Sliders s03e17 Episode Script

(Professor) Last week on Sliders Pulsar Trajectory 86.
It would put the pulsar in a position to irradiate part of the Earth.
Every living thing on this planet will be dead before we're due to slide.
I have just spoken to the President.
(Rickman) He wants us to start to prepare to transport people to a parallel world.
You and I are gonna scout them.
So, how do you like sliding so far? Oh, my God.
[Whooshing.]
(Quinn) It's my house.
I'm really home.
Oh.
Are you all right? Hey! I got to get her out of here.
(Mrs.
Mallory) What? Quinn? [Monitor beeping.]
(ham operator) The last time I went out to look, there were bodies everywhere.
I don't know if anyone's out there to hear this, but my name is Matthew Humphries and I live in Delaware.
Not anymore, you don't.
[Whooshing.]
Maggie! What happened? I found Earth Prime.
Something in the air caused this reaction.
Get her to the infirmary.
Now.
Jensen's timer has our home coordinates in its memory.
We can go home.
(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.
(Jensen) What the hell happened? Something in the atmosphere, some chemical, I don't know what, but she started coughing and she couldn't breathe.
You never told me she could die.
This has never happened to any of us before.
Your lungs must be different than ours.
I suppose I should thank you.
You know what? Don't get all weepy-eyed about it.
Mallory, I've seen the way you two look at each other.
I don't like it.
You got a problem, you talk to your wife.
'Cause as far as I'm concerned, she's just someone that I have to put up with.
I don't believe that.
And I don't think you believe it.
[Monitors beeping.]
Dr.
Jensen, y-your wife wants to see you.
Is she all right? The flight surgeon says she'll be fully recovered in a few hours.
He, uh, also said that if Mr.
Mallory had taken any longer getting her back, she'd be dead.
Tell me it's true.
Earth Prime.
The coordinates are right here.
[Both laughing.]
(Rembrandt) Oh, I can't believe we're finally goin' home.
The Professor said you saw your mom.
Is she gonna call my folks? Yeah, Artie.
Look, she's got to tell Artie.
Look, he's got to get me bookings or I'm getting a new agent.
(Quinn) I didn't have time to ask her to call anyone.
Maggie got sick right away.
Oh, listen, no long faces.
We're gonna be home.
We're gonna see our loved ones in a few days.
And what a homecoming it's gonna be.
Hey, look, why wait? Why can't we just go now? Yeah.
What about the lives we promised to save? Look, we've already done more than anybody else would have.
Professor gave them the new chip they needed to slide.
Let's let them find their own world.
Even if I could transfer our home coordinates into our timer, which I still can't, our timer hit zero after the pulsars hit.
So we have to slide with them if we want to survive.
No, no, no, no, not if we use their timer and go now.
[Exhales.]
Look, guys, look, there are catacombs under this base.
Now, a lot of them could survive down there and use our timer to slide after it hits zero.
That's not the deal I made with them.
[Exclaiming.]
So this is about them? Man, what about us? Remmy, Remmy.
We'll make the transfer, and we'll get home just as soon as we finish helping them, okay? No, no.
It's not okay.
[Wade stammering.]
Look, Quinn, the pulsars will be here in less than eight hours.
Look, the longer we're here, the more of a chance that that something is gonna go wrong.
Wade, I'm not turning my back on these people.
So stay if you're so all fired up to help them.
But Wade and I will go home now.
What about your little buddy, Malcolm? We'll take him with us.
Remmy, he'll die on our world.
He'll have a lot better chance at a hospital on our world than he will here.
They they can put him in one of those bubbles or something.
We're not leaving.
Wait a minute.
Who the hell put you in charge? You're the reason why we're in this mess.
It's all because of you that we've been taken away from everything that we knew and everybody that we loved.
Or have you forgotten that? You never let me.
Well, it seems like it has slipped your mind now.
Doggone it! I mean, what it comes down to, is that we mean less to you than a bunch of strangers.
That's not true.
Look, just give me the timer.
No.
No.
Give me the timer.
[Rembrandt grunts.]
Remmy.
No! That's enough.
I am sick of you acting like god.
You're just a guy who screwed up and stuck us with the bill.
The hell with you.
Remmy, wait.
The hell with you! Please! Sometimes you can be such a bastard.
Don't worry.
It'll all sort itself out in a few days when we're home.
You're assuming that I care.
I know I'm not supposed to be scared.
My dad would want me to be a man.
But I don't want to die.
[Shushing.]
You're not gonna die.
But the TV said There is a way to go to another world.
A nicer place where you'll be safe.
But it's a secret, and you have to promise to trust me and not tell anybody, okay? I promise.
Can my parents come? I don't know if they're taking coma patients, Malcolm.
But I'll I'll see what I can do, okay? (priest) Congregation, please turn with me in your prayer books to page 347.
(priest) "Lord, in your wisdom, "you have decreed the destruction of Earth that you created.
[Woman sobbing.]
"It has been a long time coming "and you have given us ample warning.
"The day of rapture is upon us.
"Please welcome us into your holy house.
"We shall soon stand naked before you and ask forgiveness.
"For we have sinned against you and our fellow man.
"Take mercy upon us, Lord, as we cannot defend our sins.
We beseech you to hear our prayers.
" Amen.
[Sighs.]
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on there.
I don't need any help.
Whatever you say.
Does your husband know you're walking around? There's too much going on for me to stay in bed, but thanks for your concern.
Let me ask you something.
What did I ever do to you besides save your life? You expect me to say thanks? You jeopardized the mission, Mallory.
You could have been arrested, the timer confiscated.
You should have just left me here.
I'll remember that next time.
Good.
Because I assure you, if the situation were ever reversed, I'd leave you in a heartbeat.
[Hissing.]
[Lock clicking.]
What is it? Sir, there's a crowd gathering at the south gate.
They think we have a fallout shelter on the base.
Like they have in Washington for the VIP's.
[People yelling.]
I wish we had.
(sergeant) Colonel Rickman, are you watching this? Yes, Sergeant, I'm watching it.
[People continue shouting.]
No one is to be allowed onto this base.
Shoot to kill.
(soldier) They're breaking through! [Yelling continues.]
God forgive me.
Fire at will! [Guns firing.]
[People screaming.]
[Gunfire continues.]
(Rembrandt) Don't you understand, the boy was standing there with tears in his eyes, Wade.
What else was I supposed to do? I can't believe you told him that.
You had no right to lay that off on me.
It's just one more name.
It's more than that.
If Malcolm goes on the list, that means someone comes off.
You have no idea what it's like knowing that each name you erase from that screen means that that person dies.
You know, all you think about is saving one life.
All I'm thinking about are the people that I'm not.
Wade.
Look, I understand.
But I don't know those people.
I do know this boy.
Remmy, Rickman has made it a lot harder to get on the list.
L-l-lt's not just blood type anymore.
He's got me screening people for specific DNA, specific brain chemistry.
I don't care what you have to do, Wade.
But you got to get Malcolm's name on that list.
You're the only hope I got left.
Please.
No promises.
But I'll try.
Yeah.
There's no reason for you to go, Maggie.
Mallory can handle this on his own.
With the two of us going, the odds are better that one of us will make it back.
Damn it, Maggie.
You need more time to recuperate.
We have no time.
Less than six hours before we have to be on a different world.
Please, Maggie.
Stay with me.
Steven, I'll be back.
I'll be with you at the end of this world or at the beginning of the next one.
The clock is running, people.
I got to go.
(Maggie) Let's do it.
Good luck, my boy.
[Electronic beeping.]
[Whooshing.]
Dr.
Jensen, have you the final numbers for the slide? Yes, but it's lower than I thought.
I can only guarantee safe passage for 140 people.
Are you certain? Maybe 10 more, but the strain on the vortex is dangerous enough.
I'd like to run those figures again.
No.
We stick with 140 and plan around it.
[Phone beeps.]
This is Colonel Rickman.
Establish a base-wide feed in 10 minutes.
[Phone clicking.]
What are you going to say to them? That we found a way off and everyone's going.
You're gonna lie to them to the very end? You want me to tell them they're all going to die? This is not gonna turn into the last days of Saigon.
We need to maintain order till the slide is complete.
Now, if you're so gung ho in saving more people, be assured no one's gonna stop you givin' up your place on the lifeboat.
(Rickman) I'm sure, by now, you all know about the pulsars, that more are coming.
Until a few moments ago, I, like the rest of you, thought that this was the end.
That we'd all die here.
But now we've found a way for us all to escape.
It's an interdimensional form of travel called sliding, which will allow us all to go to a new world.
We have only one chance to make this thing work, so my orders must be followed without question.
Anyone who disobeys threatens all of us and they will be executed immediately.
We've compiled a list of all base personnel.
Our computers will randomly divide us into two groups.
When it becomes time to leave this Earth, each group will leave separately.
At 2100 hours, everyone will move to the command buildings at the center of this base.
If you want to pray, now's the time to do it.
God help us all.
I don't care what Rickman said.
I'm running those figures again.
You're wasting your time.
I don't think so.
Not if I can save a single life.
[Crickets chirping.]
You want to take a break? No.
I'm fine.
We haven't taken a break in six worlds.
There's no review board here, Captain.
[Exhaling.]
Meaning what? You're always acting as if you're being graded.
If you're not a perfect soldier here, nobody's gonna be disappointed.
I'm a general's daughter, Mallory.
Yeah, it opened doors, but it also came with a price.
I've always had to prove myself.
Well, what do you know? There is a person in that uniform.
I don't have time for this.
This is the last world we have time to scout.
We better make sure it's the right one.
[Drums beating.]
Do you hear that? [People chanting.]
Sounds like we got neighbors.
[Drums continue beating.]
[All chanting.]
(Maggie) Oh, they look so primitive.
Do you think it's possible we've gone back in time? [Chanting continues.]
(Quinn) No, we don't time travel.
Some worlds just develop faster than others.
This one seems to be a few hundred thousand years behind us.
[Woman exclaiming.]
It looks like some kind of mating ritual.
I think it is.
It looks so fluid, so smooth.
Like each body is telling a separate story.
It looks like it has everything we need to survive.
But I'm not sure about the natives.
How long before the pulsars hit? Three hours.
Well, we have no choice then.
This is our new home.
[Exclaiming continues.]
How's it going? Slower than I thought.
But I'll get it done.
[Whooshing.]
Well? We found it.
Are you certain? It's not perfect, sir, but it's gonna have to do.
[Alarm buzzing.]
[People yelling.]
What is going on? There's been a security breach at the outer gates.
[All shouting.]
[Alarm continues buzzing.]
Establish a perimeter of the quad.
We've got to hold 'em back until it's time to leave.
Yes, sir.
I'll see you at the slide.
Maggie.
I love you.
How's our timer? I've been able to modify it, so you can track wormholes.
And our home coordinates? It's been taking me longer than I expected to download them.
[Electronic buzzing.]
The mob.
They must've reached the power substation.
They're gonna need help re-routing the power flow.
I'll be back as soon as I can.
Mr.
Mallory.
Gather up our companions, I think we should all stick close together.
This could turn very sour.
Okay.
Are you coming? [Sighs.]
Just let me finish this calculation.
(Rembrandt) What are those blue flashes in the sky? (Wade) It's the lead effects of the pulsars.
Come on, baby.
[Power switch clicks.]
Now! [Power humming.]
Malcolm's name get on the list before it blanked? I'm not sure.
If we can just keep power long enough to finish printing the list.
Check it as it comes off, okay? Come on, come on.
[Printer beeping.]
(Rembrandt) Oh, yes! [Exclaims.]
"Malcolm Eastman".
All right! Oh, I love you, Wade.
Cutting it close though.
His name's the last one on the list.
Number 150.
Yeah.
That can't be right.
Rickman sent an e-mail saying that he'd programmed the computer to cut names off at 140.
Yeah, well, maybe he decided he could take 10 more.
Wait a minute.
These last few names, the ones before Malcolm's, they're coma patients.
Why would he take coma patients and leave healthy people behind? I don't know.
Let's just find him and ask, huh? Maybe I can get Malcolm's folks for that list.
Colonel Rickman, as I suspected, Dr.
Jensen's understanding of the physics of sliding is rudimentary.
By my calculations we can take at least another 100 people.
We go with what we have.
No more.
Colonel, that is tantamount to murder.
Look, I told you.
I have enough.
What the devil do you mean you have enough? It's better that a few make it alive than none at all.
We stick with the plan we have.
Colonel, it is quite clear to me that you are unsuited for this command, and when the others learn the truth, I'm sure you will be relieved of it.
(Professor) Quinn? (Professor) Wade? [Professor gasping.]
(Rickman) You shouldn't have been so damned clever.
(Rembrandt) Hey! (Wade) Professor? Professor.
Can you hear us? Help me.
[Professor echoing.]
Help me.
[Monitors beeping.]
(Rembrandt) Professor, I saw someone running away now.
Did you see who it was? [Professor mumbling.]
Can't remember.
Here, Professor, take these.
What are you givin' him? A muscle relaxant.
Don't worry.
I used to be a candy striper.
They always gave them to trauma victims.
(man on TV) There are many thousands of people that are gathering in churches, in parks, looking for whatever there is that can bring them comfort in the darkest hour of human history.
Could you please turn that thing off? [TV clicks.]
Professor, who did this to you? [Mumbling.]
It's okay, Professor.
Don't don't try and talk.
You'll be all right.
Not okay.
Not all right.
Brain! Brain! Professor? Where is the timer? Where is the timer? [Professor patting.]
Did Jensen transfer our home coordinates? Can we go home when it hits zero? No No time.
No, no time.
That means the only way we'll get home now is if Rickman will let us use his timer when we slide to the new world.
What? Professor, what do you want? [Professor mumbling.]
Wanna get up? Help.
[Professor mumbling.]
(Quinn) Wanna get up? [Professor grunting.]
Come on.
(Quinn) Okay.
[Professor grunting.]
Turn.
What are you trying to say, Professor? Turn his head.
N-n-need [Professor stammering.]
[Stuttering.]
Needle.
[Professor stuttering.]
Needle.
They've got the same puncture wounds.
[Gasping.]
Quinn, all these coma patients are victims of an assault.
Probably the only reason the Professor's not in a coma now is 'cause we interrupted the attacker.
All right.
Come on.
Let's get you back to bed.
(Rembrandt) I'm going to find Rickman.
Whoever's doing this has good medical knowledge.
There's a good chance that their name is on that list to go to the next world.
(Quinn) Wade, go with him, make sure he doesn't do anything stupid.
You go with the beta group, your son goes with alpha.
No, can't I stay with my son? (woman) Please? No.
W-what? [Kisses.]
Guy.
Guy.
Guy! How many is that? (Guy) Mom! [People chattering.]
(Rickman) You've got to focus, Captain.
How many is that? Uh, 115, sir.
(Rickman) Next.
Malcolm Eastman.
Alpha group.
Why aren't my parents here? Your your parents are going in the second group.
I'm not leaving them.
Let go of me! Let him go.
[Sighs.]
Colonel, I'm worried about Steve.
He should've been here by now.
Request permission to go look for him, sir.
Permission denied.
I'll look for him.
You keep this place secure.
Yes, sir.
[People chattering.]
Next.
(Rembrandt) Colonel Rickman! (Wade) He's not here.
You take this stuff, okay? Listen to this.
"Rickman's entire platoon from the Gulf War "died from something they contracted in the desert.
"Doctors identified the problem as a fungus that attacks the brain stem destroying brain tissue.
" Hey, what does this look like to you? Syringe vials.
If that fungus is attacking him, too, he must be surviving by stealing brain tissue.
Come on.
Colonel Rickman, turns out the Professor was right after all.
My God.
I'm sorry, Dr.
Jensen.
But you won't be coming to the new world.
[Malcolm screams.]
Quinn.
Rembra Rembrandt.
Don't Good man.
Yeah.
Not a day goes by I don't carry the weight for having dragged him into all this.
Good boy.
(Rembrandt) Q-ball, it was Rickman.
He's the one who attacked the Professor.
Look, we found these in his office.
He got some kind of disease in the Gulf War.
(Wade) The only way he can survive is by injecting himself with the brain fluid of certain donors.
[Door opening.]
[Door shutting.]
[Banging on door.]
(Rembrandt) We're trapped.
Wade, grab that gurney and bring it out.
What for? Just do it.
Remmy, help me with this.
[Rembrandt grunting.]
(Quinn) You got it? (Rembrandt) Yeah.
[Both grunting.]
Newton.
Just like you taught us.
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
All right.
Strap this on tight.
(Wade) A jet-propelled battering ram.
Quinn, you're brilliant.
(Quinn) I'd save the compliments to see if it works.
All right.
On tight? Yeah.
Make it straight, lock the wheels.
[Wheels clicking.]
(Quinn) And get back.
Get back.
[Cylinder clinking.]
Because I'm afraid this might explode! [Hissing.]
[Explodes.]
Good job, Q-ball.
Thanks, man.
Look, about before, I'm I'm really sorry.
Forget about it.
Quinn, we got to move it.
Rickman could start sliding at any time.
All right, let's get the Professor up.
Come on, Professor.
(Quinn) The pulsars are getting closer.
Colonel.
Have you seen my husband? Bad news, Captain.
Some of the civilians made it to the lab.
I think they thought that Steve knew where the shelters were.
I got there too late.
[People chattering.]
I'm sorry.
No.
[Sobs.]
I know this is difficult for you, but you've got to be strong.
We have a mission to complete.
Sir, what about Mallory and the others? We can't wait.
We've got to go now, before the mob reaches us.
I'm going to open the vortex.
[Sobs.]
(man) Leave it outside! [Water running.]
(Malcolm) Rembrandt! (Rembrandt) Malcolm? What are you doing out here? Why aren't you inside? I went to go see Colonel Rickman to beg him to let my folks come with us, and I saw him kill Dr.
Jensen.
Whoa, slow down, slow down.
And he was gonna shoot me.
[Electronic beeping.]
Quinn, Rickman's sliding without us.
I'm goin' after him.
Next group, step up! Ready! And go! All right! Next group, come on! Let's get over there to the other side, let's hurry it up! Come on, come on, move it! And go! [Whooshing.]
We're losing power! Go! Rickman! [Quinn grunts.]
Quinn! [Grunts.]
Oh, my God.
Professor.
Get them home.
(Rembrandt) Professor, hang in there.
Hang in there.
(Wade) You're coming with us.
Sliders.
[Moans.]
[Groaning.]
He deliberately took the bullet for me.
I know.
So you could lead us home.
Quinn, we have to go after Rickman.
His timer's the only way we can get back.
Okay, look, uh, the pulsar's gonna be here in about an hour.
We have to get underground.
If we get deep enough, the radiation might not reach us before we slide.
All right, look, let's try to find some flashlights and a radiation meter, okay? All right? Right.
[Rembrandt sighing.]
You shouldn't have done that.
[Sobbing.]
That way leads to a lower level.
[Rumbling.]
You hear that? The pulsars just hit California.
Okay, listen up and listen good! I want water storage there.
A medical tent there.
And I want a sentry posted on the perimeter every 100 yards.
Dismissed! Captain Beckett.
Captain Beckett! Sir.
I want a barbed wire holding pen set up beyond those trees.
And I want your report on my desk in three hours.
Permission to speak, sir.
Colonel, why do we need a holding pen? We're gonna use the native population to build our new colony, Captain.
You're talking about slavery.
Just look at the people we brought with us, Captain, scientists, engineers, doctors.
They're not used to hard labor.
No.
We'll use the native population and when they've built our new city, I'll set them free.
[Watch beeps.]
Our world just ended, Captain.
(Rembrandt) How is that thing supposed to track Rickman? When this red light goes steady, it means it's locked onto a photon trail.
It's still locked onto the wormhole that Rickman slid through.
That thing gets much higher and we're gonna glow in the dark.
(Quinn) [Electronic beeping.]
[Machine hissing.]
Here we go! [Electronic beeping.]
Let's go! Go! [Whooshing.]
Maggie.
Quinn, you're here.
No thanks to you.
It wasn't my fault.
Colonel Rickman ordered the slide early.
Where is he? Down by the river.
He-he's scouting a second base camp.
Give me your gun.
What for? Just give me the damn gun.
Not till you tell me why! (Rembrandt) Rickman murdered the Professor.
And your husband.
Tell her.
It's true.
I saw it.
He shot him for no reason.
(Rembrandt) Look, he probably discovered that Rickman's responsible for the coma victims.
He'd been stealing their brain tissue.
I don't understand.
You want answers or you want justice? I want revenge.
You guys stay here, in case he comes back.
(Quinn) Is he armed? (Maggie) No.
Not inside the perimeter.
Is he alone? I don't know.
Let's split up.
[Maggie grunts.]
Sloppy procedure, Captain.
[Panting.]
You bastard.
Why did you kill Steven? He was a victim of bad timing.
Or maybe he found out you were destroying innocent people.
You're very good at that, aren't you, Colonel? I did what I had to do.
I'm an officer, Beckett.
Trained to survive and to lead people.
And I had 150 lives waiting for me to take them to somewhere safe.
Yeah, who's going to save them from you? [Maggie exclaims.]
[Moans.]
Unfortunately, not you.
[Quinn grunting.]
[Quinn groaning.]
[Quinn grunts.]
Are you all right? Why didn't you just shoot him? Because I was afraid I might hit you.
I know, I know.
If the situation was reversed, you'd shoot me.
I'm not so sure.
[Electronic beeping.]
[Whooshing.]
Rickman! [Quinn grunts.]
Quinn, open the vortex.
I can't until the timer hits zero.
But that's hours from now.
It's okay.
This is tracking him.
It'll hold the path of his wormhole until I clear it.
Don't worry.
He can't lose us.
Thanks to your husband.
(Rembrandt) Way over yonder is a place that I know Where I can find shelter from the hunger and cold Where the good tasting sweet life is so easily found Way over yonder that's where I'm bound [seagulls cawing.]
Someone want to say something? Yeah, I do.
It was great knowing you, Professor.
[Wade sniffs.]
You were so unique in so many ways and, uh, you could be cantankerous at times [Wade and Rembrandt sniffle.]
But, uh, I know it was because you cared about us.
And when we get back home, I'm gonna write a song for you.
Something classy, righteous, so that people won't forget you.
I'd like to say something.
[Sniffs.]
I don't believe in good-byes, not really.
I can't believe that everything we are and everything we've done, just disappears.
I I think our spirit, it's like a river, [sniffles.]
It goes somewhere.
And I know in my heart I'll see you again.
I never would have been the student I was without your guidance and love.
You taught me there are no limits to the imagination.
You were a true adventurer.
Now you're the greatest adventurer of all time.
Good-bye, Professor.
Good-bye.
We're going to miss the hell out of you.
Oh, yeah.
Are you ever comin' back? We have your coordinates.
You know I'm coming back to see you one day.
But for now, we've got to find Rickman.
I mean, he's got to pay for what he did.
Plus he has the timer that's gonna get me home.
Look, you're gonna be okay.
There are a lot of good people here who'll look after you, all right? I'm going with you.
I thought you had a mission? I got a new one.
Well, it's fine by me, but I'm not the only vote.
Once we get Rickman's timer, you can drop me off on your way home.
It's okay with me.
(Quinn) First we have to find Rickman.
Yeah, fine.
Welcome aboard, Captain Beckett.
Just Beckett.
I resigned my commission.
It's time.
[Electronic beeping.]
[Whooshing.]
Keep drawing! [Birds chirping.]
I'll be waiting, Rembrandt.
I'll be waiting.
[Grunts.]
[Quinn and Rembrandt grunt.]
Guys! Puncture wound.
He's not here.
But I'm tracking a new wormhole.
That means he just slid.
How long before we can follow? Don't worry.
We'll find him.
No matter how long it takes.
We'll find him.