THE DIFFERENCE, PART 2 by D. Skiles TEASER OPEN BLACK SCREEN REMBRANDT (V.O.) Previously on Sliders. What follows is a one minute recap of the events in "The Difference, Part 1", concluding with... INT. COMBINE LAB The earlier attempt to separate Quinn and Mallory has just failed. MALLORY I guess this means this is it... we're out of luck? REMBRANDT No. I'm not buying that. Doctor... He turns around, intending to ask Jensen his opinion of future hopes... but... ANGLE ON - JENSEN'S CONSOLE There's no one there. Abandoned. BACK TO LAST ANGLE Rembrandt looks around, and doesn't see him elsewhere in the lab. REMBRANDT (to Maggie) I'll be back in a minute. I'm gonna go see if Dr. Jensen's got any other ideas. He walks off, heading for the exit of the lab. Colin gets up from along the wall and walks over to Maggie in Rembrandt's stead. Putting a hand on her shoulder. She smiles at the sight of him, but it's through tears. They embrace now. INT. RESEARCH BUILDING - HALLWAY - DAY Jensen is unlocking the doorway that we saw him go through in the earlier scene with Maggie. He steps inside, letting the door swing itself closed behind him. But Rembrandt comes into the hall and sees the door closing. He jogs up lightly and grabs it before it closes, stepping through. INT. DARK LAB No windows. It's just this side of pitch black in here. REMBRANDT Hey, doc? No answer. He steps a little further into the room, heading for a dim blue light that hovers at a desk on the far side. He only makes it halfway there when a massive figure steps out from the blackness around him and grabs him about the shoulders. We see the figure illuminated by the dim blue light. It's the burly guard again. REMBRANDT Hey, man! I was just... JENSEN (V.O.) Hold him. Dr. Jensen steps out into the dim blue light from the desk. He holds a syringe in his hands. He doesn't look angry, or evil, just... business-like. Rembrants eyes seem to harden. He's concerned, but mostly angry. REMBRANDT And just what the hell you expect to do with that? Jensen answers him by sliding the syringe into his neck. Rembrandt's eyes roll to the back of his head, and, as Dr. Jensen removes the syringe, Remmy falls to the floor. ANGLE ON - REMBRANDT We hold on him, unconscious and lifeless... FADE TO BLACK FADE IN INT. ENCLOSED OFFICE Meredith Santi is at her desk. Steven Jensen stands in front of it. We can see that Meredith's eyes are clearly burning at him. She's less than pleased. MEREDITH (angry) You did WHAT?! JENSEN I had no choice. He would've seen the materials and... MEREDITH (interrupting) Do you have ANY idea what you've DONE?! What were you planning to do? Just hold onto him forever? JENSEN I didn't think... MEREDITH (enraged, low) No. You clearly didn't. A beat. She steps up from her desk and towards Jensen. MEREDITH We're not doing this anymore. Do you understand? When they come looking for their friend, what are you going to tell them? He fell down a well? He escaped? They will KNOW that we're lying! She shakes her head, her eyes cast downward. MEREDITH No, no. We're through with this. We said full disclosure, and now they're going to get it. JENSEN You can't be serious. MEREDITH Believe me, I am. It's the only way out of the mess YOU'VE created. We can't just take them and punish them now. There's no reasoning behind it. The superiors will only support us for so far. They'll give us leeway on what we do with these interdimensional travelers, but only to an extent. If we expand on what YOU'VE just initiated, we'll be crossing the line by miles. JENSEN (scoffing) They wouldn't support full removal? Cleansing and dealing with this on our own? MEREDITH No. (glaring at him) And to be honest, neither would I. I'm not interested in that. I don't WORK that way, regardless of whether you do. So WHEN they come after him... and believe me, they will... She's interrupted by a loud banging on the door. She smiles at Jensen. MEREDITH As I said. Leaning over, Meredith hits a button on her desk. The door unlocks, and it flies open, followed by Maggie, Mallory, Colin and Diana. Maggie marches up to Jensen and greets him by belting him across the face! He turns back to her, glaring at her, delicately touching the spot of blood on his lower lip. MAGGIE (to Jensen) You son of a bitch. Meredith leans over towards the gang. MEREDITH May I help you? MAGGIE (indicating Jensen) Your little lap dog here has done something with our friend. And you're going to tell us where he is. Meredith, once more stuck in front of the sliders, smiles, regaining her cool before them. MEREDITH Am I? Well... perhaps I am. If you would be so kind as to explain what exactly happened... DIANA After the experiment, Rembrandt went off to talk to Dr. Jensen, but... MAGGIE But he never came back. That was four hours ago. Just what the hell did you do with him? Meredith's smile shrinks, becoming more subtle and smooth. MEREDITH Did you even try looking for him? COLIN We looked everywhere. There's no sign of him. JENSEN Maybe he escaped? Meredith turns and slaps him upside the head. Maggie actually smiles at this. Jensen just gives Meredith a dirty look, as she turns back to the others. MEREDITH Actually, the truth of the matter is that we do have your friend Rembrandt with us. He's safely in our custody, right here in this building. The others turn and look at each other. They're genuinely surprised at the news... and at her honesty. DIANA Alright. But why exactly is he being held? MAGGIE I ASSUME you're going to let him go? MEREDITH Of course. He just wandered into an area he shouldn't have. MALLORY What area? Show us. CUT TO - INT. DARK LAB The same one that Rembrandt was assaulted in before. The door opens, and the light from the hallway streams in. Meredith steps in and leans over, hitting a toggle switch. She's holding a can of some sort now, not unlike the one she used to awaken Maggie a few days back. The lights in the ceiling blink and come on. It's still dimly lit here, but no longer as dark as it was. Meredith walks further in, followed by Dr. Jensen, and the others behind him. DIANA So, if this area that he found is so secretive, why're you showing us now? MEREDITH Well, it's a little late to be hiding it. With Mr. Brown already aware of its existence, we couldn't very well keep him from revealing the truth... unless we killed him or shipped him off... The sliders react with some shock at her casual mention of this. Off of their reactions, she continues... MEREDITH I assure you, those are ideas which... well, would be a bit on the extreme side in this instance. And in most, I believe. Some of the gang nods. Others share looks of discomfort. At least they're a little calmed now. They stop in front of what appears to be a dark closet. Meredith pulls it open and flicks on the light. Within, in a tiny nook, is a metal chair that Rembrandt sits in. He's slumped over, unconscious, and his hands are held down in the chair by metal clamps. A strap is holding him to the chair by his waist. MAGGIE Remmy! She runs over to him as Meredith hits a button to release him from the clamps. The strap flies off. He starts to fall over, but Maggie catches him. Meredith walks over and lifts her can of spray to his face, hitting him with a whiff. His eyes open and he looks around. REMBRANDT Whoa... hey you all. Maggie smiles at him, and helps him stand up, out of the chair. Meredith, turning away from the nook and back into the main lab, walks over to the desk that had the blue light coming from it when Remmy first entered. A computer monitor. She turns it off, but not until the others all start looking off to her right. The room bends at the desk area, and, off to the right, it extends until stopping at... someplace that our sliders are staring at very curiously. PANNING sideways, we see the end of the hall, where they now gaze towards, holds a shape made of black poles. Two of the poles, one high and one on the ground, extend from the far wall by a good twenty feet, and connect via two more poles at that point, which then extend parallel to the wall for another twenty feet before bending back towards it, once more connecting to the wall after a twenty-foot distance. In other words, the poles shape a three-dimensional box around the wall. 20 feet on all sides. And within them, stands a MAN. Diana is the first to step forward. She squints her eyes, disbelievingly. She seems to almost recognize the man. Rembrandt, now standing again, widens his eyes. He knows. He grabs Maggie by the shoulder, keeping her back from stepping forward. He nods to Maggie, signaling to give Diana a little distance. As Diana realizes who it is, her mouth practically falls open. ANGLE ON - MAN A very recognizable face. Glasses, grey hair, wrinkled appearance. BACK TO LAST ANGLE As Diana barely gasps out the name... DIANA (shocked) Dr. Geiger? He smiles, just barely, at her. END TEASER OPENING SEQUENCE REMBRANDT What if you found a portal to a parallel universe? What if you could slide into a thousand different worlds? MAGGIE Where it's the same year... DIANA And you're the same person... MALLORY But everything else is different? REMBRANDT And what if you can't find your way home? [THEME MUSIC PLAYS] WHISPER: "Sliders" END OPENING SEQUENCE ACT I OPEN INT. DARK (NOW MERELY DIM) LAB Only seconds later. Diana steps forward again, cautiously. DIANA Dr. Geiger? Is it really you? Mallory emerges from the group, taking off in a run towards Geiger. MALLORY You bastard! He hits the edge of the box, only to be stopped by a blue, shimmering transparent force field that holds Geiger in. It knocks Mallory to the ground. Geiger, still in the box, just watches, looking confused. Dr. Jensen steps foward, standing alongside Diana. JENSEN Actually, it's not Dr. Geiger. Diana looks baffled. She turns, looking again at Geiger. GEIGER I'm afraid it's true. I am not Oberon Geiger. I am his son. There's a palpable feeling of confusion in the group. DIANA (shaking her head) That's not possible. I mean, you look... EXACTLY like him. Even in age... JENSEN Well, he's not really his son in the literal sense. But he's definitely a sort of offspring. The man you are looking at is Geiger, mark two. A clone. REMBRANDT A clone? Colin leans over to Maggie. COLIN (to Maggie) Does he mean like the one we met of Quinn's? MAGGIE (to Colin) Yeah, like Mallory. Mallory, back on his feet, turns and looks at Maggie with some anger and bewilderment. MAGGIE (to Mallory) Not you. Someone else. A different Mallory... Quinn's clone. Mallory nods, still looking a little weirded by that concept, and by this one that faces him now. DIANA But how can that be? Last I knew, we hadn't moved on past the elephant... MEREDITH The elephant that was cloned in Europe was only the beginning, it seems. As we investigated the inner workings of Quantico after shutting down Geiger Applied Research, we discovered that, in the years since the news of the elephant clone was released, divisions of Quantico had mastered the skill of human cloning. They were performing various tests, cloning humans gradually, beginning with those made via nuclear transfer, and then moving on past it. Their specimens were discarded into the various orphanages across Europe, Asia, and North America when they were through, and their progress monitored remotely thanks to an implant in each one. Naturally, this investigation led us to shut down Quantico, on the public pretense that there had been corruption and embezzling on all levels, causing those awful weather disturbances, through Geiger's division, etcetera. DIANA (awed) That's... unbelievable. JENSEN And, as you know, Geiger Applied Research was just a division of the larger organization, so we can assume that he must've gotten ahold of the information on this technology through company connections and used it to create... well, "Geiger" over here. His "son", of sorts. Diana walks up right in front of the force field holding "Geiger" in. GEIGER Go ahead. Stare all you like. DIANA How is he so old? JENSEN That's one of the wrinkles that we still don't understand. MEREDITH When Geiger's boys wiped the information on his research, they didn't know that he had hidden personal files on the creation of his clone deep within the system. Nothing on the creation of the clone itself -- he erased all of that himself. But he left the files that followed the clone's personal development and education. REMBRANDT Education? MEREDITH Yes, Geiger was teaching his clone about his own creation. The cloning process, the machines involved, how it all worked. Apparently the clone was fairly quick on the uptake, especially on the language. Makes sense, considering that our boy here was obviously "born" with an adult-capacity brain. JENSEN And when the clone wasn't being taught, he was kept in cold storage. He ate, slept and learned. And that was life. Until we came along. DIANA And so you took him out of his storage and... (gesturing to the box) ...put him in this. Because he has information you want? MEREDITH Simply put? Yes. Diana turns to "Geiger." DIANA And you won't give it to them? GEIGER My father would not want me to betray him. Work such as this was his life. Would I take that life away from the man who gave me my own? (smiling) Hardly. Diana looks like she almost pities this man. She turns to Meredith and Dr. Jensen. DIANA Can I have a moment with my friends? MEREDITH Of course. They both step aside, and Diana walks back to the rest of the group. They all stand around with her, forming a circle. They talk now in whispers, so as for Meredith and Jensen to not be able to hear them during this discussion. DIANA What do you think? REMBRANDT Well, at least now I remember where I've heard Quantico mentioned before on this world. MAGGIE (to Rembrandt) What do you mean? REMBRANDT (to Maggie) When we first landed here, remember? Back when we first lost Quinn... (nodding to Colin) And you. Colin nods back in understanding. REMBRANDT When we went to the Chandler with Mallory, and waited at the bar in hopes that Quinn and Colin would show, Hal, the bartender, he told us about how he'd heard that the crazy weather you guys were experiencing back then was created by a machine called the combine. MALLORY I guess rumors get around. REMBRANDT Yeah, well, that's not all. He also said that Quantico had been cloning people for years. That the elephant was just the beginning. (beat, chuckling) I just thought he was crazy. Maggie snaps her fingers. MAGGIE Yeah, I remember that! I didn't really consider it much either... She shakes her head in disbelief. MAGGIE Well, he was right about the combine, after all. DIANA I guess Hal had some good sources. Rembrandt shrugs, grinning. REMBRANDT It's the life of a bartender, I suppose. You hear things. COLIN Like things about people who slide into other dimensions? MALLORY (grinning) Nah, I imagine that's a little too far-fetched even for the drunks to come up with. REMBRANDT There's still something I don't understand, though. Why would Geiger want a clone of himself? DIANA To live. The same reason he tried to collapse universes into one another, and the same reason he hired Mallory for his similar quantum frequency. He knew that his body was deteriorating from being unstuck... he wanted to live on. I guess creating another version of himself to take his place was one way of doing that. MAGGIE Alright, but what about the age thing? DIANA Well, I sure don't know HOW he did it... but as to the WHY, it would certainly be less conspicuous. Think about it. If someone saw his clone wandering about, or if his clone literally replaced Dr. Geiger, it'd be a lot easier to accept if he looked like the real doctor. REMBRANDT I'd imagine. DIANA I still can't believe Dr. Geiger never told me. Even when he was dying. REMBRANDT I doubt he wanted to, girl. If you're looking for forgiveness, tossing even more bad news on the fire isn't usually the way to get it. A beat. Diana smiles. DIANA Guys... are you thinking what I'm thinking? MALLORY I think so, Brain, but where can we find lederhosen at this time of night? Maggie hits Mallory, as usual, but by now he's used to it, and he just grins. Rembrandt smiles along. Diana shakes her head. Colin just looks confused, but shrugs, not letting it get to him. DIANA Nooooo... I was thinking that this cloning technology may be the answer to all of our prayers. COLIN How? DIANA Think about it. There's not enough physical material with which to have two Quinns here, right? MALLORY Yeah, so... DIANA So, using what's left of Quinn's DNA inside of you, maybe we can clone ourselves a body for him. They said that they've moved past having to use nuclear transfer in cloning. It's exactly what we need! We can clone a body, and then use the combine beam to take the two essences and, uh... MALLORY Split the difference? DIANA Exactly! COLIN "Geiger" doesn't seem too forthcoming about the cloning process, though. DIANA Well, I know what may convince him. She turns and walks away from the group, heading back over to Geiger. Walking up to "Geiger," she stops and smiles politely. DIANA Hello. I'm Dr. Di... GEIGER (interrupting) I know who you are. Father told me all about you. I watched you on the camera system. Diana smiles, awkwardly, and continues. DIANA I need your help. One of our friends is trapped inside of another. GEIGER From the combine experiment. DIANA Yes. GEIGER And you want me to help you separate them? DIANA That's right. GEIGER Father never told me anything about the combine technology. He never got around to it. DIANA I know. But I... GEIGER (interrupting) And BESIDES, why would I help someone that sent my father back out into the multiverse in an act of betrayal? Diana sighs. DIANA Because... your "father" was sorry for all the things he did. He told me so... right before he died. GEIGER (weakly) Father is... dead? Diana nods, a look of compassion on her face. Geiger's face contorts in pain. He shuts his eyes tightly, letting the a tear fall. GEIGER (angry) You... you must have killed him! DIANA No! He died from a gunshot wound! The bullet was fired by a stranger! We were all just bystanders! GEIGER (angry) My father would not have apologized for the most important part of his life! DIANA No? I can prove it to you. She reaches into her coat, and draws out her PDL. Opening up the disk drive, she shows the tiny minidisk within it to Geiger. DIANA This minidisk was given to me by Dr. Geiger right after he was shot. It contains the coordinates to our homeworld... and a message. She holds the PDL screen out towards Geiger, facing it towards him as the PDL rests on her palm. Reaching around with her other hand, she hits a button, and a recorded message plays... ANGLE ON - PDL SCREEN Dr. Geiger's image appears on the video playback. DR. GEIGER Diana... I don't know if you'll ever be able to forgive me for all that I've done. If you still haven't, and I am now dead or otherwise somehow gone, I only hope that these coordinates will prove to you my honesty, which I tried to convey to you in the final days of my life. Even if you never can believe how truly sorry I am, I am at least at peace knowing that I have provided you, Mr. Mallory, and your friends with the means to return home. Perhaps this will somewhat atone for the damage I brought upon you and Quinn... both of them. Good luck, Diana. The message finishes and closes out. BACK TO LAST ANGLE Diana pulls the PDL back to her coat and puts it away. Geiger's eyes are cast downward. He looks sullen... defeated. Sad. There is a long beat as he considers what he has seen. GEIGER Very well. I will help my father to atone for what he came to consider his crimes, in whatever way I can. DIANA The cloning technology. We need to use it to clone a body for the alternate Quinn that's trapped inside of this world's Quinn. GEIGER I understand. And you'll need to age that new body the appropriate number of years. DIANA Yes. But, how? GEIGER There is a field that can be refracted off of the geometric indentations in the wall nook of the combine lab. That field can manipulate how time flows for those in it. One of my father's finest inventions. Rembrandt, from the back, steps forward. REMBRANDT Yeah, he put me and Maggie into that thing. He called it a "stasis field" or something. Told us it could freeze the timer's countdown. GEIGER Unfortunately, that would mean slowing or stopping the process of aging for the objects in the field. It can't do that. He probably only told you that to keep you out of the way of his research. What it CAN do, however, is speed up the aging process, the time flow for the objects within it. DIANA And by doing so... it can age the cloned body? GEIGER Exactly. At whatever rate you define. DIANA My god. How did he accomplish this? GEIGER The field is actually sort of a space between dimensions, confined by my father thanks to the knowledge and understanding of the interdimension that he obtained while unstuck in the multiverse. Once it was confined, control of the environment and of the spacetime within it was not difficult for him. DIANA (shaking her head) That's... this is incredible! Diana turns towards Meredith and Jensen. DIANA Free him. JENSEN Why? DIANA Because, you got what you wanted. You said you wanted him to help you understand the cloning technology. Now he is. And besides, he's not going to do much good to anyone in there. Meredith nods to Jensen. Sighing, he walks over next to the "box" holding Geiger and turns down a pair of knobs. He nods to Diana and Geiger, and Geiger responds by tentatively running his hand through the air where the field should be. Nothing. He steps through. Diana smiles at him. DIANA Come on. Let's get to work. She heads out, smiling at the others as she passes them. DIANA (to the other sliders) We're on our way... They all share her smile with her. FADE OUT END ACT I BEGIN ACT II FADE IN INT. ENCLOSED OFFICE Meredith is working on some papers. A knock comes on the door. She hits the button on her desk, and Diana walks in. Diana stands at the edge of the desk, and Meredith puts down her pen, folding her hands in front of her. MEREDITH Can I help you? DIANA Actually, you already have. I've just been wondering why. After all that talk about sending me someplace where I'd never be heard from again, why help us now? MEREDITH Like I said, there weren't really many other options. Initially, we didn't see any reason to tell you about our little secret. No one in the larger population is supposed to know about it. But after the incident with Mr. Brown and Dr. Jensen, there were only a few courses of action we could take. And even fewer that my superiors would support as viable. (smiling) Besides, I'm really not all that bad. Sure, I can threaten. We all can. It's part of the training, it comes with the job. We have to intimidate. And I'd like to think that I do. But, even so, that's not necessarily who I am in my daily life. DIANA (smiling) Well. I may even take some comfort in that. Especially now... because that's not the only reason I came to see you. MEREDITH Hmm? DIANA You owe us. We agreed on full disclosure. And now we know that you haven't lived up to your end of the bargain. MEREDITH Point taken. And I suppose you HAVE shown us how to operate Geiger's machinery, from what I've seen... Diana raises an eyebrow. Meredith smiles at her. MEREDITH Closed circuit cameras. In the lab. Diana nods. She smirks to herself, knowing that that's not the only place they're hidden. MEREDITH Okay. So, what did you have in mind? DIANA Get rid of Jensen. I think it's safe to say we've all lost our trust in his help. Meredith shakes her head. MEREDITH Sorry, not an option. He's the only expert we have on the subject of alternate dimensions. We need him here. No one else could even begin to understand Geiger's technology. DIANA Okay, then how about letting us get out for a while. Some fresh air would be wonderful, and I'm sure we'd all like to eat something other than your government-approved gruel. Meredith shakes her head again. MEREDITH That's also out of the question. How do we know you wouldn't try to escape? Can't risk it. DIANA Come on. You said you're not all that bad. Prove it to me. Give us some leeway here. Haven't I lived up to my end of the bargain? A long beat. Meredith purses her lips, drumming her fingers against one another. She sighs. MEREDITH All right. But only two of you can go at a time, and a guard will accompany you at all times. Only five hours to each trip out. AND... you and Ms. Beckett can't leave. DIANA Why not? MEREDITH You're the most important piece of this puzzle. I'm not even going to chance you taking flight on me. And I'd prefer to avoid seeing Ms. Beckett attempt any military-manuver hijinks on us. So you'll both stay. Mr. Brown, Mr. Mallory, and your new friend can go if they please. Diana thinks this over, and nods to herself. DIANA Deal. Thanks. She turns and heads out. CUT TO - INT. LIVING SPACE - DAY The others all stand around, facing Diana. Rembrandt nods to her. REMBRANDT That's it? DIANA (nodding) Those are the rules. REMBRANDT Well, in that case, I guess we'd better decide who's going. MALLORY I'd like to. I could certainly use a little rec time before you guys try to rip me in two again. REMBRANDT (nodding) That's understandable. MALLORY Care to come with me, Rem? REMBRANDT (shaking his head) No, thanks. Why don't you take Colin? I'm sure that Farm Boy would like to get out for a while. Mallory looks over to Colin, who just smiles at him. Looking defeated, Mallory turns his face back towards Rembrandt, giving him his best "Aw, dad, do I have to?" look. CUT TO - EXT. CROWDED STREET - DAY Mallory and Colin are walking down the street, along a very crowded sidewalk in LA. The street is jammed with cars. Almost everyone on the sidewalk seems to be walking in the opposite direction as Mallory and Colin. And, trailing just a bit behind Colin, is the burly, suited government man we've seen before. The same man who nearly strangled Maggie and who guarded their living quarters. He's their escort. As Colin and Mallory talk, they fight through the crowd, with Mallory up front and Colin behind him. COLIN You know, uh, Mallory, even though they said that my brother is somehow stuck inside of you, I don't see a lot of him in you. MALLORY It's not like that. For a while we both fought for dominance, but in the end my side won. So Quinn doesn't really come out anymore. COLIN Never? MALLORY Well... not NEVER ever, but mostly never. Sometimes I feel stuff. And, since the time when Geiger tried to help separate me, I've been able to occasionally know what he wants to say, like his mind is still kinda there, telling me things that he feels and thinks, sometimes. Like when he told me what to say to his mom... the mom from the world he grew up on, I mean. COLIN I see. (beat) Doesn't this strike you as odd? Mallory grins. MALLORY (sarcastic) Gee, I dunno. I'm talking about being two people at once as though it's as common as buying a meatball sub, that's maybe just a little weird. Mallory stops at a phone booth, opening the door. COLIN What're you doing? MALLORY Gonna call an old friend. Maybe she can hook up with us, hang out. I haven't seen anyone here for two years, after all. He starts dialing up on the phone. The large guard walks up and stands beside the booth. MALLORY She's an old college buddy. Haven't seen her since the day before I slid. I bet she wonders where... hey, Leah? How's it going? LEAH (V.O.) (on phone) Quinn? QUINN?! Oh my GOD!!! MALLORY (grinning) Yeah, it's me... LEAH (V.O.) (on phone) Oh god! Dammit Jason, if that's you jerking me around again, I am gonna... MALLORY (interrupting) Leah, it's really me! C'mon! LEAH (V.O.) (on phone) Oh god Quinn, where have you BEEN? MALLORY You wouldn't believe me if I told you... so, hey, listen, you wanna get together sometime soon? LEAH (V.O.) (on phone) Do I?! Come on over now! MALLORY Now? Really? LEAH (V.O.) (on phone) Absolutely! We're having a party anyway! MALLORY In the afternoon? LEAH (V.O.) (on phone) Well, actually, it started last night around midnight, but you know how these things are... Mallory grins and shakes his head. MALLORY Alright, I'm on my way. You still at your old apartment? LEAH (V.O.) (on phone) Same as ever! C'mon, get over here! MALLORY I'm coming now! He hangs up the phone. Stepping out of the booth, he turns and grins at Colin, slapping him on both shoulders. MALLORY (grinning) Man, we are gonna party like it's 1999. COLIN I think it's quite a bit past 1999. MALLORY Whatever. (turning to the large guard) C'mon Oddjob, let's get jiggy. INT. LEAH'S APARTMENT - DAY The room is jammed. Music plays, people stand with beers, laughing and talking. Someone's passed out on the couch. Clearly a party atmosphere. The door swings open. Mallory stands there with extended arms. MALLORY Hey-hey! LEAH Quiiiin! Leah comes bounding up. She's a pretty young blonde with pale skin. She immediately flings her arms around Mallory. LEAH Oh, god, Quinn! I'm so happy to see you! MALLORY Well, I'm happy to see you too... Jumping back, she hits him in the arm. MALLORY Hey! LEAH Dammit Quinn, where the hell have you been? We've all been worried sick! MALLORY Believe me, you're never gonna buy it. LEAH Well... I don't care! It's so good to see you. Getting up on her tiptoes, Leah gives Mallory a kiss on the cheek. He grins. Colin walks in behind him. COLIN Um, hello... LEAH Who's THIS? MALLORY You won't believe that either. COLIN My name's Colin. Leah smiles seductively, clearly pleased with what she sees. She's smitten. LEAH I'm Leah. COLIN It's a pleasure to meet you, miss. LEAH Likewise. JACK (off-screen) Hey, Mallory! Mallory turns in the direction of the voice, and up runs Jack. An African-American skinny guy with a shaved head. He slaps Mallory on the back. JACK Well if it isn't Quinn-god-damn-Mallory! We thought you were dead, man! MALLORY Not quite! Came close a few times, though, Jack-o. The bulky guard is standing in the doorway now. Jack notices him over Mallory's shoulder. JACK (gesturing towards the guard) Who's meatloaf? MALLORY Uh, yeah, him, you should probably ignore him. Doesn't talk much. You know, your typical strong and silent type. JACK (shrugging) Whatever. C'mon, have a drink, talk to me bud! He leads Mallory off-screen, who, as he's pulled off by the arm, looks back, checking on Colin, who's still with Leah. LEAH So, cutie, what do you do? COLIN What do I... do? CUT TO - INT. COMBINE LAB Steven Jensen's body is leaned over a console at the moment, his hands reaching inside, working with some wiring. Diana is out for the moment, nowhere to be seen. Geiger is working on the combine beam, adjusting it for some purpose. Maggie walks in. Jensen barely looks up. MAGGIE So, what're you doing? JENSEN Removing the biotech. It's no longer worth anything, now that we're using the cloning technology. (beat) What do you want? MAGGIE Actually... to know what the hell your problem is. Geiger glances over, slightly annoyed by Maggie's intrusion. JENSEN Excuse me? MAGGIE You heard me. I know it isn't any of my damned business, but I find it hard to believe that someone with my husband's name and face could be such a jackass to people I call my friends. And to me. Jensen fully stands up now, paying more attention. JENSEN Yeah, well, I'm not your husband. I don't care about your friends. MAGGIE And why exactly is that? If your world's Maggie was married to you, she must've somehow seen the same things in you that I saw in my Steven. His intelligence, his compassion. Where the hell are all those traits in you? JENSEN (harshly) You really wanna know? They're dead. They're buried alongside of my wife. The day she died, I lost all that was important to me, and since then, I've been devoted solely to my work. That's why I did what I did. To save what's left of me. The only thing that matters now is my research. Maybe I can get a grant, maybe I can get the god damned nobel prize! Those are the kinds of things that will keep me warm at night. Those are the kinds of things that will prove my life still has meaning! And if that means that I have to hurt a few people along the way, then so be it. It's no skin off of my back. A long beat. Maggie bites her lower lip. Her eyes are almost to tear up, but she's too angry. MAGGIE My husband would never believe that. JENSEN I told you. I'm not your husband. MAGGIE Yes. You've made that abundantly clear. She turns and stomps out. Jensen doesn't even flinch. INT. LEAH'S APARTMENT - SUNSET Leah is mixing a drink at a minibar. She finishes pouring in some rum, and then pulls out a tiny vial of white powder from her pocket. Popping out the cap, she taps some into the drink, and then grabs a black stirrer off of the bar, mixing it into the liquid. She snatches up the drink and carries it over... to Colin, who sits now in a love seat. She sets herself down next to him. LEAH (handing him the drink) Here you go, honey. Something to help you relax. On the other side of the room, we see Mallory, standing with Jack. Both hold beers, and Jack is talking to Mallory, though Mallory's clearly not listening. Instead, he's staring over towards Leah, a look of anger forming on his face. JACK I'm sorry man, but other dimensions? Sure you haven't already had too many beers here? MALLORY Hang on a sec. He drops his beer on an endtable and walks off, leaving Jack to wonder what's up. Back with Leah, Colin glances at his drink curiously. He hasn't taken a sip yet. COLIN (to Leah) You wouldn't happen to have any of those little umbrellas? As soon as he gets the question out, Mallory steps up beside him and slaps the drink out of his hand, knocking it to the floor. It crashes and breaks loudly on the tile ground, causing many of those people in the vicinity to turn and watch the commotion. Colin looks baffled. Leah grits her teeth at Mallory. LEAH (angry) Just what the hell are you doing? MALLORY (angry) Just what the hell are YOU doing?! Drugging him? Christ, Leah, what are you thinking?! LEAH (passively) Nothing too strong. He's just a little uptight, he needed something to loosen him up! MALLORY (angry) And that's your decision to make? Colin now looks at Leah, his eyes burning. He's hurt, and even more disappointed in her. COLIN I should've known. Since I first went sliding with my brother, I've learned that something often doesn't feel right when someone acts so nice. MALLORY (still staring at Leah) And I've found that you can't trust someone based on a pretty face. (to Colin) Not your fault. It's my friends here. I'm the one who should've known. (sighing) Let's get out of here. They both shoot Leah a final dirty look as they head for the door. Mallory slaps the large guard by the door in the arm. MALLORY Let's go, Lothar. Mallory flings open the door. Colin walks out. The guard passes by Mallory, standing in the doorway, waiting for him. LEAH God, Quinn... Mallory turns and looks back to her. LEAH You used to be so COOL. Mallory just smirks and rolls his eyes, and turns and walks out, slamming the door. With the scene over, people go back to their drinks and conversation. Leah hangs her head in frustration. FADE OUT END ACT II BEGIN ACT III FADE IN INT. COMBINE LAB Diana and Geiger work over a console together, each standing on opposite sides. Diana eyes Geiger with some suspicion. Geiger, looking up from his work for a moment, notices her gaze. GEIGER (sarcastic) Is there something wrong? DIANA Actually, there is, but not with you. Don't take this the wrong way, but, I'm just having a hard time... trusting you. GEIGER Don't you believe that I would want to follow my father's wishes? DIANA Of course, but still, your father WAS someone who repeatedly betrayed and used me. And Mallory. Geiger sighs at her, smiling ruefully. GEIGER Oh. Now I see. Even in death, you refuse to allow my father his full redemption. DIANA That's not what I mean. GEIGER Isn't it? If you truly believe that he was sincere when he asked for your forgiveness, you would not allow the sight of his face to remind you of his crimes. It would remind you of what he stood for at the time of his death, not what trangressions he committed against you in life. Diana tightens her mouth, thinking. DIANA Maybe you're right. GEIGER Of course I am. Look at me now. You can believe in my father's redemption - and mine - or you can choose to desecrate his corpse with your anger. Remember, though, there IS a difference between who he was and who now lives on as. It's your choice which one you accept. Make the right choice, as I have chosen to do by helping you. Diana sighs, pushing back her hair, looking off to the side of the room. As she does so, Mallory walks in. Diana turns and smiles at him. DIANA (smiling) Hey. You should be thinking about getting some rest, it's getting late. Have a good time in the outside world? MALLORY Not entirely. Listen, can I talk to you for a minute? Privately? Her look changes to one of concern. She nods, and steps off a few paces, to the edge of the room, with Mallory following. Once there, she looks over at Geiger, as though to make sure he's out of earshot, and then looks to Mallory. DIANA What's up? MALLORY I need you to do me a favor. Diana shrugs. DIANA Name it. A beat. Mallory fidgets a little, sighing, as though preparing to let this out. MALLORY When the time comes, I want you to make sure that you get Quinn out of me. DIANA Well, of course I'm going to try my best... MALLORY (interrupting) That's not what I mean. A beat. DIANA What DO you mean? MALLORY Okay, listen. Remmy and Maggie have been trying to get their Quinn back for a good two years now. We've seen how much it's tearing them up inside. And now, Colin's here, and... well, he needs his brother, and having his Quinn around is probably in his best interests, in a lot of ways. So, I think that with all of them wanting their Quinn, and after two years of trying, that they should get him... regardless of the cost. Understand? Diana looks at him, quite shocked at what she's hearing. DIANA (disbelieving) Are you actually suggesting that I should KILL YOU in order to get the other Quinn back? MALLORY Only if you absolutely have to. And I wouldn't put it so harsh... DIANA Forget it! Not a chance. MALLORY (frustrated) Diana... I don't think you understand... DIANA (interrupting) I don't think YOU understand! Don't you realize how close you've gotten to us? To them? To ME? Don't you remember how they saved your life back when Geiger tried to separate you, rather than risking it to get back Quinn? MALLORY Yes, of course, but lately, since I've come home and seen some old friends, and since we've gotten this new chance, I, I feel that... DIANA (interrupting) Don't even try. Did you know that when we tried to separate you using the Kromagg biotech, Rembrandt and Maggie AGAIN chose to save your life. We could've pushed harder, tried more to get their Quinn. But that wasn't worth the risk. To any of us. Mallory is silenced. Obviously, he didn't know that. DIANA Maybe they've seemed to be distracted lately, thinking about the possibility of having Quinn separated from you. But it was never an option, to them or to me, to let you die in that chair. We've spent two years together. You and I have known each other even longer. You should know that by now you're just as much "their" Quinn... OUR Quinn... as the other Quinn is. She smiles, putting a hand on his shoulder. DIANA And you should also know that I would never allow you to die, at least if I could do anything about it. Mallory smiles at her. Looking off, he nods. MALLORY Yeah... (sighing) Yeah. Okay. They embrace. Over her shoulder, Mallory speaks again... MALLORY Which reminds me of something. If there comes another time when I'm about to die at the hands of a ninja, like in the middle of the street back on Japan world... just stay back, okay? Diana giggles. DIANA Yeah, no kidding. My leg still aches. Breaking off their hug, they share a smile. DIANA But... no regrets. A long beat. The looks on their faces convey their mutual trust. DIANA I'd better get back to work. We should be ready tomorrow. Mallory nods. MALLORY I'll be there. He heads out. Diana turns back to her work, shaking her head, a smile still lingering. EXT. GEIGER APPLIED RESEARCH - DAY The sun has risen on the building. It's morning once more. INT. COMBINE LAB Mallory is being strapped in by Diana for another round. Rembrandt walks up next to Diana. REMBRANDT (to Mallory) You ready for this? MALLORY As much as I was the last time. And the time before that. (smiling ruefully) No offense guys, but this is getting old. DIANA Well, hopefully, after today that won't be a problem. REMBRANDT (nodding) I just hope God's smiling on us. Rembrandt steps back, once more standing alongside Maggie, behind Diana. Maggie grabs his hand, as though in silent prayer for yet another try. Colin steps up from behind them, standing to watch as well, arms folded. Geiger hits a switch, and the combine beam lights up internally. He looks up at Mallory. GEIGER (to Mallory) The beam needs to warm up for this for a moment before it can begin. So here's what's going to happen. The beam will fire directly through you... (gesturing to the back wall indentation) ...and into the field behind you. Mallory turns and looks behind himself, noting the indentation in the wall where Geiger formed his "stasis field" on Rembrandt and Maggie two years ago. GEIGER (continued) It shouldn't harm you. It will extract foreign DNA from your body and phase it back, into the field. The computer is configured to specify DNA with the same quantum signature that it read in your friend Colin the other day. (beat) From there, the cloning process will begin within the field, and the beam will reconfigure to phase the separate essence from your own body back into the field with the cloned body. Once the field is finished aging the organic material appropriately, you should have your new Quinn. As his explanation finishes, so does the beam's warm-up, and it fires. A blue beam shoots out, into Mallory's upper chest, and through him, out his back and into the wall. As the beam hits the wall, the odd, gelatinous-looking field appears. Mallory's image vibrates for a moment, and he grits his teeth for a second before falling unconscious and limp. The vibration stops, and what appears similar to waves of heat appear behind him, between the chair and the field. The waves vanish. The shimmering that fills that area of the air stops. Rembrandt looks like he's holding his breath. Colin reaches over and pats his friend on the shoulder, eliciting a smile from the old singer. Diana looks over to the others. Maggie notices, and Diana nods to her, smiling. Maggie smiles back, and puts an arm around Rembrandt, plus one around Colin, sharing hopeful smiles with them both before turning her head back towards Mallory and the field. The blue beam from the combine seems to fade, turning thinner, a dim green. A ripple seems to wash over Mallory's body. Again, the strange waves appear between him and the field behind him, where, within the field, a silhouette begins to take shape. The beam further dims. Yellow and still thinner now, Mallory seems to slump down even more in his seat. The silhouette within the field behind him is looking like a small, human shape. Like a young man or boy, laying on his side. Diana turns and shuts the beam off. Mallory still sits unconscious. The field continues to form its shape. GEIGER Get him out of the way. Diana nods to the others, and Colin, Rembrandt, and Maggie all go over and help lift Mallory out of the chair, helping him aside. The shape within the field is now a fully grown human shape. Geiger hits a button and the combine beam fires out a quick burst, shooting narrowly over the chair and into the field, shutting it down. A man lies there, naked. We can only see his upper back. Diana turns and picks something up, then heads over to the man in the former field zone with it. It's a blanket. She wraps him in it as Maggie comes over to join her, a grin on her face. Remmy, holding onto Mallory, nods to Colin. REMBRANDT It's okay. I've got him. Go on, help your brother. Colin goes over and gives Maggie and Diana a hand. Geiger, meanwhile, is once more turning knobs and dials. He hits a few switches, turns to another computer, and works on that one, typing away. The combine beam gun begins to spark. Diana, looking back, notices this. Still over by the chair that held Mallory, and a little too close to the combine gun for comfort, Diana nudges Maggie, staring at the combine mechanism. DIANA C'mon Maggie. We gotta go. Maggie is already helping Colin up, carrying the body of Quinn wrapped in a blanket. They get out of the way, moving over to Rembrandt again, who is hunched over, carrying Mallory over his shoulder. Diana leaves Quinn with Maggie and Colin, running over to Geiger. Geiger is still turning up the controls. DIANA What are you doing?! GEIGER I understand now that the only way for my father to fully atone for his crimes is for his creations to be destroyed. Then perhaps you will be able to look upon his face and see how he was truly redeemed, through his actions as well as mine. Diana reaches for the controls, trying to stop him, but he pushes her back, roughly. DIANA No, stop, you don't have to... The combine beam EXPLODES! Diana flinches at the sudden burst. The others, safe on the opposite side of the room, watch on helplessly. GEIGER (to Diana) Go! Get out, while you still can. Diana stands still for a moment, torn. She makes the call and turns towards the group, jogging over to them. DIANA He's blowing the lab. All the equipment. We gotta get outta here. MAGGIE Can't you stop it? DIANA He's got the main control, and I'm not going to go head-to-head with him over this. Honestly, If I was in his shoes, I'd probably be thinking the same thing. Geiger's console blows next, knocking him to the ground! Diana turns and sees this. DIANA Geiger! ANGLE ON - GEIGER She looks over to him, but, through the flames, it's clear that he's horribly burned. Very likely dead. BACK TO LAST ANGLE MAGGIE (to Diana) You can't help him now! Let's go! She pulls on Diana's arm, and Diana gives in. With Rembrandt holding onto Mallory and with Colin and Maggie carrying Quinn, the group heads out through the door, just as another console goes up. INT. RESEARCH BUILDING - HALLWAY As the gang of four conscious people and two unconscious Quinns moves out into the hall, Meredith and Jensen comes racing down the corridor, stopping just in front of them. MEREDITH What the hell is going on in there?! I saw on the monitor that that stupid clone is destroying all of our technology! DIANA It's too late now! You can't stop it! Jensen heads for the door to the lab. JENSEN I've got to try! Maggie leaves Quinn with Colin for a moment. Moving over towards the door, she cuts Jensen off at the entrance and slugs Jensen across the jaw yet again! MAGGIE (to Jensen) The next time you try something that stupid, I will make DAMN sure that you'll never be able to disparage my husband's good name - EVER - again. Got me? Jensen looks ready to growl at her. DIANA People! If that mainframe goes up, the fire will burn this place to the ground! REMBRANDT I hear that! Let's move! EXT. GEIGER APPLIED RESEARCH - DAY In the morning sun, our gang makes it outside, with Meredith Santi and Steven Jensen with them. As they run out, another explosion, a loud one, rocks the building behind them. The guards we saw before in suits rush out as it happens. They stop along the walkway that leads up to the building, with Remmy setting Mallory down and Colin and Maggie laying down Quinn. They all turn and look back at the building. ANGLE ON - RESEARCH BUILDING Through the glass doors (one newly reparied), we see that flames are already licking the hallways. BACK TO LAST ANGLE Rembrandt looks at Mallory, patting his face lightly in an attempt to awaken him. REMBRANDT Mallory? Hey, Mallory? Maggie is looking at Quinn, wrapped in the blanket. We still can't see his face. Maggie strokes the long hair on his head and talks softly to him. Colin watches her, and his brother. MAGGIE Come on Quinn. Snap out of it. Diana, meanwhile, stands alongside Meredith and Jensen, looking at the building. DIANA He got what he wanted. What Dr. Geiger would've wanted. He helped us to separate the Quinns, and then he destroyed everything that Dr. Geiger had created... including himself. Meredith sighs. MEREDITH With an explosion that large centered in the lab, we'll have nothing left. Nothing more to work with. (to Diana) And I know you don't have the knowledge to build those devices again. Diana shakes her head. She doesn't look sad at this loss. A beat. Meredith still stares out towards the building. MEREDITH Well then... this project is terminated. You are... relieved from our agreement. Diana raises an eyebrow. DIANA That mean I'm free to go? Meredith nods. DIANA Aren't you concerned that I'll tell someone? Meredith now manages a weak smile. She looks like she could almost laugh, more out of frustration and some kind of madness than out of any real joy. MEREDITH Not really. Who are you going to tell? Who's going to believe you? If you manage to get very far with such actions, we would certainly take action to silence you. But I don't think that will be a problem. Diana smirks a little, to herself, nodding. Behind them, back with Rembrandt and Mallory, Mallory stirs. Colin and Maggie look over to him. His eyes flutter open. Rembrandt smiles, the others sharing his relief. REMBRANDT (to Mallory) Hey there. You okay? MALLORY (weakly) I think so... I just... His eyes suddenly seem to jolt, fully open. His expression twists into one of horror. MALLORY (realizing) I can't feel my legs. I CAN'T FEEL MY LEGS! Diana's look says it all. The shock, the confusion that the others feel along with her. Even so, it's a pale shadow of what Mallory is obviously feeling. DIANA Oh my god... the DNA removal. It must've failed to be specific to the other Quinn's quantum signautre. It removed ALL of the foreign DNA from your body... even the DNA from the alternate Quinns that we used to cure you... MALLORY But you can fix it, right? You can make it better? Diana doesn't know what to say. She doesn't have an answer. MALLORY Diana? Can you? CAN YOU? Diana puts a hand to her forehead, reeling. Rembrandt, Maggie, and Colin all look at her, their faces fallen. They know the answer. They know that she can't. The camera PANS up, holding on our group as they sit beneath the sun, left with this last realization. FADE TO BLACK CLOSING CREDITS END