SLIDERS: ALTERNATE SPIN
EPISODE 9-PART OF THE BAND
(second part)

 Richard tapped his foot impatiently. He waited at the Dominion bar. He had been waiting for two hours.
 "I'm so sorry I'm late," Melissa said as she headed toward Richard.
 "Where have you been?" Richard asked. "I've been trying to reach you for three days."
 "Yeah, right," Melissa said. "You probably took a day with your date."
 Richard looked down. "A day and a half." Melissa glared at Richard. "Hey! I have needs."
 Melissa crossed her arms. "What did you call me here for? Tim and I--"
 "Oh! I'm sorry," Richard said. "I guess I've mistaken you for someone who cares for her friends."
 "What do you mean?"
 "Have you heard from Proper?"
 Melissa shook her head. "No. Of course, we all needed a break from each other."
 "Think about it. We slide tomorrow and Proper hasn't called at all? Something's gonna be wrong. There's a reward on his head."
 "We have to find him," Melissa said.
 "Good, Sherlock," Richard replied with sarcasm. "Now where is he?"

 "Tell it to someone else, Pops!"
 Professor Brown glared at the officer. "For the umpteenth time, Ms. Walker, I AM NOT YOUR DOCTOR BROWN."
 He saw the blonde man look over a the woman with a glare of his own. "This is getting us nowhere, Walker. We should ship him to Sacramento." He looked at Brown with a sinister girn. "They'll know what to do."
 "One hour," Officer Walker said. "Then we'll get testy."
 The officers left the room. Brown struggled with his binds again. He had been trying for days now, but they had not broken yet. He made a mental note to never listen to Mr. Hall again whenever he talked about how he should 'live it up.' In fact, he would punch Mr. Hall in the jaw the next time he saw him.

 "Oh, God! Oh, God!"
 The girl passed out. Randy dropped his guitar and grabbed her before she fell off the stage. The lip singing kicked in before he dropped his guitar.
 "Are you okay?" Randy asked the girl.
 "Wha..." the girl started. She took one look at Randy. Then she passed out again.
 Oh, brother, Randy thought.

 "You can't get in," the bodyguard said.
 "What do you mean I can't?" Richard barked. "Don't you know who I am!"
 "No," the bodyguard replied.
 "I oughta--"
 "He's with me."
 Richard turned to see Melissa running up to the door. He noticed that her clothes were slightly messed up. He also noticed her blushing.
 "So where were you?" Richard asked.
 "Tim and I...were busy," Melissa said.
 "I bet."
 "What is that suppose to--"
 "There's Peckin."
 Peckin watched the band on the stage. A cellular phone was in one hand. Somehow he seem to be paying attention.
 "So we got the Tonight Show?" Peckin shouted. "And the women of Charmed are going to be there? Great! I can't wait to see Milano's breast!"
 Richard looked over at Melissa. He grabbed her arm.
 "Don't!" he said firmly.
 Applause sprung out from the audience.
 "You been a great audience! Good night," Alex's voice shot through the air.
 The band ran off the stage. Richard grabbed Randy by his arm as he walked by.
 "Hey, Egghead! We got to go!" Richard said.
 "I can't," Randy said.
 "You got to," Melissa said. "Brown's missing."
 "We got to get going, Randy!" Alex said. "If we're going to get to the awards."
 "Yeah, Randy! Let's get going!" Todd yelled.
 "In a minute!" Randy yelled. Then he turned back to Richard. "Okay. Let me get rid of them, and I'll meet you at the Dominion with the timer."
 "And I have to call Tim," Melissa said.
 Randy ran by before she could say more.
 "Well, he's into the scene here," Richard said. "He hasn't got any time for us."
 "Let's just go," Melissa said.

 Randy entered his apartment. He had told Alex and the others he would meet them at the awards. Instead, he was going to get the timer and meet Richard and Melissa. It was a godsend to him since he had his full of his alternate life...and his stalker.
 He flicked the light switch. Nothing happened. Randy continued again, but it was no use. The power was out.
 Randy headed for the window and let the light in. He headed for the bedroom. He had left the timer on the drawers.
 There it stood now. Randy picked it up and turned around. There was a shadow in the door.
 "It's a simple design," the figure said. "This apartment...everything...we could have had the world."
 Randy looked around for an escape. "How--"
 "I still have a key, remember?" the figure continued. "Only you would be too stubborn to move."
 Randy lunged pass the stalker. At the same time, the stalker lunged at him.

 Richard was angry as hell. Randy had said he owuld meet them at the Dominion. Instead, he did not show up at all. Now Richard was reduced to looking alone while Melissa looked for Randy. He hated that jerk.
 "Dr. Hall! Hello!"
 A girl walked up to him. She flashed him a smile. Richard tried to get pass her, but she blocked his way.
 Great, another admirer, Richard thought. At this rate, he would never find Proper.

 Randy felt heat on his face. It was getting warmer by the second. His eyes opened to see sunlight shining through the window.
 "Enjoy it. It'll be the last one you see."
 Randy turned to the voice. His eyes grew wider as Tim stood in front of the bed.
 "Tim, what are you doing?" Randy asked.
 "Did anyone ask you to speak?" Tim barked.
 "Well, I'm talking anyway," Randy barked.
 "Oh, look. The superstar decided to get a backbone," Tim said sarcastically. He pulled out a gun. "I think it'll cost a leg."
 Randy crawled up on the bed. The gun seem to follow him up. Randy looked around and found no weapon to use.
 "What did I ever do to you?" Randy asked.
 Tim stared at Randy. He laughed bitterly. "God! Did you just forget all about me when you got big? We co-wrote songs that you told me were ours. Remember how you promised me we would go into this together? You said it on that very bed!"
 Randy felt a sickness in his stomach. He slowly crawled off the bed. "Oh."
 "I don't know what I hate about you more...the fact you stole credit for OUR songs or that you forgot I existed," Tim continued bitterly.
 "But Melissa--"
 "Just a way to get closer to you." Tim aimed the gun at Randy's head. "Then I remember you had no heart at all. You son of a--"
 "Tim, listen," Randy said in a calm voice. "I know you're angry at Randy. I even understand it...but...I'm not Randy."
 Tim frowned. "What?"
 "I'm just a physics student who invented a device to travel to parallel dimension. On my world, I did have a band, but we broke up before we got anywhere. I just stepped into my double's life here because I always wondered what if the band stayed together." He looked at the gun. "I guess I know."
 Tim did not answer immediately. He looked at Randy's face, trying to decide if he was right or not.
 "Randy?"
 Tim turned toward the sound. Randy saw his chance and used it. He ran at Tim and jumped him. The gun went flying across the room. Randy tried to head for it, but an elbow hit him in the stomach. He kneeled over as Tim tried to get pass him. He put his foot out and tripped Tim. He fell to the floor.
 "Randy, what's going on? The door was open and..." Melissa was saying as she walked in. She saw Randy grab for the gun as Tim grabbed for him. "Oh."
 Randy meanwhile fell to the floor as Tim grabbed onto his legs. Randy's hands reached for the gun and encircled it. He aimed it at Tim.
 "Stop right there!" Randy yelled at Tim. "Don't move!"
 Tim stopped. His glare stood in front of Randy as he got by toward Melissa.
 "What are you two doing?" Melissa asked. "What's going on here?"
 "It's a long story, but we better call the police first," Randy said.

 "Hi, I'm Sharon, and I want to request..."
 Richard glared at the TV screen in the busy police station. "Could someone please turn that TV?"
 A few heads turned to glared at Richard. Richard just sank lower into his chair. It figured that the adults would like pop, too.
 He looked around the room. There was no sign of the officer he was talking to. He was starting to think he would never find Professor Brown.
 "Mr. Hall?"
 Richard looked up and smiled. There was Professor Brown. Then Richard realized that the officer had Brown in handcuffs.
 "Mr. Hall, could you kindly explain to Ms. Walker that I am not who she is looking for?" Brown asked Richard.
 "Proper's right," Richard said to Officer Walker. "There's been a mistake."
 "I'm going to have to disagree with you there, Dr. Hall," Officer Walker said. "In fact, I have a whole hospital who would disagree with you. Brown's going away for a long time."
 "That is where I will have to disagree."
 The three of them turned to the speaker of the new voice. Officers stopped what they were doing form the shock of it all. Pencils and doughnuts fell beside each other. Richard looked at Brown. Brown looked back at Richard. Both of their jaws were on the floor. The sight was just shocking.

 "So let me get this straight," Melissa said. "You're telling me that you double finally showed up and had the guy who framed him?"
 "Yes," Brown replied.
 "And the guy who did it was Richard's double?"
 "Don't remind me," Richard muttered. "Just once...I want to be the famous guy."
 "No suck luck," Melissa said. She looked over at Randy. He was sitting on a bench with a paper in his hand. She gave the timer to Brown. "Hold on to it."
 "We do not have much time," Brown said.
 "I think she knows, Proper," Richard commented.
 "Are you going to be okay?" Melissa asked Randy.
 He looked at her. "Yeah...I'm just not going to want to touch a guitar anytime soon. After this world...maybe never again."
 Melissa sat down besides him. "Don't say that. Things are going to be better."
 "Yeah," Randy said weakly.
 "Why didn't you tell me what happened?"
 "I thought I could handle it alone," Randy smiled weakly. "Then I brought into the whole star thing. I was felling invincible. Then you were hung up on Tim..."
 "I can't believe he did that," Melissa commented. "I sure can pick them."
 Randy looked up at Melissa. "So...when are you going to pick me?"
 Melissa gave no answer.
 "Here we go, guys and girls!" Richard yelled.  Brown pushed the button on the timer. The vortex formed in front of the Lincoln statue.
 "Who knows what the future will bring?" Melissa yelled to Randy.
 Randy's face brightened. "Meaning?"
 Melissa grinned at him. Then she ran for the vortex and jumped into it. A whir sounded off.
 "Hey!" Randy yelled. He dived into the vortex after her.
 "Oh, Mr. Hall, I almost forgot!" Brown yelled to Richard. He punched Richard in the jaw. "You give bad advice!" Then he jumped into the vortex.
 Richard felt his jaw. It still worked. He followed Brown into the vortex.

 The vortex opened. The four travellers fell out of it. As the vortex closed, Randy took in the surroundings.
 "It looks like a studio," Randy commented.
 "I do believe it is," Brown added.
 "Hey, Heim...Clark! You're up!" a voice yelled out.
 Melissa looked at Randy. He just shrugged his shoulders. "Let's go see."
 They walked out onto a stage and took the nearest seat. Applause rose up from the audience as a familiar figure ran down the aisle. Randy could feel his eyes narrow. He turned to Melissa.
 "Not again!" Melissa cried.
 "Welcome back to the Daniel Peckin Show," Peckin announced. "If you're just joining us, the topic is 'Relationships in Crisis.' And may I say Miss Clark that is a nice breast--I mean, blouse you--"
 "That does it!" Melissa said as she balled up her fists.
 Randy just covered his face.

THE-END