**For a moment everyone blinks in confusion as their eyes adjust to the light. A second later, they stand in shocked silence. Just outside the cave is an endless wasteland that extends in all directions. There are no mountains, no water, and no signs of any life. The flat rocks and small boulders that litter the landscape glisten with breathtaking pastel hues, and the ground itself shimmers with a tie-dye pattern of purples, pinks, light blues, and oranges. Three lazy, tired-looking suns hang in the sky and radiate the painted desert with their searing heat. Beneath their sparkling light, the land is spectacularly beautiful**

LIBBY: (gazing out in awe) Oh wow…this place is amazin’! I’ve never seen anythin’ like it!

SHEEN: (gazing at her dreamily) Libby, in this light, you look just like a watercolor painting.

LIBBY: Sheen, that’s so sweet!

**Libby blushes happily, but Cindy butts in**

CINDY: Ya, minus one thing: the WATER. This place is a desert, incase you didn’t realize that.

JIMMY: Cindy’s right. This place may look beautiful, but without water we’re all in serious danger. I’ll try to figure out a way to get off this planet (if that is what it is), but in the meantime we’ll need to find some shelter out of the sun, and hopefully locate a source of sustenance.

CINDY: Good idea. Should we split up, or…

JIMMY: No, we should stick together. We have absolutely no idea what kind of stuff we’ll find here. This alternate universe could be very similar to ours, or it could be vastly different. We can’t take any chances.

CARL: (fanning himself) Jimmy, I’m starting to feel faint. Can we please find some shade?

JIMMY: Sure thing, Carl. Goddard, umbrella please!

GODDARD: Grr, bark!

**Goddard produces a white parasol with ruffles and pink ribbons**

JIMMY: (handing it to him) Here you go, Carl.

CARL: Hey, that’s girly! I don’t want that!

JIMMY: Sorry, Carl. The umbrella was part of Goddard’s emergency “cute girl stuck in the rain” protocol.

CINDY: (scowling at him) Hey, NERDtron, can’t you just use Goddard to scan for water or life forms on the planet’s surface? If we’re gonna go wandering around this wasteland, I’d like to know what kind of things we’re going to run into.

JIMMY: I can try…but I’m not sure if the life forms in this universe would even be recognizable to his scanners. Oh well, it’s worth a shot. Goddard, scan for carbon-based life!

**A radar screen appears on Goddard’s chest, and a moment later two red dots start to flicker**

JIMMY: I don’t believe it! Two humanoid life forms within walking distance!

SHEEN: Wow, cool! What are the chances of that?!

JIMMY: 709,564,876,398,000 to 1, actually.

SHEEN: (holding his head) AAAH, BIG number! My brain!

JIMMY: Sheen?

SHEEN: It was rhetorical question darn it! I didn’t really want to know!

JIMMY: Oh. Sorry.

LIBBY: So, what are we gonna do? Should we try to make contact with them?

CARL: I don’t know if that’s a good idea. What if they’re ferocious cannibals and they’ve been lying in wait so they can cook us? I don’t want to get eaten! I don’t even taste good!

JIMMY: Carl, get a hold of yourself. Even if they were cannibals, there’s five of us and only two of them. We’d be able to overpower them if necessary.

LIBBY: So…we’re gonna go?

JIMMY: I don’t see why not. Who knows? Maybe they’ll be able to help us. We certainly need any help we can get at this point.

CINDY: Well, I don’t know what we’re waiting for. Let’s get on with it.

SHEEN: Right! OK everybody: To Oz! Follow the yellow brick…follow the yellow brick…follow the yellow brick road…!

**Sheen skips off into the distance, and the rest of the kids just stare after him. After a minute Sheen catches on and turns around**

SHEEN: C’mon guys, what’s the matter with you? Pick up the pace!

JIMMY: (pointing in the opposite direction) Uh, Sheen? The humanoid life forms are THAT way.

SHEEN: Oh. OK everyone, to the LEFT! Follow the yellow brick…follow the yellow brick…c’mon people I can’t hear you!

**Jimmy shakes his head, and they follow Sheen as he sings and skips into the distance. As they head deeper into the vast expanse, the largest of the three suns moves higher into the sky. Cascading rays of orange light bake the arid terrain and send waves of heat rippling across the sand. The atmosphere grows hotter and hotter, until the kids have to struggle to breathe the dry air. Their feet begin to drag, until each step seems to take an eternity**

LIBBY: (breathless) It’s…so….hot…

JIMMY: (wiping sweat off his forehead) I know Libby. But according to my calculations, it won’t last much longer. Sunset should occur in approximately 1 minute and 37 seconds.

**The kids stare at the horizon in anticipation, and finally the smallest of the three suns slips out of sight**

SHEEN: Oh thank Ultralord, there’s only two left! Now we won’t perish under these cruel desert suns!

**As soon as the words leave his mouth, another MUCH bigger star rises above the horizon, bathing the landscape in blinding white light**

SHEEN: Oh, man! Now that’s just not fair!

**The kids continue on, and soon the blistering desert temperatures become overwhelming. Sweat pours down their faces, and they wheeze and gasp for air. Their walk slows to an exhausted shuffle, and at last they stop altogether and fling themselves into the partial shade of a blue and pink rock**

CARL: need(wheeze)…need inhaler! (cough cough)

**He throws aside the umbrella and slumps down against the rock**

LIBBY: (holding her face) Oh, this is awful! My poor skin can’t take this kind of abuse!

CINDY: YOUR poor skin? What about me? I’m gonna have a KILLER sunburn tomorrow.

JIMMY: I hate to break this to you Vortex, but your epidermis is the least of our worries right now. Humans can only go 96 hours without water, and in this kind of heat, we have even less time. We can’t stay here; we need to keep moving.

SHEEN: (hugging himself closer to the rock) I don’t want to go. Leave me alone.

JIMMY: C’mon guys, just a little longer…Goddard’s scan shows that the life forms are only a mile or so away. We can do it!

CARL: (panting) A WHOLE mile? Jimmy. I can’t go on like this. Too hot….

LIBBY: Maybe we could just stay here for a little bit longer…

JIMMY: No! We need to make contact with these beings as soon as possible. They’re carbon based like us, which means they have to have water in order to survive. We’ll be able to get some from them. Now, GET UP!

**Cindy and Libby reluctantly obey, but the boys refuse to budge**

CARL: (wheezing) Just leave me behind…

SHEEN: Ya, just leave him behind. He’s making quite a bit of shade, and I want it.

JIMMY: Come on, guys!

**Carl fans himself absently, and Sheen pretends not to listen**

JIMMY: Guys! I’m talking to you! Hello…Carl? Sheen!

CINDY: Step aside Neutron. You just gotta show them who’s boss, that’s all. Watch and learn.

**Cindy pushes Carl aside, then kicks over the rock that they’re sitting under. It rolls down the hill and out of sight. They stare after it in disbelief, then Sheen jumps up and grabs Cindy by the shoulders**

SHEEN: You sick wench! Look what you’ve done! Now we have NO shade!

CINDY: (making a fist) You’re gonna have no TEETH if you don’t get a move on! Now let’s go!

**Carl struggles to stand up, then he and Sheen glare at her before heading off at a snail’s pace**

SHEEN: (muttering) She-devil.

CINDY: I heard that! I hope you run faster than you think, ultraloser!

**She darts forward after them, and they squeal and take off running**

CINDY: That’s right! Run boys, run! (dusting off her hands) See, Neutron? All it takes is a little motivational speaking.

**She winks at him and then saunters off with a big grin on her face. He watches her, a sort of glazed look in his eyes**

JIMMY: Hey Cindy! Wait up!

**He runs to catch up with her, and Libby slaps herself on the forehead**

LIBBY: Oh, boy. Here we go.

**Cindy turns and gives him a melting smile**

CINDY: (playing with her hair and blinking) So, Neutron. What kinds of things do you think we’ll find in this alternate universe?

**Jimmy is held in a trance-like stare session for a moment, then he snaps out of it**

JIMMY: Oh…uh, it’s hard to tell, really. It could be almost identical to ours, or it could be radically different. Obviously, whatever we find will be about 10 to 11 years ahead of our universe because of the time dilation. Other than that, there’s no way of telling unless we find some more information.

CINDY: (trying to think of something else to say) So, um…what planet is this? Could it be Earth?

JIMMY: Well, I guess, but it’s highly unlikely. After all, we only have one sun, and this planet has multiple suns.

CINDY: True…

**Jimmy begins to say something else, but Sheen and Carl force themselves between them, panting with exhaustion**

CARL: (red in the face) Somehow I don’t think running was such a good idea…

SHEEN: Whew! What a workout! So Cindy, are you feeling less cruel now?

**Cindy glares at them, and Carl gives a screech and speeds away again, but Sheen hangs back and approaches Libby**

SHEEN: (bowing) May I join you, oh glorious one?

LIBBY: Sure Sheen. And Sheen…don’t call me that.

**He falls into step beside Libby, and the pair walks on together behind Cindy and Jimmy. Cindy and Jimmy avoid one another’s gaze very carefully, until at the exact same moment they both glance behind them and see Sheen grabbing Libby’s hand. They blush and quickly look away and a tense, rigid silence grips them. Jimmy’s arm brushes up against Cindy’s, and they both freeze in their tracks. There is a painful, breathless moment as they slowly lift their gaze and their eyes meet**

JIMMY: (transfixed) Cindy…

**They barely notice when Sheen and Libby crash into them**

LIBBY: Hey, what the…? Guys, move! Hello? Earth ta Cindy! Anyone there?

**Sheen and Libby stop behind the motionless couple. Cindy and Jimmy remain frozen, locked in each other’s gaze**

LIBBY: (impatiently) Listen, I know you guys are havin’ a moment here, but can we get on with it?

**Jimmy and Cindy snap out of it**

JIMMY: W-what? We’re not having a moment! It’s just that I noticed…err…a blemish on Cindy’s face!

CINDY: What? Ugh, you conceited jerk! I wouldn’t be talking if I were you! Your whole head is a blemish!

JIMMY: Oh yeah?

CINDY: Yeah!

JIMMY: Yeah?

CINDY: YEAH!!!

JIMMY: (making a nasty face) NAH!

CINDY: (whirling around) You see Libby? I told you he was a jerk! And we were NOT having a “moment.” Got it?

**They both look at Sheen and Libby for confirmation**

LIBBY: (sighing) You know what? Fine. You weren’t havin’ a moment. You hate each other and always will. Can we go now?

JIMMY: That’s right!

CINDY: And don’t you ever forget it!

**Cindy and Jimmy storm off and Libby shakes her head**

LIBBY: (sadly) Oh, Sheen. Sometimes I wonder if they’ll ever work out their problems. It’s just so frustratin’ to see them rip each other apart like that. You know what I’m sayin’?

SHEEN: (picking at a scab) Huh? What?

LIBBY: Oh never mind. Let’s go.

**They hurry ahead, and Jimmy and Cindy’s sulking session is cut short when Carl speaks**

CARL: (shading his eyes) Um, Jimmy…I think I see something up ahead.

SHEEN: Oh God, the mirages are closing in! Don’t trust your eyes Carl! They will betray you!

LIBBY: Stop bein’ so dramatic, Sheen. I see it too.

**Libby points to a group of large pink and purple boulders ahead**

LIBBY: There’s somethin’ movin’ in there. I…I think it’s human, but I can’t tell.

SHEEN: Is it a girl? I hope she has three eyes! Man, I’m telling ya. There’s nothing like a hot alien chic.

LIBBY: Sheen, get a life.

SHEEN: What are you talking about? I already have a life! In fact, I have three lives. I bought them on ebay.

**Libby and Cindy roll their eyes, and Jimmy gestures at the circle of boulders**

JIMMY: Guys, keep it down. We should be quiet and tactful about this. We don’t want to frighten the life form. So let’s just…

**The gang practically jumps out of their skin a second later when a bolt of laser fire crackles past them**

CARL: AHHHH! We’re under attack!

SHEEN: Every boy, girl, and irresistibly attractive Mexican man for themselves!

JIMMY: No, stop! Everyone stay together until we identify the source of the shots! Now I can triangulate their trajectory if…

CINDY: (interrupting) Hey! Where did that person in the circle of stones go?

**Another blast ricochets past them, and the kids duck behind a large, jutting rock**

LIBBY: Whoever this person is, they sure mean business.

CINDY: We can’t just sit here. We should go out face them head on.

JIMMY: I agree. OK, on the count of three we’ll make a break for those big boulders to the left. Goddard, set your laser to stun, boy.

GODDARD: Bark, grr, bark!

JIMMY: Ready! Go!