Turn part 2

SLIDERS: ALTERNATE SPIN
EPISODE 6-TURN
(second part)

   Randy walked into the Dominion Hotel. His brown hair fell into his eyes
like it usually did. He pushed it away slowly. His mind still raced from
the tension of the last few hours at the hospital.
  "Hey, Mr. Heim," Gomez said with a smile on his face. "Where's your
friend...the Professor?"
  Randy looked at Gomez. He could barely see him because of the tears
forming in his eyes. The memory of the car hitting Professor Brown cut into
his mind.
  "He...he had an accident," Randy sobbed. "He...he didn't make it."
  He couldn't say it. Dead. It was...it was his fault. What would he do?
  "I'm sorry, man," Gomez said.
  Randy couldn't hear him. His mind was on the scene at the hospital. The
doctors trying to get Brown to wake up. The doctors trying to get him to
breathe when he stopped. The doctors telling Randy that he was gone.
  He was so busy thinking that he found himself back at the room. The timer
came into his sight. It had ten seconds on it.
  Nine seconds.
  The Professor was dead. Richard was hooked on a game. Melissa was
missing.
  Seven seconds.
  Should he leave? Perhaps the next slide could lead to home and a way to
come back here.
  Five seconds.
  Randy couldn't decide. While the technology was advance here, could he
get his hands on sliding technology? Thanks to the news and Melissa, he
knew it existed.
  One second.
  Randy pointed the timer at a wall and watched as the vortex formed in the
wall.
  Circles. That's how it all started. Circles. Randy could end it and the
guilt at losing everyone.
  The vortex closed.
  Randy made his choice. He might have lost the Professor. He won't lose
Melissa and Richard.
  If Daniel wanted a fight, he had one.

  "Is it ready down there?" Randy asked Alex as he looked through the
amusement section door at Alex.
  "Yeah," Alex replied. "I linked it up to the battery so you should be
able to cut right in and link up."
  "Thanks, Alex," Randy said.
  Gomez walked into the hotel. His hands were full of books. He put them
down on the front desk.
  "There you are, Sir," Gomez said. "So you're another of those
transdimensional travellers, huh? Haven't had one of them in months? In
fact, there was an English professor--"
  "Thanks, Mr. Calhoun," Randy said. "I'll need those books when I'm done."
    Randy looked over at Richard. He seem totally oblivious to the last few
hours. Randy wished he could feel the same.
  "Okay," Randy said to Alex as he put on a set of goggles and gloves, "link
me up."
  "Okay," Alex said. "Ready?"
  "Yeah."
  "Here goes," Alex said.

  Randy walked down the long hall. He could not make out the walls.
However, he could see light in front of him. He walked to the door and
opened it.
  "Oh, Richard!" a voice yelled. "Stop it!"
  Randy walked in and frowned almost immediately. Richard was rolling
around with three women. Randy recognized Rebecca Pryce from a world where
conning was a way of life. She had tried to kill them all. Randy also
recognized Nicole, Richard's first love. It's the one that Richard was
kissing that made Randy's blood boil. It was Melissa.
  "Melissa's missing, some guy is trying to torture me, and the Professor's
dead and all you been doing is having sex!!" Randy screamed.
  "What?" Richard jumped away from Melissa. "How did you--"
  "No time!" Randy cut him off. "Melissa's in trouble. We gotta go."
  Richard just gave a smirk. "Hey, I won this game fair and square. I have
a right to enjoy its rewards."
  "It's just an illusion," Randy said. "if Melissa wanted you, she would be
with you already."
  "Well," Richard sat as he hugged Nicole and Melissa, "I don't see her or
any girl interested in you, Egghead."
  "I have to agree with him."
  Randy turned to find Daniel standing behind him. He grinned at Randy.
  "Where's your date, Randy?" Daniel asked. "A smart guy like you...and no
girl."
  "Let my friends leave," Randy said. "I'm the one you're mad at."
  "Friends. That's a nice word," Daniel said as he walked pass Randy.
"But they're more than that now, aren't they? You could say...they're the
only family you got. Now the Professor's dead and--"
  "Shut up!" Randy snapped.
  "He's DEAD and it's all your fault," Daniel said. "You and your equation.
  Happy now? You just killed--"
  Randy swung at Daniel. The punch connected and Daniel fell on Rebecca.
  "Hey!" Richard yelled.
  The woman vanished.
  "Get out of here, Richard!" Randy barked. "NOW!"
  Richard shrugged his shoulders and vanished.
  "He won't get far," Daniel said.
  "He's not your concern right now," Randy said.
  "And you are?"
  "I'm sorry...okay," Randy said. "I didn't know what I was thinking. I
saw a family in trouble and I wanted to help. I wanted to give you a chance
at a new life."
  "How touching," Daniel said. He stared at Randy coldly. "I hate you. I
won't rest until your 'family' is dead. Just like mine."
  "No."
  "Who do you think ran over your friend Professor Brown?" Daniel asked with
a grin.
  Randy punched Daniel in the nose. He fell back on the bed. He lunged at
Randy before he could react.
  "And Melissa's next!" Daniel yelled as he pushed Randy into a wall.
"I don't think so," Randy said. "There's a problem with the computers
here...when someone knows how to use them. Now, Alex!"
  Randy jumped off the bench. He tore the goggles off to find Gomez and
Richard staring at him.
  "Are you okay, Egghead?" Richard asked.
  "I got it!" Alex yelled as he ran into the room. "He's not only lost in
his model, but I know where he is!"
  Randy knocked on the door.
  "What was the point of that?" Richard asked. "Let me handle it!"
  Richard stepped back and kicked the door in. Randy followed him in and
looked around.
  They were in a hallway. There was an entrance way on both side of them.
Randy looked one way. It was just an ordinary living room. He looked the
other way and found what he was looking for.
  Next to a monitor was a guy hooked to a chair. His hands grabbed the arms
of the chair. His eyes were hid by the goggles. Randy knew it was Daniel
though.
  Randy looked at Daniel. He could make out his veins. It was like daniel
was experiencing some nightmare or something. Randy felt sad at the idea
that Daniel was a ghost in the machine.
  He looked at the monitor. There was a picture of a guy on a bench on it.
Near him three figures looked at a monitor. Then Randy realized he was a
ghost in a machine as well.
  "Oh my God!" Randy yelled as he jumped off the bench. melissa ran over to
him quickly and made sure he didn't jump up.
  "Just breathe, Randy," Melissa advised.
  "Yes, breathe," Professor Brown said as he walked away from the monitor.
"We know you are a little disorientated."
  "Professor...you're alive!" Randy managed.
  "Yes, he is," Richard added by the monitor. "Quite a trip, huh?"
  "But--" Randy said.
  "Let me explain," Brown started. "You have been locked in for the last
twelve hours. mr. Waters and Mr. Calhoun tried to get you to realize you
were in a virtual reality by linking me into your program. The result was
that Daniel blocked me out completely by...eliminating me."
  "So...Daniel...was real?" Randy sat up and looked up at Brown.
  "Yeah," Melissa said. "We couldn't get back in since Alex said it would
do damage to wake you. So...we let the program run its course and watched."
  Randy looked at Melissa with fear. "You saw...everything?"
  "Well, we saw how you saw us...that's for sure," Richard said.
  "Melissa--" Randy started.
  "You should have told us," Melissa said as she jumped away. "Why didn't
you tell us about Daniel?"
  "I didn't think that one decision would come back to hurt me," Randy said.
  "They're funny that way," Richard commented.
  "I can't stay," Melissa said.
  Before Randy could stop her, Melissa was gone.
  Professor..." Randy started.
  "Well...there is one thing that my ...virtual self and I agree upon..you
are reckless, Mr. Heim," Brown said. "Now you have a madman gunning us
down." He looked at Randy. "I am not sure...I can forgive that easily."
  Brown walked out of the amusement section. Alex walked in and looked at
Randy.
  "Did I miss something?" Alex asked.
  "Randy has taken my place as pariah of the group," Richard said.
  "Sorry, man," Alex said.
  "So...did you track Daniel?" Richard asked.
  "I tried, but I couldn't get a trace," Alex said.
  "That means that he's still out there," Randy said more to himself than
anyone else, "with a world of technology in his hands."
  "How much longer?" Melissa asked.
  "A couple more minutes," Brown answered. "then we are off to another
world that will not be an utopia."
  "You're get over it," Melissa said. "After all, the next world might be
home."
  Brown smiled. "A hope worth keeping alive."
  Richard saw Randy looking out the Dominion's doors.
  "Expecting him to show up?" Richard asked.
  "I wouldn't be surprised," Randy said.
  "Don't worry," Richard said. "This is going to blow over and you three
will be back to hating me."
  Randy looked at Richard. "Why are you being nice to me?"
  "Hey!" Richard said. "You're in the same place I was in. You have a
secret in your past that we would dislike you for. I know the feeling."
  "Does this mean you've giving up yours?" Randy asked.
  "It is time," Brown announced. He aimed the timer in front of him. The
wind picked up as the vortex opened in front of him. He jumped in. The
whir sounded off.
  Melissa jumped into the vortex next. The whir sounded off again.
  "So your life has taken another turn!" RIchard yelled to Randy. "It'll
blow over. You'll see."
  Richard ran over to the vortex and jumped into it. The whir sounded
behind him.
  Randy looked around the Dominion Hotel. So much had been revealed to
his...new family. Would they forgive him for that?
  Randy jumped into the vortex.
  He first thought about the fact that this wasn't the last time he would
see Daniel Carter.
  Then he focused on the vortex. Its gateway just made him think of
circles...

THE-END ______________________________________________________