Doorways to Everywhere (Tourist Trap Book 2)

Chapter 61

The Miloshes opted to stay lounging by the pool while Zeke and Max walked back to the lab. When they got there they found Sarah sitting by a passed out Maurice. She glanced up for a second when they walked through the door before turning her attention back to Maurice. "Hey Max, hey Zeke. Poor Maurice here is exhausted. He never came back to the room last night. I found him all alone in here dead asleep. They must have had him up all night working."

"Uh, hey Sarah," Zeke said.

She looked up again and her eyes widened. "Zeke? Where the hell have you been?" She ran over and threw her arms around him and wrapped him up in a big hug.

"You know how it goes," Zeke said. "A little bit here. A little bit there. A little bit on planet Ingleblott. A little bit on planet Orf. A little bit on some other planets whose names I forget. Mostly a lot of traveling around and heroically saving the universe."

"You saved the universe?" Sarah asked.

"Sure," Zeke said. "A few times, I suppose." He couldn't recall a specific instance of saving the universe, but it certainly seemed theoretically possible that something he had done somewhere along the way could have prevented some sort of universal calamity. At any rate there didn't seem to be any reason to disabuse Sarah of the notion that he had saved the universe.

"You know, I don't suppose it's all that big of a deal to save one universe when there's like an infinite amount of other universes out there," Max said. "Kind of pointless really. You might as well let it get destroyed rather than exert all that effort."

"It's not pointless to people who don't have doors that allow them access to other universes," Sarah said. "Which, I'm assuming is most people."

"Aha!" Max said. "But you're forgetting about the universe where everybody has doors that lead to other universes."

Sarah looked at him with a quizzical expression on her face.

"What?" Max said. "I imagined it, so it exists. The Doc said so. Anyway, that reminds me of why we're here. We're going to borrow one of these doors and go visit another universe."

"Are you still trying to find that Warlord guy so you can get your flask back?" Sarah asked.

"Actually, that's still on my to-do list. But first, I want to see if I can randomly travel to a really awesome universe I made up. Zeke's going to come with me."

"Are you sure you want to travel to drunken floozy universe?" Sarah asked.

"Ha ha, that's really funny," Max said. "It just so happens there will be drunken floozies there, but that's not what the whole universe is about. I don't have time to explain it right now, but rest assured, it will be most righteous. Now if you'll excuse me, let's find ourselves the lucky door." He walked over to the table and mumbled to himself as he searched through the doors that were stacked on it.

"How do you know which one to choose?" Zeke asked.

"I don't," Max said. "But I have a system. I know we don't want a programmed one because that'll just take us to some lame place that someone's already been to. We need a random location one. It's got to be one that gives off a good vibe. After all, an awesome universe will naturally be accessed by an awesome door."

"I guess that makes sense," Zeke said with a shrug.

"This one has a nice playful feel to it," Max said as he pulled a door from the stack that was covered in multi-colored polka dots. "I like our chances. Let's give it a shot." He propped it up against the wall and opened it. "I think I hear a bunch of hooting and hollering. It sounds like a kick-ass party. This could be the place. Let's go check it out. You coming, Sarah?"