Sliders: Your Ad Here (8 of 8)

by Nigel G. Mitchell

Washington looked at Rembrandt. A trickle of sweat began to run down his cheek. "Brown? What's the meaning of this?"

Rembrandt shrugged as he backed away from him. "What can I say, Larry? I got business to attend to."

Wade ran into the studio. The armed men immediately took aim at her. Arturo backed into the room with her, his lighter's flame singeing the edges of the cards.

Sliders: Your Ad Here (7 of 8)

by Nigel G. Mitchell

The man tore open the contents of the envelope under the watchful eyes of the guards. He pulled a set of large cardboard sheets from inside and set them up on the easel next to him. When everything was in place, the man grinned at Rembrandt.

"Mister Brown," he said, "what you are about to see is top secret. No one knows about it, not even our competitors. But it's going to lead to the single greatest advertising campaign in history."

The man pulled away the first card to show the logo for Coca-Cola. "Our biggest client, the Coca-Cola Company, has made arrangements with the city of San Francisco to launch their boldest plan ever. In a few days, news will be leaked to the press that a terrorist group has poisoned San Francisco's reservoir. All water to the city will be cut off until further notice. At the same time, Coca-Cola will graciously offer to replace the water supply...with New Coke."

Sliders: Your Ad Here (6 of 8)

by Nigel G. Mitchell

Quinn was led to a room where he was given a shirt and a pair of jeans to wear for the photo shoot. He changed while a guard held a gun to his head, then allowed himself to be taken to a studio.

A large man with thick, white hair was fiddling with cameras positioned around the room. He looked up, squinting at Quinn as he entered.

"Oh, great," he said. "Excellent. Hm. Wide shoulders, tall, interesting build. That scar on the upper lip is a problem, but nothing we can't handle with makeup. Stephanie!"

A woman hurried up to Quinn and began to powder his face. She paid special attention to scars Quinn had on his upper lip, pounding a thick flesh-colored dust over it.

The photographer folded his arms. "Now, we're going to be doing an ad for Gunslinger Jeans. So we've set up a western theme over here."

Sliders: Your Ad Here (5 of 8)

by Nigel G. Mitchell

Wade, Rembrandt, and Arturo had looked up this world's Rembrandt in the Yellow Pages, then taken a cab to his house. It was a long ride, mainly because the inside of the taxi was papered with advertisements. There was even a TV screen mounted on the back ofthe front seat. It broadcasted ads for cigarettes during the entire trip. By the time it pulled up in front of Rembrandt2's house, Wade's teeth clenched in irritation.

As they got out, Pavel the driver began to speak in Russian. Arturo nodded with a forced smile and responded in kind. When he slammed the door and the cab had driven away, Wade sidled up to him.

 "What was that all about?" Wade asked.

Arturo adjusted his tie. "I was merely informing him that we did not wish to buy a copy of Karl Marx's communist manifesto."

Sliders: Your Ad Here (4 of 8)

by Nigel G. Mitchell

Rembrandt sat on a bench in the bookstore between Wade and Arturo. He pressed a finger into his opposite palm as he spoke. "Okay, so lemme get this straight. Just because you and Quinn didn't take some cheesy T-shirt, the cops arrested Quinn?"

"Exactly," Wade said, swinging her feet under her bench. "They said it was illegal to not accept promotional products from a place when you use their services."

"Mm," Arturo murmured, "another odious law put into place by the vile advertising agencies of this nation. They have the government in their pockets."

"Well, that's great," Rembrandt said. "Any other laws we should know about, professor?"

Sliders: Your Ad Here (3 of 8)

by Nigel G. Mitchell

Wade froze, huddled in the bathroom as she heard scuffling in the other room. Then she turned the doorknob as quietly as she could. Wade opened the door just enough to look through the crack.

Two policemen had burst into the hotel room. Their blue uniforms were familiar, except for the ads for the Club printed on their backs. They had grabbed Quinn and shoved him up against the wall.

"What's going on here?" Quinn yelled.

"You're under arrest," one of the policemen said.

Sliders: Your Ad Here (2 of 8)

by Nigel G. Mitchell

Quinn walked through what was once Golden Gate Park, but was now Golden Gate Square. Colored lights were flashing and playing across every surface in dizzying patterns, projected by the seemingly endless neon signs that were on every store. He couldn't seem to shake the dazed expression he wore. It was a reflection of how he was feeling inside. He had never seen any world like the one he was in now.

Wade's head was constantly in motion as she took in their new surroundings. She locked onto a Ford Truck that drove by, the phrase "Ford Trucks Are Ram Tough" printed on both bumpers.

"Advertising," Wade said. "It's on *everything.* The cars, the clothes, the buildings, the clouds..."

Quinn glanced up at the clouds. Or what he had thought were clouds. It turned out they were sky-writers that were spelling out "Campbell Soups Are Mm-Mm Good" in white smoke.

Sliders: Your Ad Here (1 of 8)

by Nigel G. Mitchell

This document can be freely distributed with the condition that it is not modified or sold in any way. Some characters and elements of this story are the property of Universal and St. Clare Entertainment, used without authorization. The author receives no compensation from the distribution of this work.

"Advertising is the foot on the accelerator, the hand on the throttle, the spur on the flank that keeps our economy surging forward."

-Robert W. Sarnoff

"The product that will not sell without advertising will not sell profitably with advertising."

-Albert Lasker

Quinn watched a chicken run across the straw-laden floor of the Dominion Hotel. It darted expertly among the people in the lobby, finally running behind the front desk.

Quinn looked back at the clerk, Gomez Calhoun, who was muttering to himself as he worked a calculator.

"Okay," he said, "that's a four-bedroom for six days and five nights, plus room service...that'll be three chickens, fifteen apples, and a new hammer."

"Got it." Quinn turned to Wade, who was holding the handles of a wheelbarrow loaded with goods and produce.

Sliders: All For One

by Nigel G. Mitchell

Author's Notes: The following story takes place sometime between "Rules of the Game" and the third season premiere, "Double Cross." It was inspired by the short, but deeply introspective and character-oriented Sliders fanfiction written by Diana Jones that changed my view of how SLFIC could be written. I'd also like to acknowledge that some technical elements mentioned in this story are entirely my invention with no basis on the show whatsoever.

This document can be freely distributed with the condition that it is not modified or sold in any way. Some characters and elements of this story are the property of St. Clare Entertainment, used without authorization. The author receives no compensation from the distribution of this work.

Quinn studied the timer on the table in front of him as droplets of rain pattered against the hotel window. He carefully wrote down the numbers flashing across the timer's display in a notebook, one already filled with calculations and formulae.

Quinn glanced around the hotel room at the other members of his group. They all seemed lost in their own worlds. Wade lay sprawled on her side on the couch, watching a TV that filled the room with the bang of a police gunfight. On the other side of the room, Arturo sat in a brown leather armchair while reading a copy of Taming of the Shrew. From the bathroom, Quinn could hear a rhythmic swish as Rembrandt brushed his teeth. It was quiet. Too quiet. Even before Rembrandt walked into the room, Quinn knew the fight was about to begin again.

Story Structure as a Roller Coaster [Art]

We all know that reading can be an adventure with all sorts of twists and turns, which is why this image is so great. What is exposition? Falling action? An unreliable narrator? What if you could illustrate story structure as an amusement park roller coaster? That's where this hilarious and really insightful cartoon by Grant Snider comes in. A glance shows how a great plot twist can be an exciting part of the journey while an unresolved subplot can send you crashing. Check it out.

What do you think?

More aliens and planets lie ahead as the journey continues in Heart of the Nexus, part two of the Nexus Trilogy!!