Part I

The Mallory’s basement on Terra Prime, Jade is sitting at the MACRO waiting for Jessica to return from the current slide. Behind her a portal opens on the ceiling above a thick mat, Jessica comes flying through, falls on the mat, and rolls to one side onto her feet breathless. She hurries over to Jade.

"Anything?" Jade asks without turning around.

"No sign of them." Jessica says trying to catch her breath. "I checked around a little. What’s the next HBF?"

Jade turns around to face her, worry and concern cross her face when she sees how heavily Jessica is breathing.

"They are probably gone by now, Jess. Why don’t you rest and we’ll try with the next signal? You’ve already slid four times in the last half hour." Jade says.

Jessica shakes her head. "No, this is the least amount of possibles we’ve ever had, and there’s only three more." Jessica takes a couple of deep breaths and continues. " Open the next one and give me 10 to 15, OK. Go."

Jade knows better than to argue with Jessica. "OK, but this is the last one, you are exhausted. Terra 75284.59, Now."

A portal opens by the wall near the mat. Jessica takes a deep breath and runs into the portal. A moment later the portal closes. Jade shakes her head and turns back to the MACRO to wait for Jessica’s OK signal, and to monitor any incoming data.

*******************************

Meanwhile on Terra 75284.59, two Professors are struggling on a front lawn of the Mallory home. There is an open portal to one side, where just a moment before Quinn, Wade, and Rembrandt had jumped and disappeared. On the other side of the Professors, on the front porch of the home, there is a small group of on-lookers. They have mixed looks of concern and awe on their faces, while they watch the struggle happening in front of them. One of the Professors gains the upper hand and knocks the other down. He takes the opportunity to dive into the portal, which closes in on itself just seconds after he has entered. The other one struggles to his feet and says, "Oh my God…" then he puts his head in his hands.

The people on the porch look at one another and to the Professor standing just a few feet from the porch. One of the women takes a tentative step toward the Professor, when again the night is interrupted by a loud whoosh of a portal opening, and the continuous roar coming from the opening. Jessica comes through and rolls on the ground into a crouch, trying to catch her breath. Immediately, the woman steps back to the others. Who have themselves moved closer to the house, Jessica stands her back to the house. She brushes off her jacket and blue jeans slightly, then she reaches into a pouch around her waist and pulls out a device and unfolds it. She presses a few buttons, points her device at the portal, and pushes a button. It emits a short whine, after which the portal closes. She turns around as she refolds and places her device back in the pouch. She is surprised when she looks up and sees there is a group of people staring at her from the porch. She says to herself, "I feel like an uninvited guest at a party." She takes a couple of deep breaths and steps toward the porch.

She does not recognize most of the faces, but the woman at the front has a familiar face. She extends her hand to the woman, "Hi, Mrs. Mallory, I’m Jessica. Unfortunately, I really don’t have time to mince words. I’m looking for a group of four people that would have arrived or left the same way I just did. One of them would have been your son Quinn, but from a different realm." She takes a breath, as the Professor steps toward her from the side. She is startled at first. She did not notice him before. "Professor, I didn’t see you."

"Where did you come from?" the Professor asks.

Someone from the porch speaks up. "Don’t believe a word he says he just tried to hurt Wade and the others before they left." Before the Professor can deny the claims, Mrs. Mallory says. "There were two of them. The one that came here with Quinn and the others, and the one that was from here originally. Who was trying to prevent them from leaving him behind, he wasn’t a very nice man."

Jessica shifts her attention back to the Professor. "Well, I guess before we go any further I need to know who you are, and where you are from?"

The Professor short of patience after having gone through this a short time before with Quinn and the others snaps at Jessica. "Who the bloody hell do you think you are? And what right do you have to question me? Why should I answer any of your questions?"

Jessica smiles, "Same old Professor, no matter where I go, you never change?" She shakes her head, and extends a hand to him. "I’m Jessica Mallory, and I, my dear, Professor, am the one person here who could possibly help you."

Professor takes her hand, and looks at her with mild suspicion.

"Now, if you don’t mind, I need to know, which Professor you are?" Jessica asks him.

Professor nods his head understandingly. And says more calmly, "Of course, caution is always the wisest of choices. I guess you could say my ride and my friends just left with the wrong man, and now I’m left on that cowards god forsaken world all alone, no offense."

Jessica laughs a little at his comment, "No offense taken on my part, though I’m not so sure about some of the others. " They both look at Mrs. Mallory and the others, and back at each other. "If you are who you say you are, you are definitely not alone."

There is a sudden beeping noise from her pouch around her waist. She pulls two devices out, and looks at one, then looks at the other and enters something into it and smiles. She returns the second to her pouch and looks back up at him.

"Well you have a very quick choice to make. Do you want to stay here, or would you like to come with me and I’ll try to help you get back to your friends? You have only 30 seconds to decide." She waits for his decision. Another beep is heard. She points her timer and pushes a button that opens a portal with a loud whoosh.

"OK," she yells above the low roar, "times up. Are you coming with me?"

The Professor looks at the portal and looks at her. "Well, I bloody well can’t stay here. You seem to be my best bet to find the way home now." He gestures her to the portal. "After you my dear." Jessica walks to the portal and hops into it. Then the Professor runs and jumps through behind her. Moments later the portal closes, leaving Mrs. Mallory, and the rest opened mouthed and speechless.

Back to Max Homepage