Date: 05/??/01
From: SouthernSlider

Prologue


"It's time to go, guys,"  Quinn said slapping at Remmy's propped up foot.
"Move it, bro.  We don't have much time left,"  he said to Colin as he made the
rounds.

"I'm coming, I'm coming,"  Maggie piped up.  She dragged herself off the bench
before Quinn reached her.  "You don't have to tell me twice.  This is the most
god-awful world I think we've ever been to."

"Your kidding, right, girl?  What about 'snake world'?  How could it get any
more awful than that?"  Remmy asked.

"Yeah, and that world where you swallowed that symbiont,"  Quinn said as they
rounded a tall bush to be out of sight of passers-by.

"Ewwwww.  Did you have to mention that one?"  She cringed, then a shiver
wriggled itself up her spine, reminding her all too well of the nasty creature.

"It sounds like you found me at a good time, brother -- later rather than
sooner. From the sound of it, I am glad I missed those worlds,"  Colin said.

"Believe me, you should be.  If you had been around, Maggie probably would
have pounced on you, too."  Quinn smiled and wiggled his eyebrows.

Colin's eyes widened as he looked from Quinn to Maggie.  "Wait.  I retract that
statement.  Maybe I should have been on those worlds,"  he said.

Maggie made a jab first to Quinn and then to Colin as the vortex popped open.
She was on her way to jab Remmy for his laughter when he went running to jump in.

"I'll get you on the other side,"  she yelled, then followed after him.

Colin smiled as he went headlong into the swirl, making a mental note to ask
about that symbiont world.  Quinn dove in last, his thoughts on times past.
Time.  Such an enigma.  He wondered how things would be if he had invented a time machine instead of a sliding one.

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Nominated by DieselMickeyDolenz