she was enjoying this," Wade whispered to Sydney. She watched Miss Parker nervously for she had no love for guns.

Jarod suddenly slammed his foot down on a button under his foot on the floor. At once, a the panel of a white wall started to move and the wind that whipped out from the space behind the wall threw Miss Parker off balance.

"Now!" Rembrandt cried, pressing the button on the timer. A huge vortex opened and he looked at Wade. "Come on!"

Miss Parker turned on Wade and said, "Don't you dare!"

"Miss Parker," Jarod called, running towards the hole. "Please finish what I started here! Make your mother proud." He urged Remmy to leap into the vortex and followed closely behind him.

With a whoosh, the hole closed.

'Mother' Wade couldn't help noticing that the word seemed have halted this huntress in her tracks. "Hey, um...Miss Parker..." Wade began uncertainly. "What did he mean?"

Miss Parker dropped her threatening pose and looked at the timer. There were thirty minutes left.

"Jarod was entrusting her with a task which he was unable to perform himself," Sydney explained, watching Miss Parker's face.

"Oh, I get it!" said Wade, suddenly comprehending. "He wants her to free his double." Wade smiled. "How ironic! Jarod's a nice guy but I'm beginning to get the feeling he isn't really just your friendly neighborhood quantum physicist," Wade replied.

"He was today," said Sydney.

Miss Parker hesitated, watching the red numbers ticking down the seconds. "Follow me!" she ordered, plunging into the opening in the wall.

An alarm sounded.

The trio ran to what resembled a jail cell, only on the walls there was no visible lock and on one side there was a glass wall.

"The computer controls it," replied a hunched figure on the bench inside the cell.

It was Jarod's voice...Miss Parker would know it anywhere.

Wade spotted a computer terminal and sat down at it unbidden. When Miss Parker appeared about to protest, Wade threw up her hands and said, "You wouldn't just leave him in there, would you? I can override the system."

Miss Parker looked away. She called through the bars. "Jarod...it's Miss Parker."

The figure straightened in a look of obvious disbelief. There was a clicking noise and the door of the cage slid open, releasing the double. "Bingo!" cried Wade, jubilantly.

The man walked slowly out, looked at Miss Parker and said, "What are you doing here? She'll kill you."

"I'm not your Miss Parker," she replied, surprised at what she had just allowed to happen. Freeing a captured Jarod?

Wade ran over and looked at both of them. "No offense to you, Miss Parker but let me explain this fast. We're from a parallel universe searching for our friends. We're going to slide out here soon though a vortex, but we'd thought we'd save you before our ride came. Okay?" Wade rubbed her hands together and took a deep breath.

Miss Parker looked earnestly at this Jarod and asked, "My mother on this world, is she alive?"

"Yes," replied the freed Pretender. "She's been trying to free me for years. Just as soon as I escape the Centre...the blonde becomes President and I'm back in the cage. Catherine and you, or the Miss Parker of this world, until recently, have been working the Underground to free me. It's not safe for you here."

He opened a manhole cover, preparing to climb down. Miss Parker, Wade, and Sydney moved to follow.

A voice shot through the air. "Nor is it safe for you anywhere, luv. I was just itching for you to try and when I was informed you bought that plane ticket under your own name...tsk, tsk. But then I always did believe you had a thing for that Pretender," Brigitte babbled delighted, drinking in the surprise and outrage that she had burst in upon the scene, but she carried no weapons.

Miss Parker spun around, taking a fighting stance.

Jarod pushed her gently but firmly, forcing her to come with him down the manhole, where Sydney and Wade had already fled.

"I can take her!" Miss Parker protested, as Jarod snapped the cover back in place and locked it. The four ran through a network of tunnels....first Jarod, then Miss Parker, then Wade and Sydney brought up the rear.

Jarod stopped running and the whole group halted. "The way you did when she killed your father?" he asked her.

"Daddy?" Miss Parker cried, sinking to the floor with this unexpected news. "I didn't save him here?" The timer slid out of her pocket and she didn't seem to notice when Wade picked it up.

"Come on," Jarod urged them. "The Underground's built a hideout right under the noses of the fashion brigade."

A few minutes later, Jarod helped them into a building that was lit up with monitoring devices.

Exhausted from running, Miss Parker's gaze followed the people in the room as she puffed, "Jarod! My mother is she..."

"Up there!" the Pretender pointed.

Wade looked at the timer. There was two minutes left.

Miss Parker looked up at a metal stairway. A woman was standing there...with a face that was her own only older. "Mama," she whispered, freezing in her tracks.

Wade gave Sydney and Miss Parker a harried glance. "It was nice meeting you, Jarod," she said. "I hope you can save this world."

"I think you are the only one capable of devising a plan that can stop what Brigitte has done here. Prove to them you're not a monster," Sydney advised.

Jarod gave them a nod. "I don't really know who you are but I can't thank you enough. Thanks."

Catherine Parker looked down towards them.

"Mama!" Miss Parker cried louder.

"It's time," Wade said. She pushed the timer. There was a gust of wind as the vortex opened. "Come on!" she said, as she leapt into it.

Miss Parker stared at the open vortex in dazed confusion and then upwards again.

"Miss Parker! We have to go," Sydney shouted.

Miss Parker snapped out her daze and gave Jarod a significant glance. "Keep her safe," she charged. She leapt into the vortex and Sydney followed.

Alternate Earth 5

Timer: 08 37 02

The last slide had been an emotionally wearying one for Miss Parker. Happily, this alternate world didn't seem to that different than Earth Prime. The three sliders flew back to San Francisco and checked into the Dominion Hotel but there was little conversation. Miss Parker was sitting listlessly on the edge of a chair when Wade came and sat on the edge of the bed near her.

Wade looked at her for a moment and then said, "Miss Parker...we didn't exactly start off on the right foot...but I just wanted to--Well, losing a mother isn't easy. I mean, when I started sliding I lost my entire family, my mom, my dad, my sisters and I wasn't sure if I'd ever see them again." Wade paused. "I still don't know. I guess what I'm trying to say is...I'm sorry for your loss. Okay?" Wade asked, offering a hand to shake.

Miss Parker sat frozen for a moment studying Wade suspiciously and then her look softened, she took the hand and shook, replying, "Okay." And for the space of a second, she smiled. However, she did not release an iron grip on Wade's hand. "And do me a favor, hand over the timer."

"What makes you think I have the timer?" Wade asked, innocently.

"What makes you think I'm that stupid?" Miss Parker countered, releasing Wade's hand.

Wade pulled the timer from her pocket and handed it over with a shrug.

There was a knock at the door. Sydney set the newspaper on the coffee table, got up, and checked through the peephole. Whatever it was he saw, he rushed to open the door, but Miss Parker's voice stopped him.

"Hold it, Syd!" Miss Parker approached the door, looked warily out of the peephole. Then, she undid the chain and opened the door, staying carefully behind it.

Rembrandt walked into the room.

Miss Parker slammed the door shut, barring his way out. "Where is he? Where's Jarod?" she hissed.

Rembrandt pretended to ignore her and spoke to Wade. "You know, you gotta find some new friends to hang out with." Wade stood up and smiled. "I came to tell you that--"

"Where is he?" Miss Parker demanded in such sharp tone that Rembrandt turned to look at her. She was now holding her favorite weapon.

"Relax! You know, if you shoot me now, you may never know," he reasoned.

She put the weapon away and glared at Sydney's unconcealed smile of amusement. Her guard had been lowered for only a moment when suddenly the door was flung open behind her, knocking into her. She stumbled away from the door.

"It's Jarod!"Rembrandt said. Rembrandt and Wade bolted out the door and down the hall.

"Get back here!" Miss Parker shouted, arming herself and taking off after them.

She rounded the corner of the hallway to find a young woman with straight black hair and alert brown eyes, blocking her path. Heedlessly, she ran towards her and was surprised to find herself, an instant later, sprawling on the floor...the woman she had underestimated now in possession of her gun.

"I wasn't threatening you!" Miss Parker said, wondering if it would be safe to get to her feet and making a great effort to control her temper as she knew Jarod was not far away.

"Come towards me, pointing a gun in my face...in my book, that's a threat!" the woman smiled a bit cockily and cradled the gun in her hand. Deftly, she emptied it of cartridges.

The door to a room across the hall opened and Wade came out. "I never thought I'd say this, Maggie, but it's good to see you!"

Timer: 01 28 19

Miss Parker sat in the hotel room, on a chair designated to her...one that was out of reach of any weapons and watched Captain Margaret Beckett, Wade Welles, Rembrandt Brown, Quinn Mallory, and Jarod as they stood around the room talking animatedly about plans to get home. Sydney sat nearby, intrigued by all the concepts he was hearing and offered her no word of comfort. She watched sullenly, tapping her credit card on the arm of the chair and her attention turned to Quinn. He was talking to Jarod and studying Jarod's timer.

"Ingenius!" he was exclaiming. "You actually adjusted it to pick up and display the frequencies of multiple timers? That improves on my tracking models. Mind if I compare?"

He was tall, in his twenties, and had sandy brown hair and light blue eyes. From what she understood of the conversation, he was the one who had invented this machine responsible for launching the hunt for Jarod into totally new dimensions.

"Hard to believe that kid has that much between his ears," Miss Parker said.

"Great things come in small packages," Jarod replied, giving her his best "professor" look. The conversation had lagged for a moment as Quinn studied the three timers and Jarod had come to stand behind her chair.

Miss Parker's gaze switched to Maggie who was swapping stories with Remmy and Wade.

"Not everyday you meet your match...hmm, Miss Parker?" Jarod said, noting her attention had turned. She realized Jarod was remembering the rare spectacle of seeing her sitting on the floor. "Maggie came from a militaristic world, but lost her husband and her world. So she took up sliding with them. She wanted to avenge her husband's death but now she seems to have mellowed out. Well, you know what they say?"

"What?" Miss Parker asked, sighing.

"What will be, will be."

"One more proverbial saying from you Jarod and I'll--" The rest of her words were lost in a loud burst of laughter from the group. Miss Parker rolled her eyes and didn't bother to repeat herself. She hadn't eaten anything on the last two worlds and was experiencing hunger pangs.

Jarod pulled an apple from his jacket pocket and placed it in her hands. "Keeps the doctor away," he smirked. She opened her mouth to throw a biting remark after him, but he had already escaped to the other side of the room so instead she bit the apple.

Jarod pulled Quinn aside. "I need to talk you. You see, there's a serious problem. I am running from an organization and if they get their hands on this technology..."

Quinn nodded. "Okay," he said, glancing over at Sydney and Miss Parker. "So what do you want to do about it? When we slide, there's no way of knowing where we'll end up. Sometimes San Francisco, sometimes L.A."

Rembrandt joined the huddle and listened.

"Well," Jarod began.

"What are you whispering about?" Wade whispered, pushing her way in.

"Let me in on the secret," Maggie squeezed in between Jarod and Quinn.

Quinn nodded at Jarod to continue.

"I have the coordinates to what you call Earth Prime. I kept them...in my head."

Maggie whooped with pleasure, Wade laughed in delight, and Rembrandt and Quinn slapped Jarod on the back. "I love this guy!" "Good going!" "Love you, man!"

Jarod smiled. It was a nice feeling...being on a team.

When the exclamations of delight had died down Quinn said, "Okay. Here's the deal when we slide we'll have to be sure there'll be no way for the timer to fall into the wrong hands."

"It'd be best if everyone was able to slide at the same time," Jarod explained.

"Can that be done?" Maggie asked, thinking strategically.

"Of course it can! Anything's possible," Wade replied. "Quinn?"

"If can be done, Q-ball can do it. Specially with the J-man's help!" nodded Remmy.

Quinn was feeling the pressure. "Alright, maybe if we could adjust the timers to match each other's frequencies so after the slide, we'll be able to zero in on each other's locations."

"I can do that," Jarod said, pulling a tool from his pocket and putting words into actions on the three timers. "Done."

"We'll have to split up," Maggie said. "Into teams."

"That's right," Quinn said. "Okay, Wade slides with Maggie...Jarod slides with Remmy and that man, and I'll slide with..."

"No way," Maggie cut in. "She'd whip you, you know she would. I'll slide with her and Jarod."

"Hey, guys! Quit arguing. She's gone," Wade interrupted.

"What?!" cried four voices in unison, awaking Sydney from the peaceful slumber he'd fallen into.

"I'll find her," Jarod said, disappearing out the door.

Timer: 00 13 02

Miss Parker made no move of acknowledgment when Jarod sat down on the stool next to her at the hotel bar. She was sipping a glass of lemon water and when Jarod gave her a strange look, she replied without looking at him, "Lost my credit card on the way down and I've got no cash." She laughed suddenly at some inside joke. "It's funny...the only thing I haven't lost on these crazy worlds is Sydney."

"It's almost time to go," Jarod prodded.

"You've made a lot of new friends," Miss Parker continued.

"You would too if you'd give it a chance," Jarod replied.

"A chance," Miss Parker said softly, suddenly sad. Miss Parker slid off the stool and stood at the counter, playing with the straw in her drink. There was a chance that there would never be another chance to say what she needed to get off her chest. "Jarod...if we were different...in a different place...things would be different."

Jarod was unsure of what she was getting at so he kept silent.

Miss Parker shook off her morose mood and said with a chill in her voice, "As it is, you needn't worry about me turning sliding over to the Centre. Enough worlds are messed up as it is. And I don't plan on making this a habit."

"All the more reason to help change things for the better," Jarod replied.

Miss Parker retorted, "Experiences shape us. We can't change that."

"I disagree," Quinn said, trying to not look too much like an eavesdropper. He smiled, abashedly. "Sorry, couldn't help overhearing, but I'm glad I find you guys. True experiences shape us, but it's the personal choices we make that make us who we become...if there's one thing I've learned by sliding it's that. Now, it's time to slide!" He motioned for them to follow him outside.

Wade came up to Jarod and gave him a hug, saying thanks. Remmy gave Jarod a high-five. Then, Wade looked at Miss Parker, smiled and said, "You know, you're really not as mean as you try to be. There's always hope. Good-bye." Wade, standing with Remmy, pushed the button on her timer and WHOOSH! a swirling vortex appeared. They slid.

Quinn shook hands with Jarod, "Hey Jarod, thanks for bringing me and my friends back together. See you on the other side, Maggie."

Quinn, standing with Sydney, pushed the button on his timer, and a second swirling vortex appeared. They leapt in. It closed.

Jarod, standing with Miss Parker and Maggie pressed the button his timer and WHOOSH! a third swirling vortex appeared. Maggie leapt in. Miss Parker hesitated a second. Was she really going to willingly return to her life at the Centre, the world that had caused her so much pain?

Jarod noticed her indecision. "Tsk...Come on!" he challenged. "Slide like a Pretender." He leapt into the vortex.

That did it! Miss Parker leapt into the hole, chasing after Jarod. After all, she thought, there's always hope.