Paige Kendall ran down the hall. She was sure she had lost her. And she definitely did not want to be on the receiving end.
Paige turned around the corner. She ran right into the katana. Katherine Rye grinned for a second as she twisted the katana in. Then she glared.
"You should have kept quiet," Kat muttered.
Three years ago, my friends and I found a way to travel between worlds-
To slide to...
Worlds where you're the same person-
It's the same year...
But everything else is different-
Our Earth...
Has been overrun by the Kromaggs?-
Can we get home?...
Do we want to?
And now-
The worlds await...
SLIDERS: ALTERNATE SPIN-SEASON 4
EPISODE 4: THE DESIGN
A WEEK EARLIER...
The wormhole opened. Paige shot out of it. She landed on her feet. She brushed her red hair out of her face and looked around. As usual the wormhole had landed them in an alley.
The wormhole whirred again. A figure emerged from the wormhole Paige smiled as she saw the dark-haired man. She ran to him and hugged him.
"Randall!" Paige exclaimed. "Thank God!"
Randall Heim smiled, his goatee making him look devilish.
"That iceball world was crazy!" Randall replied.
"It's good to see the iceballs didn't hit you," Paige said. She leaned in closer to Randall. His furcoat smelled like cologne. "Very good."
Paige leaned in closer to Randall. Her eyes closed as she gave into the moment.
The wormhole whirred again. A figure shot out. Paige had time to open her eyes she and Randall were hit. They fell to the ground. She looked up to glare at the new figure.
Melissa Clark was on the ground. She sat up, brushing her black hair out of her face. She stared about her.
"Melissa," Randall said, standing up. "Are you all right?"
"Yes," Melissa said.
The wormhole whirred again. Paige looked to see the new figure was Professor Darnell Brown. Like the rest of them, he had a furcoat on. He saw Melissa on the ground and headed for her.
"Miss Clark, are you all right?" Brown asked.
Paige did not hear Melissa's reply as Brown and Randall helped Melissa up. She felt annoyed that no one helped her up. They acted like Melissa was some delicate flower. Especially Randall.
Randall. Ever since Melissa entered the picture, Randall had become like a stranger. He would worry about her and treat Paige like a friend. There had to be a way to get him to focus off of Melissa...
The wormhole whirred again. Kat Rye emerged from it. The wormhole closed behind her.
Paige saw Kat. A smile crept on her face. Maybe Kat could be useful for that.
Melissa Clark walked with Professor Brown out of the alley. Ever since she had declared to him that she wanted to get home, Melissa had found herself closer to him than before. It was almost like the old times with Richard and Randy.
Randy. Melissa found her eyes wondering over to Randall. At the moment, he was walking a little bit ahead of them...alone. That was rare since Paige was usually always with him. Lately, Randall had been giving her more and more attention. On that world with her mother, he had even come to the hospital to see if she was okay. That was unlike the Randall she knew. It was more like the Randy she knew. Melissa shook her head. Randy was dead. She had to not think of that.
The sliders walked out of the alley. Melissa looked up and down the street. It looked like a normal day in San Francisco. People walked around in their various worlds. Their clothes were normal enough. Melissa found herself frowning, thinking about her own world.
"Obviously, this is not Earth Prime," Brown declared.
"'Tis a pity," Kat said from beside Melissa. She took off her furcoat. "However it is a step up from the world of the killer iceballs."
"I cannot argue with that," Randall said as he studied his surroundings.
Paige threw off her furcoat. "Who would want to? How much time do we have here, Randall?"
Randall kneeled down on the ground. His eyes were on something that Melissa could not see. He appeared oblivious to Paige's question.
"Heim," Brown said.
Randall gave no answer. He reached out for something.
"Randall!" Melissa snapped.
Randall jumped. He turned to look at them. His eyes were wide-eyed.
"Uh...what?" Randall asked.
"What time is on the timer?" Melissa asked.
Randall pulled out the timer. "A week."
"Good," Brown said. "Perhaps a little bit of rest and preparation will be an excellent idea."
"I'm more for the rest idea," Paige said, kneeling down next to Randall. She reached for him. "What do you think, Ran--"
Randall shot up. "Do any of you notice anything out of the ordinary?"
Melissa frowned. She looked behind her at the people walking by. She did not see anything weird about them. San Franciscans were a weird bunch, but once you group up around them was normal. She looked at Brown. He was looking at the people, too. He turned to Randall.
"Everyone has a bracelet," Brown said.
"Yes, Brown," Randall said.
Melissa smiled. She noticed it, too. Every person who walked by had on one bracelet. The bracelet was a different color on each person. The people themselves were of different ages, genders, and colors. They all had on a bracelet.
Melissa looked at Randall. He had a green bracelet in his hand. He put it on his left arm. It snapped on instantly.
"I wonder what the meaning is?" Randall asked.
"How about we head to the Dominion and debate it?" Paige suggested.
"I would prefer to head to the library and see what I can discover there," Brown said.
"I will come along with you," Kat said.
"Probably good for the rest of us," Paige commented.
Melissa looked at Kat. Her eyes narrowed on Paige.
"What is that suppose tae mean?" Kat demanded.
"Oh, look," Paige said, a smirk on her face. "A trace of an accent. You'll have to be better at covering your distress."
"Back off, Paige," Melissa said.
"You back off, Melissa!" Paige snapped. "You were the safe one. The rest of us had to worry about Psycho Irish--"
"Again...I dinna do it," Kat said.
"I know what I saw," Paige replied.
"Ladies, we have both been over this," Brown said. "Miss Kendall, the Miss Rye you saw was obvious a double of some sort."
"Exactly, Professor," Kat added.
"Yeah! Play innocent," Paige said, her eyes on Kat. "I'm on to you."
"And I'm onto ye," Kat shot back. Her eyes narrowed. "Perhaps we old-timers know something about ye ye dinnae want to be reveal. Whatever can it be?"
"I have nothing to hide," Paige said.
"We only have yuir word for that," Kat said. "What do ye remember before ye were a...what did the Professor call it...a ball of fire in the sky on Paranoia World?"
Melissa stared between the two women. They appeared to be having a standoff. Both of them had their arms on their chests. Brown stood behind Kat. Randall was behind Paige. The two girls glared at each other.
"How about we separate?" Randall suggested.
"How about Miss Kat tell us about her imprisonment on Earth Prime?" Paige shot back. "How about she admit she did not learn all her fighting moves on that Hollywood Spy World?"
"How aboot ye admit there is more tae ye?" Kat challenged.
"I will take Miss Rye with me to the library," Brown said. "How about you take Miss Kendall to the Dominion?"
"I think it is a splendid idea, Professor Brown," Randall said. "Come on, Paige."
Paige stormed away from the group. Randall was right behind her. Melissa did not know what to say. Paige and Kat had been at each other more since they left Altered State World. Professor Brown had told her about it, but she did not know what to make of it.
"I'll keep an eye on her," Melissa said. "See you two at the Dominion?"
"Of course," Brown said.
"Aye," Kat added.
Melissa touched Kat's shoulder. Kat touched Melissa's hand and smiled. They had both come a lot way since Kat rescued her from the Foundation's base. A bond like Melissa to her young sister Sarah had formed.
"Be safe," Melissa said.
Kat and Brown nodded. As Melissa watched them walk away, she wondered if maybe it was better to follow them. Being in a hotel room with Paige was not her idea of fun.
"A bit rough with her, weren't you?"
Kat stared at Brown as she entered the library with him. For a moment, Brown saw nothing in her eyes. Then Brown saw her eyes narrow with a trace of anger in them.
"And ye have nae been?" Paige asked.
"Miss Kendall...can definitely be a...handful," Brown said, his eyes looking for a computer terminal.
"More like a pain in the--"
"Miss Rye!" Brown exclaimed. "Such language. I would not expect it from you."
Kat's eyes went blank. "Well...people change."
Kat started to walk past Brown. He reached out and grabbed her arm. Kat turned back to face him. Her eyes were full of quiet menace.
"Sometimes," Brown said, "people can change for the worse."
"Meaning?" Kat asked.
"The last time I saw you," Brown began, "my body was dying from the Foundation's nanotechs...and you had short blond hair and preached non-violence. What changed?"
"What changed?" Kat muttered. "What changed...was that I accepted the world. I found out the wrong Melissa was with us...and she tried to get rid of me. I was almost raped. Then I learned to be craftier. I found the real Melissa, but then Anya...she was going...she was goin' tae shoot Melissa. I knocked the gun out of her hand. I was part of violence. And then..." Then her eyes darkened. "Then there was the Kromaggs. Sometimes...a person has tae change."
Kat snatched her arm away from Brown. She turned away from him.
"Or risk being destroyed," Kat finished.
"Sometimes the transformation can destroy a person," Brown said.
Kat looked at him again. Her eyes were blank again.
"Has bein' a sleeper agent destroyed yuir essence?" Kat challenged.
Brown sighed heavily. He should have known the conversation could easily switch to him and his dark resurrection as a Kromagg spy. His mind was his again, but the device the Kromaggs used was still in his head. What if it happened again?
"I...was never as pure as you were when you started sliding," Brown replied. "There was half a year while I was a cold calculating killer. If the others had not gotten through to me--"
"Oh my Blessed Deity of HereAfter!"
Brown looked behind Kat. He kept his jaw from dropping at the sight of Randall Heim. His dark brown hair was slicked back and came to his shoulders. He was clean-shaven and dressed in a brown shirt and blue jeans. Brown saw the mysterious bracelet on his left wrist.
At the moment, he stared at Kat's bare wrist. He reached for her right wrist. His eyes were full of shocked anger.
"What is this, Katherine?" Randall's double demanded.
"I...uh..." Kat started.
"You are one of the Seconds," Randall said as he lowered his voice. "The last thing you need to be promoting is atheism. You stretch our acceptance too far."
"I apologize," Kat managed.
Randall reached into his pocket. He pulled out a bracelet. He gave it to Kat.
"Here," Randall whispered. "We will talk of this later."
Randall glared at Brown for a moment. Then he stormed past the two of them. Brown watched the double leave. It reminded him of a time when he and Richard encountered two men who only crime was believing in the Bible.
"I do think we better find a terminal," Brown suggested.
"Aye," Kat replied.
Melissa looked at the elevator numbers as they lit up one by one. She hoped that if she focused on them that Paige would be quiet. It was not working.
"I'm not lying," Paige said. "Irish has lost it."
"So you keep saying, Paige," Randall said as he stood next to Melissa.
"You don't trust me, Randall?" Paige asked.
Randall turned to look at Paige. "Of course, I do. I think you forget how this group is."
"And I think you are distracted by...someone."
The elevator doors opened. Melissa walked out of the elevator quickly.
"Anything to say about that, Melissa?"
Melissa paused. She turned around to face Paige. Randall and she both had on glares.
"You know...just because you're used to being the only girl around the Professor and Randall doesn't make you Alpha Girl okay?" Melissa said. "Take your insecurities out on someone else."
"Maybe you should hurry up and find your home," Paige suggested. "Leave us alone."
Melissa stuck out her lower lip, forming a pouty face. "Oh, look at you." She shook her head. "So naive." A smirk crossed her face. "What would Eve think?"
"Enough!"
Melissa ignored the glare on Paige's face. She turned to look at Randall. His eyes bored holes into her.
"Back off, Clark," Randall said, a hint of menace in his voice.
"And this is the mysterious woman you kept seeing on Paranoia World?" Paige said. "I'm not impressed."
"Coming from Ms. 'Dress-Like-A-Ho,' I consider that a blessing," Melissa said.
"You--"
"Ladies!" Randall snapped.
The door across from their room opened. Melissa saw two figures emerge from it. Neither of them had bracelets on. One of the figures was a short plump girl with shoulder-length brown hair. The other one was the one who got Melissa's attention He was a tall man with shaggy brown hair. He was average looking in his gray sweater. His eyes fell on them and widened.
"Do my eyes deceive me?" he asked. "This can't be!"
He ran for them. Melissa knew what was coming. She moved out of his way. She found her suspicions confirmed when he ran past her and hugged his target: Randall.
"Randall," he exclaimed. "It's about time!"
"What's going on?" Paige asked Melissa. "Is he a gay lover to a double of Randall?"
"No," Melissa said. "He's the double's brother."
Brown shut down the computer. He looked over at Kat. She was a few feet away from him at another terminal.
He stood up and headed for her. As he walked toward her, his thoughts went back to their earlier conversation. He stared at Kat and thought about how she had been since he had found her. She was a darker individual than she was before. He wondered how dark she was now.
Kat looked up at him. She managed a smile.
"Find anything, Professor?" Kat asked.
Brown kneeled down next to Kat's terminal.
"As a matter of fact, yes," Brown said. "On this world, Pope John Paul was never made Pope. Instead some nobody was appointed. Things moved smoothly for a year or two. Then...he experienced what was described as a spiritual epiphany. He gathered most of the spiritual leaders of the world. Then they...dissolved their respective spiritual paths. It combined to form the Design Group."
Kat nodded. "I see. My double is an important figure in this sector. She is a Second...one of the ones judged to be next in line for the Head when the leader dies. Then she becomes First if another Second is not picked." She smiled. "Interestingly, the blending of the religions has quite the effect. A non-violence world."
"I find that quite far-fetched, Miss Rye."
"With boundaries resolved, there is not a need for differences...or conflict that springs from it."
Brown stood up. "I just say that with an utopia world such as this there is bound to be a worm in the apple."
Kat nodded. "Agreed. It would seem there are small pockets of non-bracelets roaming the city. However, the First allow them to wander about. He feels they might come around...in time. His Seconds feel differently. They respect him however...and say nothing. We should be left alone while we are here."
"That remains to be seen," Brown commented. "Let us leave."
Kat stood up. They started to head toward the library entrance. Brown stared at Kat.
"So...happy to find a way of non-violence?" Brown asked. "I know you have hoped to find--"
"Professor."
The word was like ice. Kat had a bit of a glare to her face. Brown paused.
"I am nae askin' ye aboot chips in yuir head," Kat said firmly. "I would like it if ye would nae try tae get into my head."
"I have to agree with Miss Kendall's observation," Brown said. "Your accent appears again when you are stressed. Some stressed people then to be hiding something. Thus, the stress. Then--"
"Your point, Professor?"
"My point, Miss Rye," Brown said, "is...what are YOU hiding?"
Kat's face went blank. It was a look that Brown was not used to. That was not true. He had heard about it from the others...about him.
"Holy Vessel of the Karmic Tribute!"
Brown sat Kat turn to face the library entrance. He followed her glance. There in the door was Katherine Rye. She was flocked on each side by girls with bracelets on their waists. At the moment, Katherine was wide-eyed at the sight of herself.
"Uh...hi," Kat said.
Melissa sat at the table in the Dominion bar. Across from her, Randall talked to the double of his brother Jared. They seem to really be enjoying themselves.
"I still cannot believe it!" Jared exclaimed. "You worked so hard at your studies to become a Second. You wouldn't even talk to me when I left the family to embrace the Way."
"The Way?" Melissa muttered.
Jared frowned at her. Then he shook his head. A laugh escaped his lips.
"Of course, you would not know of us," Jared said. "While the First does tolerate us, he does not acknowledge us. The Way is the path to Humankind's real destiny. A way that...does not include a belief in gods...but in faith in our ability to evolve our minds. Thus we do not wear the symbol."
"Symbol?" Melissa managed.
"Yes," Jared said. He stared at Randall. "Your friend is really intriguing, Randall."
"So I am finding," Randall commented.
Melissa glared at Randall. He grinned at her. She ignored his gesture and turned to Jared.
"What symbol?" Melissa asked.
"Why...the bracelets!" Jared exclaimed. He turned Randall's shoulder. "To see you turn your back on all of that study...does my heart proud."
Melissa watched Randall smile at Jared. It was weird to see this Randy relate to Jared. It was weird to see him relate to anyone.
Melissa turned away from the table. Paige sat at the bar. She was talking to Jared's friend Lisa. So far she made no attempt to come over.
"I'll be back," Melissa said.
Melissa walked over to the bar.
"Can I cut in?" Melissa said.
Paige looked up from the bar. Her eyes narrowed on her. Lisa's face however lit up.
"Sure," Lisa said. "I think I will check on the brothers."
Lisa got of her barstool and headed for the table. Melissa sat down next to Paige. Paige still glared at her.
"No," Paige said.
"No?" Melissa muttered, confused.
"No, you can't cut in," Paige said. "For months, all Randall and I had was each other and a coma Professor Brown. I worked forever to get Randall's attention. Do you know how hard that was?"
"If he is like Randy a lot," Melissa replied. "Unless he loves you..."
"What do you know?" Paige snapped.
"Do you love him?" Melissa asked.
Paige sat up on her stool. She crossed her arms over her chest. She said nothing.
"Guess not," Melissa said.
"Just back off," Paige warned.
"Don't worry," Melissa said. "I only loved one Randy. He's dead."
Paige grinned. "Good."
"Uh...no, it's not."
Paige rolled her eyes. "How about we talk about something neutral? You think Irish has lost it?"
"What?"
"You heard me. Do--"
"Oh, shut up."
"She killed a man," Paige declared. "While you were dealing with Mommie Dearest, she found a victim and slashed and diced."
Melissa stood up off the stool.
"I was trying to be a friend," Melissa said. "Obviously, it was a bad idea."
Melissa stared to walk away. A hand gripped her arm from behind. She turned to face Paige.
"How well do you know Irish?" Paige asked. "I mean...wasn't she with your group while you were a prisoner?"
Melissa felt her face redden. It had been a while since she was kidnapped by the Foundation. Meanwhile, Kat had been with the group. She had been there when Richard had died. She had been there when they had been captured by the Kromaggs.
"I know Kat well enough," Melissa said. "We managed to escape to that world together."
Melissa felt her eyes water up a little. They had help escaping from a man named Michael. He...did not make it.
"And after that?" Paige continued.
"What are you trying to say, Paige?" Melissa demanded.
"You were on a world with aliases," Paige replied. "You had no idea what she was doing at times."
Melissa felt her whole body tense up. Paige was right. She had not known what Kat was doing while they were agents. However that all changed when Melissa was assigned to take out a double of Ben Loveland, Randy's roommate on Earth Prime. It turned out Kat was part of his entourage.
"So," Paige said cutting through Melissa's thoughts, "how do you know Kat didn't kill someone."
"Holy Trinity of the Blessed!"
Melissa turned around. Randall, Jared, and Lisa all wore faces of shock. Randall Heim...his double...stood over the table. Jared looked back and forth between the two. His eyes seem to be widening by the second.
"I can't..." Randall's double started. He stopped. "I see Katherine was right."
Brown watched Kat's double and Randall's double through the glass. They stood at separate ends of a long table. Several people sat down at the table. Like Brown and the others, they watched the two argue.
"This is better than a game," Paige commented.
A figure came into Brown's line of vision. Melissa watched the scene with some interest.
"What is it even about?" Melissa asked.
"Katherine's double believes us to be a sign," Brown explained. "However, Randall's double believes the fact we do not have bracelets...especially during this time when their Leader...the First...could select a successor...makes our appearance very foreboding."
"We met a double of Randy's brother at the Dominion," Melissa said. "It's like a Halfway House for the non-bracelets. They're harmless."
"Do any of them look like Miss Rye or Heim?" Brown asked. He frowned. "We are a danger."
"That's the last thing we need to be," Randall said from the other side of Melissa.
Brown looked at Randall. They were all on a bench in a room across from the Seconds. Paige sat next to Randall.
"Well...we're not a danger," Paige said. She looked at Kat. "Well...most of us aren't."
Kat stared at Paige. Her face became a little glare. Then she smirked.
"That we know of," Kat said. "I'm not buying."
"Maybe ye should," Kat said, a hint of menace in her voice.
Brown stared at Kat. He remembered what Paige said about Kat's accent kicking in when she is stressed. The menace in her tone made him think of himself.
"I think we should all be careful," Brown said.
"And stay very close," Melissa said.
"Not too close," Paige commented.
"Aye," Kat agreed. "You might be a spy."
"Funny," Brown said. "Richard used to say that of you."
Kat looked over at Brown. Her eyes were wide with shock. Suddenly, Kat's face went blank.
"And he was wrong," Kat said simply.
"Was he?" Melissa pointed out.
The blankness dropped from Kat's face. She shot up from her seat on the bench. Her long blonde hair flew around her face. With her eyes full of fury, she glared at Melissa and Brown.
"I see," Kat said. "So what did she do? Implant somethin' in yuir head? Whisper in yuir ear?"
Melissa stood up. "Kat--"
Kat held up a hand. "Don't. I thought we were friends. I guess ye like her."
Kat turned to storm to the door. A gasp escaped her lips. Her double stood in the door. It was the same reaction Kat had when she was at the library. Brown had to admit that it was like looking into the past looking at Kat's double. Brown looked at Kat. It appeared like Kat thought the same thing...and she did not like what she saw.
"Is everything all right?" Kat's double asked.
"No, 'tis nae," Kat snapped.
Kat pushed past her double without another word. Brown looked at Melissa. Her eyes were full of concern.
"You thinking the same thing, too?" Melissa asked.
"I think there is more than she is telling," Brown admitted.
"So do I," Melissa said. "Let me talk to her."
Brown watched Melissa leave. He did not know what she would say. He knew if anyone could get through to Kat it was Melissa.
"Well, nice show, Paige," Randall commented. "Definitely worthy of Sarah and my games."
"Games?" Kat's double muttered.
"It is nothing, fair Katherine," Brown said. "What did your group decide?"
"They decided that you have a choice," Kat's double said. "You can have bracelets and wander about...or have no bracelets and stay in here."
"Where do I get one of those bracelets?" Paige asked quickly.
Melissa made it out of the building that housed the Design group. She looked to her left. Kat walked into an alley.
"Kat!" Melissa yelled.
Melissa ran down the sidewalk. She entered the alley. There was darkness around her.
A light overhead came on. A shadow fell across the brick wall. Melissa spun around quickly. Kat was behind her.
"Kat, I--" Melissa said approaching her.
Kat's right arm shot up. The fingers tightened around Melissa's neck. Melissa gasped for breath as Kat choked her.
"Ye know," Kat began. "I try. I guess violence is all ye learn from slidin' from world tae world. I see now."
Melissa saw spots in her vision. She tried to keep conscious, but it was no sue. Darkness was about to claim her.
"There is nae sane world," Kat said. "There is only destruction. I finally embraced it. And now I must leave ye."
Melissa's world went black.
Randall walked through the halls of the Design Group building. It had become his routine over the last two days. On one hand it kept in shape. On the other, it kept him from going mad as he worked on the timer.
There had to be a way to get to his homeworld. He had hoped that Eve was at least looking for him. He wished she would be quick about it.
Or course he could try the idea he had. Him doing the experiment without the others would be the issue. He would have to tell them afterwards and they would be angry. How would he get around that?
"Mind having one more?"
Randall turned around. Kat's double stood behind him.
"You can walk with me if you wish," Randall said.
Randall turned around and started to walk again. A few moments later, Kat's double was right beside him.
"Any sign of my duplicate?" Katherine asked.
"None," Randall said. "However, Melissa is with her. I'm sure she's okay."
"So what is she like?" Katherine asked.
"She...is a slip of a girl," Randall said. "She has always been shy. Right now, she is recovering from a terrible ordeal."
A trace of a grin appeared on Katherine's face.
"What's so funny?" Randall asked.
"You said terrible ordeal," Katherine said. "I...sense a darkness about her. It gives me proof to my theory."
Randall turned a corner with Katherine.
"Theory?" Randall said.
"I believe...like most of the others...that everything happens for a reason," Katherine explained. "There is a design in the working. We all have a part in it. We all have purpose."
"I have to disagree," Randall said. "Not everything is planned. Some things are random."
"Really?" Katherine said. "Then answer me this: of all of your friends, why are you and Katherine the only ones with doppelgangers here...especially with our First about to name a successor. Why do both of the doppelgangers hold strengths and weaknesses to each other?"
Randall said nothing. Katherine had a point. They had not run into doubles of the others. Their timing there was suspect.
"I think Randall and I need to see you two," Katherine continued. "You two are mirrors to our souls. What could happen if we do something wrong."
"And does Randall believe this?"
"What Randall believes is not my concern. He needs to...accept."
Randall paused. He stared at Katherine.
"Obviously, you do not know my double very well," Randall said. "He will not accept it if he can change it."
Katherine's eyes narrowed. "It cannot be changed. This is part of the design. It must play itself out."
"You assume it will play out to your advantage," Randall countered. "What if it plays out to his."
Katherine smirked. "We'll see."
Brown entered the Dominion lobby. Paige looked about with him.
"Well, there's Jared and Lisa," Paige said. "No sign of Melissa and Irish."
Brown frowned. It had been two days and he had heard nothing from the two of them. He had started to worry about them.
"Worried that Irish did something bad to Melissa?" Paige asked.
"Actually...yes...I am," Brown admitted.
"Guess that means you trust me now," Paige said.
Brown stared at Paige. "This is not a game and I do not appreciate you treating it as such."
Paige laughed. "That's rich, Prof."
"Let us see how you will react when someone takes your life and twist it for their amusement."
Paige glared at Brown. He did not care. He was sick of her manipulating others at Kat's expense.
"Well...what a surprise."
Brown turned around. Randall's double stood behind them. His arms were over his chest. His eyes narrowed on them with suspicion.
"I should have know you were a part of this movement."
Paige crossed her arms over her chest.
"Oh, really?" Paige challenged. "Why are you here then?"
Randall's double's eyes widened in shock. Brown crossed his arms over his chest. He had to agree with Paige's thought. He wondered why Randall was there.
"I would like to know, too...Brother."
Brown turned around. Jared and Lisa stood behind them. They both had frowns on their faces.
"It has been uncomfortable having members of the Design here," Jared said. "People are starting to wonder if something is going on."
"You tell me?" Randall's double countered. "The visitor were found here. Who's to say you are not behind this appearance?"
"You blame Jared?" Lisa asked. "You and your group are the ones with modern technology. And you have a duplicate among them. Cloning now?"
Randall's double smirked. "You wish." The smirk vanished. "The First may see you as harmless. We Seconds see you as a cancer. And soon...you will be cut out."
Lisa frowned. "What do you mean?"
"You will see."
"Maybe you should be the one worried...Brother," Jared said. "If there is someone walking among us with your face and no bracelet...what will that say to others?"
Randall's double glared at Jared. "What it says? Nothing."
"I beg to differ," Jared said. "It says a lot. You think about that."
Brown watched Randall's double storm out of the Dominion. He looked over at Paige. She smirked at Randall's exit. He had to say that he was more worried for Melissa and Kat now. If Jared's words were right, it would become more important to find them. If Kat was really dangerous, her actions could have consequences...for everyone.
Kat watched the scene from the stairs. The last thing she needed was for Professor Brown and Paige to look for her. She was glad that Randall's double had walked into the Dominion.
"Well...if it isn't Katherine Rye."
Kat turned around. A man stood behind her. He was tall. His arms were bulging out of the gray shirt he had on. He smiled at her. She wished that he would comb his brown hair however.
"Wow...you are much more prettier in person," the man said.
Kat smiled. "Thank you. Do you have a room here?"
"Yeah," the man said. "It--"
Kat touched the man's shoulder. "How about we go there and have a wee bit of a chat. What's your name?"
"Billy."
Kat grinned. "Nice to meet you...Billy."
The blue vortex shot open. Randall shot out of it. He flew through the air. He landed on the bed as the vortex closed. He looked at the timer and smiled.
The timer's time for this world was not affected. His idea was a success.
Someone knocked on the door. Randall sat up on the bed.
"It's open," Randall said.
The door opened. Randall's double entered the room. He stared at Randall like he had committed some crime.
"I was wondering when you would show up," Randall said.
Randall's double arched an eyebrow. "Were you?"
"I've already had a talk from Katherine's double," Randall said. "I knew it was a matter of time before I heard your side."
"I am sure you already know what my side is," the double said.
"Yes," Randall said. "We are evil."
"Why else would you show up now?"
"Just a random jolt through the multiverse?" Randall suggested.
The double's eyes narrowed on Randall.
"Nothing is random," his double said. "Everything happens for a reason. All spiritual paths were revealed to lead to this conclusion."
"And the path our brother chooses to walk?"
"It is nonsense!" Randall's double spit out.
"Everything happens for a reason," Randall said with a smirk.
Randall's double said nothing. He stared at Randall.
"I was like you once," Randall's double said. "I was curious. About life and its workings. I kept my studies up. At last, it paid off and I am about to achieve this. Then you appear...a reminder of what I was. What is the reason behind that?"
Randall shrugged his shoulders. "You tell me."
Randall's double approached him. "Perhaps I...casted away my innocence to get to where I am now and it is time for me to embrace it with my darker self and achieve oneness."
"Hmmm...deep."
A knock was at the door. Randall looked at the door. It was Katherine's double. She stared at the two of them in surprise. She covered it up quickly.
"There has been a situation," she announced.
Brown did not know what to say. The medics carried the cart with the body out of the room. It had been found in the room where the group had stayed in on Altered States World.
Brown was surrounded by other people as well. Besides the medics, there were policemen there asking questions or giving the medics room to move. There were also people from Jared's group watching the scene in interest.
Suddenly, he felt a hand on his arm. It tightened and pulled. Brown turned away from the scene to see who it was. It was Paige.
"We need to go," Paige announced.
"Really, and why do you--" Brown started.
"Sh!" Paige cut him off.
Brown said nothing. He let Paige lead him over to the elevator. She pushed the button. The doors opened, revealing no one in them. Paige pulled Brown in quickly. The doors closed behind them.
"We need to leave," Paige announced.
"Again, why?" Brown asked.
"She did it."
"She?"
"Irish," Paige said. "While you were watching the scene, I was scoping out the lobby. Irish was the last one with the guy. And boy, was she lethal!"
Brown did not know what to say. He had known her for over a year. This was so unlike the shy girl he knew. However...the girl that he knew now was not shy. Now...she was deadly.
The elevator doors opened. Brown and Paige headed for the exit quickly. Brown took the chance and looked around the lobby. He could make out Jared and his group. Jared glanced at him. His eyes narrowed into a glare.
Paige was out of the door. Brown was right behind her.
Paige glanced out the window of her room.
"Any change?"
Paige looked over at Randall. He was busy at the computer on her desk. Brown sat on the bed.
"No," Paige said.
"Two days," Randall said. "I am impressed."
Paige looked back out of the window. Jared's group protested outside for that long. Meanwhile, the three of them were confine to stay in the Design building. Katherine and Randall had claimed it was for their own good. Somehow, Paige doubted it.
"Why impressed, Heim?" Brown asked.
"They do not know what to do with us," Randall said. "Jared's group want the Design Group held responsible because someone with Katherine's face killed the man. Jared is also convincing people to doubt the Design because of it all."
"How do you know?" Paige demanded.
"I've been keeping track of it on the Internet," Randall revealed. "There are quite a few people chanting Arabic...without their bracelets."
"It is spreading," Brown said. "We should not have come here."
"It is not like it was our choice, Prof," Paige said, turning to look at Brown.
Brown shot up. "What do you say then, Miss Kendall? You think that our appearance here was part of some elaborate plan?"
"I don't know!" Paige snapped. "Do you have a better idea?"
"Yes," Brown said. "We do not have much time." He headed toward the door. "We brought Miss Rye here. It is time for us to deal with her." He opened the door. "There much be--"
The handle of the sword caught Brown in the jaw. He fell to the floor out cold. Paige stared at the figure in the door. It was Kat. She entered the room with a katana in her hand. Her hands fell on Randall.
"I believe ye have somethin' I want," Kat declared.
Randall stood up of his chair. "I don't think so, Kat. The timer is mine."
Kat held up the katana.
"I have never like ye," Kat said, approaching Randall. "Whether it was Randy or ye or some double of ye, my life has been destroyed because ye entered it. I lose me father. I lost Richard. I lost the person I was. So...I have no problems killin' you."
Randall's eyes narrowed on her. "You can try."
Kat glared. "I dinna try. I do."
Kat lunged at Randall.
Randall was prepared for it. If Kat lunged at him, he would get the chair and use it as a shield. And he was right. She did lunge.
Something about it. The idea that someone hated him so much that they wanted to kill him...it touched something in his mind. A name flew to the surface of his mind.
Daniel Carter.
And just like that...he was back on Earth Prime. The barrel of the gun was aimed at his face. Daniel Carter held it on him.
"What did you expect?" Daniel asked.
Randall's eyes widened. This...could not be right. Daniel wanted to kill only one Heim...Randy Heim. Not him.
What was going on?
A leg got Kat in the stomach. She fell to the floor. Paige stood over her, her eyes full of surprise.
"Whoa," Paige said.
Randall was surprised as well. Paige had moved pretty quick. He wondered where she got the moves from.
"Randall, come on," Paige said. "We got to move."
Randall barely registered Paige's hands on his arms. She led him to the door. As they reached the door, Randall saw a shadow fall across it. He turned just in time as the katana shot between him and Paige.
An elbow caught him in the face. His back hit the door. He fell to the floor unconscious.
Paige ran down the hall. She was sure she had lost her. And she definitely did not want to be on the receiving end.
Paige turned around the corner. She ran into the katana. Kat grinned for a second as she twisted the katana in. Then she glared.
"You should have kept quiet," Kat muttered.
Melissa grabbed Kat quickly. Kat had no time to react as Melissa's hands tightened on Kat's hands, forcing her to release her grip on the katana. Before Kat could recover, Melissa spun with her. At the last second, Melissa spun Kat into a wall. Kat hit the wall and slid to the floor.
"The sewer?" Melissa muttered. "I can't believe you dropped me in the sewer."
"I...just wanted ye out of the way until I was done," Kat said.
Melissa stared over at Paige on the floor. The katana was still in her. Blood had started to appear under her body. If she did not get her to Katherine and Randall...
"I see," Melissa said. "Paige gets the knife. I got the sewer."
"Ye dinna like her either," Kat said. "She is nae what she seems. Eventually she would be a danger."
"And where are the others?" Melissa demanded. "What did I do?"
"We both went through it," Kat said. "The Kromaggs." She held onto the wall as she stood up. "I saw them, Melissa. I saw them. All this time I had been for non-violence. These things captured me...they made me see...sometimes violence is the way." Her eyes fell on Melissa. "And once I got a taste for it, I wanted more."
"You could have come to me," Melissa said. "You could have gone to Professor Brown."
"Too late now," Kat said.
"Yes...it is," Melissa said. "Now...you have to deal with this alone. We...are leaving."
"I...am nae stayin' here," Kat protested.
"You don't have a choice."
Kat's eyes narrowed on Melissa. "Och...yes. I do."
Kat lunged at Melissa. Melissa grabbed Kat. Kat spun Melissa around. Melissa lost her grip on Kat. Kat then pushed Melissa into the halls' wall. Melissa screamed and fell to the floor.
Kat ran for Paige. Melissa shot up, but she was too late. Kat pulled the katana out of Paige. She turned to face Melissa.
"I dinna want tae kill ye," Kat warned.
"Then you won't," Melissa said.
"I am nae stayin' here," Kat protested.
"Really?" Melissa challenged. "If Richard can go home to pay for his crimes, why can't you do the same?"
Kat glared at Melissa. "Dinna mention him."
"What would he say if he could see you n--"
"Ah!" Kat screamed as she lunged at Melissa.
Kat swung the katana at Melissa' s head. Melissa ducked. The katana hit the wall, sticking in it.
Melissa punched Kat in the stomach. Kat fell forward. Melissa punched her in the jaw. She fell to the floor.
Melissa stared down at Kat. She was unconscious. Melissa fell to her knees. She knew she had to get Paige to some doctor. The tears would not wait. They fell from her eyes.
"Miss Clark?"
Melissa heard Professor Brown's voice. The tears would not stop. It was happening all over again. She was losing another friend to the effects of sliding. First, Richard. Then, Randy. Now, Kat. It was too much. She continued to cry.
"There's nothing we can do."
Melissa looked away from the window. Professor Brown entered the room. His look was solemn.
"Miss Rye's actions seem to be like a bomb, spreading through this world. To the world, a Second...someone who believes in their Design...decided to kill someone who was not. People question. Doubts emerge."
Melissa felt a smile cross her face. "Maybe it was a sign."
"Perhaps," Brown commented.
"Remember when Randy and I would enter a world and try to change it for the better?"
"Of course."
Melissa looked at Brown. "How did you stand us without slapping us upside the head for our idealism?"
"In hindsight, it was quite charming."
Melissa looked down. "What about Kat?"
"We cannot take a murderer with us," Brown said.
"I know."
"The Design Group will deal with her...and hopefully heal her of her scars."
"And if they cannot?" Melissa asked.
"You are doing the right thing."
Melissa stared at the door. Kat's double stood in the door. She stared at them and managed a smile.
"She wanted a peaceful world," Kat's double said. "A world without much violence. A place where she could find peace. Perhaps...this is where she was heading from the moment she left her own world."
Melissa looked at the double. She did not know what to say. If Kat could be okay here...
"Perhaps," Brown commented.
"How else do you explain Katherine meeting a double of herself when she needs one the most? How else do you explain Randall meeting a double? How else do you explain Randall meeting a double? How do you explain the lack of a double for you two?" Kat's double asked.
Melissa looked at Professor Brown. He looked back at her with a confused look on her face. She turned to look at Kat's double again. Her face was alight with a smirk.
"We all have our roles to play," Kat's double said.
"What are you trying to say?" Melissa asked. "That all of this...us here...Kat going insane...your world in chaos...is all part of some complex design."
The smirk on Kat's double's face grew wider. Melissa felt herself back into the window.
"Now you see it," she said. "Everything happens for a reason."
THE-END
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