Red vortexes. Randall Heim stared up at the sky as the ships emerged out of them. Shaped like manta rays, the ships moved like jets through San Francisco's skies.
Meanwhile, the blond-haired man stood before him. the blond hair was longer than he had seen it last. Stumble was all over his jaw. Moments ago, he had taken out a group of Humagg soldiers and a cyberaid. Now Daniel Carter...his enemy...had a gun aimed at him. Considering he saw the cyborg Mr. Stone kill Daniel, Randall was shocked.
"What did you expect?" Daniel asked. "Someone else to kill you?"
"You're dead," Randall found the words flying out of his mouth. "Mr. Stone killed you!"
"He never knew of my deal with Pryce," Daniel replied.
Pryce. Randall knew of the conwoman Rebecca Pryce. She came from a world where people lived by cons. She managed to encounter other sliders and Mr. Stone's corporation.
Randall frowned. Why was he remembering this? This all happened to Randy Heim, not him.
"You can't be here! You're dead," the words came out of Randall's mouth.
"No," Daniel said, "YOU are."
"Randall!"
Randall snapped out of his trance. He wasn't on Earth Prime. He sat in a taxi with a with jet-black hair. At the moment, her brown eyes were full of concern for him. For a second, he thought it might be because she thought he was her Randy. He reminded himself that he was not.
"Randall?" Melissa said again. "Are you okay?"
"Uh...yeah," Randall managed. "Uh...where are Professor Brown and Paige?"
Melissa frowned again.
"They headed over to the library to get information on this world," Melissa said. "Are you sure you're okay?"
The taxi stopped. Randall saw they were on the edge of the college campus. He stepped out of the taxi. He stared about as if he was seeing the campus for the first time.
"Randall," Melissa said as she approached him. "Are you okay?"
Randall looked at her. "Are you going to keep asking me that? I am fine."
"Good," Melissa said flatly. She stormed away from him.
"Melissa, wait!" Randall yelled. "I--"
Melissa whipped around to face Randall. Her eyes narrowed on him. Randall paused. It looked like she was about to punch him.
"Look," Melissa said. "You're the one who's acting like he's out of it. How about you stop acting--"
Melissa stopped. Her face became a grimace. Then she stormed away.
"What?" Randall asked. "Stop acting like what? Or should I ask who?"
Melissa stopped. She turned around. Her face was unreadable.
"Don't go there," Melissa warned.
"Or what?" Randall challenged. He slowly approached her. "What are you going to do?"
"There you are, Melissa!"
Randall looked past Melissa. She turned around to see who the speaker was. He felt his forehead wrinkle up, making his face from a frown.
Robert Bufford stood before the two of them. He looked as geeky as he usually looked in a long-sleeved buttoned down shirt and Dockers pants. His eyes were on Melissa. He walked to her and planted a kiss on her lips.
Melissa gasped. Then she balled her hand into a fist. She swung at Bufford and punched him in the jaw.
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 5: THEORY OF MIND
"Hmmm..."
Paige leaned on the chair Professor Brown sat on. He was busy typing on the computer.
"Find anything?" Paige asked.
"That a lot of people like Bill Gates," Brown replied. "I do not quite get it, but--"
"Anything of any importance?" Paige cut Brown off.
Brown turned around in his seat. He frowned at Paige.
"Would you like to give it a try, Miss Kendall?" Brown asked.
"No," Paige replied.
"I thought not," Brown said, turning back to the computer screen.
"You ever going to let up on me, Prof?" Paige asked. "I was not the reason Kat is gone."
Brown paused again. "No, you are not." He glared at Paige. "However, you are far from ."
"Screw you," Paige shot back.
"Unlikely," Brown said. He stood up. "I have noticed a lot of articles having to do with scientific breakthroughs and a world fascinated with chess."
Paige frowned. "What do you mean?"
Brown headed through the bookshelves. Paige was right behind him.
"Miss Clark and I have seen many worlds which compared to our own are quite futuristic," Brown explained. "We have seen flying cars, doors that can analyze your body. Teleporters and impressive virtual reality. This world seems to be hitting that point."
"Good for us or bad?"
"I do not know yet. Hopefully we will--"
Someone bumped into Paige. She moved back to stare at the . The 's eyes widened on her.
"Paige?" the exclaimed. "Oh my God! What are you doing in here? You're no geek."
Paige looked over at Brown. He stood behind the and shrugged his shoulders. Paige stared at the and managed a smile.
"Uh...right on that," Paige said. She gestured to Brown. "This is Darnell Brown. Darnell...this is...uh..."
"What my absent-minded friend is trying to say," the said with a toss of her long dark hair, "is that my name is Julia. Julia Forest."
"Nice to meet you," Brown said.
"Darnell is helping me on something," Paige said.
Julia corked an eyebrow. "Really? Do tell."
"Maybe later," Paige said. "We really have to be going."
"Right. Wouldn't want Bufford to catch you in here."
Paige frowned. She was not the only one as she saw one on Brown's face. His frown looked more intense.
"Excuse me, but did you say Bufford?" Brown asked.
Melissa entered the Student Union. She had to resist the urge to throw up. She was on the arm of Bufford. What was her double thinking to be with this weasel? She turned quickly to look at Randall. He stared back at her, a look of confusion on his face. She was definitely happy to have him there.
"Bufford!"
Melissa looked over to the sound of the voice. There were three people sitting at a nearby table. The two sitting were men that Melissa did not recognize. Then Melissa realized that she knew them. One of them was Alex, a friend of Randy. She met a double of him on a world where virtual reality made people obsessive. It was there she met Randy's killer Daniel Carter. She shook the thought away. The other man did not bother her. It was Charlie Denny. On Earth Prime, he was the campus president. With their hair slicked back and glasses on, they looked like twins. then there was the Oriental who was waving them down. It was Miashuyhi Kims. Her jet-black hair was shoulder length. Like the guys, she had on glasses.
Bufford led Melissa over to the table. All three stared at her in shock.
"Clark, where are your glasses?" Alex asked.
"Maybe she got contacts, intelligently-challenged brute," Bufford replied.
"Brute?" Alex muttered. "As if you notice oddilities, my pigmently-challenged troll."
"Troll?" Bufford said. "You--"
"Gentlemen," Kims said. "Do we really have to have one of your infamous back and forths?"
"Agreed," Bufford said.
He sat down at the table. Melissa followed suit. Randall started to sit. Suddenly, Kims pulled out a round object. A red light shot from it. Randall jumped back from the table. The light hit the top of the chair he was about to sit in. It morphed into measuring tape.
"What do you think you're doing, Reject?" Kims demanded.
"What are you doing with a Reject, Bufford?" Alex asked.
"I thought he had wandered off," Bufford replied. "Obviously, I was wrong."
"Obviously."
"Brute."
"Troll."
"Half-breed."
"Unevolved mollusk."
"Tetraform--"
"Gentlemen," Kims cut in. "Bigger issue here." Her eyes fell on Randall. "This is no ordinary reject. Look past his goatee."
"Oh my calculator!" Charlie exclaimed. "It can't be." He stood up. "Randy? Randy Heim?"
"No way!" Alex exclaimed, also standing up. "Shouldn't you be over in the dorms with the Literals?"
"Yeah, Mr. 'Too-Good-for-the-Brains," Charlie added.
"What brings you here, Randall?" Kims asked, snapping her object back and causing the measuring tape to turn back into red light and vanish. "Re-entering the fold?"
"I doubt that," Bufford said, looking at Randall with a glare.
Randall stared at all of them. A smirk crossed his face.
"That was quite interesting," Randall commented. "A measuring ruler that can change from energy to matter and back. Think that up all by yourself?"
Melissa stared at the group. They all had glares on their faces. She also noticed that Bufford, Alex, and Charlie formed a line, blocking her from Randall.
"Look at this," Bufford said. "Heim has grown some guts. He looks better than to go up against the social elite."
"Social?" Randall said with a laugh. "All I see is a couple of geeks and a nerd."
All noise in the Student Union ceased. Melissa looked around. Every student in the Union stared at the scene. They all wore glasses and various colors of long-sleeved shirts. They all wore glares and watched as if they were ready to attack. Melissa stared at Randall. He only had a smirk on his face. She hated to do it, but it was the only way to save him.
"Hey, Reject," Melissa said, "How about you leave?"
Randall stormed out of the Student Union. He could not believe he had to endure those upstarts. He had more intelligence in his toes than they had in their whole entire bodies. He would show them.
Randall stormed down the courtyard. Several ideas came to mind as he did. He almost did not notice the trio of people coming from the left of him. One of them caught his eye.
His eyes widened. The jet-black hair cut short. The long-sleeved shirt with a short black leather skirt. Even with glasses, it was Eve.
Peter Carmichael was on her left. He also had glasses and the now-trademark long-sleeve shirt. He talked with her, his tall frame and goatee making him look demonic in a way.
He saw the third member of their group. His jaw dropped. In the man's hand was a statuscope proving that the people in front of him were in fact the dark sliders. Even with glasses and that shirt, Randall knew who it was, but...
"It can't be," Randall whispered.
His eyes did not lie.
It was him.
Brown walked the courtyard with Paige. He took in the students. Some of them had palm pilots in their hands. Behind them were floating spheres. Several students sat among the courtyard. Usually Brown had noticed that frat boys played Frisbee or ball or people chatted. These students sat on the lawn reading very thick books. Brown stared at one of the students sitting against a tree. He read a Biology book.
"What is it with everyone wearing glasses?" Paige asked. "Am I the only one getting a 'Village of the Damned' vibe?"
"Perhaps this world has a higher education rate than our world," Brown suggested.
"This is so not going to end well," Paige said, staring into the window of one of the buildings.
"Not every world is a sinister bed of snakes," Brown said.
Paige rolled her eyes. Brown stared at the plank in front of the building. His eyes widened.
This building was the Feinburgh building on Earth Prime. It was the Fine Arts Building. According to the plank, this was the Einstein building and had been for twenty years.
"Hmmm..." Brown muttered.
"I don't like the sound of that," Paige said. "Your genius wheels must be turning."
"This is a Fine Arts building on our world," Brown said. "It makes me wonder what place artistic--"
The double doors opened to the building. Brown felt his eyes widen again. It was Julia. Her face lit up as she saw them.
"Well, funny seeing you again," Julia said. "Still working on your project?"
"You could say..." Paige started.
Brown heard it. It was a very familiar sound. He turned to look at Paige and Julia.
"Actually we can take a rain check, Kendall," Brown said. "You should...get to know your friend."
Before Paige could stop him, Brown headed toward the corner of the building. He knew what that sound was and where it came from. It was a shimmer and only one group had that capability.
Brown rounded the corner. A figure vanished into a red vortex. Their form morphed, causing the vortex to simmer. It dissolved into open air.
"Dear Lord," Brown muttered.
"Do you see that?"
Melissa looked at Alex. Then she glanced across the lawn at where he was looking. All she saw was a hippie playing guitar for his friends. They looked like they were having a fun time. She looked at Bufford. He and the others had stopped completely. Glares were on their faces.
"I see it," Bufford said.
"Horrible," Kims said behind Bufford.
"Only one thing to do," Charlie added.
Bufford nodded. "Agreed. Alex, the phone."
Melissa looked at Alex. He already had a cell phone out.
"Campus security?" Alex said. "Good. We got another one. Could you..."
"Campus security?" Melissa muttered. "Is it really that bad? It's just mu--"
Melissa stopped. Alex stared at her in shock. Kims and Charlie glared at her. Bufford held Melissa's hands, a look of concern on his face.
"Honey," Bufford said, "I love the implants, but really...you are being a little conservative."
"Dangerously so," Charlie commented.
"Hmmm," Kims added.
"They are on their way," Alex announced. "So...the Literals will get the kickout."
Melissa looked at all of them. It was like she was in "Mean s" except the popular crowd was a group of geeks. She managed a shy smile.
"I'm sorry," Melissa said. "I think...all this studying has just gotten to me. How about we head to the dorm?"
"I agree," Kims said. "Franks is not a pushover."
The group started to walk again. Melissa stared at the hippies again. Apparently, it was really bad to be into music...or hippies. It made her wish she new what Literals were.
"Melissa?"
Melissa snapped out of her thoughts. Bufford waited for her. Meanwhile the others were leaving them behind.
"Coming," Melissa said.
She took one last look at the hippies. A buggie headed toward them. They scattered like flies from a disturbed corpse.
Melissa walked past Bufford. She definitely needed to learn more about this world. Hopefully Professor Brown found something.
Randall walked into the Dominion. He paused in the entrance. Where there would usually be a bar to the left, there was now a computer lab. People sat in front of the computer screens typing away. He looked at the counter to see Gomez Calhoun doing the same thing with his computer screen. Everyone was into wearing glasses here. It made Randall wonder what occurred on this world to cause that to happen.
Curiosity. That was what he had in common with his double. Randy Heim was dead. However his group walked with another. How could that be? He thought they would at least look for him. What was going on?
"Randy, wassup!"
Randall turned around. His eyes widened. It was Ben Loveland, Randall's double's roommate on his world. He stood before Randall with a smile on his unshaven face. Unlike everyone else around them, Ben wore blue jeans and a red T-shirt. He grabbed Randall in a hug.
"I heard you went to Vegas!" Ben exclaimed. "Look at you! Must have been real good in the Alphabet City and yet you came back.
Randall frowned. "Alphabet City?"
"Yeah," Ben said. "Heard people actually allowed history seminars and book festivals there...unlike here in Suck Francisco."
"Hey!" Gomez yelled. "Get out of here, you Literal! We don't need your kind here!"
"Gotta run," Ben yelled. "See you on campus later?"
"Uh...yeah," Randall muttered.
Ben ran off without another word. Randall watched him bump into Professor Brown. Brown glared behind him. He turned to look at Randall.
"Did I miss something?" Brown asked.
"Just a case of mistaken identity," Randall commented. "Find anything interesting?"
Brown frowned. "You tell me."
"Apparently Sin City is now Alphabet City," Randall said. "People seem to be into the sciences and hate history and English. Nerds are in."
"You might want to add in Fine Arts as well," Brown said. "I found several of the campus buildings were altered."
"And you left Paige on campus like that?"
"She was mistaken for her double," Brown said. "The appeared nice so I allowed her to stay. We have bigger issues."
"Bigger issues?" Randall managed.
"There are other sliders here," Brown said.
Randall said nothing. Brown and he barely trusted each other enough. If he knew it was his group..."
"Seen any sign of other sliders?" Brown asked.
"Not that I know of," Randall lied. "Melissa and I were stuck with Bufford. Her double dates him."
Brown looked like he was going to vomit at that mention. Randall could not help, but smile. The image of Bufford should keep the good Professor from probing."
"I would not wish that fate on anyone," Brown said.
"What fate?"
Randall turned to look at the entrance. Melissa smiled at them.
"Being on the arm of Mr. Bufford, Miss Clark," Brown said.
Melissa laughed. "Wouldn't dream of it." She wrapped her arm around Brown's right arm. "I like this one better. How about we check in?"
Randall watched the two of them head for the counter. A sigh escaped his lips. They would be distracted for a while. Now he needed time to think. He needed to figure out whom that other Randall was. In order to do that, he needed to track down the dark sliders.
"It was incredible," Julia said as she walked into the Student Union with Paige.
Paige nodded. She wasn't used to action movies being independent movies. The blockbuster movies were movies right out of Masterpiece Theater.
Paige followed Julia to the counter. She was enjoying having a friend to hang with. She lost that because she slid. Now...
"Uh...what are you doing?"
Paige stared at the counter. The cashier was a freckle-faced . His eyes narrowed on her and Julia.
"Getting something to eat," Julia replied.
"No Literals," the cashier said.
Julia leaned on the counter. She corked her head and smiled.
"What makes you think I'm a Literal?" Julia asked.
"Maybe you're not," the cashier said, gesturing his head to Paige, "but she is. In fact..."
Julia turned around. Paige turned to see what she was looking at. Behind Paige stood two security guards. The rest of the cafe looked at the scene. What scared Paige was the fact the students did not look like a shocked crowd. The students looked like they could backup the security.
"How dumb are you?" the cashier demanded. "Everyone knows Paige Kendall. Literal cur. Ever think Placement tests were changed for a reason?"
"Ever think about face cream?" Paige shot back.
The cashier's eyes widened. Shock and anger crossed his face. Paige was about to laugh when the security guards grabbed her arms.
Paige turned to her right. She ed her right arm from one of the security guards. Then she balled her right hand into a fist and decked the security guard who had her left arm. He fell to the floor unconscious. Paige grabbed the other guard's wrist and flipped him onto a table. Students scattered away from the scene.
Someone grabbed Paige's arm. She turned to knock them out. Julia threw her hands up to protect her face.
"Hey!" Julia protected. "It's me!"
Paige paused. She turned to look at the security guards. They were out cold. She had overpowered them. She did not know where she got the ability. It was like some self-preservation thing. Why was she like that? What was going on?
"We need to go," Julia said. "They are going to be coming the campus now."
"What? Why?" Paige asked. "It's just a rent-a-cop."
"On a campus where Literals get in major trouble for messing with one of the Intellects." Julia grabbed Paige. "Come on. I know a place."
Paige let Julia lead her to the door. She glanced at the guards again. The questions shot into Paige's head and made her wonder.
"What did you expect?"
Randall was back in this place again. He was in Golden Gate Park as manta ships vortexed into the world. Daniel Carter stood over him.
"Someone else to kill you?"
"You're dead!"
The words flew out of Randall's mouth again. He stared about at the bodies around Carter. There was the Kromagg cyberaid with Humagg soldiers knocked out on the ground. Near them was the possessed Professor Brown. He was also unconscious on the ground.
Randall quickly looked to his right. Melissa's double was knocked out on the ground, courtesy of Melissa's right hook. Then he turned next to himself...and saw Randall Heim.
"What--" Randall started.
"Bang!"
Randall snapped back at Daniel. Daniel fired.
Randall jumped up. He wasn't in Golden Gate Park. He was in a bed in the Dominion Hotel.
He brought a hand to his forehead. It was dense with sweat.
The dreams were getting more and more vivid. For weeks, he was entering trances...something he never really did....unlike his double Randy. For weeks, eh was getting drawn more and more to Melissa....even though he was never interested in her before. Now these dreams...were becoming more and more real...like they were memories.
Randall looked at the curtains on the window. They glowed slightly and steadily got brighter. The sun was almost up.
Randall knew what he had to do. He needed the truth. He had to find the dark sliders.
Brown got out of the elevator. He ran his hands through his hair. He was the only one in the hotel room that morning. He only hoped that they could avoid the other sliders before he came from the library.
The entrance to the Dominion opened. Peter Carmichael and Eve Albright walked in. Brown quickly turned his back to them. There was a phone near Brown and he grabbed it.
"So everything is ready?" Peter asked.
"Of course," Eve answered. "And after last night's incident at the Student Union, Randall's work will be so much easier."
Brown corked an eyebrow. Had Randall already encountered them?
"It's good to have him back," Peter commented.
"I have no complaints," Eve added.
Brown peeked over his shoulder. Peter and Eve entered the elevator. The doors closed on them. He sighed in relief.
He headed for the stairs. If Randall had made contact with them, all was lost. Now he had one thing on his mind. The dark sliders had been to Earth Prime before. Their statuscope had a recording of the coordinates to every world they had visited...including Earth Prime.
Brown smiled. Maybe they would get home sooner than he thought.
Paige opened her eyes. She turned over in the bed. Flashes of last night shot into her head. The memories of taking out security brought out the questions she had.
Paige sat up in her bed. Julia was nowhere in sight. She looked across the dorm room. A light lit up the bottom of the closed bathroom door.
"Julia?" Paige muttered.
The light quickly went out in the bathroom. The door opened. Julia entered the room in a white jumpsuit. Paige stared at the suit.
"Are you okay?" Julia asked.
"Uh..." Paige started.
"You just look like you saw a ghost," Julia said.
"Me?" Paige said in mock innocence as she sat up in the bed. "No way. I'm not into the jumpsuit thing."
Julia looked at her waist. She started to finger with a wristband on her hand. Paige frowned at it. Julia looked up at her and smiled.
"Look familiar?" Julia asked. "Well...you used to have one."
"Probably some anti-Intellect thing, right?" Paige asked.
The smile left Julia's face. "Actually, it was a way for agents to get back to our world."
Paige frowned. "Agents?"
"Still not getting it, Paige?" Julia said. "Let me help. I know for a fact that Paige Kendall's parents sent her away from here. They thought the Literals were a bad influence on her. So...who are you? Do you know? Do you even remember?"
Paige stood up slowly. Her hands held on to the covers as she did. Julia stared back at her, her stare icy.
"Do you know where you got those fighting moves from?" Julia challenged. "Because I know."
"Who are you?" Paige demanded.
Julia smirked. "I can say who I'm not." Her eyes narrowed on her. "My name...isn't Julia."
Melissa made it down the walkway. She had managed not to see her double. Now she was heading to the Student Union. If her double was so highly regarded as Bufford's friend, she thought maybe she could get something to eat at a discount.
Melissa turned the corner. Her eyes widened at the sight.
Ben Loveland stood in front of the Student Union. At the moment, some guy stood between Ben and Bufford. Kims, Alex, and Charlie watched the scene in shock.
"What do you mean I'm responsible?" Ben barked.
"Apparently, if Paige Kendall thought she could waltz in here and grab food, she got it from you...the famed practical joker," Bufford said.
"Maybe she did it on her own," Ben snapped.
"That would require you Literals to have cerebral cortexes," Bufford said.
"Well, I have to disagree, Bufford," Alex said. "You have very little up there and you function."
Bufford glared at Alex. "You are so correct, Alex. I am the Alpha male...complete with the perfect mate."
Alex's face darkened. "Why, you little twit."
"Virginal twink," Bufford shot back.
"Off-shot homo luper."
"Luc-"
"What's going on?" Melissa asked as she ran into the scene.
"This Literal wants to eat here," Bufford said as he hugged Melissa.
Melissa resisted the urge to throw up again. She pushed Bufford away. A smile found its way to her face.
"So...why not let him?" Melissa asked. "It would be less drama."
"What?" Kims shrieked from behind Melissa.
Bufford looked shocked. Ben nodded his head.
"Thank you," Ben said. "My point exactly."
"A point exist with you?" Bufford said, turning to look at Ben again.
"Why, you--" Ben started, heading toward Bufford.
"Hey, Loveland," The guy holding Ben back said. "Let's just get out of here. It's not worth it."
"Hey!" Charlie said.
"Surely it must be if he wants in so badly," Bufford said.
The guy holding Ben back turned to look at Bufford. "Not helping your case."
"So I did not show an interest in math or science," Ben said. "I love Wordsworth. Is that a crime?"
"Yes," Bufford's henchmen said behind him.
"Let's go, Loveland," Ben's friend said. "Please."
"Fine!" Ben said. "I'm glad Heim’s back. He'll show you we Literals aren't second class citizens."
Ben stormed off with his friend. Melissa looked at Bufford. He was busy glaring at Ben.
"But…aren't Literals second class citizens?" Alex said sarcastically.
"Well I do believe you are correct, my friend," Charlie said.
"Oh, wow! You two are agreeing on something," Kims said.
Melissa turned Bufford's shoulder. He turned to look at her. He managed a smile.
"I just remembered...there was somewhere I have to be," Melissa said. "Talk to you later?"
"Of course," Bufford said.
Melissa walked away. She hoped Bufford did not realize she walked in the same direction as Ben. He had mentioned Randall. Maybe she could run into him and see how he was or if he had heard from the others.
Randall counted to ten. At the end of the count, he entered the dorm.
The figure was still ahead of him. He had noticed him in the Science building, getting data...probably for his return to his homeworld. Now he was in the dorm...and Randall was behind him.
The other students did not seem to notice that two Randalls were in their midst. Several of them were in the main hall gathered around the television. Randall walked past a few students. They were off in their own little worlds with headphones in their ears.
Randall's double was approaching the stairwell. He went downstairs. Randall waited a moment. Then he followed.
"I said who are you?" Paige demanded.
The she knew as Julia laughed.
"Maybe if you would sit and...oh, I don't know...REMEMBER, you would know," the replied. "As it is, I'm just going to have to jog your memory...again."
Paige frowned. Again?
"Here's a hint," the continued. "You have a mission. You were sent here for someone. A lot of lives depend on it."
"What do you mean sent?" Paige asked. "I am no one's lapdog!"
"Don't I know it," the said. "But at least you got the job done."
There was a knock on the door. Paige stared at Julia. She smirked.
"I would get it," she said, "But I have to be somewhere else."
"Oh, no you don't," Paige said.
"Try and stop me," Julia challenged.
Then Julia dashed away. Paige followed her. Instead of the door, Julia ran for the window. Paige lunged at her. At the same time, Julia jumped for the window. She flew right through it.
Paige's eyes widened. They were five stories up at least. She did not see any ledges last night either.
Paige looked out the window. There was no ledge. In fact, there was no sign of Julia at all.
"Who are you?" Paige asked aloud. "How do you know me?"
A knock sounded from the door again.
"What?" Paige snapped.
Brown knocked on the door. A moment passed. Then the door opened.
"We did not order--" Peter Carmichael started.
Brown punched him in the jaw. Peter fell to the floor unconscious. He stepped over him.
"That is for Mr. Hall," Brown said to the unconscious body.
Brown looked around the living room. The dark sliders' timer laid on the coffee table. Brown walked over to it. As he reached for it, Brown thought this was too easy.
"Hello, Darnell."
Brown looked up in time to see three darts flying at him. He moved to the right, causing one dart to miss. He could not say the same for the other two, which got him in his left arm. Brown tried not to scream.
Eve stood a few steps away. She was dressed in the black leather suit he knew her so well in. Her jet-black hair was cut short again. She smiled at him.
"It has been a long time, hasn't it?" Eve said. "When Randall told us of the Kromagg invasion of your world, I was scared for you."
Brown kneeled to the floor. The pain in his arm felt like he was on fire.
"Poison," Brown spit out.
Eve nodded. "Of course. You never know what you will find when you ruin a world."
"Ruin?" Brown mumbled.
"Yes, Darnell," Eve said. "Ruin. And we have you to thank for that."
Randall made it to the basement door. He opened it and walked in.
Randall was next to the furnace. He was messing with something. Randall's eyes widened as he saw numbers counting down on the object.
"A bomb," Randall said. "How crude."
The double stood up. His eyes fell on Randall. His face became a mixture of surprise and fascination.
"So...you are my double," the double said, "I thought you were in Las Vegas."
"Wrong double," Randall said.
The double frowned. "Oh. In that case...who are you?"
Randall crossed his arms over his chest and entered the room. "I think I should be asking you the same question since you have usurped my place among my group."
"What?" the double said. "You are mistaken. I am Randall Heim."
"No," Randall said. "I am."
The double stood up. "I do not think I like this game."
"Not a game," Randall said. "You are an intriguing impostor, but...it is done."
The double's eyes narrowed. "Why assume I am the imposter."
"I remember Eve, Eric, Peter...even Sarah," Randall said.
"As do I," the double replied.
"Who are you?" Randall demanded.
"Who are you?" the double snapped back.
"Perhaps...I can answer that."
Randall turned to look at the door. Melissa stood in the door. She stared at both Randalls and smiled.
"Remember me, boys?" Melissa asked.
Brown stared to see spots in front of his eyes. He blinked to make them go away. Eve stared back at him, looking like a student studying a lab experiment.
"Our fault?" Brown muttered. "Why...say that?"
"It was your group that brought the Foundation down on us," Eve said. "However...they were the only defense against the Kromaggs coming back to power. By destroying the Foundation, you've doomed all the worlds."
Eve laughed. "However...you gave us new purpose, too. All we wanted was amusement. Now..." Her eyes narrowed. "...we want vengeance." She pulled out darts. "Look at the face of your new enemy. Someone...who will be your opposite. You help other worlds by your code of ethics. We will hurt them."
Brown fell over to the floor.
"No," Brown said.
"Yes," Eve said. "Maybe if you had changed...well, it is done. Good-bye, Darnell."
Eve threw two darts. Brown threw a hand up. The darts paused for a second. Then they turned and shot at Eve, getting her in the neck. She fell to the floor unconscious.
"Who's to say I have not changed?" Brown challenged as he stood up again. "Oh...by the way...faking."
"I see."
Brown looked at the door. He recognized the man with the short blond hair and All-American looks even in a buttoned-down long-sleeved shirt. Eric Price had a gun to Paige's head.
"Paige?" Brown muttered.
"Hey! I know," Paige said. "Never should have opened the door."
"An unknown high spiked signature like yours," Eric said. "You were like a beacon to Randall...leaving you of interest to us. However...a Darnell Brown capable of telekinetics? I could make a profit if I mass produce it."
Brown found himself rolling his eyes. "Same old Eric Price. Always about the money. You will never change."
Brown waved a hand. The gun flew out of Eric's hand and landed across the room. Brown tossed his right hand. Eric flew through the air. His head hit the wall. He fell unconscious to the floor.
"Maybe you should have," Brown said.
"We know you did," Paige commented.
"Are you going to complain when I just saved your life?" Brown demanded.
"No."
"Good. Now help me out of here."
Randall stared at Melissa. She had a iness about her that he never saw from her before. She walked into the room, closing the door behind her.
"You're not Melissa," Randall said. "Where is she?"
"Wow," Melissa said. "A hard-on for Melissa Clark. I wonder why."
"You're her, aren't you?" the double asked, approaching Randall and her. "You're the Melissa who the Foundation switched with the other Melissa." He laughed. "Nice to see someone else escaped the invasion."
Randall grabbed Melissa by the throat.
"I don't like games," Randall said. "Where is she?"
Melissa's hand shot out. She caught Randall in his chest. He released her throat and fell to the floor.
"Probably still with Bufford," Melissa replied. "That's where you left her. I just...slipped in last night."
"When Brown and I were talking in the Dominion," Randall said.
"I was hoping you would have remembered by now," Melissa said. "I guess not."
"What?"
"You are dense," Melissa said. "I was the Melissa you saw when you had no memory."
Randall's eyes widened. This was her. This was the Phantom Melissa he had met on Paranoia World.
Hands brought Randall out of memory. Melissa held his face in her hands.
"The Kromaggs are active," Melissa said. "You...are everyone's only hope now. Pryce wanted you as a trump card. I...saw differently."
"So what are you trying to say?" the double asked, standing next to Randall. "That this...wannabe...is Randy Heim."
"That's impossible!" Randall snapped. "Randy Heim is dead!"
"Yes, he was," Melissa said, "but he was brought back to life. Now one of you is Randy. The other is Randall. And there is one way to know for sure."
Melissa pulled out a gun. She aimed it at Randall.
He stared at the gun. Something clicked. The barrel of the gun. The light shining on it, blinding him. Suddenly, he did not see Melissa's double. He saw Daniel Carter.
"YOU are," Daniel said.
They moved as one. Randall lunged for Daniel. Daniel pulled the trigger of the gun. Randall flew back. He hit the grassy ground, but he barely felt it.
He heard a scream. Then he heard footsteps moving away from him. That was followed by a whir. He had strength to look to his right. A Randall Heim ran for a red vortex. He jumped into it and vanished.
Randall's eyes widened. He saw Randall leave. That meant he was not Randall. He was the impostor. He was Randy. He...had died.
Everything went black.
Then...voices. Two of them. His eyes opened to a light brown ceiling. Two women stood over him. One of them was a Melissa double with short black hair. The other one was Rebecca Pryce.
"But...didn't Daniel kill him?" Melissa's double asked.
"Yes," Rebecca said. "I owe him a favor. Now...it's done. I have use for him."
"Why?" the double asked.
"When he rescued you, he created a powerful wormhole capable of destroying a large base," Rebecca explained. "No other double of Randy Heim can do that. He...is valuable to us...and could make a large profit to other worlds with the Kromaggs invading." She smirked. "All I have to do...is keep him hidden...and the Arturo Foundation wins."
"Do you intend to tell Daniel?" Melissa asked.
"He's gone so he doesn't need to know. As far as everyone knows...Randy Heim...is dead. How are we going to hide you?" Rebecca smiled. "Find me one of the Foundation's implants."
Melissa frowned. "Why?"
Rebecca looked at Melissa's double. "Well...it worked on you, didn't it?"
Randy's next memory was waiting up in a Kromagg cell. He was not alone. A red-haired stared at him. She smirked.
"So...the sleeper awakens," the said. "I'm Paige...your new best friend."
Randy jumped back. He looked about to see he was still on the floor. Melissa's double pulled the gun away from his face.
"No..." Randy muttered.
A fist caught Randy in the face. He fell to the floor. He saw Randall knock the gun out of Melissa's double's hand.
"Yes," Randall said. "Next time...you won't be as lucky." Then he was gone.
Randy stared at Melissa's double. He had so many questions in his head. He stood up, his mind focusing on one question.
"Why?" Randy demanded.
"Why?" Melissa's double asked. she walked to him, putting a hand on his check. "You know my world. What I've gone through. No one has ever loved me, but you..."
"I thought you were Melissa!" Randy yelled.
"Did you?" Melissa's double challenged. "How well did you know her if you slept with me?"
Randy stared at this Melissa. There was so many memories from that time. He thought it was...his Melissa. Now...
"I wanted...to make amends," Melissa's double said. "And...I was happy to see you completely alive. I wanted you back." She turned Randy's arm. "I wanted...us...back."
Randy looked at Melissa. His eyes narrowed on her. He pulled back and punched her.
"Randy, man! There you are!"
Randy did not even give Ben the chance to hug him. His right hand shot out, pushing the bomb into Ben's chest. Ben looked down at the bomb.
"Want to get back at Bufford?" Randy challenged as he walked past Ben. "Plant that in those geeks' main building. That'll make then listen."
Randy continued down the hall. After what he just went through, it felt good to help someone. Now if he could help himself...
Randy walked out of the building. There was a figure waiting. The figure turned around. It was Melissa. Her eyes fell on him.
"Randall?" Melissa muttered. "What are you--"
Randy shook his head. "No Randall."
"Then who--"
"Look deeper."
Melissa's eyes widened. Her jaws dropped. Her lips trembled at the sight of him. Her eyes watered.
"Randy?" Melissa mumbled. "But how--"
"It...appears to be a long story," Randy said, approaching Melissa "Right now...I just want to..."
Randy grabbed Melissa's face. He leaned forward and kissed her. And for the first time in over a year, Randy Heim felt safe.
THE-END
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