Sliders (1995–2000): Season 3, Episode 3 - Electric Twister Acid Test - full transcript

[silence]

(Arturo)
Faster, faster!

[Wade whooping]

(Quinn)
Watch your head!

The branches!

[all exclaiming]

I told you we'd
never finish the run

before the timer hit zero.

So much for making
a quick $10,000.

[Rembrandt groans]

(Arturo)
Ah! It's just as well. The
way Brown was driving,



we'd all have died
on that last corner.

Oh, yeah? Who was it
that kept yelling in my ear:

"Faster, faster"?

Oh, man.

Well, when I said that

I wanted to lay on some sand
in the next world,

I didn't mean a desert.

How long are we here,
Mr. Mallory?

[beeping]

I can't get a reading,
Professor.

This thing's going crazy.

Hey, guys, check this out.

(Quinn)
What's he got under his arm?

(Rembrandt)
It looks like a snowboard.



This little dude's
gonna surf a dust devil.

That's not a dust devil,
Rembrandt, that's a twister.

[whooping]

How interesting.

It seems to be generated
by some sort of
electrical field.

[whooping]

(Wade)
He's in trouble.

(Caleb)
Oh, no. Help!

Somebody help!

[Caleb screaming]

[Quinn shouting]

You okay?

Hey, wait!

Wait! I want to
ask you something.

That's weird, huh?

It's just like the ground
opened up and swallowed him!

(Quinn)
What if you found a portal
to a parallel universe?

What if you could slide into
a thousand different worlds,

where it's the same year,
and you're the same person,

but everything else
is different?

And what if you can't find
your way home?

(voice)
Sliders.

Ah.

That's the fourth twister
in an hour.

They seem as common here
as lightning.

Looks like we're in
some kind of

land-locked Bermuda Triangle.

There's no way to tell
how long we have
until we slide.

[beeping]

The twister itself
doesn't seem to have

any effect on the device.

Which would imply that
the entire atmosphere

is electrically charged.

Yeah, well, at least
they don't last
that long, huh?

Thank our stars
we're not in a trailer park.

My folks used to
make me watch

The Wizard of Oz
every year on TV

like it was a special event.

Flying monkeys,
poisoned poppies,
tornadoes, witches,

good family fun.
I couldn't sleep for a week.

Well, if a building
does drop on us,

I hope it's a Burger Burglar.

[both chuckle]

I've been hungry
since the last world.

Yeah.

(Wade)
We should have looked
a little harder for that kid.

There's no way
he could have survived
on his own out here.

There's got to be
other people, maybe a town?

Yeah, maybe.

Water.

Yes.

Wait.

Why? I'm dying of thirst.

Drink that and you'll be
dying, all right.

(Rembrandt)
Great.

We finally find water
and it's poisoned.

I don't know if
it's poisoned, Rembrandt.

Still waters run hot.

Well, that explains
the burn marks on the animals.

And puts paid
to Miss Wells' theory

about alien experimentation.

Would you like me to get you
a glass of water, Professor?

You do realize that
the whole surface
of the planet

could have
a high electrical charge.

And this could have
very grave consequences
for us.

If we don't stabilize
the timer,

we'll never be able to
open the gate.

Hey, come look at this.

All right.

(Arturo)
Well done, Miss Wells.

Professor,
the timer's stabilizing.

What?
Of course.

These rocks
must be lodestone.

(Rembrandt)
Well, what do the rocks
have to do with the timer?

Lodestone are magnetites.

Whatever electrical charge
is interfering with the timer,

must be on the same polarity
as these rocks.

Yes, and if you two
will remember

from your
elementary-school science--

We get it, Professor.

Opposites attract,
similars repel.

This is good news.

This is very good news,
indeed.

How long till we slide?

23 hours, 8 minutes.

It would appear
the lodestone perimeter
acts as a natural barrier

to protect this area
from those twisters.

That's a hell of
a welcome sign.

Harsh environments create
harsh people, Mr. Brown.

Look, maybe we should
just keep going, huh?

We can't let
fear of the unknown
make decisions for us.

Too many questions
about this place
I want answers to.

We're explorers, right?

So let's explore.

[horse neighing]

"We're explorers, right?"

Who are we supposed to be,
freaking Lewis and Clark?

(Franklin)
These outcasts are relentless,
like rats.

How many do I have to execute
before the raids stop?

I just spoke
with Mrs. Brackus...

she said someone stole
half her food supply

from the shed
during the past two hours.

Two hours?

I thought you said
you found out
how they were getting in.

We find a tunnel opening
and seal it,
they open a new one.

If a person gets
desperate enough,

he'll do almost anything
to feed himself
or his family.

People like that don't scare.

Now, we might try to talk
with them,

you know, see if
we can't reach
some kind of an agreement.

No! These outcasts were
banished for cause, Jacob.

You don't reason
with trash like that.

And it's no coincidence

these rats aren't using
the tunnels we stake out.

Someone is warning them.

One of us.

No man here
would betray you, Franklin.

Water, anyone?

Hey, Q-Ball,
aren't you thirsty?

No, thanks.

What's going on, fella?

This barn reminds me
of a trip I took

with my folks one summer

to my aunt's farm
in Minnesota.

I was 11,

had never been
out of the city before,

and thought life
couldn't get any better.

I remember telling
my mom and dad

I never wanted us
to grow any older.

I wanted things to stay
just like that forever.

[chuckles]

That was the last trip
I took with my dad.

He died two months later.

I sure miss Dad.

Don't be alarmed.
We mean no harm.

We're just travelers
from a distant place.

Are you from Reed's camp?

[dog barking]

Look, you can't stay here,
it's too dangerous.

[whirring]

What's that noise?

It's just a tornado.

Don't be worried, Mr. Brown.

The lodestone
will protect us.

(Arturo)
The electrically charged
tornado

cannot enter this place.

(Wade)
It's getting closer,
Professor.

Are you sure
it can't jump those rocks?

(Jenny)
Oh, my God!

I can't believe
this is happening.

Come on. Come on, hurry.
Come on.

Come on.
Go. Go!

Come on.

Go!

So much for that
scientific mumbo-jumbo
you were giving me.

Has this ever
happened before?

Never. I mean,
this place is safe.

It's safe.

[glass shattering]

[rattling]

You'd better put that
in the past tense.

I haven't heard
noise like this

since a hurricane
took my destroyer

and turned it up on its nose
in the middle of the Atlantic.

It sounds like it's stuck
right on top of us.

[rattling]

Why did it stop moving?

I don't know. I mean,
it doesn't make any sense.

There's nothing
electrical inside

of the lodestone
to attract it.

It's going crazy again.

Where did you get that?

[whooshing]

It just burned itself out.

[gasping]

I can't believe that
we're walking around here

with a tornado magnet.

[men chattering]

You mustn't let
my father see that.

If he catches you with it,
there's no telling
what he'll do.

He'll think you brought
the twisters on us.

Well, I'll just hide it here
until we slide.

(Jacob)
Come on out of there.

Jenny, who are these people?

I don't know.

They were in the barn
when I came in.

It's electronic.

This is what
brought the twister.

Not only raiding
our food supplies,

but trying to
destroy my town?

No. Look, we just needed--

What you need
is to pray for a quick death.

(Quinn)
You cowards.

You can't do this to me!

I've done nothing wrong!

[thudding]

[Quinn groans]

What are they doing to him
out there?

Whatever is required
to get the truth.

Man, we have already
told you the truth.

Franklin, the device that
you are holding in your hand

opens the door
to the gateway.

Let me explain all this
again to you slowly--

I'm sick of
your lying tongues.

(Franklin)
This brought the twister.

And I am going to make sure
that neither it, nor you,

is a threat any longer.

[Quinn groaning]

I told you the truth.

(Jacob)
That you're travelers
from another planet?

We're simple people
but we're not stupid.

Now, why don't you
tell me the real truth.

Where are the other outcasts?

Huh? Who's their leader, you?

[grunts]

Tell me.

We come from
another dimension.

The device Franklin took

opens the vortex
that we slide through.

But Franklin said--

I know what Franklin said.

(Wade)
Quinn.

I'm all right.

(Quinn)
They didn't break your laws,
I did!

I brought the timer
into your town. Banish me.

If they're truly innocent,
God will know and spare them.

Sir! You're barbarians.

Even savages would have
shown us some hospitality.

Father, maybe
they didn't know our laws.

Ignorance
is never an excuse.

What about the girl?

She's of childbearing age.

She's poor stock,
skinny, narrow-hipped.

Hard work is all she needs.

It will clear her mind
and strengthen her body.

All right, but she'll be
your responsibility.

I'm not leaving my friends!

Do it.

Put it on.

I'm not staying here
without you.

We can find a way back.
You've got to get the timer.

[Quinn groans]

(Martin)
All right.

[horse neighing]

I don't know which is worse,
this ride or the beating.

I've never been
banished before.

Except for that time
in Abilene.

Cowboys
just didn't get Motown.

You know, Franklin isn't
the country bumpkin

he sets himself out to be.

He disassembled our timer
with skilled fingers.

(Arturo)
And there aren't
that many farmers I know

that have a set of
micro-instruments.

You think he's a scientist?
But look at this community.

It couldn't be
more backwards.

By design, Mr. Mallory.

Franklin keeps
his people in the dark,

and I don't mean
metaphorically.

Knowledge is a dangerous thing
for Mr. Franklin.

[yells]

Our stop?
- Yeah. Let's go.

Okay.

Get them off. Let's go!

All right, I'm coming,
I'm coming.

Hey.

[yelling]

Hey! Wait a minute.

You just can't
leave us here like this.

Give us some water.

You got to give us a chance.
What are you--

Why don't you
give us a chance?

[driver yelling]

(Rembrandt)
Has anybody got any ideas?

Now is a good time
to speak up.

[wind howling]

Turn around.

All right, stay still.

Let me try
and get your ropes.

[birds chirping]

Thank you.

Jacob!

(Franklin)
Let that girl do her work.

I'm just bringing her
some water.

Who elected him God?

Watch what you say.

This town
wouldn't even be here
if it wasn't for Franklin.

When the twisters came,

he was the one who figured out
the lodestone would save us.

So that lets him dictate
who lives and who dies?

You need to teach her
our ways, Jenny,

if she wants to stay alive.

I already know your ways.

And I'm not sure
they're worth living under.

You must be
from a different world.

I've never seen
a woman act like you before.

How am I acting?

Like an equal.

I'm to wed Jacob,
and if I spoke to him,

or any other man
like you did,

I don't know
what would happen.

Try it.

It might surprise you.

[chuckling]
And them.

What happened to this world?

All I know is, when my brother
and I were little,

something happened
that made the tornadoes come.

It's... I heard rumors
that it was some sort of

accident
in a scientific laboratory.

We're all that's left.

Twisters wiped out everything.

So just you and your brother
live here with your father?

My father
banished my brother.

He sent his own son away?

For what?

It doesn't matter.

But I know he's out there.

And every day I pray
that he'll survive
the next day.

Wade, your friends
are gonna be all right.

The other outcasts
will find them.

How can you know that?

Trust, Wade.
You've gotta have faith.

I can do something for you
and your friends.

Pick up the basket
and follow me.

[all coughing]

(Arturo)
We've got to get out
of this windstorm.

Dust! It's in my eyes!

(Arturo)
Find a rock!

[exclaims]

Rembrandt!

(Arturo)
Mr. Brown, are you all right?

(Quinn)
Rembrandt!

(Arturo)
Mr. Brown!

Mr. Brown?

Rembrandt!

(Arturo)
Mr. Brown!

[groaning]

I never thought I'd meet
a bigger blowhard
than you, Professor.

Where there's humor,
there's life.

Let's try and get him up.

And go where?

Here.

Wade?

Am I seeing straight?

All right.

[grunts]

And me.

Oh, thank you.

Thank you, my boy.

What are you doing out here?

Watching you.

It looked like
you finally needed some help.

Finally?
You give us too much credit.

Come on.

[wind howling]

Stay in sight.

(Rembrandt)
Where is he going?

[Quinn coughing]

(Caleb)
Follow me.

Let's go.

[groaning]

Come on, over here.

Whoa, the Batcave.

(Reed)
It used to be
the Concord Air Force Base.

Now it's our home.

Caleb tells me that
you've helped him.

And he's returned the favor.

You're outcasts, aren't you?

We're afraid we saw
one of your members

in the stocks outside town.

Eddie Costas. A good man.

He used to work for my father,

until they got into
a disagreement
and my father banished him.

You're
Franklin Michener's son.

(Reed)
I don't carry that name
with pride.

You men look hungry.

Let's get you some food.

Where are we going?

Hurry. If we're late,
he won't wait for us.

Caleb. It's me.

It's okay. She's one of us.

Um, give him the note.

Take that to Reed. Tell him

that if he finds three men
in the desert to take them in.

They're friends
and they need his help.

I found them, in the storm.

They're below, with us.

They're safe.

Father--

Don't insult me
by saying you can explain.

You realize I will have to
make an example

of the both of you.

Take them back to the house.

(Wade)
Hey, let me go.

The timer is what allows us

to travel through
to parallel worlds.

But on this world,

it only works in
reverse-polarity areas
like your father's town.

Well, don't worry about it,

because despite my father's
ranting and raving

about this all
being the devil's work,

he would never
destroy your machine,

because he's
a true scientist at heart.

So he was once
a scientist, then?

(Reed)
Yes.

He was once involved
with a research group

for the government
back in the '60s.

Even if Wade
can find the timer,

how are we gonna get back
into that loony farm

and slide
with no one watching?

Tasty, Mr. Brown?

[spitting]

Tastes like frogs
frapped in a Cuisinart.

Health food, Remmy.

Looks like micro-algae.

Mmm.

Actually, it's grown
underground in a pond.

It's, unfortunately,
the only source
of vitamin B or protein

that you're gonna get here.

So, drink up.

Cheers, my friend.

[sighs]

You know, I didn't
get along all that well
with my father either,

I don't think
I would have crossed him

if I knew this was
gonna be my punishment.

[all laughing]

It's not that simple.

Come on, drink, drink.

(Reed)
Enjoy.

Jenny?

Let her go, Jacob.

She wears the shunning.

No. No.

You know the law.

She's to be my wife!

Not anymore.

"She moves among us,
and we do not see her,

she cries out..."

Say it. Say it!

"She cries out,
but we do not hear her.

She is but a shadow
among us, forever."

[door closes]

A weather station.

Yes. My father worked here
with a man
named Thomas Malone.

Thomas Malone?

There's a man on our world
that I worked with once,
called Tom Malone.

He was working on harnessing
the power of the elements.

Really?

Well, this man
was experimenting

with the natural
electro-magnetic dynamos

that we have underground.

Uh, he was creating
these electric tornadoes

that would benefit mankind.

Exactly how would a tornado
benefit anybody?

Well, for instance,
if you needed to
level a slum for rebuilding--

Yes. Or, uh, plough a trench
to build a canal.

(Rembrandt)
Amazing.

But what happened was

the government
got wind of this little idea

and they decided it would be
in their best interest

to turn these into
destructive weapons.

A dozen tornadoes
sent through an enemy city

on specific paths
would destroy it.

Yes. And you can
blame Mother Nature.

It's called
the "perfect deniability
scenario."

(Reed)
Exactly.

And when Mr. Malone
found out about this,

he decided he was gonna
bail out on the whole project.

When he told my father
about it,

my father was afraid
he would lose funding.

And they got into
a little argument.

One thing led to another,
and Mr. Malone fell
and hit his head.

My father continued
the project alone.

And then things went
disastrously wrong.

(Reed)
Exactly.

Once my father finally tapped
into these electronic dynamos,

it began a chain of events,
which were out of his control.

Kind of like letting
the electric genie
out of the bottle.

Exactly.

And the way I found out
about all of this is

I looked at my father's diary
about three years ago,

and I confronted him.

And he sent me out
to the middle of the desert

with six men, who beat me
and, uh, left me there.

I think--

Reed! Reed, there's trouble.

They almost caught me.

Caleb, tell me, why?

They were waiting
when I came out of the tunnel.

They caught your sister
and your friend.

(Caleb)
Your father said he's gonna
make an example of them.

Jenny!

We've gotta go get them.

(Rembrandt)
What if Wade
doesn't have the timer?

We can't worry
about that right now.

Reed.

May I tap into
your solar power source?

Yeah. Why?

I'm familiar with
most of the equipment here.

I believe I could
create a field

that was negative enough
for us to, uh,
slide from this world.

All right. You got it.
Listen, Caleb,

remember those books
we found?

Yeah, I do.

I want you to show him
anything he needs.

Okay.

(Wade)
Jenny?

Is your father
gonna banish me?

I don't know.

That would have been
easier for me.

I've been shunned.

I can't believe
a father could do that
to his own daughter.

He wasn't always like this.

You know, when I was small,
I loved him so much.

Everyday he would come home
from the air force base

and I'd run out
and throw my arms around him.

He'd pick me up,
spin me around,

I never wanted to let go.

My father worked so much,
I never got to see him.

When he retired
I made him promise

that we'd spend
more time together.

A month later,
I went sliding.

I really miss him.

Hang on!

How far will those
two cubic feet
of natural gas get us?

I don't know.
We've never used it before.

Jacob, let me out.

Jacob?

Jacob, I know no one
is supposed to speak to me.

My ears do not hear you.

But you do hear me, Jacob.
I know you do.

My father can
deny our marriage,

but he can't deny our love.

My heart is yours forever.

Please.

We can have this one moment.

Let's not live our lives
always wondering
what might have been.

Maybe I can talk
to your father.

We both know
that won't do any good.

Jacob, please

just hold me.

Please?

Oh, Jacob.

[grunts]

Forgive me, Jacob.

(Jenny)
Come on, Wade.

Jenny,
what are you doing?

I-I've got to
get the timer.

It's in my father's safe.
You go to the tunnel.

I'll get it
and meet you there.

[gasps]

You continue to defy me.

There can only be
one punishment
grave enough for you.

Move.

Move.

Go on.

Git!

Please, I haven't done
anything to deserve this.

Have you found Jenny?

No.

She must have escaped
into one of the tunnels.

You're not without blame
in all this.

This woman was caught
giving food to the outcasts.

(Franklin)
She mocks our laws.

She's even turned
my own flesh and blood
against me.

Against us!

If we're to survive
as a community,

behavior like this
cannot be tolerated.

Her punishment will be

death by drowning.

Oh, man.

(Wade)
Please.
I've done nothing wrong!

I've got to do something.

(Wade)
Don't drown me!

Quinn,
you don't stand a chance.

(Quinn)
I can't just let her die.

Give me your knife.

(Reed)
All right, you got it.

Q-Ball...
I'll be okay.

We'll meet you
on the other side of the pond
when you get her. Come on.

[gasping]

Don't fight your fate, woman.

[people murmuring]

It's the outcasts!

Go get them!

(Reed)
Come on, let's go,
let's go, let's go!

The timer's
back at the house.

Where's my sister?

I don't know. She escaped.

All right.

That should fix that one.

Yeah, that one's done.

So you know
what I'm doing, do you?

Yeah.

You're, uh,
moving those round things

that stick out of the ground
over our heads.

Yeah. Well, technically,
they're called coils.

What I'm trying to do,
is try to align them.

If I can get them
all aligned properly,

then I can neutralize
the strong magnetic field

that permeates
this whole place.

And that
would be good, right?

Well, it would for us.

You see, on most worlds,

the... If you can
imagine that's the world,

the magnetic force
runs through like that.

On your world,
it seems to sprout up
all over the place,

like--like--like corn stalks.

So by trying to align
these big coils,

I'm trying to make
the area safe

so that my friends
and I can leave.

So that's what we're doing.

Right, do you want to help me
with this one?

Sure.
- Okay.

Where is the timer?

I think
it's in my father's safe.

[Jenny screaming]

(Jenny)
Let go. Leave me alone.
Let go.

(Quinn)
Leave her alone.

[exclaiming]

Sis.

[both grunting]

Let me see.

Oh! We've got a problem.

We got another one up front.

Franklin and his men
are coming up the road.

Okay, I've got a place
we can hide.

Come on. Let's go.
Come on.

Come on.

(Reed)
Go. Go, go.

Somebody get an axe.
- Don't bother.

I know where they're going.

(Caleb)
Mr. Arturo's still
in the weather station!

Let's go see how he's doing.

Wait here.
Everything's gonna be oaky.

"Thank you"
doesn't seem like enough.

Miss Wells,
you look like a drowned cat.

With only eight lives left.

That thing ready
to do its magic?

I have all my digits crossed,
Mr. Brown.

I suggest you do the same.
How's the timer?

All the king's horses.

If we could find
something to double
as a battery contact,

we might just have a chance.

(Arturo)
We might be able to salvage
something over here.

Yeah, this might do it.

It's gonna have to work.

Let's...

There.

And...

[chuckles]

All right,
everybody upstairs.

We slide in eight minutes.

Hey, Professor?

Is this supposed to be
happening?

(Arturo)
All part of the design,
Mr. Brown.

You see, the way these coils
are locked into position,

they will keep those twisters
outside this perimeter.

Well, tell that
to the people

who have to live
in this godforsaken place.

All is not forsaken yet,
Rembrandt.

We slide in five minutes.

[coil creaking]

Hey, somebody's
moving this coil.

If the coils get
too far out of alignment,

the perimeter will collapse
and we will not be able
to slide.

Stay here.

If I'm not back in time,
slide without me.

Blast these things.

I can barely turn it.

For God's sake, stop it!

Don't do it!

[exclaims]

[Jacob grunts]

Don't think
that I won't kill you.

Help him.

Help him!

How many people have to die

because of you?

What are you talking about?

Tell him.

Tell him about the hell
that you created,
we're all living in.

Franklin.

You brought the twisters?

It was a mistake.

I never meant
for any of it to happen.

All this time,

we--we followed you,

we--we trusted you.

I did the best I could.

I tried to hold us together.

(Quinn)
Stop lying to yourself.

You've held
all these people hostage.

You're a jailer.
Not a leader.

You knew if
they ever found out the truth,
you'd be finished.

So you just kept lying
and lying,
until the lies became myth.

Jacob, please...

Maybe it's too late for you,
I don't know.

But you can still help them.

Finish your work,
find the answers
to stop these twisters.

(Franklin)
I can't.

Then spend
the rest of your life trying.

If you want redemption,

then start with these people.

They don't belong here.

It's not their world.

You'll need to help me.

I can't do it alone.

Go.

Take care of yourself.

This town is gonna need
all the help it can get.

(Rembrandt)
Those things are almost
over the top of us.

How much time?

20 seconds.

Look.
The coils are moving back.

I don't know how much damage
has been done
to the perimeter.

They're giving way.

The perimeter's
going to collapse.

This is it!

(Quinn)
Go! Go!

Go!

♪ ♪