Sliders 2013 - Episode 1.1 You Can't Go Home Again

7/30/2019 Sliders 2013 - Episode 1.1 You Can't Go Home Again

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SLIDERS [2013]A twenty-first century reboot of the 1995 science fiction series.

Episode 1.1: You Can't Go Home Again

Draft 1.1 to be revised

Story by Slider_Quinn21 (pg 1 55) and Informant (pg 56 - 127)

with contributions from Chaser9 and Temporal Flux.

Script by ireactions

Based on the TV series created by Tracy Torm and Robert K. Weiss

Wade Wellesis a dreamer who failed to find direction in life. Rembrandt Brownis an

R&B singer who failed to hang on to his 15 minutes of fame. Professor Arturois ascientist who failed to gain recognition for his brilliance. And Quinn Malloryis a genius

who just failed to create anti-gravity -- but discovered something else instead...

SLIDERS: a daring adventure through infinity. Sometimes, being lost is the best way to

be found.

SLIDERS (2013) is an ebook series that uses script format.

SLIDERS is owned by NBCUniversal and was created by Tracy Torm and Robert K.

Weiss. It is used without permission and no copyright infringement is intended. The

authors will not receive financial gain from the distribution of this document.


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We fade in on a wide angle of the city of San Francisco. TheGolden Gate Bridge is a brilliant orange against the eveningsky.

FADE TO:

A RESIDENTIAL AREA IN THE EVENING

We focus on one 2-storey house and move in close to theBASEMENT WINDOWS.

CUT TO:

INT. QUINN MALLORYS BASEMENT - EVENING

In the basement is an astonishing SCIENTIFIC LABORATORY.There are shelves lining every wall. Each shelf is filledwith books and electronic parts.

In the center of the room are four worktables. Three areoccupied by a MASSIVE CONTRAPTION of COILS and TUBING,connected to a stereo-sized HELIUM-NEON LASER.

A desktop computer is by the stairs leading out of thebasement. (Next to the monitor is a framed photo of an OLDERMAN. This may be important later.)

A tall young man (23) with moppy hair darts back and forth,dressed carelessly in unironed flannel and ragged jeans. This

is QUINN MALLORY.

Quinn rushes to a BLACKBOARD. Its covered from top to bottomin chalk-written symbols and numbers for a complex equation.

There is a LAPTOP on the only worktable not dominated bymachinery. The laptop has a VIDEO-CHAT WINDOW open. In thewindow is a scruffy twentysomething in glasses. This isCONRAD BENNISH JR.

BENNISH (VIDEO FEED)(yawning)

Quinn, are we good to go? Cause

Im ready to be gone.

QUINNOne more second, Bennish!

At his desktop computer, Quinn taps in a series of commands.At the other end of the room, the helium-neon laser begins tomake a whirring sound. Quinn moves to the laptop, turning itin the same direction the lasers aiming in.


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QUINN (CONTD)Its started!!

The end of the laser glows -- and a blue beam bursts from thetip. But the beam of light doesnt strike the shelf in frontof it -- instead, it stops in mid air.

In the space of a second, the beam resolves to a single-pointof light and WIDENS into a RIPPLING, GLOWING HOLE IN THE AIR.

This CIRCULAR VORTEX is 40-feet wide, filled with silver-bluelight. It has the texture of a ROUNDED RIPPLING EFFECT like apond after dropping a stone into it.

A gleeful smile fills Quinns face. He moves towards thevortex. It crackles like thunder, it creates wind in thebasement, scattering papers and blowing Quinns hair back.

SUDDENLY, theres a GROANING, WHEEZING SOUND from Quinnscontraption. SPARKS burst from inside. The vortex VANISHES.Tiny POPS, like mini-explosions, can be heard from Quinnsmachinery. A gray smoke drifts from within.

Quinn spins to the laptop, thrilled and delighted.

QUINN (CONTD)That was amazing! We --

The laptops video chat window shows Bennish lying back inhis chair with his eyes closed. Hes snoring.

QUINN (CONTD)HEY!!

BENNISH (VIDEO FEED)(snapping awake)

Whuh?! Whatd I miss?

QUINNI mapped a symplectic manifoldequation into three dimensionalspace!

BENNISH (VIDEO FEED)

Uhhhhhhh -- can you do it again?

Quinn looks at his scorched, smoking equipment.

QUINNDunno...

And we SMASH CUT TO A BLACK SCREEN showing glowing numbers --

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00:00:10The numbers count down to zero. With a RED FLARE, 00:00:00becomes:

SLIDERS (2 013)CUT TO:

EXT. DOPPLER COMPUTERS - MORNING

Shoppers mill in and out of Doppler Computers, a big boxelectronics store, its name on a bright red sign up top.

CUT TO:

INT. DOPPLER COMPUTERS - MORNING

Inside is a constant level of background chatter. Over twoaisles of MP3 players, school-skipping teenagers chatterexcitedly while pointing at a poster advertising a Doppler-sponsored Coldplay concert. In another aisle, collegestudents between classes fire light-guns at video gameterrorists and drag race through streets. Retirement-ageshoppers examine television box sets. Over all this, we hear:

QUINN (OFFSCREEN)Theoretical physics is all aboutusing mathematical abstractions tocome up with theories for whythings happen the way they do. Andthats the key word. Theory.

We speed past shoppers examining toasters and blenders andgrills in the housewares section.

QUINN (OFFSCREEN) (CONTD)Theory is a sketch of a thousand

snowflakes; an approximation inabstraction.

We move towards the center of the store: we see a large signhanging from the ceiling: DOPPLER REPAIR DESK. We shift downfrom the sign to Quinn Mallory, behind the desk, wearing awhite shirt and red tie and a nametag. Hes talking tosomebody in front of him.

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QUINN (CONTD)And thats why mapping mathematicalconcepts to 3D space is soimportant: it bridges theory andreality!

We see the person Quinn is talking to: a mid-forties, glasseswearing man in a red vest and dress shirt. A nametag on hisvest identifies him as the MANAGER of Doppler Computers.

HURLEYMallory -- why the hell are youtelling me this?

QUINNYou asked me why I was late --

HURLEYI shouldnt have to ask at all, youmoron! Youre here to fix computersfrom ten to two and if you cantshow up on time, you wont need toshow up at all! Now get to work andmake sure white Bob Marley downthere stays on task!

From beneath the Doppler Computers Repair Desk, ConradBennish Jr. (24) emerges. We get our first good look at him:hes wearing tinted glasses and a childishly gleefulexpression framed in his long, uncombed hair. He looks like askinny teenager playing a hippie for Halloween.

Hes holding a packet of Twizzlers.

BENNISHEvening shift mustve stashed thesehere. Score!

HURLEY(over his shoulder)

Get to work!(muttering)

Used to work with professionals.Now I work with kids...

Passing schoolchildren laugh at Quinn as he stands behind theRepair Desk, embarrassed and shaken. Behind him, Bennishindifferently chomps down on the red candy.

CUT TO:

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INT. DOPPLER STORAGE BAY

Were in a back area of the store, filled with computers tobe repaired. We see a worktable holding ten laptops. Slenderfingers snap one USB key into each laptop.

On a WIDER ANGLE: We see Quinn pacing back and forth down theline of ten laptops, hitting an enter key on each laptop. Onthe other side of the room, Bennish is seated in front of alaptop. The screen shows the words, RECOVERY PROCESSBEGINNING. Bennish looks critically at Quinn.

BENNISHYou gotta work slower. We dontwant Hurley to cut our hours. Thisis the best job in the world.

On Quinns disbelieving face, we

CUT TO:

Another angle in the STORAGE BAY. Quinn and Bennish are atthe worktables. They have opened up several mini-towers andare now snapping RAM-chips into the motherboards.

QUINNThis job is mindless!

CUT TO:

Quinn and Bennish are now tagging a rack of laptops with

REPAIR COMPLETE labels from label guns.

BENNISHTreasure our time here -- wellnever find any other jobs that giveour big brains a paid vacation.

CUT TO:

Quinn and Bennish are back at the Doppler Computers RepairDesk. Quinn is filling out a form on a clipboard about hisrepair work while Bennish is eating Twizzlers.

QUINNId actually like to be doing somereal work right now. The onlyreason Im not a teaching assistantis because of Brady Oaks.

BENNISHI dont know how anyone believesthe stuff he says about you.

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Youd never need anyone to do yourhomework for you -- and no offense,but the only way youd ever putsomeone in a wheelchair would be ifyou were working at a nursing home.

QUINNEveryone else believes him.

(sighs)I cant get approval on projects, Icant lab resources -- its amiracle they let me into classes.Honestly, maybe last night was adream. Maybe Ive been spending toomuch time in the basement and --

BENNISH(almost angry)

Hey!!(beat)

I dont know what happened lastnight. But if you say you didsomething amazing? Something thatputs your dads anti-gravity plansand your quantum engineering and mycalculations into results that makeit all worth something?

(beat)Then I believe you and I know youcan do it again.

Quinn looks grateful.

QUINNThe underlying principles yieldedsomething. Mapping equations to 3Dspace is --

BENNISHWhoa whoa whoa! Time and place!

QUINNAnd your place -- thats in yourbedroom giving ideas through Skype

while I do the heavy lifting?

BENNISHWe all have our natural habitats.Like this place. This place is ourkingdom! In a world of crappyconsumer hardware, the tech supportkings reign supreme.

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BENNISH (CONT'D)


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A rolled-up DOPPLER COMPUTERS FLIER hits Bennish in the sideof the head. He spins about to see an angry customer, a manin his sixties with a seething scowl.

CUSTOMERYou reinstalled everything on my

computer in Spanish!

Bennish steps away to help the customer, leaving Quinn alone.Quinn looks around for a moment, spying Hurley in the TVsection. Satisfied no ones watching, Quinn sits down at theRepair Desk computer. He double-clicks on something. Onscreentext appears, reading:

MESSENGER LOGGING IN >>becomes MESSENGER ONLINE >>and thenbecomes WADE491 IS ONLINE.

Quinn smiles.

CUT TO:

INT. WADE WELLES BEDROOM. NOON

The bedsheets are rumbled and you cant quite see the floordue to a makeshift carpet of computer magazines and manuals.

A desk next to the bed is covered in TOUCHSCREEN CELL PHONESof various makes and models, some disassembled in separatetrays. A desktop workstation rests in one corner of the room.Before it is a petite young woman (24). Shes got short,

pixie-ish hair and a pleased expression on a pale face. Shetypes something on her computer.

WADE (VOICEOVER)Should you be instant messaging oncompany hours?

And then we go to a split-screen: Quinn in Doppler on theright side, Wade in her room on the left. Quinn types hisresponse.

QUINN (VOICEOVER)(typing)

We cant all be self-employedsoftware designers.

Wade raises a hand to her mouth to shield her smile.

QUINN (VOICEOVER) (CONTD)Your subway guide apps better thanthe official version. You mustveridden the rails and buses for daysto get all these details...

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Wades grin practically splits her face. She types.

WADE (VOICEOVER)(in a calm voice thatdoesnt reflect her glee)

How kind of you to say. Thank you.

Wade peers curiously into the camera at Quinn. She types.

WADE (VOICEOVER) (CONTD)No bedhead. And you never shower inthe mornings. Do you sleep anymore?

QUINN (VOICEOVER)(typing)

Napped on the bus to work. But Imclose to a breakthrough.

WADE (VOICEOVER)(typing)

Or a breakdown! Would you beworking 20-hour-days if you were ina real lab?

Quinn looks wounded.

WADE (VOICEOVER) (CONTD)(typing urgently)

I didnt mean your basement isnt areal lab! I meant like, a lab withhours and people to help out.

(as Quinn looks pained)Im sorry. You should be proud thatyoure doing so much alone. Well,mostly -- youve got Bennish, too.

Behind Quinn, we see Bennish waving good-bye to the angrycustomer who is now a calm customer. Bennish leans back inhis chair, which topples backwards and leaves Bennish in aheap on the floor.

Quinn gets up in alarm, but Bennish waves him off and Quinnsits back down.

WADE (VOICEOVER) (CONTD)Youre lucky to have him. And heslucky to have you.

(hesitant)Youre the sweetest guy Ive nevermet.

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QUINN (VOICEOVER)Im sure we walked past each otherat the trade show. Shame we didnttalk.

WADE (VOICEOVER)

(coyly)Well, I type faster than I talk.Im sure we talked more aboutprobability calculation than weever would in person.

Abruptly, we hear a banging sound from Wades video feed.Wade looks over her shoulder. The door to Wades bedroomopens. A tall, trim woman (28) with red hair and a confidentsmile appears.

WADE (CONTD)Kelly!! Im in the middle of --

KELLY-- what should be your afternoonrun. Cmon, Sis. This is why yougave me keys.

She marches to Wades chair and peers at the screen.

KELLY (CONTD)This is the guy? The one you nevershut up about?

Quinn waves awkwardly at the screen. Kelly looks skeptical.

KELLY (VIDEO FEED) (CONTD)I say this with absolute sincerityand the utmost compassion -- youreally need a haircut. Get onewhile I take Kathleen out for somecardio.

Kelly can be seen yanking a resistant Wade from the chair.

QUINN(looking over his monitor

and whispering)Wade, Ill see you later.

WADE (VIDEO FEED)Oh -- jeez -- did Hurley see you?

QUINNNo -- its my Mom!

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We get an angle on the front entrance of Doppler Computers. Awoman, about 50 with a quirky smile, is walking in.

In the webcam window, Kelly reaches past Wade and hits thekeyboard. Wades video feed vanishes immediately.

As Quinns mother gets to the Repair Desk --

BENNISHGood eveniiiiiing, miss!

Bennish steps past Quinn.

BENNISH (CONTD)(overenunciating like achild trying to be suave)

Please -- allow me to offer you --the best our hospitality has tooffer --

(he offers a half-eatenTwizzler)

Tell me whatever has brought yourravishing self to our humbleworkshop of electronic repair.

AMANDAConrad. Im Quinns mother. You haddinner at with us last week. Getthe candy out of my face and let metalk to my son.

Conrad Bennish Jr. snaps his fingers and taps his temple,indicating that, oh, yes, now he remembers. However, heshrugs blankly at Quinn as he walks away.

QUINNMom! Hi! What are you doing here?

AMANDARight now, Im trying to remindmyself that drug-addled idiot isyour best friends.

QUINN

Thin line between best and only.

AMANDAWell, your basements not asingles bar. Im just bringing yousome things you forgot at home --

She drops a knapsack on the Repair Desk.

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AMANDA (CONTD)Laptop, books, school supplies,lunch money, and a heavy hint thatyou take Friday night off.

QUINN

Cant. Im taking my mother out onher birthday to a really niceJapanese restaurant. Bennish helpedme find this place called Ryukos.

Amanda does her very best not to look horrified.

QUINN (CONTD)We accumulated all 57 reviews. Heassigned each menu and each reviewa numerical value and averaged theaggregates across --

AMANDAAlright, alright. See you at home.

She awkwardly leans over the Repair Desk to hug him, and thenleaves. Bennish returns to watch her go.

QUINNListen, sign me out?

(grabbing his knapsack)I need to get to class.

Bennish gives Quinn a thumbs up as Quinn leaves the desk. As

Quinn approaches the front entrance/exit, Bennishs voice canbe heard over the stores sound system.

BENNISH (OFFSCREEN)Mallory has left the building! Irepeat, Quinn is out! If anyoneremembers where the sign-in sheetis, be a pal and sign him out!

CUT TO:

EXT. UNIVERSITY CAMPUS - DAY

The Berkeley campus grounds are a beehive of activity. We cutthrough a rapid series of shots, showing student protestorsholding signs reading STOP CAMPUS INTERNET SURVEILLANCE! Agroup of older gentlemen walking down a path are sprayed withcondoms by twentysomethings wielding air cannons.

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Students rush about between trees firing foam darts in fiercecombat at each other. A banner over one faculty buildingreads: BERKELEY CAMPUS: THE MOST EXCITING PLACE ON EARTH!

SMASH CUT TO:

INT. PROFESSOR ARTUROS CLASS - DAY

Six dead-eyed students sit in the first and second row ofseats in the classroom. They endure what is for them a brain-blastingly dull lecture. Before them, a massively built manin his fifties stands before the blackboard, delivering hislecture in an English accent with a powerful tone. His beardand sharp suit give him a stern air of authority.

ARTUROOur space-time event, within theSteinhardt-Turok model, creates anexpansion or contraction in thecontext of a four-dimensionalsystem.

We see Quinn, the seventh student, in the third row,isolated. The six other students are grimly taking notes.Quinn is doing the same, but his demeanor indicatesimpassioned enthusiasm instead of boredom.

ARTURO (CONTD)But what if this mathematicalconstruct were to function in a

Baum-Frampton system running in aparallel model? For conceptualvalidity, we must apply eachalternate system separately byadjusting the exponents --

One student in front, Wing, raises a hand.

ARTURO (CONTD)Yes, Mr. Wing?

WINGSo -- what youre saying is -- its

like -- like a house! In twoparallel universes. In one, thewallpapers green, in the other,its red, but we gotta pick thefurniture based on colour or itwont look right --

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ARTUROMr. Wing, if youre hoping to applycosmology and string theory tohuman decision, the philosophy wingis across the quad and next door isthe coffee shop where philosophy

graduates labor.

The five other students surrounding Wing roll their eyes;theyre clearly used to Arturo.

WINGHey! I didnt mean --

ARTUROI am fully aware that you lack theintellectual ability to assimilatethe concept of virtual particleswithin the theoretical propagatorsof the Feynman diagram. That youhoped to reduce the matter tosomething within your cranialcapacity.

WINGI was just asking for some clearerdefinition --

ARTUROThen youre in the wrong building!This is not a place for test tubes

and psych exams -- this is a placewhere we examine the universewithin the purity of mathematics!

WINGYou brought up parallel models,parallel universes --

ARTUROA turn of phrase! Kindly withholdyour childish thoughts for a comicbook convention and we willcontinue to deal in sound

mathematical principles.

At this point, we get a look at Quinns notes: withinscribbled facts and figures, hes drawn circles withincircles -- just like the rippling hole in his basement.

CUT TO:

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Its after the lecture. Professor Arturo is packing hisbriefcase. The students begin to exit, Wing sneering atArturo behind his back. Quinn approaches the Professor.

QUINNProfessor Arturo?

Arturo doesnt look up from his briefcase.

QUINN (CONTD)I wanted to ask you about --

ARTUROBear in mind, Mr. Mallory, that Imwell-aware of your reputation forusing other peoples answers whenlacking your own.

QUINNProfessor, thats not fair! If thisis about Brady Oaks --

ARTUROThis is not about Mr. Oaks, this isabout Mr. Conrad Bennish Jr.

QUINNWhat?

ARTUROMr. Bennish is a talented young man

with some unfortunate past-timesthat dominate his life. A sociallyawkward scientist who is perfectprey for vultures.

QUINNI dont know what youre talkingabout.

ARTUROIm sure Bennish was grateful for afriend. Perhaps so grateful hesdoing your assignments for you.

QUINNThats not true.

ARTUROI have nothing but pity for poorBennish, once you have no furtheruse for him and discard him.

(a glower)

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Your father was a brilliant man.You do his memory no favors.

QUINN(incoherently upset)

Why are you -- ? I just wanted to

ask you about --

ARTUROMr. Mallory, when Mr. Bennish findsthe coherence and sobriety to askfor my advice, I will happily grantit to him and not to you. Good day.

Professor Arturo picks up his briefcase and walks out.

CUT TO:


Quinn is outside the physics faculty building. A gust of windsends a piece of paper straight into his face.

He peels it off and peers at it. It's a flier for abasketball game. "CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS ROAR FOR VICTORY!"it declares. On the poster, a smiling teddy bear says in aword-balloon, "TICKETS ON SALE AT HAAS PAVILION!" In tinyprint on the lower-right corner are the words, "RembrandtBrown, THE CRYING MAN, will be performing the NationalAnthem."

Quinn drops the flier in the first recycling bin he sees. Hewalks off and we stay on the discarded flier.

REMBRANDT (OFFSCREEN)Why am I in size eight font?

CUT TO:

INT. ARTIE FIELD'S OFFICE - DAY

The office door has a glass pane with vinyl letters reading,

FIELDS TALENT AGENCY. The door is open. Standing by it is avery unhappy man (41) in a casual suit. His trimmed mustacheframes an aggravated expression and his dark skin looksflushed.

This is Rembrandt Brown and he's holding a copy of the sameflier Quinn recycled. Rembrandt presses into the office andslams the flier down on a desk.

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ARTURO (CONT'D)


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REMBRANDTWhy is THE CRYING MAN bigger thanmy god-damn name?

The man behind the desk, Artie Fields, looks at the flierwith a resigned face.

ARTIERembrandt --

REMBRANDTArtie, the poster has to get peopleexcited to know I'm going to bethere -- me, not some crybaby --

ARTIENo one wants to hire RembrandtBrown. No one knows who he is. Theywill hire the Crying Man for alaugh, though.

Rembrandt opens his mouth to form a retort, but all thatemerges is a strangled, choking noise.

ARTIE (CONTD)Oh for Gods sake!

A frustrated Artie rises from his chair and storms to a wallof framed tributes to clients. At one end is a magazine covershowing Rembrandt's face, about 15 years ago. Stagelightsilluminate the tears streaming from his eyes.

The cover has the headline: REMBRANDT BROWN: THE CRYING MAN.

ARTIE (CONTD)(banging on the frame)

You act like this was ten minutesago instead of ten years ago. Youhad your shot at the big time,Remmy, and you threw it all away.

REMBRANDTThrew what away? Violet told me wewere done five minutes before I

went out onstage and I looked likea crybaby in front of my audience.

Rembrandt jabs a finger at the magazine cover.

REMBRANDT (CONTD)This is an insult! This is me beingmocked!

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ARTIEThe 90s were full of pretty boystrying to look preppy and twerpstrying to look like thugs. Youcrying on stage made you look likethe real deal -- like a sincere

artist with something worth saying.

REMBRANDTPeople would laugh at me in thestreet, people would give me boxesof Kleenex --

ARTIEAnd if youd let me spin it, theywouldve been giving you boxes ofgold records in the end as opposedto just the one --

REMBRANDTThe only reason Im Crying For YouGirl took off was because peoplebought it for the joke. And itsnot like I gave up, I tried to keepmy name out there --

ARTIEWhat, with Rapping Remmy?

At that, Rembrandt cringes.

REMBRANDTThe market would never have wanteda Crying Man long term.

ARTIEWell, right now, the Crying Mannames the only thing getting youany work at all.

REMBRANDTIts a novelty act!

ARTIE

Thats what you are. A novelty actat weddings and funerals andcollege games. You couldve beensomething special, but you aimedfor mediocrity, and now the bestyou can hope for is to keep busy.

Rembrandt seethes at Arties words.

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REMBRANDTTomorrows going to be the firsttime in four years Ive had anaudience under retirement age. Itsa chance for a fresh start --

ARTIEYes -- great! Maybe a basketballgame will be your big comeback,maybe thatll get people interestedin you again. People really carewho sings the anthem. Follow thedream, Crying Man!

A flash of defiance shows in Rembrandt.

REMBRANDTI made people care about me once --I can do it again. You just wait --Im going to make tomorrow the showof a lifetime, and people will wantto know who I am!

ARTIEWhatever gets you there, pal.

Artie returns to his desk, dismissing Rembrandt from hisattention. Rembrandt gives the framed magazine cover one lastlook before walking out the door.

CUT TO:


Quinn is rewriting his blackboard equations in chalk. Bennishis on the laptop in a video chat window. Hes displeased.

BENNISH (VIDEO FEED)Why would you even go to him? That

pompous windbags a washed upnobody. He was laughed out ofHarvard in the 90s.

QUINNWhen we mapped the equation tothree-dimensional space --

BENNISH (VIDEO FEED)You can call it a vortex.

QUINNThe vortex kept expanding, drawingmore on the exotic matter.

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It was trying to balance the matter-energy ratio to keep itself openand it burnt out the transformers.

BENNISH (VIDEO FEED)This is when I was asleep, right?

QUINNProfessor Arturos a genius. Iveread all his papers. I thought hecould balance the equations withoutaltering the models that let theconstruct appear as a vortex --

BENNISH (VIDEO FEED)Im working on it. Just cause Imnot talking about it doesnt meanits not on my mind.

Quinn continues to study his numbers. On the laptop screen,Bennish continues to tap his chin.

BENNISH (VIDEO FEED)(CONTD)Could you try replacing line 5,segment 3 with Xr12 Alpha overVariable X!

Dropping into a crouch, Quinn wipes away a section of thecalculations and writes in Bennishs new set of numbers andsymbols. He blinks.

QUINNYes -- yes! You balanced it! Wejust need to rework the zero-pointinductives, convert vectors Kthrough --

BENNISH (VIDEO FEED)That sounds seriously dull. Goodthing youre on the job.

Quinn gleefully begins rewriting the board. As he keepserasing and writing, we

FADE TO:

LATER: The blackboard has been extensively rewritten andQuinn is now working on a piece of hand-sized hardware at hisworktable, using tweezers and a tiny screwdriver set.

QUINN(to the laptop)

This is fantastic! Youve got toget over here!

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QUINN (CONT'D)


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No response. Quinn snaps a component into place.

QUINN (CONTD)Im reassembling the mappingapparatus, but in miniature. If thehardware burns out again, itll

only be this smaller device.

Quinn puts the pieces of the device back together.

QUINN (CONTD)Here, take a look at -- !

Quinn look at the laptop. Bennish is no longer in the webcamvideo: a note has been left in view of the webcam lens. Itreads: GONE FOR MUNCHIES. SEE YOU AT WORK.

Quinn is hurt, but tries to focus on his work. He takes along look at the device in his hands: it looks like a large,clunky flip-phone from the mid-90s (specifically, an Ultra-Lite Motorola MicroTAC flip phone with the antenna removed).

CUT TO:

Quinn at his computer, typing. He picks up the flip-phone andadjusts it. Theres an audible chime from Quinns computer.Onscreen text reads: WADE491 IS ONLINE.

We stay in Quinns basement. Wades webcam window appears inthe lower-right corner of our shot.

WADE (VIDEO FEED)Whats with the 90s cell phone?

QUINNDont judge hardware by the outershell.

He flips it open. The phones keypad has been replaced with atouchscreen from a more modern phone. The speaker and seven-segment-display that should be up top have ALSO been replacedby a (smaller) touchscreen.

Quinn taps the top touchscreen: it displays 00:00:00. The

lower touchscreen shows a keypad, but a thumb-swipe changesthe display into a set of calculations.

Quinn picks up another part for the device: it looks like ametallic cylinder with rings of copper wire coiled around it.He snaps it into the front of the casing. It briefly glows.

WADE (VIDEO FEED)90s phone with a flashlight?

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QUINNMiniature laser emitter! Itconverts all this --

(aims the desktops webcamat the blackboard)

-- into a light signature siphoned

through an exotic matter matrix.

WADE (VIDEO FEED)A mathematical laser show, huh?

QUINNSomething like that. My dadwouldve loved this.

WADE (VIDEO FEED)You really miss him.

QUINNHe had so many friends who couldnttalk about mathematical theorywithout fighting, and Dad thoughthe could come up with something toget them all on the same page.

WADE (VIDEO FEED)Anti-gravity?

QUINNYeah... I couldnt get it to work,but the underlying concept, a

unified field theory...(typing)Oh, did you and your sister have agood time?

WADE (VIDEO FEED)After the run, Kelly and I went toa movie and... yknow, its all onFacebook.

We stay on Quinn, but we hear several mouse-clicks. Wadeswebcam feed is temporarily replaced with a series of photos.In the photos, we see:

A grinning Kelly Welles on a barstool with several male andfemale friends around her. And then theres Wade, sittingsullenly at the left end of the photo.

The next photo: a grinning Kelly Welles holding a dart andaiming off-camera. Kellys friends look entertained. And thentheres Wade, standing sullenly at the left.

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The next photo: a grinning Kelly Welles and her friends allholding glasses of beer and toasting. And then theres Wade,standing sullenly at the left, looking longingly at the exit.

The next photo: a grinning Kelly Welles and her friends areseated around a large platter of chicken wings. Wade is

nowhere to be seen.

The photos vanish and Wades webcam feed returns.

QUINNIm sure Kelly just wanted to showyou a good time?

WADE (VIDEO FEED)I know. Its just not my scene. Ihave my work. Im sure youunderstand; youve taken up

permanent residence in yourbasement.

Quinn types calculations. The same calculations flash acrossthe touchscreen of the timing mechanism.

QUINNIm hoping that what Bennish and Iaccomplish down here will get usinto a properly funded lab. Wereworking on our futures.

WADE (VIDEO FEED)

And Im working on mine. The self-employed software designer here hasonly made two hundred dollars in

profit at this point. But I thinktheres a future here...

QUINN(still typing)

Well, I appreciate you taking timenow and then to keep me company.

Wade begins to study one of the phones in her hands intently.

WADE (VIDEO FEED)I could find some time now and thenfor us to hang out.

QUINN(focused on hiscalculations)

Dont we already?

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WADE (VIDEO FEED)(still not looking up)

I mean in person.

QUINNYes!!

Quinn picks up the timing mechanism.

QUINN (CONTD)Bennishs revisions work! And thetimers softwares running!

WADE (VIDEO FEED)Quinn!!

QUINNHuh?

WADE (VIDEO FEED)(looking directly into thewebcam lens)

Do you want to meet?

Quinn loses his grip on the timer. It clatters to the desk.

QUINNI do. Its just, Im kind of at acrucial stage here. I really needto test this, Ive been looking atthese figures since I was 15 and

tonights a bit --

WADE (VIDEO FEED)Quinn.

Quinn is quiet.

WADE (VIDEO FEED) (CONTD)If you want to keep your online andoffline life separate, I get it.Just dont weasel out of saying it.

Quinn looks around at his basement.

QUINNI dont have any food in the house.I had to move the sofa out of thebasement so I could fit in an extratable.

WADE (VIDEO FEED)Really, its --

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QUINNI had to hook the machine into thefuse box and the reduced power loadmeans all the lights in thebasement are perpetually dim. Thereare pizzas and sandwiches Ive

forgotten about that are stillaround here somewhere. But if youthink you can handle that, I liveat 4159 Blue Jay Way.

A brilliant smile fills Wades face.

WADE (VIDEO FEED)Seriously?

QUINNIf you come over now -- I can showyou what Ive been doing. Bennishslept through it, so youll be thefirst person after me to see it.

WADE (VIDEO FEED)Oh my God -- yes! Ill see you in --

(peering at what we canassume is Google Maps)

Half an hour!

Wade rises from her chair. Then leans into the webcam.

WADE (VIDEO FEED) (CONTD)

Im not going to say good-byesince... I guess pretty soon, wellbe saying hello.

And then Wades webcam feed is gone. Quinn pushes back fromthe computer, exhaling. He looks around the basement. He getsup and moves towards the machine, holding the timingmechanism in his hand. He puts it down.

But then he picks it back up.

QUINNShould make sure that Ive actually

got something to show...

He flips the timer open and taps a command into thetouchscreen. The machine on the table, with its coils andprocessors and motors, begins to hum.

Quinn taps one final command into the timer and aims itstraight ahead.

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Light bursts from the front of the device. It stops in mid-air and condenses into a single point, a lone-spark of lightin mid-air. And then it widens to form the VORTEX.

The basement is filled with wind and a crackling sound ofintense energy as the GLOWING, RIPPLING hole in the air takes

shape.

Quinn shields his eyes for a moment as the flashing light isreflected across his face. His desk chair on wheels is blownback by the forceful wind of the vortex.

Quinn grins widely. He reaches out, letting his fingers feelthe wind.

But then the vortex starts to get BIGGER. More ripples takeshape in this hole in the air, and with each circular ripple,the vortex widens. Quinn backs away.

The vortex EXPANDS to reach the ceiling and then begins todrift towards Quinn. He retreats, urgently tapping at thetimer. But the vortex doesnt stop growing TOWARDS Quinnsdirection. Theres a flash of light.

FLASHCUT TO:

QUINN: Falling! Falling through a strange and inexplicabletunnel of purple and green light, flailing madly as the roarof the vortex fills his ears. He screams helplessly.

FLASHCUT TO:

Quinn is thrown against a wall. He cries out in surprise ashe lands in an awkward tangle on the floor. He looks up tosee the vortex SHRINK and VANISH. Gingerly, he gets up,looking around his basement.

But something is wrong. The shelves and blackboard are gone.The worktables are gone. The machine is gone. He is in thesame room, the same house, but all his possessions and allhis work have ceased to exist. This isnt a basement lab --its simply a basement.

QUINN (CONTD)

Where am I?

CUT TO:

INT. MALLORY KITCHEN - EVENING

The kitchen lights arent on. The door to the basement,outside the kitchen, swings upon. Quinn bursts up the stairs.

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QUINNMom?! Mom!!!

No response. Quinn realizes all the furniture is gone:theres no stove, no kitchen table, no sign that anyone liveshere. He flicks the light switch. The lights dont come on.

Quinn shoves the timing device into his pocket. Rushes to thekitchen cabinets and yanks open every drawer. All are empty.He runs into the living room. Theres no sofa, no television.No curtains on the windows.

He runs into the front hall. We stay on the FLIGHT OF STAIRSas Quinn runs up them.

QUINN (CONTD)Mom!! Are you here? Mom!!!

CUT TO:

EXT. MALLORY HOUSE - EVENING

We hear footsteps charging down the flight of stairs insidethe house. The front door swings open and Quinn runs out. Hiseyes sweep the front porch. He checks the mailbox. Empty.

Terror fills him as he steps out onto the front lawn and seesa realtors FOR SALE sign stuck in the lawn. He turns aroundto stare at the strange house that isnt his.

Suddenly, theres a soft, motorized hum. A sleek black car isgliding up the street. This gleaming black sedan pulls intothe driveway.

Quinn walks towards the car as two tall men in gray suits andties emerge from opposite sides of the car.

QUINNExcuse me? Can you help me?

The two men turn towards Quinn. One of them is holding asmall digital device: it looks like a television remotecontrol but with diodes at the end and a SSD display on top.

He briefly waves it in Quinns direction, and it releases achirp.

The man pockets the device and approaches Quinn, hiscompanion right behind him.

AGENT BARROWSMy name is Agent Barrows and thisis Agent Goldman.

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QUINNPlease -- somethings wrong! Myhouse -- everythings gone! Mymother was upstairs -- shesdisappeared! I dont understand --my house wasnt for sale!

AGENT GOLDMANYoud better come with us.

The two agents are entirely unruffled, almost mechanicallycool and icy in the face of Quinns frantic desperation.

QUINNMy mom --

AGENT GOLDMANIs your mother here?

QUINNNo.

AGENT GOLDMANNo sense in staying here, then.

Agent Barrows turns away, not waiting for Quinns response.Barrows returns to the car and opens the back door. Quinnlooks helplessly at his dark, empty house.

CUT TO:

INSIDE THE CAR

The car speeds along a freeway. Quinn is in the back seat.Agent Barrows is behind the wheel with Goldman in thepassenger seat.

QUINNWhy did you guys come to my house?

No response.

QUINN (CONTD)

I was yelling -- did someone callit in?

Agent Goldman turns up the volume on the radio, ignoringQuinn.

Quinn leans back in the admittedly comfortable back seat,gazing out the window, trying to ground himself in somethingfamiliar. The streets and buildings dont look different.

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But then Quinn finds himself studying the cars passing by andnotices: none of them have exhaust pipes. In fact, theres noexhaust to be seen -- and when Quinn looks up at the nightsky, he can see the stars without the haze of pollution.

At this point, he starts paying attention to the radio

broadcast.

JACOBS (VOICE ON THE RADIO)Can you believe it? Theyre notgoing to spend their stimulus on alight rail system -- oh, no.Theyre going to buy a footballteam! Seriously?

STEVE (VOICE ON THE RADIO)You have to wonder if those newCanadian hires forgot what countrytheyre working in. Footballs aCanadian sport. If its slower thansoccer, Americans arent going tohave the patience for it.

JACOBS (VOICE ON THE RADIO)Kind of the nature of the world welive in these days -- everythinggets faster and faster...

Quinn listens to the conversation with increasing anxiety.

CUT TO:

EXT. MUSEUM - EVENING

The black sedan with Quinn inside drives up to what lookslike a museum. It is a massive white complex with a domedroof. It looks like a church built with modern materials.

The car moves through a set of gates and past the frontentrance, driving around to the back.

CUT TO:

INT. MUSEUM HALLWAY - EVENING

Were now inside the museum, in a dark and dimly lit hallway.Agent Goldman walks through the hallway. Behind him is Quinn.And behind Quinn is Agent Barrows, silently storming forward,forcing Quinn to maintain his pace lest he be trampled.

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The three come to an elevator. The elevator doors open.Goldman walks in. Quinn hesitates and Barrows steps forward,a hand extended to shove Quinn into the elevator.

QUINNHey!

CUT TO:

INT. THIRD FLOOR - EVENING

Were looking at the closed elevator doors on the third floorof the museum. This floor is dimly lit. The elevator doorsopen to reveal Goldman, Quinn and Barrows. Goldman steps out.

Quinn launches himself forward, away from Barrows andstraight into Goldman, knocking him aside. Quinn is about tomake a run for it to escape the two agents -- but Barrowsleaps out of the elevator, driving every ounce of weight intoQuinns back. Barrows tackles Quinn to the floor and pinshim.

QUINNHnnghhh! Let me GO!

Quinn cries out in pain as Goldman puts a foot on Quinnswaist, further pinning Quinn to the floor.

From the floor, Quinn sees a THIRD STRANGER approaching.Theres a pair of black loafers on the floor in front of

Quinn. The shoes take smooth, deliberate steps forward untiltheyre directly in front of his face.

When this new person speaks, the voice is rich and deep andin an English accent.

VOICEIt would be most helpful,gentlemen, if you would assist ourguest to his feet.

Hands grip Quinns shoulders and hes hauled up and depositedon his heels. And then he gasps when he sees this third man.

Its Professor Arturo.

But the Professor doesnt look the same as he did in class.His hair is loose and longer, his beard less neatly trimmed.Instead of a sharply fitted suit, hes casually dressed: aloose orange jacket of wool, worn on top of a blue sweaterand cargo pants.

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QUINNProfessor?! Whats going on here?

ARTUROIm afraid that before I can answeryour questions, you will be

required to answer mine.

Quinn starts forward towards the Professor -- and Goldman andBarrows yank him back. Quinn struggles and Goldmans fiststrikes Quinn directly in the stomach. Quinn lets out astrangled gagging noise and sags forward. Only Goldman andBarrows arms keep him upright.

Arturo spots the bulge in Quinns pants pocket. He reachesforward and pulls out the timing device. He flips it openlike hes handled it before. He gazes at the display and thensnaps it shut.

ARTURO (CONTD)Further tests of the agentspatience would be most unwise,young sir. Now -- the questions.

Quinn makes a choking, wheezing sound.

ARTURO (CONTD)How many stars are there on theAmerican flag?

QUINN

Whuh --

ARTUROThe American flag. How many stars?

QUINNFif -- Fifty!

ARTUROWhat is the Seventh Amendment?

QUINNThe -- the one about -- common law

suits -- trial by jury if the valuein question exceeds -- twentydollars!

ARTUROAnd what is the significance ofOctober 12?

QUINNColumbus Day! Its Columbus Day!

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At that, Arturo gives a short nod to Goldman and Barrows.Immediately, their hands withdraw from Quinns person.

Quinn looks over his shoulder to see the two agents quietlyreturning to the elevator. The doors close with them inside.Quinn and Arturo are alone in the dimly lit hallway.

ARTUROMy apologies, Mr. Mallory. Ourtactics are a crude but unfortunatenecessity when dealing with guestsof your peculiar origins.

QUINNWhy are you DOING this?! I mappedsymplectic manifold equations into3D space and all I asked for wasyour advice --

ARTUROMathematical constructs in physicalspace...

He looks at the timing mechanism. And then Arturo smiles.

ARTURO (CONTD)I understand. Youve createdsliding.

Arturo turns away. A casual wave of his hand indicates thatQuinn should follow.

QUINNSliding? Whatre you talking about?

ARTUROIf you would accompany me to theobservation deck, all will beexplained.

CUT TO:

INT. OBSERVATION DECK - EVENING

Quinn and Arturo emerge on what looks like a carefully litbalcony thats indoors. A railing guards the two of them fromthe edge. Beyond the edge is complete and total blackness.

QUINNWhere are we?

Arturo snaps his fingers.

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Theres a flare of light in the darkness surrounding thedeck. The briefest of flashes. It fades away to nothing --and then reforms into a large, glowing sphere that looks tobe the width of four picnic tables. The sphere takes on abright blue colour. Land masses take shape across it.

Its an image of the Earth floating in the darkness.

QUINN (CONTD)Hologram?

ARTUROAn illustrative one, I hope. Thisbuilding is the Museum ofInterdimensional Wonders.

QUINNInterdimensional?

The image of the planet Earth in front of Quinn and Arturoripples and widens. A SECOND EARTH flows out of the firstEarth, and then separates entirely. The two Earths hang sideby side in blackness.

And then, the two Earths each produce an Earth of their own.Now its four Earths. Each Earth continues to multiply untilQuinn is looking at an ENDLESS SPIRAL of EARTHS.

ARTUROYour answers to the three questionsindicate that you originate from an

Earth within the Hopkins cluster --thats a categorization, not aspatial reference, of course.

Quinn stares at the multiplying Earths, stretching fartherand farther back. Hes enchanted by their symmetrical beauty.

ARTURO (CONTD)You found a way to map a manifoldequation to three-dimensionalspace. You saw a rippling in theair. That ripple was a gateway tothe Einstein-Rosen-Podalski bridge.

A bridge to alternate realities.

Quinn tears his gaze from the display and looks at the Arturoin front of him: this lengthy haired, casually dressedArturo. This relaxed, laid-back version of the angry man hesaw earlier today.

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QUINNYoure not the Professor I know.Youre a version of him in aparallel universe. Im on adifferent planet!

ARTUROSame planet. Different dimension.

CUT TO:

INT. FRONT HALL - EVENING

Were now in a massive hall of white brick walls with a domedceiling high above. Quinn and Arturo descend a spiralstaircase leading to the ground level. Quinn looks around inevery direction: there are six large archways, each leadingdown separate paths.

QUINNThis place is huge!

ARTUROThe complex spans a hundred andeighty thousand square feet andtwelve stories. And yet, itrepresents a mere fraction of theEarths out there.

QUINN

How many Earths are there?

ARTUROI lost count after fourteentrillion and five. Our probes findtwo hundred a day. Each with theirown history, their own path fromthe dawn of existence to thepresent day. Your timer can open agateway to each and every one.

Quinn studies each archway. They all have signs next to them.ALTERNATE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGIES. ALTERNATE CULTURES.

ALTERNATE THEOLOGIES AND PHILOSOPHIES. ALTERNATE ECONOMICS.ALTERNATE BIOLOGIES. Arturo leads Quinn to a specificarchway: ALTERNATE HISTORIES.

ARTURO (CONTD)Visiting hours are over, but as thecurator of this museum, Im happyto offer you a tour.

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As they move towards the Alternate Histories Wing, Quinnspots a display case in the center of the hall. He peers intothe case. Inside is a dark wooden bust of Arturos face.

The inscription on the plaque below reads: MAXIMILIAN ARTURO:THE FATHER OF INTERDIMENSIONAL TRAVEL.

QUINN(delighted)

So on this world, you createdsliding? I always knew you werebrilliant.

ARTUROLet me show you what your ownbrilliance has opened the door to.

CUT TO:

INT. ALTERNATE HISTORIES WING - EVENING

Quinn and Arturo walk down a hallway. Each wall is lined withmassive glass windows in enormous frames. They stop at thefirst window. It comes to life and through the window, Quinncan see a park in the daytime, with people walking through.

QUINNGolden Gate Park -- is this adisplay screen?

ARTUROThree-dimensional flatscreentechnology. It tracks eye-movements. Where you look, it willgo. Look left.

And Quinn does. The window zooms in on a STATUE in the park.Quinn spares it a glance and looks to Arturo.

QUINNStatue of Abraham Lincoln, right? Irun by every day to get to campus.

ARTUROLook closer, Mr. Mallory.

Quinn turns his attention back to the giant screen. Stares atthe statue. He realizes this bearded, balding statue is notAbraham Lincoln. He squints at the plaque on the base of thestatue.

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QUINN(reading)

Vladimir Ilyich Lenin -- Lenin?Whats a statue of him doing inGolden Gate Park?

ARTUROIt honours the leader of theBolsheviks and the OctoberRevolution of 1917 that paved theroad to Russian dominance of NorthAmerica. This display offers athree-dimensional representation ofa parallel Earth in which theUnited States failed war effortsin Korea led to the US becomingCommunist territory by 1961.

QUINNMy God.

(gesturing at the window)Is this live footage?

ARTUROEverything here is pre-recorded: acombination of recreations and onlocation visual records.

Arturo steps forward and we see him blink carefully at thedisplay. The view of Golden Gate Park vanishes, and we seebrief snippets in separated windows. We see an American flag

with a hammer and sickle, an image of the Washington Monumentsurrounded by Russian soldiers.

Quinn looks down the hallway. The glass displays stretchfarther than he can see.

ARTURO (CONTD)Lets move on, shall we? You maylike this next one.

They move to the next window. Quinn looks in to see an open,grassy hillside. It looks still and peaceful. But thentheres a roar and a powerful STOMPING noise.

And emerging at the top of the hill is a STEGOSAURUSDINOSAUR, the fins and plates on its back appearing beforethe rest of its massive form. The enormous reptile stridesonto the hill.

QUINNDinosaurs -- they didnt die out onthis world?

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Arturo steps forward and looks at a certain part of thewindow. The image in the window speeds forward until wearrive at a high metal wall. Then the image rotates 180degrees, spinning THROUGH THE WALL and out the other side.

On the outside, the wall has a sign reading: SAN FRANCISCO

DINOSAUR RESERVE.

ARTUROTheyre an endangered species onthis Earth. Protected and nurtured.Poached, too, but protected.

QUINNIncredible!

ARTUROCome, let me show you more --

CUT TO:

A window shows Mount Rushmore -- but it shows the faces ofsix US Presidents instead of four. And the six faces arethose of WOMEN.

ARTURO (CONTD)This world has a severe issue ofgender-bias, as does yours. Unlikethe world we know, however, thegender-bias on this parallel Earthfavors women over men.

CUT TO:

Another window: this one shows images of Nikola Telsa, ThomasEdison, Alexander Graham Bell on an advertisement mounted onthe side of a bus. A side window shows the cover of PLAYBOYmagazine with a portrait of Marie Curie.

ARTURO (CONTD)In this parallel culture,scientific, philosophical andtechnological achievement are thefoundation of all celebrity.

CUT TO:

Another window: This one shows a church, but instead of across, the church roof has a pentacle (a star in a circle).

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ARTURO (CONTD)A world where Wiccanism is thedominant religion and Christianityis an isolated subcultureappropriated by angry teenagersseeking to annoy their parents.

CUT TO:

And we see another window: we see the Golden Gate Bridge. Butwe zoom in on it to see horses and buggies being the primaryform of transport: there arent any cars.

ARTURO (CONTD)A world that has rejectedtechnological advancement since1944. Im afraid I havent had thechance to visit there since 1996,as Im wanted by the police forwearing a digital watch.

CUT TO:

Another window: we see what looks like a liquor store. But wezoom on the window and all thats visible are kinds of sodapop in different varieties, including some upscale brands inornate cases.

ARTURO (CONTD)A world where the AmericanProhibition on alcohol never ended.

CUT TO:

Another window: it shows a bank with a banner for RetirementSavings Plans. But the banner has a photograph of people intheir thirties.

ARTURO (CONTD)A world where retirement age inAmerica is 30.

We widen to show that Arturo and Quinn are now coming to theend of the hallway of display windows. Arturo continues to

walk forward, past the last display window.

QUINNAll these worlds -- have you beento all of them?

ARTUROOh, some. Some...

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Quinn and Arturo continue through the hallway and findthemselves back at the entrance of the Alternate Historieswing. Arturo leads Quinn back into the front hall.

ARTURO (CONTD)I had the museum designed to take

the visitors in circles. Alwaysbringing them back to the sameplace but with a new perspective.

He regards the bust of his face in the display case almostwistfully before turning to Quinn.

ARTURO (CONTD)An interdimensional civilization,Mr. Mallory, is a post-historicalworld. Sliding will fundamentallyalter the nature of the societiesand cultures it touches.

QUINNWhatd sliding do to your world?

ARTUROTo this world? Ive been careful.Sliding is restricted. Ive donewhat I can to bring the best ofother worlds to this one.

QUINNThe car that brought me here -- it

didnt have an exhaust pipe.

ARTUROMicro-nuclear fusion, yes. I alsobrought back a cure for leukemia,hydroponic technologies to endworld hunger, nanite-based surgicaloperations, satellite designs thatcan rebuild the ozone layer, waterpurification technologies, andalso, a technique that preventsliquid absorption in processed-grain foodstuffs.

QUINNYou brought back cereal thatdoesnt get soggy in milk?

ARTUROMy greatest triumph. The worldoutside this museum is far fromperfect, Mr. Mallory, but no onegoes hungry or lives in squalor.

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QUINNMaybe you can come to my world,Professor, and see what you can do?

At that, Arturo darkens slightly.

ARTUROMr. Mallory, there are worlds wherepsychics have brought an end towars and zero-point energies havesaved the environment. But thereare also worlds where globalnetworking systems have perfectedwar and fusion-based energy hasobliterated the human race.

QUINNWhat are you saying?

ARTUROTo be a slider is to be manythings. A scientist. An objectiveobserver of human behavior. Aninterventionist or an uninvolvedbystander. A victim or asurvivalist. The majority ofparallel Earths have never beenexposed to interdimensional traveland a slider can dramatically altertheir circumstances.

QUINNYou cant get involved?

ARTUROIt is not a decision to be madewithout careful consideration.

Arturo holds up Quinns timer. With his other hand, Arturopulls a pen-like device out of his pocket and waves it overthe timer. The timer lets out a number of beeps. He gives thetimer back to Quinn.

ARTURO (CONTD)

For you, sliding is still ininfancy. Your timer will allow youto produce gateways to parallelworlds, but your destination willbe random and uncontrolled.

Quinn is looking at the timer, trying to figure out whatArturo was doing with the pen.

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ARTURO (CONT'D)The duration of your visits willdepend on the random convergence ofn-factor probabilities: you mightstay for a month or a week or anhour. At the end of that period of

time, your timer will open agateway that will take you back toyour home dimension.

The timer starts beeping.

ARTURO (CONTD)An alert. You have forty-fiveseconds remaining on this world.

QUINNForty-five -- thats not enough!Can I come back here?

ARTUROIm afraid your technologys levelof development prevents a returnvisit for the time being.

QUINNBut I --

ARTUROMr. Mallory, listen to me now.

Quinn is silenced by the gravity of the Professors tone.

ARTURO (CONTD)Your timer will open a doorway towonders beyond your imagination.But you must remember thesignificance and value of choice.

QUINNI dont --

ARTUROThe choice to retreat or advance.

To reach out with trust or lash outwith suspicion.

(a breath)Remember that wherever you go andwhatever you see is the result ofdecisions. Decisions determine whowe are. What we become. It is fromdecisions that worlds are built andbroken.

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The timer starts beeping. Quinn flips it open. The countdownhas hit zero. Quinn taps a command into the touchscreen. Thevortex opens, bringing thunder and light into the hall.

QUINN(calling over the sound of

the vortex)Thank you, Professor! Foreverything!

The Professor smiles broadly at Quinn. He walks closer toQuinn, saying in his ear:

ARTUROWhen you see me back home -- trynot to be too hard on me.

Quinn laughs and throws himself into the vortex. A momentlater, the vortex disappears. Arturo is alone.

He walks towards a large glass window. It looks outside themuseum, showing the San Francisco Bay. Illuminated in the bayis the Golden Gate Bridge, lit to be visible at night.

Except the Bridge on this world is a bright and vivid blue.

ARTURO (CONTD)Good luck, my boy.

CUT TO:


The vortex opens. Quinn Mallory tumbles out. The vortexcloses. He spins around, taking in the sight of his machine,his computer, his blackboard, his shelves, his equipment andhis home. He rushes to the desktop workstation. To the framedphoto that rests next to the computer monitor; the photo ofthe older man. He picks up the photo.

QUINNWe did it, Dad! We did it!!!

On this jubilant moment, we

FADE TO:

We see Quinn, still in the basement, lying back in his chair,sitting by his blackboard, looking thoughtfully at hiscalculations.

We see Quinn at the contraption on the table, opening it upand removing some of the parts.

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We see Quinn opening up the timer and adding some things hetook out of the bigger machine.

We see Quinn at his computer, copying a set of files to an SDcard (shown on the screen with a file transfer in progress).We see him snap the card into a cell phone.

We see Quinn, resting on top of a sleeping bag on the floor,his eyes closed, the book HYPERSPACE lying open on his chest.

FADE TO:

INT. MALLORY KITCHEN - MORNING

Amanda Mallory is sitting at the kitchen table, a piece oftoast and a cup of coffee before her. Quinn appears in thedoorway, his face serene.

QUINNMorning.

But Amanda doesnt look up from her coffee.

AMANDAWhere were you last night?

QUINNDoing research.

AMANDA

And was this before or after youasked Kathleen to pay us a visit?

Quinns mouth hangs open. He completely forgot about Wade.

QUINNCripes!

AMANDAOver the last few years, Ive beenrelieved at how your nightlifesevolved. I used to fall asleepterrified Id be a grandmother

before you or I were ready for it,or wonder whose heart youd abusedand misused this week.

Quinn looks away.

AMANDA (CONTD)I know most of them liked beingdisposable, but there were a fewwho hoped for more, werent there?

42.

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Poor Stephanie. And Daelin, itsDaelin I felt worst for.

QUINNThat was a long time ago.

AMANDAReally? Seems like it was only tenhours ago.

QUINNI forgot. I didnt mean to --

AMANDATheres a difference between notmeaning to do something and notcaring to do better --

QUINNBut this time I really didnt meanto!

Amanda glowers at him.

QUINN (CONTD)Im sorry.

AMANDADont be sorry to me.

She returns to her seat at the table and starts eating her

toast, indifferent to Quinn. Quinn pulls out his phone anddials a number. It rings a few times and goes to voicemail.

QUINNWade? Its Quinn. I am so sorry --I should have been here. I gotpulled away -- If we could tryagain -- Id be grateful.

He clicks the phone off. Amanda Mallory eats her toast.

QUINN (CONTD)Kathleen -- I call her Wade. Its

her handle. Thats an online --

AMANDAIm old, not senile.

QUINNI need to get to school, Mom. ButIll see you tonight for dinner?

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45/129

Amanda doesnt answer, but her demeanor is certainly lesscold. Quinn kisses his mother on the cheek as he walks out.

QUINN (CONTD)Eight oclock at the restaurant!

CUT TO:

INT. FACULTY BUILDING HALLWAY - MORNING

Wade Welles is on a bench outside an office. The office doorhas a sign on it, saying IN A MEETING. Over Wades head,against the wall, is a poster for the basketball game thatRembrandts singing at.

Wade takes out her cell phone. Onscreen text reads: 1 missedcall - Quinn Mallory. Shes distracted by someone muttering.The only other person in this hallway is a man in a sweaterand suit jacket, looking around. Hes holding a map of theBerkeley campus.

REMBRANDTScuse me, sweetheart? Can you tellme where the Haas Pavillion is?

Wade shyly looks down at her knees and shakes her head.

REMBRANDT (CONTD)(shaking the map)

Doesnt anybody know their way

around this frickin maze?!

His angry tone jolts Wade: she pushes back into the wall asthough trying to melt into it.

REMBRANDT (CONTD)Sorry. Rough morning.

WADEIm sorry. I dont go to schoolhere. Im waiting for someone.

REMBRANDT

Me too. Well. Im not waiting foranyone.

WADEWhyre you here?

REMBRANDTIm singing the national anthemtonight at the big game.

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Wade tilts her head up to look at the poster on the wallthats advertising the game. She makes an effort to readwhos singing the anthem.

WADEIf the games tonight, whyre you

here in the morning?

REMBRANDTI want to get the lay of the land!See the stadium, check out theacoustics, know what Im workingwith tonight.

WADEWell, if it means that much --

She gestures at the map. Rembrandt hands it over.

WADE (CONTD)This is the physics wing -- thePavillions on the other side ofcampus! You can cut across thefield here and --

REMBRANDT(looking at the map)

I see it! Ill just drive on theedge of campus til I hit it.

He takes the map back, and starts for the exit.

REMBRANDT (CONTD)Thanks a lot!

WADEGood luck tonight, Crying Man.

Rembrandt, walking away, cringes slightly at the name.

As Wade settles in her seat, the door to the office next toher swings open and a student with a shaved head runs out.

ARTURO (OFF CAMERA)

I teach cosmology, not arithmetic,you mentally-challenged cretin!!!

A notebook, thrown from inside the office, comes flying out.It barely misses the fleeing student.

ARTURO (OFF CAMERA) (CONTD)And dont come back until you knowthe difference between M-theory andsupersymmetry!

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Wade stands and approaches the door to the office. Arturo ishunched over a desk, not looking up. She knocks on the door.

ARTURO (CONTD)What?! Cant you tell Im --

He looks up and trails off. And then, in a voice severalpitches higher, with a tone that seems almost frightened --

ARTURO (CONTD)Kathleen?

CUT TO:

INT. PROFESSOR ARTUROS OFFICE - MORNING

Wade is seated in front of the Professors desk. TheProfessor is on his feet, looking awkwardly at various bookson his shelves. He cant quite make eye contact.

ARTUROI always wanted to apologize. Imvery --

WADE(reaching into her bag)

Im here because of this.

She pulls out a tablet (Samsung Galaxy 7.0). She turns it onand hands it to Arturo.

WADE (CONTD)My friend, Quinn, had this equationon a blackboard in his basement. Itook some photos for you here --

ARTUROQuinn Mallory? How do you know him?

WADEHis equations reminded me of your --

ARTURO

Yes. Yes, I see.

WADEWhen I was your TA, you had mechecking your math for errors. Line5, segment 3 reminds me of your --

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ARTUROMy folly.

CUT TO:


Quinn walks through the campus. As he moves towards thephysics building, he walks past Rembrandt Brown.

CUT TO:

INT. PROFESSOR ARTUROS OFFICE - MORNING

The Professor is seated behind his desk, racked with regret.He has before him, a yellowed copy of an old paper.

ARTUROYou left before this paper wassubmitted for publication.

WADEI did the editing. It looks likeQuinn is trying to do what you weregoing for --

ARTUROI was a fool. I thought myperspective would bring the

abstractions of physics into thephysicality of the real world.

He traces one set of calculations in the journal, which has aSMILEY-FACE printed next to it.

ARTURO (CONTD)I was convinced of my ownbrilliance. The faculty head didntsee it that way. The good doctorwas on a campaign to reforge theHarvard physics department intofocusing on pure mathematics

without what he called the banalityof experimentation and observation.My paper wasnt in tune theprevailing attitude.

WADEThats no reason to --

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ARTUROMy paper was leaked. Before it waspublished, the faculty headdeclared that anyone who wantedphysical realities to abstractmathematics was thinking too small.

My tenure was revoked, myresponsibilities redistributed --

WADEIm sorry. That wasnt --

ARTUROThey were right, Ms. Welles. If Mr.Mallory is following my path, hisdestination will be the same asmine.

And then Arturos office door swings open and Quinn Mallorycharges through it, holding up his phone.

QUINN(babbling)

Professor! I solved it! And Bennishhelped me map it! And you werethere to explain it!

WADEHi, Quinn. Cool basement.

QUINN

Wade, what are you -- look, I am sosorry about last night. I got --

ARTUROMr. Mallory!

(a growl)As you may have noticed, I amentertaining a guest. Kindly waitoutside and I will --

Quinn mutely holds up his phone, showing the completedequations for the timer with Bennishs corrections andQuinns own modifications. Arturo takes the phone, reads

several sets of equations and his eyes pop.

ARTURO (CONTD)Oh my God. You solved it.

QUINNWell, technically, I did the mathand Bennish tweaked it and --

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ARTUROYouve reconciled Trinificationwith magnetic monopolies --

QUINNI didnt know what I did til the

other you explained what Id --

ARTURO(struggles with the phone)

I cant work with this! Its thesize of a business card!

Quinn takes the phone back, pops the SD card loose and movesto the computer on Arturos desk. He turns on the monitor,puts the SD card into the computers card reader and opensthe file containing his calculations. Arturo begins to reviewthem intently and with an almost giddy delight.

ARTURO (CONTD)The symplectic manifold equations --

QUINNI took a guess at how virtualparticles of exotic matter mightbalance and then I found some.

ARTUROFound some!?

QUINN

Well, I had a helium-neon laser --

As Quinn and Arturo talk, Wade gets up. The door to Arturosoffice is still open as she slips out unnoticed.

CUT TO:

INT. FACULTY BUILDING HALLWAY - MORNING

Wades approaching the exit when Quinn catches up to her.

QUINN

Wade, wait up!

She keeps walking.

WADEI did wait. For like a whole hour.It wasnt nice not meeting you.

QUINNI can explain --

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WADEYou changed your mind. I get it.

QUINNI got sucked into a paralleluniverse!

Wade stops and glares at Quinn. Her disgust is withering.

QUINN (CONTD)Ill prove it!

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the timer. Waderolls her eyes as Quinn flips it open and aims the timer atthe wall next to them.

WADEIm not in the mood for --

Wade is cut off as the timer sends out a beam of light thatcompresses to a pin-point and widens into a giant, RIPPLINGHOLE IN THE AIR.

She is transfixed by the flashing blue and silver of thevortex. She feels the wind against her face.

Arturo pops his head out of his office door.

ARTUROMr. Mallory, how did you work out --

He trails off at the sight of the blue and silver vortexfloating in the hallway of the physics building.

Off Arturo and Wades stunned expressions, we

CUT TO:

EXT. CAMPUS PARKING LOT - MORNING

The lot is half-full, and some students pass by Rembrandt.Some give Rembrandt some curious looks as he approaches hisCadillac. Rembrandt checks the campus map again before

climbing into his gar and starting the ignition.

CUT TO:


Quinn, Wade and Arturo are striding across the campus. Arturocarries a shoulder bag.

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Not many students can be seen, and the three of them aremoving away from the campus buildings and towards a back areaof empty fields.

ARTUROShowmanship aside, Mr. Mallory, the

faculty hallways are a poor placeto examine a portal to the Einstein-Rosen-Podalski bridge. We canthave innocent bystanders gettingsent to parallel worlds.

Wade grins at Quinn and Quinn smiles back.

WADEWhere are we going, anyway?

ARTUROA back field. Isolated from therest of campus. The best place fora preliminary examination of thegateway.

QUINN(eyeing Arturos bag)

I dont know if a Geiger counterand an EMF reader are the righttools --

ARTUROYoull have to start somewhere. But

once the faculty office is open, weshall secure a lab for furtheranalysis of your discovery.

QUINNProfessor! Thank you!

WADEWhy are you thanking him? Whats heever done for you?

QUINNWade --

ARTUROWhy does he keep calling you that?

QUINNOh. Its your handle. I should becalling you Kath --

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WADENo you shouldnt. And its nice tomeet you, Quinn.

QUINNNice to meet you, Wade.

ARTUROWade -- ?

WADEThats Ms. Welles to you. And whyexactly should Quinn even let youin on his hard work, when youvebeen grinding him down every day?

QUINNIts fine, its --

ARTUROMs. Welles, Mr. Mallory is ascientist. He has the intelligenceto set aside grudges and appreciateskill and experience regardless ofthe source.

QUINNIf the Professor wants to help, Iwant him to --

ARTURO

Were almost there!

We cant see the campus buildings anymore, and Arturo pointsto a small valley ahead.

ARTURO (CONTD)Well be isolated from prying eyesand passers-by. No one who knowsthis campus would use such aroundabout path.

CUT TO:

EXT. CAMPUS ROAD - DAY

Rembrandt, in his Cadillac (with the top down), speeds alonga poorly paved road.

CUT TO:

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EXT. THE VALLEY - DAY

Arturo leads Quinn and Wade to the base of the hill. Arturoreaches into his bag and pulls out a plastic handheld devicewith a small needle-meter on it. This is the EMF reader. Hehands it to Wade.

He pulls out the second item from his bag. Its anothermetallic, handheld device. Yellow and with a small,calculator-like display screen and a number pad. This is theGeiger counter.

Quinn stands nearby, holding the timer.

ARTUROTrigger the vortex, Mr. Mallory!

WADEDont order him around!

(beat)But, yeah, open the vortex, Quinn.

With an eager grin, Quinn aims the timer at the space infront of the three of them and activates the vortex. Thestream of light opens the blue and silver rift in reality.The sound of crackling energy is like thunder, mismatched tothis sunny day.

Arturo drinks in the sight. Wade waves the EMF meter in thedirection of the vortex.

WADE (CONTD)(shouting)No reading, Professor!!

The Professor also waves the yellow device at the vortex.

ARTURONo radiation of any kind! It seemsa mapped mathematical concept isnot a actually a physical object!

QUINNBut the wind!

ARTUROIt must be altering gravimetricconstants!

The three of them admire the sight. Quinn raises his timerand taps in another command. The vortex closes.

WADEWhats on the other side this time?

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QUINNWe could find out.

ARTURODont be absurd. The risks must befully assessed before --

WADEQuinn went through it twice. Whatmore assessment do we need?

Before Arturo can protest --

WADE (CONTD)Come on, Quinn. You missed ourdate! You owe me a spin around theuniverse.

As Quinn looks at Wade enthusiastically, Arturo realizes heslost this battle.

ARTUROVery well! But I insist on joiningyou in the spirit of scientificcuriosity.

Wade wants to object, but --

QUINNAbsolutely!

He taps several commands into the timer.

QUINN (CONTD)Im just putting more power intothe system...

He taps another command and the vortex appears. At first,its the same size as the previous vortex, but then it swellsin width and height, expanding to twice their height.

QUINN (CONTD)Big enough for three!

Wade takes Quinns hand. Arturo sees this and rolls his eyes.Side by side, the three step into the glowing, swirling voidand vanish with a flash.

CUT TO:

EXT. CAMPUS ROAD - DAY

Rembrandt is in his Cadillac, driving along.

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REMBRANDTDamn it. Why didnt I take a taxi?

And then, ahead of him, Rembrandt sees a rippling in the air.He can see, beyond the rippling, the sight of the roadseeming to twist and bend, like some optical illusion.

Fascinated, he drives the car forward, braking just in frontof the vortex. It has expanded to twice its size beforeQuinn, Wade and Arturo stepped in. Rembrandt leans back inthe drivers seat, astonished by the silver-blue holefloating in the air.

And then his expression turns to fear as the silver-blue holeexpands in size and begins to drift towards him.

REMBRANDT (CONTD)What the -- no! Stay away!!!

He puts the car into reverse. But the moment he spent lookingat the vortex has cost him. Before Rembrandt can back the caraway, the vortex sweeps forward and Rembrandt and hisCadillac disappear in a flare of white light.

FLASHCUT TO:

INSIDE THE VORTEX: We see a POV shot: the glowing streams ofenergy that form the walls of the interdimensional tunnel,sailing past our perspective. We see a gap widen up at theend of the tunnel --

FLASHCUT TO:

EXT. THE VALLEY - DAY

We see the open vortex. Its opened in what looks like thesame location, but the sky is grayer. Quinn, Arturo and Wadecome flying out of the gateway. They turn to look at thevortex.

WADE(adrenaline-flushed)

That was like -- better than sex!!

Before Arturo and Quinn can react, they can suddenly make outthe FRONT BUMPER of a CAR emerging from the vortex.

Arturo dives left. Wade throws herself right. And Quinn dropsflat on the grass as REMBRANDT AND HIS CADILLAC are thrownout of the vortex and OVER Quinns head.

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Quinn, Wade and Arturo rise to their feet and stare at thethe Cadillac embedded in a ditch in front of them. They rushforward to the car. Behind them, the vortex closes.

The front of the car is angled downward. The rear-wheels spinin the air, not touching the ground. Rembrandts face is

buried in the air bag. He lifts his head and looks to hisleft to see Quinn, Wade and Arturo.

REMBRANDTWho the heck are you people!?

FADE TO:


Quinn, Wade, Rembrandt and Arturo are walking together.Rembrandt is holding his cell phone. We can see some facultybuildings behind them, but there are absolutely no people.

REMBRANDTNo signal! How am I supposed tocall a tow truck?

QUINNRembrandt, we're in anotherdimension --

REMBRANDTYou're not fooling me, Q-Ball!

As Quinn reacts to his new name --

ARTUROMr. Brown, surely you realize thevortex was no counterfeit of anykind.

REMBRANDTAnd you can shut it too, ProfessorDumbledore! I know you brain boxesand your magic tricks.

WADEYou do? How?

REMBRANDTBecause, Tinker Bell, I used tovolunteer for medical experiments.

(as the others exchangelooks)

There've been times when I wasdesperate for cash.

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WADE(impressed)

What kinds of experiments?

REMBRANDTI know a psych experiment when I'm

in one! Making me doubt reality!Some low-rent special effect --

ARTURO(furious)

Low-rent special effect?!(hand on Quinns shoulder)

This boy is a genius and hesopened up a new world in everyfield of mathematics and --

QUINNProfessor!

Wade is already yanking Arturo's sleeve to shut him down.

QUINN (CONTD)The guy's already under stress andthis is all our fault.

Quinn examines the timer. Its counting down from 00:10:55.

QUINN (CONTD)The mass of the Cadillac drainedthe system. It can use the exotic

matter matrix to recharge, butitll be 11 hours before itsready. We need to keep him with usto get him home.

Rembrandt glares at Quinn, Wade and Arturo. He can hear everyword.

REMBRANDTThe games in 10 hours! And if youthink Im going to be anywhereother than that stadium when --

QUINNRight! But for now -- seeing as thecampus is a ghost town -- let'stake a look at what's outside.

CUT TO:

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EXT. OUTSIDE CAMPUS - DAY

They're at the edge of campus and pass through the barriersof stone and brick. Past the campus border, the four turnback to look at the metal plaque. Over BERKELEY UNIVERSITY isa sign saying, TARGET RISK: LEVEL 7. DO NOT ENTER.

FADE TO:

EXT. CITY STREET - DAY

The streets have more people than the campus did, but itdoesn't seem to be the commuters' jam one would expect on aweekday morning. The four wanderers look down the street atthe various establishments.

WADE"Target Risk: Level 7."

ARTUROThis university has been a threatto my sanity on more than oneoccasion, but advising people notto enter is more overt than I'dcare to be.

QUINNIt said not to enter, but thereweren't any guards or fences --like nobody would want to go in

anyway.

ARTUROThis Level 7 risk, whatever it is,is a deterrent stronger than anysecurity measures.

CUT TO:

A CLOSEUP of a security camera mounted on a telephone pole.We go to a wider angle and see that every telephone pole hasone and Rembrandt regards the one closest to him with alarm.

ARTURO (CONTD)Are you alright?

REMBRANDTLook at all those cameras. I'venever seen that kind of hardware intown.

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ARTURO(looking about)

There was a bakery on this blockwith some of the finest meatpasties in San Francisco. Here,it's a used clothing store.

QUINNThere was a travel agent there,with a notary public --

WADENow it sells used sports gear.

ARTUROLife's smaller luxuries, replacedwith cut-rate essentials. Why?

Rembrandt's uneasiness grows. He starts to move away from thethree of them. Quinn hurries to his side.

WADEA coffee shop!

She points to an establishment across the street.

WADE (CONTD)I gotta use the washroom. And maybethey've got wifi.

She starts to cross the street. Quinn follows after her,

calling over his shoulder --

QUINNI want to keep an eye on her!

ARTUROWe'll meet you in a bit, Mr.Mallory! More to see out here!

He claps a friendly hand on Rembrandt's shoulder in anattempt at being reassuring. Rembrandt scowls at the hand andArturo withdraws it.

REMBRANDTLeaving me with you. Is this partof the experiment?

ARTUROMr. Brown -- haven't you everwondered-- what if things weredifferent? If we had made differentchoices?

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What would we be today if wed goneleft instead of right, taken onedoor instead of the other?

Arturo is both giddy and reflective.

ARTURO (CONTD)I've grappled with such questionsin theoretical physics. An esotericfield, but sliding changeseverything. Supersymmetry. Loopquantum gravity. Ths cosmologicalconstant. M-Theory. All of this cannow be understood by looking at theworlds we visit and comparing themto ours. Don't you see?

Rembrandt not only doesn't see, he has vanished.

Arturo realizes he's talking to himself. He whirls about.

CUT TO:

WE SEE REMBRANDT: he's reversed his steps and moved back theway he came. He sees Arturo coming in his direction.Rembrandt dashes around a corner.

ARTURO (OFF CAMERA) (CONTD)Come back, you fool! Youll neverget home without the timer!!

At that, Rembrandt sprints up the pavement, desperate to getaway -- and then skids to a stop. He stares at what's infront of him, eyes wide. Arturo catches up.

And then Arturo, like Rembrandt, is also struck by the sightbefore their eyes.

The street is at the peak of a hill. Arturo and Rembrandthave a view of the San Francisco Bay and in the distance,they can see the Golden Gate Bridge.

But this Golden Gate Bridge is BROKEN: the middle has beenBLOWN APART by a massive explosion. The remains on both sides

are TWISTED and WARPED and portions of either side havefallen into the Bay. The top of the north tower is missingand what's left has toppled. The south tower is missing. Whatremains of the suspension cables flap in the wind.

Pedestrians walk past, utterly indifferent to the destructionin the distance. It's like they see it every day.

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ARTURO (CONT'D)


62/129

REMBRANDTOkay. Now I believe you.

CUT TO:

EXT. LAMPLIGHTER COFFEE SHOP - DAY

A coffee cup shaped like a lamp marks the window.

CUT TO:

INT. LAMPLIGHTER COFFEE SHOP - DAY

Quinn is near the front of a short lineup at the counter. Hespies a Coldplay concert poster, with Doppler Computers as asponsor. Except this poster is for a LIVE WEBCAST. BIO-D ANDINTERAC PAYABLE. A little table by the lineup of customerscatches Quinn's eye. It's covered with tiny little eventfliers.

But they're all for online events: web conferences ongenetically engineered foods. Online cooking classes. Onlinecomputer tutoring.

Quinn looks about the coffee shop and notices there are notables. No stools. Nothing to invite anyone to sit. Only twopeople linger by the customer counter: a dark-haired woman ina baseball cap (30s) and a teenager both stirring sugar intotravel mugs. In fact, all the customers, save Quinn, have

travel mugs. No one is talking. No one makes eye-contact.

Quinn gets to the front of the lineup. The cash register hasa sticker on it: REPORT MOVEMENT ACTIVITY: 1-888-553-4230.

The barista behind the cash register is a teenager withreddish-brown hair and a perpetually nervous face. Hernametag says GILLIAN.

GILLIANHi, what can I get you?

Quinn glances at the washroom door that Wade's behind.

QUINN(from memory)

Decaf-non-fat-caramel-latt-with-cinnamon.

(beat)And a mint tea.

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GILLIANDo you have a travel mug? There's asix-dollar surcharge for eachbeverage without one. Or you canbuy a mug for four-dollars each.

CUT TO:

INT. LAMPLIGHTER WASHROOM - DAY

Wade is washing her hands at the sink when she notices theHOW TO WASH YOUR HANDS next to the mirror. And she realizes:its doesnt say HOW TO WASH YOUR HANDS.

It says HOW TO RESPOND TO ANTHRAX POWDER EXPOSURE. The firstpicture shows hand-washing. The second picture shows ageneric figure taking off contaminated clothing. The thirdpicture shows the figure sealing the clothing in a plasticbag. A dispenser labelled CONTAINMENT BAGS is helpfullylocated near the sign, with emergency numbers printed on thedispenser.

She pulls out her tablet. We see onscreen text:

3G Network Detected >> Active Login Detected >> CloningCredentials >>

Wade keys in some text. And onscreen, we see more text:

Searching: Bioterror - United States >> UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS

>> UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY >> UNAUTHORIZED SEARCH TERMS >>

Wade twitches with alarm as she urgently yanks the batteryfrom her tablet.

CUT TO:

QUINN AT THE CASH REGISTER

Quinn is pulling out his wallet. He digs cash out.

GILLIANI'm sorry, sir -- we can only

process Bio-D transactions.

QUINNI dont have one. You cant ta

Sliders 2013 - Episode 1.1 You Can't Go Home Again

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