Sliders s03e04 Episode Script
The Guardian
[Computer sounds.]
(Quinn) Professor, are you all right? Mr.
Mallory.
Ah, you gave me quite a start.
I picked up your voice mail at the hotel by mistake.
There was a message from your doctor reminding you about your scan this morning.
You had no right, Mr.
Mallory.
Neither do you.
[Breathing heavily.]
Tell me.
I have a terminal illness.
Incurable, inoperable, untreatable.
There must be something they can do.
How long? A month.
Maybe a year.
Are you in pain? Surprisingly little, actually.
I have read the literature, and the end is inevitably cruel and quite without dignity.
So, uh, since I refuse to be the object of pity, l I think it is time that we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.
I want you to remember your old prof with a smile and not with a tear.
Professor, we are all leaving this world in less than an hour.
Mr.
Mallory, I've thought about this a great deal, and I think what I would choose to do with my time remaining is to to travel a little, perhaps have an adventure, and live every second of my life remaining to the fullest.
Well, then come with us.
What greater adventure than sliding? Trust me, Mr.
Mallory, this is for the best.
Give my farewells to the others.
Fine.
Go, then.
Go on.
We'll do fine without you.
Walk out on me.
Go! Professor, we need you.
Damn you, boy.
I'd sooner Mr.
Brown and Miss Wells did not know about this.
Then it'll stay between us.
We've gotta hurry, Professor.
It's almost time to slide.
[Whooshing.]
Well, that was an extraordinary slide.
Maybe it's something to do with the gravitational pull on this world.
Look.
(Wade) This is the first time we've slid back into San Francisco since Logan St.
Clair messed with the timer.
Yeah, but there's something different about this place.
I can't put my finger on it.
Look at the clothes.
(Rembrandt) Yeah, and they really take care of their cars.
Check that one out.
Showroom condition.
What is that, an '84? I know this area, and I know what's wrong.
On our world, it was all destroyed in the earthquake of '89.
(Rembrandt) Looks like 1980 everywhere.
What's the matter? [Tram bells ringing.]
(minister) Praise thy name forever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised and his greatness is unsearchable.
Do you know these people? It's my father's funeral.
The woman's my mother.
And the boy is me.
(Quinn) What if you found a portal to a parallel universe? What if you could slide into a thousand different worlds, where it's the same year, and you're the same person, but everything else is different? And what if you can't find your way home? (voice) Sliders.
[Bell tolling.]
[People chattering.]
(Wade) Poor Quinn.
He's having to go through the pain of losing his father all over again.
Yes, I'm not sure this is a very good idea.
The past should be remembered, not relived.
(woman) Are you a friend of the family? Kind of.
I'm Quinn's homeroom teacher.
I don't really know the family, but I wanted Quinn to know that I care.
Heather Hanley.
Jim Hall, Miss Hanley.
You sound like one of my students.
Please call me Heather.
Hey.
You okay? Yeah.
Thanks.
Guys, I'm lost.
Now, you said we couldn't travel back in time, right? Just parallel worlds.
So why are we here in '84? No, it is actually 1996.
What we're doing is proving Van Meer's theorem of straight relativistic time dilation.
Oh, sure.
That explains it.
Herbert Van Meer was a Dutch astrophysicist who postulated the idea of a parallel Earth that was revolving around the sun in the same period of time, but spinning on its axis a little bit faster.
It is 1996, but from our perspective events are occurring as if it was 12 years ago.
So, bottom line, we have gone back in time.
As you wish, Mr.
Brown.
I need some time by myself.
I'll hook up with you guys later.
Oh, Quinn, wait.
[Stuttering.]
Remember that, uh, that great pizza place over on Post that burned down a couple of years ago? I bet it's still open.
Doggy bag me a couple of slices.
There's somethin' I gotta do.
(Mrs.
Mallory) Quinn.
Quinn.
Come up and eat something, sweetheart.
Are they all gone? Please come upstairs.
I'm not done with this.
[Blows.]
I'll fix a plate and bring it down.
You can show me what you're doing.
[Sighs.]
I'm taking Bopper for a walk.
Bopper.
Bopper.
You left the gate open! He's gone! Bopper's gone! We'll find him.
We always do.
It's your fault! It's all your fault! Quinn, I'll help you look for him! No.
Just leave me alone! [Rembrandt laughing.]
I cannot believe that you rented a luxury car like this.
Ahh, this is a cruise down memory lane, Mr.
Brown.
When I wore a younger man's clothes, I owned a car like this.
Now, they were happy days.
Oh, relax, Professor.
We've been listening to your music all day.
Loosen up.
Live a little.
Yeah, you're stuck in a rut, Professor.
My mother always said the only difference between a rut and the grave is a few inches.
Right.
Brilliant! (Rembrandt) Oh! [Car accelerating.]
[Arturo laughing.]
[Whimpering.]
Oh.
Oh, my God.
My God, you found him.
On top of everything else that's happened, this was really too much.
Yeah.
Bopper was all mixed up.
Six blocks away and moving in the wrong direction when I spotted him.
How did you know his name was Bopper? A neighbor saw me with him.
Tall lady, red hair, thick glasses.
Mrs.
Vanderbecken.
I've seen you before, haven't I? At Michael's funeral.
Yes, I was a friend of your husband's.
My name is Jim Hall.
We used to play chess together in the park during our lunch hours.
Please, come inside.
[Birds chirping.]
He told me so much about his family.
I feel as if I know you already.
Returning our dog was so kind of you, Jim.
When I was Quinn's age, I lost a dog myself.
He ran away and never came home.
So returning Bopper to this house was my pleasure.
I was hoping I could say hello to Quinn.
He's out looking for Bopper.
I hope he'll get over being mad at me when he sees the dog safely home.
He's been angry at me ever since Michael was killed.
I just can't seem to do anything right.
He's mad at the whole world.
He dumps on you because he knows you'll love him, no matter what.
Give him time.
I should be going.
You've had a long day.
Perhaps you can come by another day.
I'm sure Quinn will want to thank you.
Maybe I'll do that.
Goodbye, and please accept my condolences.
Thank you.
(Rembrandt) Of course.
[Rembrandt laughs.]
Hey.
Hey, Q-Ball.
So, is the pizza at Acovone's still any good? Try it for yourself.
It's better when it's hot.
The grease has congealed a little.
Heh, heh.
(Quinn) I'm tellin' you, you can't beat this sausage on any world we've been to.
I have just seen my very first American football game.
(Arturo) It was fantastic.
There was this fellow, Joe Montana.
He marshals his squad like a general.
Teams, Professor.
They're called teams, not squads.
[Chuckles.]
It was awesome, Q-Ball.
In spite of the fact that I knew the final score even before the game began, just to see Joe in action again Awesome, man.
I mean, awesome! [Rembrandt chuckles.]
So, did you talk to yourself? To little Quinn.
Not yet.
Did see my mom, though.
I'd forgotten how rough it was for us right after my dad died.
Today, I really saw the pain she's going through.
She's got nobody to be there for her.
I wish she had someone to talk to.
Someone.
Not you.
We can't allow ourselves to interfere with these lives.
The timing of our sliding onto to this world is more than coincidence.
I'm here for a reason, Professor.
Something's about to happen to young Quinn and the incident's going to occur in the schoolyard on the day we slide.
But it's not going to happen here.
Not the same way.
I won't allow it.
Quinn, l I think that you just need to take a step back.
Let us all discuss this.
Wade, don't try and talk me out of this.
I know what I'm doin'.
I'm sorry.
So, how did you guys talk the Professor into going to a football game? [Chuckles.]
That was the weird part.
It was his idea.
When he said he wanted to do something extraordinary, we thought he was talkin' about museums or art galleries, huh? (Arturo) I've been to thousands of those.
I've never been to a football game.
And it's all due to that remarkable woman, Mr.
Brown's mother.
Mama.
Rembrandt's mom.
[Rembrandt chuckles.]
[School bell ringing.]
[Kids chattering.]
Whoa.
Nice move, queer.
The name's Quinn.
Heard about your dad.
Heard he blew his brains out in your bedroom.
That's a lie.
He was he was hit by a car.
Yeah, and I was driving.
Splattered him good.
[Kids shouting.]
You think you're so smart, Mallory.
You think you're better than us, don't you? I'm gonna put a dent in that special brain of yours.
That's not very smart, Rex.
Even for you.
I understand you, Rex.
I know your secret.
You're dyslexic, and you lash out because you can't read.
Brady Oaks, one day you'll be a born-again and you'll regret all the cruel things you've done! Find God now, son! Don't wait! [Singing.]
We found a stray in the hallway.
Yes, I believe that he's looking for you, Mr.
, um Hey, Quinn.
You should be home.
Mom Your mom will be worried.
Are you the guy that found my dog? You are, aren't you? We should get you home before your mother puts an APB with the San Francisco Police Department out on you.
Your name's Jim.
Mom told me.
You guys should've seen how he stood up for me at school.
It was so cool.
We'll, uh, see you guys later.
Oh, uh, Jim, before you go, a word.
You must not get involved like this.
I'm a big boy, Professor.
I know what I'm doin'.
Mom? (Mrs.
Mallory) In here.
Jim's here, Mom.
Oh, Mr.
Hall, what a nice surprise.
I decided to take you up on your offer to meet Quinn.
We kind of ran into each other.
Mr.
Hall, this is Actually, we met at the service yesterday.
What are you doing here, Miss Hanley? She's been telling me about the fight today.
Are you all right, Quinn? It was no big deal.
It certainly is a big deal.
I won't have you bullied.
I'm calling those boys' mothers and No, you can't do that! I'll handle it.
(Mrs.
Mallory) It's my responsibility.
You can't be fighting with No! It's up to me.
Dad said.
Just stay out of it.
[Birds chirping.]
She's just trying to do what she thinks is right, Quinn.
She's hurting, too.
She misses your dad just as much as you do.
Just leave me alone.
You don't know anything about me.
I know that you were skipped two grades.
I know that you're younger and smaller than the other kids, that you have no friends, no one you can trust or rely on, and that those bullies are making your life a living hell.
But together we can change things.
Poor Quinn's in a lot of pain.
The last thing he needs is to be terrorized by bullies.
You know, if he won't let his mother intervene, maybe I can.
The only person who can protect Quinn is Quinn, and they'll keep coming after him until he stands up to them.
You heard what Mrs.
Mallory said about fighting back.
And besides, I'm afraid he wouldn't stand a chance.
Fighting back is his only chance.
You know what, Q-Ball? I agree with you, man.
Little Quinn keeps on taking it, he's gonna keep on getting it.
I had to deal with it more than once in my life as a kid, you know.
That's great.
Teach a child that the way to solve his problems is through violence.
Look, Quinn, I know you're trying to help this kid, but everything happens for a reason, even if we don't understand.
You sure you won't change your mind and come to the opera with us? I don't have a tux.
You can have mine.
[Wade laughing.]
I thought you wanted to try new things.
How many times have you seen this opera? Your generation thinks nothing of seeing Indiana Jones 13 times.
Well, I happen to feel the same about Mozart.
(Arturo) Now, get a move on, children.
The curtain's up in half an hour.
[Whispering.]
What is with him? I've never seen him act like this.
He's so happy.
He's actually fun to be with.
He's talking about taking it one day at a time.
That life is the performance, not the rehearsal.
Think he might be stressed out? I think he's just tired of being the adult all the time.
Ha.
[School bell ringing.]
[Children chattering.]
How was the opera? Fantastic.
Wade and Rembrandt had a wonderful time.
Glad to hear it.
What are you doing here? Oh, I'm here to talk some sense into you.
This business with your double must stop, and it must stop now.
Quinn, listen.
By using your knowledge to alter events in his life, you may be changing his future.
That's the idea, Professor.
Change his immediate future to spare him from the humiliation and pain I went through.
All right, you see that pack of rats moving toward me? There were three fights.
One yesterday, I stopped it.
One today, I'm gonna stop it.
And one on Friday.
The bad one.
Quinn, I know this is tough on you, but you must not interfere.
Without this experience, this boy may never reach his full potential.
He may never become a man like you.
Fight! [Kids clamoring.]
I gotta stop this.
No, Quinn.
No.
No.
No.
(Arturo) Listen.
(Quinn) Professor, let me go.
Think about it, Quinn! Professor, get off me! Quinn, think.
Think.
Think.
You owe it to the Quinn of this world.
No! (Arturo) Use your head.
(Quinn) No! Quinn.
[Kids continue clamoring.]
Is that enough, Professor? Can I stop it now? You tell me.
How did it end when you were a boy? It was stopped by Miss Hanley, my homeroom teacher.
You saw her at the funeral.
(Quinn) This is so bizarre.
Quinn? Quinn, are you okay? (Quinn) It's like looking back in time.
[Kids chattering.]
You can look, Mr.
Mallory, but don't touch.
Heather.
Jim.
Thanks for helpin' out Quinn.
That was getting pretty ugly.
Look, I appreciate your concern for his welfare, but you really shouldn't be hanging around watching over him.
I'm not a freak.
I just can't stand by and do nothing.
At least we got those bullies off the playground.
Brady Oaks and Rex Crandall were suspended.
I know, but they're gonna be back in school on Friday and something terrible is goin' to happen.
On Friday? How do you know what's going to happen on Friday? That's a little hard to explain.
Heather, I'm only in town for a short while.
I leave early Friday afternoon.
I need to talk to you about Quinn.
Could you Would you have dinner with me tonight? (Quinn) Quinn sees his genius as a curse.
He'd much rather be known as an athlete than a brain.
But skipping two grades has made him smaller and slower than his classmates.
But he's so gifted.
It's a blessing, not a curse.
Ah, and one day he'll realize that, believe me.
But even then, he'll practice all his science in his basement.
Work he does alone in his fortress of solitude.
You know, you keep talking about what he will do.
How can you possibly know? Educated guesses.
And you can't be there to protect him every minute, Heather.
And something tragic's going to happen unless I can help him through this.
Well, that's up to Mrs.
Mallory, not me.
Yeah, I'm I'm going to stop by and see her later tonight.
Why so much interest in Quinn? I can identify with him, that's all.
Does that mean that you went through something like this when you were Quinn's age? You could say that, yeah.
I bet all the guys feed you that famous line: "Teachers never looked like you when they went to school.
" Yeah.
It's right behind, "What's your sign?" Don't tell me that's what you were going to say.
L I can't.
My favorite teacher looked exactly like you.
I was Quinn's age and, man, I had a crush on her.
Intense.
Of course, I knew it was impossible, but I couldn't help myself.
Crazy, huh? Yeah, maybe.
But not to you.
Not at the time.
Love's funny that way.
Sometimes it has no boundaries.
(Quinn) No, seriously, um, when I'm gone, could you keep an eye on Quinn? Just kind of look out for him a little, this is an especially rough time and he's gonna need a friend.
Somebody he can trust and open up to.
[Sighs.]
You know, I've never met anybody who speaks about the future with such certainty.
I know what I know.
I can't explain how, but please believe me.
Of course, Jim.
Quinn can count on me.
Thank you, Miss Hanley.
Oh.
Thank you, Mr.
Hall.
[Music playing.]
How very salubrious.
This place really isn't your style, Professor.
What do you say we get a drink somewhere else? Yes, well, I'm surprised at you, judging a book by its cover.
I look around, I see a number of very congenial souls.
A little bit mangy perhaps, but [people chattering.]
Barkeeper, what ales do you have? Well, that depends on what ails you.
[Laughs.]
Ah, two lagers, a Black Velvet for my friend, and whatever for you, sir.
Thanks, pal.
Hi.
You're cool.
Well, I suppose I am.
So, what do they call you? They call me Maximillian, but you can call me Max, if you like.
Hmm, I like.
I'm Ambrosia.
You certainly are, ma'am.
[Chuckles.]
Would you like a drink, Ambrosia? I want a Skip-And-Go-Naked.
Fine, but why not have a drink first? [Chuckles.]
Skip-And-Go-Naked is a drink.
You're so spacey.
It's gonna be a long night.
And then they surrounded me.
If you had been there, you could've stopped it.
But without you, I'm helpless.
You know, when I was your age, I was picked on, too.
Really? You? I'd be afraid to close my eyes at night because I might wake up in the next instant and it'd be time to go to school.
Time to face the monsters again.
All day long, my stomach would be in knots.
Right.
That's how it is for me, too.
But you must've killed those guys.
They wouldn't mess with you.
I was a punching bag.
But I took it, time and again and it just got worse and worse.
Quinn, I'm going to be leaving soon.
No.
You can't go.
I have to.
I don't have a choice.
What's more important is that Rex and Brady will be back and this time you'll have to be prepared.
But what can I do? Without you, what can I do? Learn to defend yourself.
Jim, may I speak with you a moment? My husband was a man of peace.
He would never approve of teaching Quinn to fight.
There has to be another way.
There is.
And it's worse than you can imagine.
I'm asking you to trust me.
I know what he's going through.
I care about Quinn, and I would never let anything hurt him.
I do trust you.
I can't explain it, but there's this connection between you and what's left of this family.
Then let me help him.
Make your punches count, Quinn.
Don't just throw wildly.
Come on, concentrate on what you're doing.
Take aim.
That's it, let it go.
Let it all go.
He wouldn't help me.
I asked him to come to school and get 'em off my back.
He wouldn't.
He said I had to deal with it.
Then he said he'd help me.
He didn't.
He lied! I screamed at him.
I told him I hated him.
My dad died thinking I hated him.
No.
He knew how much you loved him, and he loved you with all of his heart.
And what happened to your father was an accident.
It wasn't your mother's fault and it wasn't yours.
Deep down, you might even blame him for leaving you, and that's what hurts most of all.
So you gotta fight those feelings.
(Arturo) "Love's not Time's fool, "though rosy lips and cheeks within his bending sickle's compass come "Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, "But bears it out ev'n to the edge of doom.
[Loud grunting.]
If this be error" Will you just shut the hell up? Those words, all those syllables It's like it's like being back at school! Well, at least that implies that you did go to school.
This is good.
Are you hanging with this loser, Ambrosia? Is this Neanderthal belonging to you, Ambrosia? Hey, I'm talkin' to her! But you're looking at me.
Are you confused? First you kill my ears, and now you're sniffin' around my woman.
I'm gonna have to mess you up good, old dude.
Come on, man, there's no need for violence.
We can sort this out like rational men.
How about a drink? Look, Bull, you leave him alone, okay? You don't own me.
Shut up.
I despise men who hit women! Look what you did! Somebody call the cops! (Rembrandt) Let's go, Professor.
I'm not looking to spend my last night here in jail.
(Ambrosia) You big bully! (young Quinn) My dad used to take me stargazing.
He bought me a telescope for my eighth birthday.
We used to go to a mountaintop.
He taught me where to find Orion's Belt, Altair, and Ursa Major.
Did you know we're all made from stardust? You, me, your father.
All of us.
Our atoms were formed in the stars.
Not the stars you can see now.
No.
The older ones.
The ones that went nova and turned into dust.
Think about it, Quinn.
Our bodies are made from remnants of ancient suns.
Wow.
For real? For real.
Of course, you can't look to the heavens and actually see your dad, but one day his physical essence will blow into space, yours and mine, too.
And together, we'll make new stars.
Tell me that isn't cool.
(Quinn) That's it.
Step into your left.
You ready? One, two [kids chattering.]
Put your weight into it.
Come on, hit me harder.
Hey, there's your friends.
All right! That's what I'm talking about.
Why don't you go get some water? Okay.
This is what you're teachin' him? This is what you've been spending your time doing, teaching a little boy how to bash somebody's head in? He's gotta face those boys today.
They'll be waiting for him in the playground after school.
I'm gonna give that kid everything I've got until then, and you're not going to stop me.
Look, maybe it isn't such a hot idea.
I mean, the kid could get hurt.
You weren't there You didn't see what happened.
So what? A dozen years ago, you got beat up by some bullies.
And now you're using this poor little kid to get revenge for what happened to you.
Oh, come on, Rembrandt.
We've got to find a bungee cord for the other lunatic we slide with.
If bungee-cord jumping hasn't been invented in this world, then it's just about to be.
So why shouldn't I be first? I don't know which of you is crazier.
It's gotta be something in the air.
Don't start on me now.
I heard all the arguments.
I'm doin' what has to be done.
For the boy or for you? I think you're a little confused, Professor.
This already happened to me, and it scarred me for life.
I never got over what happened on that playground.
And you've been angry all your life because you thought you went through it alone.
There's more to it than that.
You're angry now.
You're angry at me because I'm going to die, and I'm going to leave you all alone.
That's all right.
Just don't deny it the way you tried to deny the death of your father.
It's must've been very hard being that little boy.
All that happening at school and then having to go home and try to be the big man of the house.
I know exactly how Quinn feels.
I felt the same way.
I never cried.
I always pushed forward, stuffing my feelings down, trying to get through it any way I could.
You know, forget what I said about not intervening in the lives that we encounter.
By teaching this boy to box, you you teach him to heal.
No matter what happens, you will have been a positive force for good in his life.
And your dad will be very proud of you.
[Rembrandt grunting.]
Are you sure that you want to do this? I mean, really sure? Absolutely, Mr.
Brown.
I want to fall free and then soar like a bird.
[Wind whistling.]
[Breathing deeply.]
(Arturo) Looks a lot more than 100 feet.
Still, better to live one day as a lion than a thousand as a lamb.
(Rembrandt) I guess that's why there's so many lambs and so few lions.
Carpe diem, Mr.
Brown.
Carpe diem! [Laughing.]
(Arturo) Incredible! Now haul me up, Mr.
Brown, and let me do it again.
How do we get him up? (Arturo) Wonderful! You don't know? [Birds chirping.]
All right, it's started.
A bat? You gave him a bat? Watch.
He didn't do it.
Oh, thank God, he didn't do it.
Brain boy is gonna hurt me.
Ooh, I'm so scared.
(Rembrandt) Check it out.
The little dude doesn't need a bat.
Anybody else wanna go? On our world, I did hit Brady with the bat.
I busted his knee.
Broke the bone in four places.
He walked with a limp for the rest of his life.
You trained your double so he wouldn't strike out like you did.
By teaching him how to defend himself, I was hoping he wouldn't feel the need to act out of desperation.
And he could trust his hands instead of a weapon.
Hey.
I just wish you could stay.
Just remember, I'm always with you, Quinn.
Right there.
And I'm proud of you.
Will you be coming back this way one day? I don't think so.
You know, I never asked who you are.
I mean, who you really are.
[Car engine starting.]
I think Quinn's going to be okay now.
He earned the respect of his peers by standing up to the worst terror on the playground.
You know, the kids are all talking about what he did.
He's a real hero now to a lot of them.
[Sighs.]
But, you know, I'll look after him, just in case.
Until you come back.
Heather, I won't be coming back.
I can't explain it.
That's just the way it is.
But I thought I don't understand.
I know you don't, and I'm sorry.
I wish I could change the way things are, but it's beyond my control.
I'll always remember you, Heather.
Five seconds.
[Vortex shooting.]
[Whooshing.]
[Whooshing.]
[Whooshing.]
Jim.
Jim, wait! [Vortex swirling.]
(Quinn) My name isn't Jim.
It's Quinn.
[Whooshing.]
[Vortex disappears.]
(Quinn) Professor, are you all right? Mr.
Mallory.
Ah, you gave me quite a start.
I picked up your voice mail at the hotel by mistake.
There was a message from your doctor reminding you about your scan this morning.
You had no right, Mr.
Mallory.
Neither do you.
[Breathing heavily.]
Tell me.
I have a terminal illness.
Incurable, inoperable, untreatable.
There must be something they can do.
How long? A month.
Maybe a year.
Are you in pain? Surprisingly little, actually.
I have read the literature, and the end is inevitably cruel and quite without dignity.
So, uh, since I refuse to be the object of pity, l I think it is time that we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.
I want you to remember your old prof with a smile and not with a tear.
Professor, we are all leaving this world in less than an hour.
Mr.
Mallory, I've thought about this a great deal, and I think what I would choose to do with my time remaining is to to travel a little, perhaps have an adventure, and live every second of my life remaining to the fullest.
Well, then come with us.
What greater adventure than sliding? Trust me, Mr.
Mallory, this is for the best.
Give my farewells to the others.
Fine.
Go, then.
Go on.
We'll do fine without you.
Walk out on me.
Go! Professor, we need you.
Damn you, boy.
I'd sooner Mr.
Brown and Miss Wells did not know about this.
Then it'll stay between us.
We've gotta hurry, Professor.
It's almost time to slide.
[Whooshing.]
Well, that was an extraordinary slide.
Maybe it's something to do with the gravitational pull on this world.
Look.
(Wade) This is the first time we've slid back into San Francisco since Logan St.
Clair messed with the timer.
Yeah, but there's something different about this place.
I can't put my finger on it.
Look at the clothes.
(Rembrandt) Yeah, and they really take care of their cars.
Check that one out.
Showroom condition.
What is that, an '84? I know this area, and I know what's wrong.
On our world, it was all destroyed in the earthquake of '89.
(Rembrandt) Looks like 1980 everywhere.
What's the matter? [Tram bells ringing.]
(minister) Praise thy name forever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised and his greatness is unsearchable.
Do you know these people? It's my father's funeral.
The woman's my mother.
And the boy is me.
(Quinn) What if you found a portal to a parallel universe? What if you could slide into a thousand different worlds, where it's the same year, and you're the same person, but everything else is different? And what if you can't find your way home? (voice) Sliders.
[Bell tolling.]
[People chattering.]
(Wade) Poor Quinn.
He's having to go through the pain of losing his father all over again.
Yes, I'm not sure this is a very good idea.
The past should be remembered, not relived.
(woman) Are you a friend of the family? Kind of.
I'm Quinn's homeroom teacher.
I don't really know the family, but I wanted Quinn to know that I care.
Heather Hanley.
Jim Hall, Miss Hanley.
You sound like one of my students.
Please call me Heather.
Hey.
You okay? Yeah.
Thanks.
Guys, I'm lost.
Now, you said we couldn't travel back in time, right? Just parallel worlds.
So why are we here in '84? No, it is actually 1996.
What we're doing is proving Van Meer's theorem of straight relativistic time dilation.
Oh, sure.
That explains it.
Herbert Van Meer was a Dutch astrophysicist who postulated the idea of a parallel Earth that was revolving around the sun in the same period of time, but spinning on its axis a little bit faster.
It is 1996, but from our perspective events are occurring as if it was 12 years ago.
So, bottom line, we have gone back in time.
As you wish, Mr.
Brown.
I need some time by myself.
I'll hook up with you guys later.
Oh, Quinn, wait.
[Stuttering.]
Remember that, uh, that great pizza place over on Post that burned down a couple of years ago? I bet it's still open.
Doggy bag me a couple of slices.
There's somethin' I gotta do.
(Mrs.
Mallory) Quinn.
Quinn.
Come up and eat something, sweetheart.
Are they all gone? Please come upstairs.
I'm not done with this.
[Blows.]
I'll fix a plate and bring it down.
You can show me what you're doing.
[Sighs.]
I'm taking Bopper for a walk.
Bopper.
Bopper.
You left the gate open! He's gone! Bopper's gone! We'll find him.
We always do.
It's your fault! It's all your fault! Quinn, I'll help you look for him! No.
Just leave me alone! [Rembrandt laughing.]
I cannot believe that you rented a luxury car like this.
Ahh, this is a cruise down memory lane, Mr.
Brown.
When I wore a younger man's clothes, I owned a car like this.
Now, they were happy days.
Oh, relax, Professor.
We've been listening to your music all day.
Loosen up.
Live a little.
Yeah, you're stuck in a rut, Professor.
My mother always said the only difference between a rut and the grave is a few inches.
Right.
Brilliant! (Rembrandt) Oh! [Car accelerating.]
[Arturo laughing.]
[Whimpering.]
Oh.
Oh, my God.
My God, you found him.
On top of everything else that's happened, this was really too much.
Yeah.
Bopper was all mixed up.
Six blocks away and moving in the wrong direction when I spotted him.
How did you know his name was Bopper? A neighbor saw me with him.
Tall lady, red hair, thick glasses.
Mrs.
Vanderbecken.
I've seen you before, haven't I? At Michael's funeral.
Yes, I was a friend of your husband's.
My name is Jim Hall.
We used to play chess together in the park during our lunch hours.
Please, come inside.
[Birds chirping.]
He told me so much about his family.
I feel as if I know you already.
Returning our dog was so kind of you, Jim.
When I was Quinn's age, I lost a dog myself.
He ran away and never came home.
So returning Bopper to this house was my pleasure.
I was hoping I could say hello to Quinn.
He's out looking for Bopper.
I hope he'll get over being mad at me when he sees the dog safely home.
He's been angry at me ever since Michael was killed.
I just can't seem to do anything right.
He's mad at the whole world.
He dumps on you because he knows you'll love him, no matter what.
Give him time.
I should be going.
You've had a long day.
Perhaps you can come by another day.
I'm sure Quinn will want to thank you.
Maybe I'll do that.
Goodbye, and please accept my condolences.
Thank you.
(Rembrandt) Of course.
[Rembrandt laughs.]
Hey.
Hey, Q-Ball.
So, is the pizza at Acovone's still any good? Try it for yourself.
It's better when it's hot.
The grease has congealed a little.
Heh, heh.
(Quinn) I'm tellin' you, you can't beat this sausage on any world we've been to.
I have just seen my very first American football game.
(Arturo) It was fantastic.
There was this fellow, Joe Montana.
He marshals his squad like a general.
Teams, Professor.
They're called teams, not squads.
[Chuckles.]
It was awesome, Q-Ball.
In spite of the fact that I knew the final score even before the game began, just to see Joe in action again Awesome, man.
I mean, awesome! [Rembrandt chuckles.]
So, did you talk to yourself? To little Quinn.
Not yet.
Did see my mom, though.
I'd forgotten how rough it was for us right after my dad died.
Today, I really saw the pain she's going through.
She's got nobody to be there for her.
I wish she had someone to talk to.
Someone.
Not you.
We can't allow ourselves to interfere with these lives.
The timing of our sliding onto to this world is more than coincidence.
I'm here for a reason, Professor.
Something's about to happen to young Quinn and the incident's going to occur in the schoolyard on the day we slide.
But it's not going to happen here.
Not the same way.
I won't allow it.
Quinn, l I think that you just need to take a step back.
Let us all discuss this.
Wade, don't try and talk me out of this.
I know what I'm doin'.
I'm sorry.
So, how did you guys talk the Professor into going to a football game? [Chuckles.]
That was the weird part.
It was his idea.
When he said he wanted to do something extraordinary, we thought he was talkin' about museums or art galleries, huh? (Arturo) I've been to thousands of those.
I've never been to a football game.
And it's all due to that remarkable woman, Mr.
Brown's mother.
Mama.
Rembrandt's mom.
[Rembrandt chuckles.]
[School bell ringing.]
[Kids chattering.]
Whoa.
Nice move, queer.
The name's Quinn.
Heard about your dad.
Heard he blew his brains out in your bedroom.
That's a lie.
He was he was hit by a car.
Yeah, and I was driving.
Splattered him good.
[Kids shouting.]
You think you're so smart, Mallory.
You think you're better than us, don't you? I'm gonna put a dent in that special brain of yours.
That's not very smart, Rex.
Even for you.
I understand you, Rex.
I know your secret.
You're dyslexic, and you lash out because you can't read.
Brady Oaks, one day you'll be a born-again and you'll regret all the cruel things you've done! Find God now, son! Don't wait! [Singing.]
We found a stray in the hallway.
Yes, I believe that he's looking for you, Mr.
, um Hey, Quinn.
You should be home.
Mom Your mom will be worried.
Are you the guy that found my dog? You are, aren't you? We should get you home before your mother puts an APB with the San Francisco Police Department out on you.
Your name's Jim.
Mom told me.
You guys should've seen how he stood up for me at school.
It was so cool.
We'll, uh, see you guys later.
Oh, uh, Jim, before you go, a word.
You must not get involved like this.
I'm a big boy, Professor.
I know what I'm doin'.
Mom? (Mrs.
Mallory) In here.
Jim's here, Mom.
Oh, Mr.
Hall, what a nice surprise.
I decided to take you up on your offer to meet Quinn.
We kind of ran into each other.
Mr.
Hall, this is Actually, we met at the service yesterday.
What are you doing here, Miss Hanley? She's been telling me about the fight today.
Are you all right, Quinn? It was no big deal.
It certainly is a big deal.
I won't have you bullied.
I'm calling those boys' mothers and No, you can't do that! I'll handle it.
(Mrs.
Mallory) It's my responsibility.
You can't be fighting with No! It's up to me.
Dad said.
Just stay out of it.
[Birds chirping.]
She's just trying to do what she thinks is right, Quinn.
She's hurting, too.
She misses your dad just as much as you do.
Just leave me alone.
You don't know anything about me.
I know that you were skipped two grades.
I know that you're younger and smaller than the other kids, that you have no friends, no one you can trust or rely on, and that those bullies are making your life a living hell.
But together we can change things.
Poor Quinn's in a lot of pain.
The last thing he needs is to be terrorized by bullies.
You know, if he won't let his mother intervene, maybe I can.
The only person who can protect Quinn is Quinn, and they'll keep coming after him until he stands up to them.
You heard what Mrs.
Mallory said about fighting back.
And besides, I'm afraid he wouldn't stand a chance.
Fighting back is his only chance.
You know what, Q-Ball? I agree with you, man.
Little Quinn keeps on taking it, he's gonna keep on getting it.
I had to deal with it more than once in my life as a kid, you know.
That's great.
Teach a child that the way to solve his problems is through violence.
Look, Quinn, I know you're trying to help this kid, but everything happens for a reason, even if we don't understand.
You sure you won't change your mind and come to the opera with us? I don't have a tux.
You can have mine.
[Wade laughing.]
I thought you wanted to try new things.
How many times have you seen this opera? Your generation thinks nothing of seeing Indiana Jones 13 times.
Well, I happen to feel the same about Mozart.
(Arturo) Now, get a move on, children.
The curtain's up in half an hour.
[Whispering.]
What is with him? I've never seen him act like this.
He's so happy.
He's actually fun to be with.
He's talking about taking it one day at a time.
That life is the performance, not the rehearsal.
Think he might be stressed out? I think he's just tired of being the adult all the time.
Ha.
[School bell ringing.]
[Children chattering.]
How was the opera? Fantastic.
Wade and Rembrandt had a wonderful time.
Glad to hear it.
What are you doing here? Oh, I'm here to talk some sense into you.
This business with your double must stop, and it must stop now.
Quinn, listen.
By using your knowledge to alter events in his life, you may be changing his future.
That's the idea, Professor.
Change his immediate future to spare him from the humiliation and pain I went through.
All right, you see that pack of rats moving toward me? There were three fights.
One yesterday, I stopped it.
One today, I'm gonna stop it.
And one on Friday.
The bad one.
Quinn, I know this is tough on you, but you must not interfere.
Without this experience, this boy may never reach his full potential.
He may never become a man like you.
Fight! [Kids clamoring.]
I gotta stop this.
No, Quinn.
No.
No.
No.
(Arturo) Listen.
(Quinn) Professor, let me go.
Think about it, Quinn! Professor, get off me! Quinn, think.
Think.
Think.
You owe it to the Quinn of this world.
No! (Arturo) Use your head.
(Quinn) No! Quinn.
[Kids continue clamoring.]
Is that enough, Professor? Can I stop it now? You tell me.
How did it end when you were a boy? It was stopped by Miss Hanley, my homeroom teacher.
You saw her at the funeral.
(Quinn) This is so bizarre.
Quinn? Quinn, are you okay? (Quinn) It's like looking back in time.
[Kids chattering.]
You can look, Mr.
Mallory, but don't touch.
Heather.
Jim.
Thanks for helpin' out Quinn.
That was getting pretty ugly.
Look, I appreciate your concern for his welfare, but you really shouldn't be hanging around watching over him.
I'm not a freak.
I just can't stand by and do nothing.
At least we got those bullies off the playground.
Brady Oaks and Rex Crandall were suspended.
I know, but they're gonna be back in school on Friday and something terrible is goin' to happen.
On Friday? How do you know what's going to happen on Friday? That's a little hard to explain.
Heather, I'm only in town for a short while.
I leave early Friday afternoon.
I need to talk to you about Quinn.
Could you Would you have dinner with me tonight? (Quinn) Quinn sees his genius as a curse.
He'd much rather be known as an athlete than a brain.
But skipping two grades has made him smaller and slower than his classmates.
But he's so gifted.
It's a blessing, not a curse.
Ah, and one day he'll realize that, believe me.
But even then, he'll practice all his science in his basement.
Work he does alone in his fortress of solitude.
You know, you keep talking about what he will do.
How can you possibly know? Educated guesses.
And you can't be there to protect him every minute, Heather.
And something tragic's going to happen unless I can help him through this.
Well, that's up to Mrs.
Mallory, not me.
Yeah, I'm I'm going to stop by and see her later tonight.
Why so much interest in Quinn? I can identify with him, that's all.
Does that mean that you went through something like this when you were Quinn's age? You could say that, yeah.
I bet all the guys feed you that famous line: "Teachers never looked like you when they went to school.
" Yeah.
It's right behind, "What's your sign?" Don't tell me that's what you were going to say.
L I can't.
My favorite teacher looked exactly like you.
I was Quinn's age and, man, I had a crush on her.
Intense.
Of course, I knew it was impossible, but I couldn't help myself.
Crazy, huh? Yeah, maybe.
But not to you.
Not at the time.
Love's funny that way.
Sometimes it has no boundaries.
(Quinn) No, seriously, um, when I'm gone, could you keep an eye on Quinn? Just kind of look out for him a little, this is an especially rough time and he's gonna need a friend.
Somebody he can trust and open up to.
[Sighs.]
You know, I've never met anybody who speaks about the future with such certainty.
I know what I know.
I can't explain how, but please believe me.
Of course, Jim.
Quinn can count on me.
Thank you, Miss Hanley.
Oh.
Thank you, Mr.
Hall.
[Music playing.]
How very salubrious.
This place really isn't your style, Professor.
What do you say we get a drink somewhere else? Yes, well, I'm surprised at you, judging a book by its cover.
I look around, I see a number of very congenial souls.
A little bit mangy perhaps, but [people chattering.]
Barkeeper, what ales do you have? Well, that depends on what ails you.
[Laughs.]
Ah, two lagers, a Black Velvet for my friend, and whatever for you, sir.
Thanks, pal.
Hi.
You're cool.
Well, I suppose I am.
So, what do they call you? They call me Maximillian, but you can call me Max, if you like.
Hmm, I like.
I'm Ambrosia.
You certainly are, ma'am.
[Chuckles.]
Would you like a drink, Ambrosia? I want a Skip-And-Go-Naked.
Fine, but why not have a drink first? [Chuckles.]
Skip-And-Go-Naked is a drink.
You're so spacey.
It's gonna be a long night.
And then they surrounded me.
If you had been there, you could've stopped it.
But without you, I'm helpless.
You know, when I was your age, I was picked on, too.
Really? You? I'd be afraid to close my eyes at night because I might wake up in the next instant and it'd be time to go to school.
Time to face the monsters again.
All day long, my stomach would be in knots.
Right.
That's how it is for me, too.
But you must've killed those guys.
They wouldn't mess with you.
I was a punching bag.
But I took it, time and again and it just got worse and worse.
Quinn, I'm going to be leaving soon.
No.
You can't go.
I have to.
I don't have a choice.
What's more important is that Rex and Brady will be back and this time you'll have to be prepared.
But what can I do? Without you, what can I do? Learn to defend yourself.
Jim, may I speak with you a moment? My husband was a man of peace.
He would never approve of teaching Quinn to fight.
There has to be another way.
There is.
And it's worse than you can imagine.
I'm asking you to trust me.
I know what he's going through.
I care about Quinn, and I would never let anything hurt him.
I do trust you.
I can't explain it, but there's this connection between you and what's left of this family.
Then let me help him.
Make your punches count, Quinn.
Don't just throw wildly.
Come on, concentrate on what you're doing.
Take aim.
That's it, let it go.
Let it all go.
He wouldn't help me.
I asked him to come to school and get 'em off my back.
He wouldn't.
He said I had to deal with it.
Then he said he'd help me.
He didn't.
He lied! I screamed at him.
I told him I hated him.
My dad died thinking I hated him.
No.
He knew how much you loved him, and he loved you with all of his heart.
And what happened to your father was an accident.
It wasn't your mother's fault and it wasn't yours.
Deep down, you might even blame him for leaving you, and that's what hurts most of all.
So you gotta fight those feelings.
(Arturo) "Love's not Time's fool, "though rosy lips and cheeks within his bending sickle's compass come "Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, "But bears it out ev'n to the edge of doom.
[Loud grunting.]
If this be error" Will you just shut the hell up? Those words, all those syllables It's like it's like being back at school! Well, at least that implies that you did go to school.
This is good.
Are you hanging with this loser, Ambrosia? Is this Neanderthal belonging to you, Ambrosia? Hey, I'm talkin' to her! But you're looking at me.
Are you confused? First you kill my ears, and now you're sniffin' around my woman.
I'm gonna have to mess you up good, old dude.
Come on, man, there's no need for violence.
We can sort this out like rational men.
How about a drink? Look, Bull, you leave him alone, okay? You don't own me.
Shut up.
I despise men who hit women! Look what you did! Somebody call the cops! (Rembrandt) Let's go, Professor.
I'm not looking to spend my last night here in jail.
(Ambrosia) You big bully! (young Quinn) My dad used to take me stargazing.
He bought me a telescope for my eighth birthday.
We used to go to a mountaintop.
He taught me where to find Orion's Belt, Altair, and Ursa Major.
Did you know we're all made from stardust? You, me, your father.
All of us.
Our atoms were formed in the stars.
Not the stars you can see now.
No.
The older ones.
The ones that went nova and turned into dust.
Think about it, Quinn.
Our bodies are made from remnants of ancient suns.
Wow.
For real? For real.
Of course, you can't look to the heavens and actually see your dad, but one day his physical essence will blow into space, yours and mine, too.
And together, we'll make new stars.
Tell me that isn't cool.
(Quinn) That's it.
Step into your left.
You ready? One, two [kids chattering.]
Put your weight into it.
Come on, hit me harder.
Hey, there's your friends.
All right! That's what I'm talking about.
Why don't you go get some water? Okay.
This is what you're teachin' him? This is what you've been spending your time doing, teaching a little boy how to bash somebody's head in? He's gotta face those boys today.
They'll be waiting for him in the playground after school.
I'm gonna give that kid everything I've got until then, and you're not going to stop me.
Look, maybe it isn't such a hot idea.
I mean, the kid could get hurt.
You weren't there You didn't see what happened.
So what? A dozen years ago, you got beat up by some bullies.
And now you're using this poor little kid to get revenge for what happened to you.
Oh, come on, Rembrandt.
We've got to find a bungee cord for the other lunatic we slide with.
If bungee-cord jumping hasn't been invented in this world, then it's just about to be.
So why shouldn't I be first? I don't know which of you is crazier.
It's gotta be something in the air.
Don't start on me now.
I heard all the arguments.
I'm doin' what has to be done.
For the boy or for you? I think you're a little confused, Professor.
This already happened to me, and it scarred me for life.
I never got over what happened on that playground.
And you've been angry all your life because you thought you went through it alone.
There's more to it than that.
You're angry now.
You're angry at me because I'm going to die, and I'm going to leave you all alone.
That's all right.
Just don't deny it the way you tried to deny the death of your father.
It's must've been very hard being that little boy.
All that happening at school and then having to go home and try to be the big man of the house.
I know exactly how Quinn feels.
I felt the same way.
I never cried.
I always pushed forward, stuffing my feelings down, trying to get through it any way I could.
You know, forget what I said about not intervening in the lives that we encounter.
By teaching this boy to box, you you teach him to heal.
No matter what happens, you will have been a positive force for good in his life.
And your dad will be very proud of you.
[Rembrandt grunting.]
Are you sure that you want to do this? I mean, really sure? Absolutely, Mr.
Brown.
I want to fall free and then soar like a bird.
[Wind whistling.]
[Breathing deeply.]
(Arturo) Looks a lot more than 100 feet.
Still, better to live one day as a lion than a thousand as a lamb.
(Rembrandt) I guess that's why there's so many lambs and so few lions.
Carpe diem, Mr.
Brown.
Carpe diem! [Laughing.]
(Arturo) Incredible! Now haul me up, Mr.
Brown, and let me do it again.
How do we get him up? (Arturo) Wonderful! You don't know? [Birds chirping.]
All right, it's started.
A bat? You gave him a bat? Watch.
He didn't do it.
Oh, thank God, he didn't do it.
Brain boy is gonna hurt me.
Ooh, I'm so scared.
(Rembrandt) Check it out.
The little dude doesn't need a bat.
Anybody else wanna go? On our world, I did hit Brady with the bat.
I busted his knee.
Broke the bone in four places.
He walked with a limp for the rest of his life.
You trained your double so he wouldn't strike out like you did.
By teaching him how to defend himself, I was hoping he wouldn't feel the need to act out of desperation.
And he could trust his hands instead of a weapon.
Hey.
I just wish you could stay.
Just remember, I'm always with you, Quinn.
Right there.
And I'm proud of you.
Will you be coming back this way one day? I don't think so.
You know, I never asked who you are.
I mean, who you really are.
[Car engine starting.]
I think Quinn's going to be okay now.
He earned the respect of his peers by standing up to the worst terror on the playground.
You know, the kids are all talking about what he did.
He's a real hero now to a lot of them.
[Sighs.]
But, you know, I'll look after him, just in case.
Until you come back.
Heather, I won't be coming back.
I can't explain it.
That's just the way it is.
But I thought I don't understand.
I know you don't, and I'm sorry.
I wish I could change the way things are, but it's beyond my control.
I'll always remember you, Heather.
Five seconds.
[Vortex shooting.]
[Whooshing.]
[Whooshing.]
[Whooshing.]
Jim.
Jim, wait! [Vortex swirling.]
(Quinn) My name isn't Jim.
It's Quinn.
[Whooshing.]
[Vortex disappears.]