Chapter Text
There was a chill breeze in the air as the familiar swirling blue vortex came to life, contrasting against the blackness of the early morning sky. The winds picked up around it, violently blowing against the damp grass as one after the other, four figures (AP SLIDERS) flew from the spinning blue passageway. The only female slider of the group, Wade Welles, was the first to climb to her feet. Rubbing her sore elbows, she spotted a nearby bench, an advertisement sitting across which read “Join the Crimson Order Today!”
The other three sliders rolled on the ground as they landed nearby, getting up slowly while rubbing their sore spots. The portly gentleman, Professor Maximilian Arturo, was dressed in a pristine blue suit with a red tie. The younger man, Quinn Mallory, wore a simple red shirt and a pair of jeans. The older African American man, Rembrandt Brown, wore a brown jacket with a white undershirt and yellow patterned tie. Wade wore an orange jacket with a blue scarf. Her hair, a color of fiery red.
Rembrandt felt a grin spread across his face as he got to his feet, brushing off the strands of wet grass that clung to his clothes.
"Ah, nothing like an early morning slide to get the blood flowing," he said aloud, causing Arturo to turn to him with a look of clear irritation.
"I can think of several things that are much better for that, and none of them involve you kicking me in the ribs!" He snapped, pointing a finger at the other man.
Quinn couldn't fight the grin from forming at the sight, used to this all too familiar bickering by now. Chuckling he replied with a simple "Settle down, kids."
Arturo grumbled as he began shaking off his suit, attempting to dislodge the mud and grass currently clinging to it. Rembrandt took a deep breath of the crisp morning air, seemingly unfazed by the professor's attitude, looking around to get an idea of where they landed.
"Looks like we're in golden gate park," he offered. Wade approached the group, turning to address the professor.
"How long are we here for?"
Upon hearing her question, Arturo reached into his inner breast pocket, pulling out a small cellular device. Flipping it open, he peered down at the rapidly decreasing numbers, speaking up to answer her inquiry.
“It looks like we will be staying here for a little over Twelve hours. Perhaps a meal should be our first order of business. Anyone hungry?"
"I am, especially after that last world," Wade replied, her stomach growling in agreement. She attempted to suppress a shudder, thinking back to the world where every major restaurant sold different variants of snail. She had vowed to wait until the next world, even though they were there for twenty hours. Arturo however seemed more than delighted with that world's cuisine.
"My dear, you must learn to enjoy the finer things in life," he offered with a smile, the four beginning to walk along the nearby familiar path. Wade shuddered again at the idea, motioning with her hands that she had no interest in the offer.
"If the finer things are snails then I think I'll pass, Professor."
"Come on girl, it wasn't that bad," Rembrandt teased, despite the fact he too avoided the slimy delicacies. Instead of quipping back, Wade looked around for any excuse to change the subject, wanting desperately to forget that world even existed. Spotting the bench she landed by earlier, she pointed it out, turning to her friends as she brought it to their attention.
"You guys ever heard of the Crimson Order?" She asked curiously in regards to the large advertisement plastered upon it.
"Can’t say I have," Rembrandt answered her, looking at the poster as they walked past, "Sounds like some kinda music group."
"Plenty of time to find out," Quinn added with a shrug.
As the sliders continued down the stone path, two men quickly approached them. They were dressed in matching blue outfits, similar to those a police officer would wear, but also with noticeable differences. For one, these seemed to be shaped more like cloaks, something one would expect to see them in if it were raining. They carried stern and sinister looks on their faces, pointing at Quinn as one of them raised their voice.
"Hold it right there!" He all but screamed, causing the sliders to halt, turning to face the two men with a look of curiosity written across their faces. Before any of them had a chance to realize what was going on, one of the men grabbed Quinn’s arms, pulling them behind his back with excessive force. The young genius attempted to speak, but could only grunt in pain as the officer violently pulled his arms together more harshly than before while reaching for his handcuffs. Arturo stepped between them without hesitation, pushing the young officer back, forcing him to release Quinn.
"What right do you have to arrest this boy?!" he yelled.
The officer looked surprised for a moment before rage quickly spread across his face. "This man is wanted for heresy against the Church. Now unless the three of you want to join him, I’d suggest backing off. Now."
The officer's voice was laced with barely contained hatred. Arturo refused to budge, remaining protectively in front of Quinn as he raised his own voice in response.
"You will be taking him nowhere, you blistering idiot!" He bellowed. The officer who attempted the arrest suddenly reached for his weapon belt, drawing his baton. He raised it high above his head, clearly aiming to strike the professor across the face with it.
The second officer likewise reached for his weapon, but before he had a chance to draw, Rembrandt grabbed him by the shoulder. Turning him around, he threw a punch to the man’s face. The officer was on the ground in an instant. This caused the attacking officer to turn abruptly to face the commotion, the professor using the distraction to throw his own punch at the back of his head. Likewise, he was out like a light. Wade rushed toward Quinn, who was rubbing at his now sore shoulders with a look of clear discomfort.
"Oh my god, Quinn, are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine," he replied, waving it off as he looked around the empty park with a serious expression. "But if my double’s wanted, we should get out of plain sight."
"I agree," Arturo added, the four beginning to walk again at a quicker pace. "We should find someplace inconspicuous to hide until we slide"
"Well, so much for breakfast," Rembrandt complained, the displeasure at the situation showing clearly across his face.
The light of the morning sun began to shine brightly in the sky, offering a soft hue of blue rather than the previous blackness. A group of sliders (97 SLIDERS) rushed around a rickety brick building in an obvious panic. Quinn eyed the timer in his hands as they rounded the corner. However, due to some noticeable differences, these were obviously not the same sliders we saw a minute ago. This Quinn was dressed in a flannel shirt, jeans, and a brown coat. Arturo wore a grey suit. Rembrandt was clad in a sweater vest. Wade, unlike her double, had dark brown hair. She wore a black shirt with a pair of jeans.
"How much longer?!" Wade yelled over the roar of their footsteps, looking back for only a moment to see if the police officers were still chasing them.
"Five minutes!" Quinn replied as the group rounded to the side of the abandoned building. Rembrandt looked less than pleased at how much time they had to wait.
"Damn Q-Ball. Next time one of your doubles does something stupid, leave me out of it!" He shouted, causing Wade to look at him with disbelief.
"You think advocating against a worldwide cult is stupid?"
"Not what I mean, girl!"
"I’ll write them a letter" Quinn cut in. Within a second, Arturo was able to notice an entrance to the building, via a door on the side.
"Quick! In here!" He shouted, pulling the door open with a fair amount of force. Remmy headed in, immediately followed by Wade and Quinn. Arturo ran in last, closing the door behind him with a slam, as soon as he was certain everyone had made it through.
Outside, around the bend of the corner came three police officers. They had their weapons drawn in front of them, clearly after the sliders in a vengeful haste.
As the cops disappeared down the street, sounds of footfalls could be heard rapidly approaching the building's back door. The first group of sliders came running down the alleyway with sheer panic written across their faces. Quinn was the first to notice the slightly ajar door. He instinctively rushed towards it, pulling it open.
"Guys! We can hide in here!" He yelled, holding it open as his friends ran inside. Once they were safe, he stepped inside himself, pulling the door shut as he followed his friends deeper into the abandoned building.
It seemed quiet. A silence they were thankful for since first arriving on this earth. The four friends grabbed a seat on the floor as they listened attentively to any sounds that could be heard through the dark and empty hall. They each breathed a sigh of relief, believing they escaped the authorities.
"This one of those better ways to get the blood flowing you mentioned before, professor? If so, I’ll just stick with sliding," Rembrandt said aloud, leaning against a wall as he caught his breath. Wade laughed softly at the comment, replying with playful sarcasm.
"I don’t know, Rembrandt. I think coffee would be a better option."
Suddenly, a loud thud echoed throughout the building. Each slider ducked down as they heard the noise, Quinn turned to his friends with a look of concern.
"Wait, be quiet. Did you guys hear that?" He asked.
"Yeah, what was that?" Wade whispered her reply.
Quinn didn't answer immediately. Instead, he stood up, peeking around a corner where they heard the noise originate. Turning back to his friends, he finally replied.
"I’m not sure. Wait here, I’ll go find out."
Before he could make a move, he felt a hand wrap tightly around his arm. He looked back to see it was the professor who grabbed him in an act of protection. He had a serious expression as he spoke, his voice laced with worry.
"Alone? I don’t think so, Mr. Mallory!"
"Look, professor, if it is the cops we’ll be easier to spot as a group. Just wait here, I’ll be back before you know it,'' Quinn replied as he pushed away the professor's hand and began to head down the corridor before his friends had a chance to protest.
Four officers cautiously walked through the abandoned building, their weapons drawn out in front of them. They hadn’t been wrong about Quinn Mallory before and they didn’t plan on starting now. It was because of him the church didn’t have as many followers as it used to. The officer in the lead shook his head as he attempted to remain focused on the task at hand. In an instance, they could hear faint footsteps coming from the back. The cop stopped in his tracks, signaling for the others to do the same. They listened in for a second to be sure of where the noise was coming from. Afterwards, he nodded to the others as they each turned on their heel, heading in the new direction.
Upon reaching a barely hanging door, one of the officers stepped forward and kicked it open, causing it to break from its hinges, landing nearby with a loud slam. Muffled cries could be heard from where the door landed, those that sounded like they were coming from a child, but the officers paid this little mind as they kept their guns tote while heading in the direction of the footsteps they heard before.
Upstairs, the second set of sliders sat against a wall in silence, listening attentively as the child’s cries grew louder. Quinn instinctively stood up, the others looking up at him in surprise.
“I’m going to get them,” he said aloud. Rembrandt was the first to break out of his stupor, speaking up as Quinn turned to leave the room.
“You crazy, man? It’s probably the cops down there!” he hissed, Quinn turned back to them with a look of concern.
“There’s no time, Rembrandt,” he hastily replied.
“Quinn, wait!” Wade pleaded. The young genius pulled the timer out of his pocket, passing it to Arturo as he turned, heading for the staircase. The older gentleman glanced at the device with a look of surprise. He reached up to try to stop Quinn but knew he was too late as he was already heading towards the doorway.
“If I’m not back in time, slide without me.” He said, looking at his friends one more time before leaving the group.
“Mr. Mallory!” Arturo called, leaning back against the wall and sighing in defeat, watching the numbers rapidly decrease on the timer.
Quinn (AP) stayed low as he slowly walked down the hallway, seeking out whatever caused that loud slam, and the crying. He slipped past a knocked over filing cabinet, careful not to step on loose papers and create any more unnecessary noise.
Down another corridor, Quinn (97) cautiously walked without a noise in his step. At last, he reached the room with the door. Looking at it, he could see it hung a few inches off the ground, likely due to the poor child trapped underneath. He only hoped they weren’t injured. As the child continued to wail, he gripped the sides of the door and pulled it off of them with considerable effort.
Throwing it aside, it landed with a loud thud, the cops down another hall shared a few quick glances between each other as they began to head in the direction of the noise.
Quinn stared down at the child with concern. They were a small boy, looking to be between the ages of six and eight. Luckily they seemed to be unharmed, looking up to Quinn with eyes of wonder and fear. The slider knelt down next to them, offering a cheerful smile.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his smiling widening as the child nodded, reaching up to hug Quinn. Taking the boy into his arms, he helped them both stand, whipping away his tears.
“What are you doing here? It’s dangerous.”
“I was playing hide and seek and I got lost,” the child replied innocently. Quinn chuckled, taking the boy's hand as he began to walk with them.
“Come on, let’s get you out of here.”
Upstairs, it was almost time to slide for the second group of sliders. They stood huddled around the timer as it rapidly counted down, speaking in hushed tones laced with worry.
Arturo looked down at the timer in his hands with clear anxiety written on his face. Wade likewise appeared to be anxious as she kept glancing at the door to the stairwell with desperation.
“Twenty seconds…” she whispered, Arturo shook his head as he watched the numbers continue to count down.
“Where the devil is that boy?” he irritatedly whispered.
Arturo was ready to pocket the timer as he knew that none of them were prepared to leave that earth without Quinn. It was in a silent agreement that the three of them would rather spend another twenty nine years on Crazy Cult World running away from cops, then safely slide to the next world whilst leaving Quinn behind. They were family. They had only known each other well for a few years at this point but they were the only family they had on this journey.
Quinn (AP) started up the staircase with a look of curiosity creasing his face. He originally planned to try and help the crying child, but quickly changed trajectory when he heard the door slam a second time. It was very likely that a police officer had assisted the youth, so he proceeded forward, hearing the sound of familiar panicked whispering coming from the top of the staircase.
Wade was beginning to dart forward, but Arturo held her back. With tears forming in her eyes, she called out to him, no longer caring if the police of this world would hear her.
“Quinn!”
Instinctively upon hearing his name, Quinn rushed to the top of the stairs. He stared speechless at the other sliders, completely taken aback by the new placement of his friends. He didn’t have time to register any hair or wardrobe changes. The other three, feeling the same as Wade, rushed forward, grabbing Quinn by the arm and pulling him with her. Arturo, relieved at seeing him, activated the timer. The brilliant blue vortex came to life before them.
“You sure had us worried, man,” Rembrandt said with a smile as he headed towards the portal.
He launched himself first into the vortex. Arturo quickly followed behind as he pocketed the timer in the process. Quinn stood there absolutely dumbfounded as many thoughts rushed through his head. They had twelve hours here last time they checked. Surely it wasn’t time to slide yet.
“Quinn, come on!”
Wade snapped him out of his thoughts, pulling on his arm towards the portal. It was at this moment that he was able to notice something different about Wade. He caught sight of her dark brown hair and change in apparel. With the sight being a blast from the past for him, he realized in an instant that this wasn’t his Wade.
“Hold on a second!” He muttered in a panic as he attempted to loosen Wade’s grip on his arm.
“Tell us on the next world!” She yelled as she pulled the taller man with her towards the vortex. She couldn’t imagine what Quinn could possibly have to say at this exact time. Surely it could wait for a moment that wasn’t a life or death situation. Couldn’t it?
The two leapt into the wormhole together, leaving behind no trace of their existence as it closed itself shut soon after.