Sliders (1995–2000): Season 4, Episode 19 - My Brother's Keeper - full transcript

The Sliders arrive on a world where clones are harvested for spare body parts. Quinn's double is blinded in a lab accident and when Quinn tries to help, he is mistaken for a clone. Meanwhile, the others inadvertently rescue the clone, which Colin tries to teach the importance of family and sacrifice.

(ALL EXCLAIMING)

(WHOOPING)

Well, soft as a baby's behind.

I gotta hand it to you, farm boy,
that notion was pure genius.

Don't get used to it. We're
not lugging a mattress around.

What about an air
mattress? We could fold it up.

No.

Travel light. That's
the Mallory creed.

Exactly. Easier to
run if we have to.

Which seems to
be most of the time.

MAN: Hey, Quinnster.



Thought you were back at
Sagan in the quantum lab.

Just, you know,
stretching the legs out.

Who are your friends?

Well,
I haven't seen you around the atom smasher.

And you probably won't.

I'll catch you back at the lab.

Quinnster?

Sounds like on this world I'm
the Gen X version of Dean Martin.

We could have
access to equipment.

Give us an edge
to get back home.

How much time do we have?

Eight days,
two hours and 22 seconds.

Not to be too specific.

Why don't we find a directory
and get to the quantum lab?



While we scope out what other
treats this world has to offer.

I can never get
used to our doubles.

It's like looking in a mirror.

A fun house mirror.

And yet,
I guess they're family in a way.

Brothers once removed.

COLIN: Shall we
wait till he leaves?

Nah, the equipment's rudimentary,
outdated.

There's nothing we can use,
not that he can either.

Not with that flaw in his
equation. You see that?

Oh, no! No, no, no, no. What?

He's trying to
punch a photon rift.

You can't run that much
power through an argon laser.

Cut the power! Turn it down!

(MACHINE BUZZING)

(INAUDIBLE)

Come on.

Turn it off, for God's...

(SCREAMING)

(SHOUTING)

Hey, hey, hey.

Go get some wet towels.

Someone's been hurt.
Call the paramedics.

Here, here, here,
here, here, here.

He burned his eyes.

The ambulance is on the way.

Get his med card.

MHO Gold.

Good thing. Looks like he's
gonna need some new parts.

Let's get out of here before
someone notices the resemblance.

Hey,
how'd that get out of the repository?

Why'd you do that?

MHO took all the
trouble to grow him.

Do you think we're gonna let him just
waltz out of here with that boy's eyes?

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?

ETHEREAL VOICE: Sliders.

What were you doing with that clone,
anyway?

Clone?

What are you talking about?

Moberly,
you better call the cops.

Hey!

"When Good Things
Happen to Bad People."

You know, if the Nixon on your
world was anything like ours,

I don't know why
you'd wanna read that.

To see if there are
18 missing pages.

Maggie, Remmy,
it's Quinn. What happened?

There was an explosion at
the lab. His eyes were burned.

Who, Quinn's? No.

The double? Yes.

Is he still there?

I don't know.

They called him a clone.
They said they needed his eyes.

Did they take him?
Where did they take him?

The hospital. They
called it the MHO.

You mean the HMO? No, the MHO.

All right,
I want you to take things slow and careful.

Those car trunks can be lethal.

Excuse me.

Oh.

Which one is real?

Mallory. Alpha. And
this is his donor shell.

Yes,
of course. Let me help you with this one.

Dr. Mallory. Good.

Has ophthalmology
been notified? Yes.

Status. Come on!

He's got severe burns
to his face and eyes.

We've administered morphine.

All right. Give my son
a full blood work-up.

I want him stabilized and prepped
for surgery as soon as possible.

You got it. Pre-op.

As for this thing, nurse,
lock it down. It has a roving nature.

Yes, sir.

So this is our bad boy, huh?

MICHAEL: Yeah.

My head's a jackhammer.

I must go through a
gross of these a week.

Why can't you medical science
whizzes come up with a cure for that, huh?

Pappas, you are supposed to
be running a secure facility here.

How could this
thing just run off?

It didn't.

What are you talking about?

COLIN: It looks like a palace.

Offhand,
I'd say that the medical establishment

isn't in danger of going
broke anytime soon.

How'll we find Quinn in there?

Same as always. Brains,
charm and brute force.

Maggie, girl, there's not a day that goes
by you don't bring a smile to my heart.

So if Quinn's still out
from that stun gun,

we're gonna need a fast ride.

So what do you want,
fabric or leather?

Surprise me.

MICHAEL: I thought the rumors
of subversives growing rogues

to kill their templates
were tabloid fantasies.

PAPPAS: Think again.

How many embryos
did you originally culture?

Five.

When one proved viable,
the others were destroyed.

Clearly someone
must've spirited one away.

It's rejoined the living.

What's going on and
why am I tied down?

Surprising vocabulary.
Correct syntax.

Why do you think you are?

How the hell should I know? I
was just trying to help someone.

PAPPAS: Someone?

At the Sagan lab.

This guy who had an
incredible resemblance to me.

Really.

I was trying to speak to him,
and his laser blew up.

I called the paramedics.

You did?

What do you know about lasers?

Well, how about you let me up?

I promise you I'm not a
danger to myself or anyone else.

Soon. Lasers?

Just what I learned at school.

You went to school?

This was after you
left the repository?

How and when did you
have your implant removed?

The guy that was injured,
how is he?

Burned and blind.

Sorry to hear that.

Amazing.

It can even mimic empathy.

Whoever trained it
did an incredible job.

You know him?

No.

You're a very bad liar,
my friend.

Is that like saying
one is a good Nazi?

A clone with an attitude.

Clone?

No, my name is Rudy Zacora.

I'm an exchange
student from Canada.

Fingerprints. Full
blood work. Identical.

Oh, your cholesterol's
higher. Guess you eat out a lot.

So cut the crap.

You were shot and brought here

because they took you
for the Mallory clone.

I mean, the official one.

But it was in its
bed at the repository.

You should have stayed in bed,
too.

So,
isn't there something you'd like to share?

No.

From a security standpoint,
I recommend immediate termination.

No.

Whatever you think I am,
I saved your son's life.

Or maybe you
caused the accident.

I swear I didn't. I'm telling you,
I swear.

Your ball and your call, Doctor.

Termination would be
a waste of good tissue.

MICHAEL: Something could
go wrong in the transplant.

We can always use a spare.

And maybe in the meantime,

we find out what
the hell you are.

WOMAN ON PA: RN to Cloning
Room 3. RN to Cloning Room 3.

Thank you.

Hi, we're looking for Quinn Mallory,
please.

I'm his brother.

Ninth floor. Intensive
care. But it says no visitors.

Surgery is
scheduled in 12 hours.

I see.

Your father is prepping
the surgical team.

Would you like me to page him?

My father? No,
we don't want to disturb him.

But I understand that there's
a donor for the transplant.

Has he arrived yet?

Yes, it's in Pre-op Room 3.

Thank you.

So that was brains.
Now comes the charm?

(SIGHS)

Not exactly.

Hi.

(POUNDING)

(GUARD GROANING)

Get in.

Thanks for your help.

I was too busy being impressed.

Quinn?

Quinn?

WOMAN ON PA: Hospital security,
pick up 2217...

Where the hell is he?

Someone call for a ride?

I don't think anyone saw us.

Good thing there's a
service elevator out back.

Did you have any
trouble checking us in?

(SIGHS) No.

Just don't expect any mints on the pillows,
though.

This Chandler isn't
exactly The Ritz.

(GROANING) Hey,
he's coming around.

Hey, buddy, welcome back.

Light. Light.

New! Light!

(YELLS)

Dark, bright, dark,
bright, dark, bright.

Dark, bright, dark, bright...

Q-Ball, come on,
buddy. Come back to us.

These should fit him.

He was only there
for a few hours.

What the devil
did they do to him?

They didn't do anything.

What are you talking about?

Look.

COLIN: They branded him.

MAGGIE: That's not a brand,
that's an implant.

And it's long since healed.

"Mallory C."

As in "clone"?

We took the wrong one.

We've gotta go back.

MAGGIE: No.

After we decked a guard
and stole an ambulance?

Maybe it's just me, but I'd
certainly beef up security after that.

I don't need to hear how
we can't do it. We've got to.

I know, but we're not gonna help
anyone by running around half-cocked.

Dark.

Hey, there. Hey, there. Hello.

Hello.

I'm Maggie, this is Colin,
and that's Rembrandt.

What's your name?

Quinn?

Dark, bright, dark, bright.

His implant says Mallory.

Mallory? Mallory.

They didn't even
give him a first name.

There was someone in the
hospital that looked like you.

He was my brother.

Brother.

Okay, we're counting down
to the bonus round here.

It's time to divide and conquer.

Rem,
they didn't see you at the hospital,

so you go see if
we can get back in.

I'm gonna snoop
around the hotel,

see if I can find out anything.

And you, Colin,
you just do the best you can.

Are you looking for someone,
hon?

Or are you just
taking in the sights?

Unstrap him.

Thank you. Man,
do I have an itch.

All right, so you can walk.

Well,
a horse can walk and a parrot can talk.

You still don't believe I'm human,
do you?

How can I?

Then why are you letting me up?

Hit him.

(SHOUTS) What
is this? Cut that out!

You know perfectly
well what this is.

My son's donor has been stolen.

Don't look innocent!

I'm sure you know everything.

The acts of sabotage
on prior operations,

the donor shells taken,
anything to hinder us.

And now this!

It was purebred.

Utterly controlled.

And you could be anything.
It's a bottom feeder.

But still,
we work with what we have.

You know, my son is brilliant.

Not merely coached
to seem clever.

Your eyes shall look on wonders.

Do you know what your
son was working on?

Theoretical physics.

He was looking for a
doorway between dimensions.

I know because I
did the same thing.

Only I succeeded.

I'm your son's duplicate,
from another world.

Pre-op. No. No!

Your son is on the wrong track!

He's working strictly
from a superstring model.

He needs to integrate
an M-theory base!

Ask him! M-theory base!

You don't have to tiptoe,
Lauren.

How did you know it was me?

I didn't.

But I was hoping.

Oh, Quinn.

I'm not gonna say it's okay,
Lauren.

We both knew what I
was doing was dangerous.

But important.

Quinn, listen to me.

There's something
I need to tell you.

Something you don't know about.

What?

When they brought you in,

they also brought
in your donor shell.

That's impossible.
I've never been cloned.

I've seen it.

They're readying it right
now to give you new eyes.

No, no.

No way that's gonna
happen. Call the others.

You know what you have to do.

But, Quinn...

Please,
Lauren. I'm begging you to do this for me.

Promise me.

I promise.

All right. You better go.

Now go on. Go.

What's his condition, nurse?

He's strong. But stable.

Hey.

You look like you're getting
some of your color back.

You had me cloned
and you didn't tell me?

I also had you immunized against
smallpox and I never mentioned it.

Don't patronize me.

Then don't condescend.

It's easy to have a
lot of high moral ideas

when you're young and
you haven't been tested.

I've shielded you
from everything.

You've never even
had a broken bone.

Besides, since your mother died,
you've been my whole world.

Your world is too small.

You have greatness in you.

Think what you'll be able to
accomplish when you're whole again.

This accident took my eyes,
not my mind.

Look,
I'm just trying to save you.

You don't even know me.

Do you really think I'd ever
take the eyes of another person?

It's not a person.

Do you know what I've been
working on? The specifics?

I've been trying to open a
doorway to another world,

so that there would be a place
where your clones could go,

where they'd be safe,
where you couldn't reach them.

You are not going to maim
another person for me.

Have you ever heard of M-theory?

Cutting edge of physics. I
was just getting into it. Why?

No reason.

Dad...

This is Dr. Mallory.

Inform the duty nurse my son is
to remain sedated pending surgery.

(RINGING)

Yeah?

You got it.

We got a pick up.

(CHATTERING ON TV)

That's right.
You're catching on.

Alex!

(WOMAN SCREAMS)

Alex!

Hurting. He's hurting.

TV's not real. Understand?

Most folks take
a while to get that.

It's hard getting your
bearings. I know the feeling.

Everything's new.
First time watching TV.

First time in a hotel room.

It's usually a bit nicer.

It's pretty.

Not like home.

What's your home like?

Nothing.

Nowhere.

Nothing. Nowhere.

Nothing. Nowhere. Nothing.
Nowhere. Nothing. Nowhere...

It's all right. You
don't have to go back.

Us Mallorys stick together.

That's Quinn.

He's like me.

Me.

I look like you, too.

Are we brothers, Colin?

Yes. Yes, we are.

And that's my father.
The one who raised me.

Your father probably looks a lot like him,
too.

It's complicated
but I'll try to explain.

I'm here to prep the donor.

Thank you.

Hi. My name is Lauren.

Don't be afraid.

I want you to put these on,
okay?

I'm going to take
you somewhere safe.

Where?

You won't understand.

I might just surprise you.

You just might.

Supply never restocks
these. I'll be right back.

Where is my patient?

Find him!

Quinn had to pull a few
strings to get me this job.

Nobody knew about us.

So I've been doing things to screw the
process up, you know. Slow things down.

So you guys run an
underground railroad for clones?

Yeah.

Only we don't use trains.

(TIRES SCREECHING)

PAPPAS: Hold it right there,
nurse.

I believe that's our property.

Turn off the ignition, please.

Let's go this way.
Slow and easy.

Uh-uh.

Everybody, just take it light.

'Cause I don't think medical science
can replace a blasted head just yet.

Now hold on. Now
let's talk about this.

I'll have my people
call your people.

Put them down.

Everyone looks so beat up, sick.

They should be in a hospital.

Hospital?

Why don't you try a
palace while you're at it.

They got no med cards.

The rich get richer.
The poor get used up.

They all look like they
were in one giant car wreck.

No. No,
they were just harvested.

Harvested?

Where have you been,
hon? The dark side of the moon?

Some lady I've never even met
steps left. She should've stepped right.

All of a sudden,
she's short a part.

But she's got the money,
I've got the hand.

A month of food for my family.

Sometimes you got to
choose between all of you dying

or just a part.

And that's one hard day.

So the rich take what
they need from the poor.

Used to,
used to. Now they have clones.

So they don't have to
deal with the likes of us.

Clones.

Sylvia,
I need your advice on a story I'm writing.

There's this lab,

and a young man has an accident.

Army of the dead.

Or leastways those
not given a life.

I thank you from the
bottom of my eyes.

Not to sweat it. R.J.

Quinn.

Didn't figure you'd be taking a
walk on the wild side, did you?

You're insane.

(SCOFFS) Well,
I guess in an insane world

that makes me just about normal.

Go check the perimeter alarms.

We'll be clearing out soon.
We're gonna be heading north.

He's gonna be our safe passage.

There'll be a family in
Canada to take you in.

I appreciate all your help.

But I can't go with you guys.

I'm sorry,
I've got to get back to my friends.

Well,
the only friends you've got are right here.

We can't let you go, Quinn.

It'd be too much
of a security risk.

Trust me. It won't be a risk.

Where I'm going,
no one's gonna follow me.

Sorry, champ.

Can I at least call them?

No phone calls in or out.

We're in the cone of silence.

I didn't bust out of one
prison to land in another!

The whole world's a
prison. Or haven't you heard?

America's a no-clone zone.

Yes, but I'm not a clone.

Right. You're just some
stranger's perfect match.

You're expecting
logic and rationality.

He's not capable of that.

His mind is chaotic.
Like all of them.

You see, that's why he needs
to have a controlled environment.

What you think is compassion
is really only cruelty.

Please,
just take us back before anybody gets hurt.

Had it better when you made
clones without heads. Less trouble.

But you couldn't
keep us alive that way.

You're... Ah!

Make as many as you like.

Spit them out down the chute.

Do they hurt? Do they
feel? What do you care?

Railroad sprung
me when I was three.

But not before the men with
knives took what they needed.

Let me show you some compassion!

R.J., no! R.J., don't!

We show them we're
human by being human.

Storage.

SYLVIA: That was
a hell of a story.

Well,
it's all make-believe. What do you think?

I think you should lay
off the cheap malt liquor.

Sylvia.

Okay, you're right.

They would harvest
your friend's eyes

no matter where he's from,
if he's a match.

Unless...

Yes?

The clone that they've grown
has been totally supervised,

totally monitored,
they'd rather use him.

If they thought they could get him back,
they'd hold off.

I see.

Hypothetically speaking.

Of course.

Hey, Maggie...

It's okay.

Look,
the hospital looks like a cops convention.

We're not getting
in anytime soon.

I gotta go. How much do I...

Don't insult me.

My father wants to
take Quinn's eyes?

He loves his son, I guess.

But it seems a terrible thing.

And you want to
try and stop him?

Yes.

I'll go with you. No.

If we go, you stay here.

But they're my eyes.

Which is why you stay here.

You don't hurt someone
else to help yourself.

At least,
that's how it should be.

Aren't you afraid
that they will hurt you?

Yes.

But I love my brother.

I'd give my life to
save his if I have to.

That's what family does.

Hey.

We have to talk. Excuse us.

All right, I've got an idea.

We call the hospital and we
offer to trade him for Quinn.

We can't do that.

Of course not. We'd just say we
were to get them to bring Quinn.

The guys in the lab coats have a major
jones going on to get the clone back.

Don't call him that.
His name is Mallory.

All right. The point is,
they want him.

It might be our only
chance to get Quinn back.

COLIN: So what's your move?

All right. We call them up,
we lay out our terms.

We might need the...

Mallory to get on the
phone to prove we have him.

All right. I'll talk to him.

Mallory?

Mallory!

He's gone!

You think he heard us?

He must have thought we were
gonna turn him in and ran off.

No, before you came, we were talking about
how you risk yourself for your family.

He's trying to protect us.
He's gone to the hospital.

All right, come on.

I'm gonna go and check it out.

I haven't been seen.

All right. But in and out,
nothing fancy, okay?

If things get complicated,
you pull the plug. You hear me?

Yeah.

Let them get deeper
into the belly of the beast.

And then we take
them two at a time.

Hey, Mallory!

Look, I appreciate your gesture.

Look, we've got to get out of here,
all right?

Hold it right there! Don't move!

OFFICER: Hey,
thief! Let's see your hands!

Back it up!

Face down!

(SIGHS)

I've been taking
these since I was a kid.

They don't do a
damn bit of good.

But they're orange
and you can chew them,

and hold on to the hope
that eventually they'll kick in.

I was hoping you'd come back,
too.

I guess sometimes
optimism pays off.

You saved my life.

Yeah, well,
don't hold it against me.

So who are you really?

Oh, so now it's,
"Who are you?" Not, "What?"

We're making progress.

Who do you think I am?

You don't think I'm
a clone anymore?

You said all that stuff
about chaotic thinking

and needing a controlled
environment to get out of here, right?

Yes.

I'm sorry.

You mentioned the
M-theory to your son?

Yes.

And you were still
going to take my eyes.

You know who I am?

I'm someone who's a
lot more human than you.

You know, my...

My whole world has been

shattered into pieces. I...

I really don't
know what to think.

It doesn't matter
what you think.

All that matters is what you do.

(DOOR OPENING)

Hey. Something
I want you to see.

REPORTER ON TV: Police
and hospital security forces

were able to stop an
attempted clone theft

at the downtown maximized
health facility today.

Three members of the underground
anti-clone faction were taken into custody,

and the stolen donor
shell was safely recovered.

Those are my friends.

There seems to be a
connection between this incident

and the earlier abduction
of Dr. Michael Mallory.

MHO security spokesman...

They weren't too careful now,
were they?

We are sending this message
to those holding Dr. Mallory.

We pray he is unharmed,

as we, in good faith,
have treated their comrades in our custody.

We wish to open a dialogue
with the sincere hope of

quickly and safely
resolving this situation.

(TURNS TV OFF) We will...

We've got to call them.
Set up some kind of trade.

Excuse me. This was
not part of my plan.

He's right.

That was the clone that I told
you about. The one that got taken.

Whoever his friends are, they're
obviously on the same cause that we are.

And so we just hand him over to
keep right on tending to business?

There are over 300 board certified
physicians trained in these procedures.

They'll continue
whether I do them or not.

Yeah?

Well, I'll feel much better not.

The one that they've
got that looks like me,

they grew him and
they're gonna cut him.

Just like they did to you.

Okay.

All right, we'll make the call.

And we'll save
four righteous souls,

and pray there's a hell.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

No, you thank me when it's over.

LAUREN: I better
get things ready.

Take him back to the room.
Everybody else come on.

Wait.

There was one of your friends
on the TV who looked like you.

My brother.

Where I come from
my father had two sons.

Two sons.

And he loved you both equally?

I don't know.

I don't remember.

Cute mannequins.

I don't know how cute they
are but they're good listeners.

Sometimes silence
is the best counsel.

Yeah. Gives you room
to find your own answers.

Although it does
get a little lonely.

Lonely's been my style of life,
my man.

Every morning of my life,
I wake up mad.

It's like the inside of me
is bigger than the outside.

Like there's a
storm swirling about.

You told me to be more human.

That's not the problem.

The human part of me
is what wanted to kill him.

I had a friend once. Lonny.

Looked just like me,
but he smiled a lot more.

Laughed at all of my dumb jokes.

Me and him were little,
we didn't know much.

But we were made
from the same cell.

We were each other's
whole wide world.

Rich kid we were grown
from didn't need a face first.

He needed a heart and a liver.

And they took Lonny's.

And so I know what lonely is.

I'm sorry.

Yeah.

MAGGIE: If I'd have known
we were coming to the water,

I would've brought my bikini.

PAPPAS: He wanted it in the middle
of nowhere to level the playing field.

R.J.: You got that right.

Nice and smooth.
No sudden moves.

Send us ours,
we'll send you yours.

COLIN: Hey, bro.

I thought you traded
me in for a newer model.

COLIN: Not a chance. Dad?

Come on, man. Keep moving.

Move it!

Colin says that you give
up things for your family.

If my brother needs my eyes,
he can have them.

Take the others.
This one's staying.

So you could rip out his eyes?

His liver, his heart?

Then I think we'll
just take yours.

MAN: He's got a gun!

(SCREAMS)

MICHAEL: Stop it!

(GUNS FIRING)

Stop it! Stop it or you're
gonna have to shoot me, too!

Don't shoot.

Anything else?

Yes! Get the paramedics!

Go!

MICHAEL: Why did you do that?

Why did you step in the
way like that? Mallory!

He didn't know
what he was doing.

He knew.

You know he did.

QUINN: Good doctor.

MHO's gonna have a
hard time without you.

No,
I think they'll get along just fine.

At least until I hit
the talk-show circuit.

You know,
the tobacco companies didn't go down

till their scientists
went public.

Maybe I can do something, too.

You start by stopping.

(CHUCKLES) Oh!

You know, my son...

My older son, that is,

he would never say
Zen crap like that.

Well, the rich get richer
and the poor get a break.

Step down. Step down. Step down.

Why don't we sit here?

To your left.

So how you doing, Mallory?

I'm his eyes.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Almost time.

Keep up the good work,
brain boy.

But let me give you some advice.

(INAUDIBLE)

Elvis is getting ready
to leave the building.

I don't know about him,
but I most certainly am.

So long, friends and family!

It's been a stone gas!