Chapter Text
Quinn watched in horror as Rickman pulled out his gun, the Professor quickly getting in front of him to shield him. He remembered the professor's death clearly, reaching out to try and make a difference this time around. Arturo died saving his life, but he couldn’t let it happen a second time. He tried to grab his arm and pull him away. He tried to step in front of him this time, but as he did the sound of the gunshot rang through the room, the Professor making a pained sound as he began to lose his balance.
No! Not again! He still had time to save him this time! Why did Rickman fire his weapon early? He should have died saving the professor, not the other way around!
As Arturo began to fall Quinn was quick to catch him, holding him in his arms as he slowly lowered him to the ground. The memories of the first time Arturo died coming to his mind. Why would he have to watch this a second time? Did fate wish to torture him?
“You failed me, Mr. Mallory” Arturo whispered, Quinn's eyes widening at the statement.
“I am lost because of you. Stolen from my home, my career, my family. I am forced to die on this random world so far from home because of your little science experiment gone wrong”
Arturo’s voice was filled with venom, hatred. Quinn felt tears form in his eyes.
“I’m so sorry, Professor” he whispered, not knowing what else to say. Arturo just watched him, his breathing labored.
“You killed me, Quinn Mallory”
Quinn gasped, jolting awake as he looked about the small hotel room. Reaching up to rub his eyes he felt moisture, quickly getting to his feet and going to the bathroom to clean himself up.
It had been a rough couple of days for all three of them. Roughly five days prior the group of sliders were forced to watch their friend, Professor Maximilian Arturo, die at the hands of Angus Rickman.
Thankfully they were able to stop Rickman on the next world with Maggie's help. Afterward, they held a small funeral, the three sliding together soon after to continue searching for home.
A home the professor would never see again because of him.
He shook his head, trying to rid his mind of those thoughts. The professor loved him, just as he loved Wade and Rembrandt. He knew that, yet still felt this was all his fault.
Leaving the bathroom he spotted Wade sitting awake, her own eyes filled with tears. She saw the professor as a father figure much like he did. So on that level, he understood her pain, but even understanding it didn't mean he knew how to fix it. He couldn't even fix himself.
Rembrandt pulled out the timer, sitting in his own corner of the room. He looked at it, then looked between the two of them. Quinn nodded to Remmy, going sit next to Wade as he rubbed her arm.
"It's time for the slide. Are you alright?" He asked gently.
Looking at him she wiped her eyes, shaking her head. "No, not really. I just miss him. His voice, his laugh, everything"
"I miss him too, Wade" he whispered.
"You know he loved you, right?" She asked softly, looking into his eyes.
He stared back, nodding slowly.
"Then stop blaming yourself for what happened. I know he didn't"
With a soft sigh, Quinn replied, "God I hope you're right"
As Quinn lifted himself from the pavement he turned, watching the swirling blue of the vortex with a hint of longing. Beside him stood Rembrandt and Wade, who were still collecting themselves after the harsh exit.
He knew another person would not be exiting along with his friends, yet he watched for it anyway. He watched the swirl of the gateway, watched as the winds pushed aside loose papers and thrown away soda cans. Suddenly the winds slowed and the vortex closed, leaving the three friends alone.
Looking to the timer he saw they had little over two days on this earth. Slipping it into his jacket pocket he turned and left the scene of their most recent slide, still feeling a great disparity at not seeing Arturo exit the gateway alongside them.
It was a purely emotional response, Quinn knew this. He knew the professor would never slide with them again, and if anything that fact left a bitter taste in his mouth. No matter how hard he tried, things would never be the same without their professor.
After a quick look around they found themselves in the familiar city of San Francisco. While it was nice to see some semblance of home again it also brought them pain, thinking back on all the adventures they shared with Arturo.
Lost in memories Quinn didn't see the man sharply turn the corner, slamming into him and causing him to fall to the ground. Quickly Quinn looked down at him, offering his hand to help him up. He could see he spilled the man's coffee all over his chest.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't see-"
Suddenly the man let out a high-pitched laugh, Quinn jolting back at the unexpected sound. The hot coffee should have burned him, yet Quinn watched as the man broke into a big smile, quickly getting back to his feet. Looking to his stained and still wet shirt the man let out another bark of laughter, soon looking over to Quinn.
"It's all good, my friend! You have a fantastic day, yeah?"
Patting him on the shoulder the man let out another chuckle, quickly walking away from the sliders. Quinn just watched the man leave, lost for words.
Everything about him seemed off in some way, unnatural. His smile felt artificial, his eyes glazed over as if he weren't completely aware. Being shoved to the ground and burned not only made him happy, but it also made him excited. He seemed to take great joy in what just transpired.
"What the hell was that?" Rembrandt asked aloud, looking between a confused Quinn and Wade.
"I don't know cryin man, something was seriously off about him" Quinn replied.
"Yeah, I'll say," Wade said, watching the direction the man left for a moment longer before turning to continue walking with the sliders.
As they walked through the familiar city a pit formed in the three sliders' stomachs. No longer distracted by memories with the professor they could see similar unnatural smiles plastered on the faces of every person they passed.
Occasionally the overly happy people would stop what they were doing to watch them, most eyes focused on Quinn. They could hear soft chuckles from the crowd as more and more people seemed to find an interest in them, causing the three to shudder and want to get off the streets as soon as possible.
As the three walked at a quicker pace they passed the graveyard, their eyes turning to take in a funeral. They saw a casket being lowered into the ground, the surrounding family and friends watching with broad smiles. A small child in the group burst out in heavy laughter, looking at the picture of the middle-aged woman that sat nearby.
"What the hell is wrong with this world?" Rembrandt muttered under his breath, loud enough for Quinn and Wade to hear.
"Are they laughing at her death?" Wade whispered.
What disturbed Quinn the most was not the laughter coming from the small boy, it was the moisture in his eyes. It looked like he wanted to break down, but instead, he laughed. One of the older men in the group knelt down, offering the child a small pill. The child took it, swallowing it, and hugged the older man.
As the people at the funeral turned to stare at them with the same strange smiles as everyone else the sliders had enough. They practically ran to the Dominion hotel from there. The man behind the counter, Gomez Calhoun, looked to the three of them with a large grin as they entered.
"Oh good, more guests! Welcome!" He yelled, slammed his hands on the counter in excitement. Quinn jumped a little at the sound but otherwise, the sliders showed little outside reaction to the strange actions.
"Hey my man, we need a room" Rembrandt replied with a more natural-looking smile of his own, hiding his inner discomfort.
"Certainly!"
The sliders watched in silence as he turned to get a key, walking over and returning to offer it to Quinn. As he took them he saw the already unnatural smile grow on Calhoun's face, causing him to look nearly psychotic. Quinn yanked his hand and the key away, eyes locked with the overly happy clerk.
"Is something wrong? You don't seem to be happy" Calhoun asked with a chuckle.
"We lost a family member recently" Rembrandt informed him, a small frown appearing on his features.
"That doesn't explain why you seem to be unhappy. Why would a family member's death bother you?" he asked, watching the three with interest.
What in God's name was happening here?!
"It uh, it just does" Quinn mumbled out, unsure how to even respond to such a question.
Calhoun continued to watch them, Quinn nervously looking between his friends as he quickly began walking away, not even bothering to ask why he hadn't asked them for payment.
It was already hard to focus, with his mind constantly going back to the professor. What would he think of this world? Would he have a theory about what was going on here? Shaking his head of the thoughts he opened the door to the hotel room and entered, trying to figure out how he and his friends would survive on this world for two more days.