SLIDERS: ALTERNATE SPIN
EPISODE 11-VENDETTA
(second part)

Sarah walked into her room at the Excelsior Hotel. It was pitch dark. She shut the door and headed for her room. That's when a light turned on on the other side of the room. It was Randall Heim.
"Hello, Sarah," Randall said.
"Heim," Sarah said as she grinned. "I thought you and Eric weren't crossing until tomorrow."
"I decided to cross early," Randall said. "We do have our own minds after all."
"Of course."
"Because we have our own minds, I know what you're up to."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Sarah said, staring right at Randall.
"Oh, yes you do," Randall said, staring right back at her. "We have been playing a nice game of chess for months now. Every time I think I know what you're up to, you find a way to hide it again. Of course, I had help this time around."
"You mean you had that slut Eve," Sarah said as she crossed her arms.
"It doesn't matter how I know," Randall said as he walked over to Sarah. "I have checkmate, and you will stop this agenda."
Randall went into one of the bedroom. Sarah just stared after him. Soon, she would have no use for him. Then she would get her total revenge.

"What? Again?" Melissa shrieked.
"We can make it up on the next world," Randy said to Melissa.
"Spoken like a true Egghead," Richard said from his corner in the Dominion.
Randy felt his fist ball up. For the last thirty minutes, he had been trying to convince Melissa that they should cancel their date so he can study more theories with Sarah. Richard was not helping at all. In fact, he seem to be making the problem worse.
Randy smiled. "Come on, Melissa. You know I'm doing this so I can figure out how to get us home."
Melissa sighed sadly. "I know. I know. It's just...I don't trust her."
"Neither do I," Richard said. "I think they're all up to something."
"I disagree," Professor Brown said as he walked into the room. "Miss Weisschester-Carroll seems like a trustworthy person. If she was not, Mr. Heim would not have told her that we could slide."
Melissa's eyes widened. "What?"
"Are you insane?" Richard said. "You told a complete stranger about us!"
Randy stood up from the couch he was on and faced Richard. "I trust her...which is a lot more than I can say for you."
Richard narrowed his eyes. "Your judgement has been wrong before. Remember, Daniel?"
"That's it!"
Randy lunged at Richard. Brown made it between them before they connected.
"Mr. Heim! Calm down now!" Brown barked. He stared at Richard. "Mr. Hall, shut up!"
"I'm sorry, Brown, but I agree with Richard on this," Melissa said.
"You would," Randy muttered.
"Meaning?" Melissa asked.
"Nothing," Randy said as he grabbed his jacket. "I'm going to see Sarah. Don't wait up."
Randy was out the door before anyone could say anything.
"I better go with him," Brown said. "Maybe we can discuss this in a tame manner." Then Brown was out the door.
"You okay?" Richard asked.
"Why did you egg him on like that?" Melissa snapped.
"Face it, Melissa," Richard said. "He's an idiot. He doesn't even understand you...like I do."
Richard grabbed his jacket. "Come on. Let's get a shuttle and have some real fun. We slide tomorrow and we should enjoy while we can."
Melissa grinned. Richard was right. She was not going to moon over Randy. They were just friends anyway. She was going to go out and have fun.

"A Slidewave?" Randy said in surprise.
"Yes," Sarah answered. "Mallory thought of quite a lot of things on this world you know."
"We have noticed," Brown said. "However, we leave soon so we were thinking maybe we could pool our resources."
Sarah grinned. "It sounds like a good idea. In fact...there might be a way to actually get you home when you leave."
Randy smiled. He was right. He knew that if he and Sarah just worked together that they could figure out a way to get them home. Now he had to tell Melissa...
He looked down. Ever since Sarah appeared in his life, he had put Melissa on the backseat. They were finally getting closer and he could not screw up. She would love the news.
"What would we have to do?" Brown asked Sarah.
"I can connect my statuscope to your timer and have it crossreference by your quantum signature," Sarah said. "Does your timer download coordinates?"
"Wait a minute," Brown said. "Would this mean that we would have to give you our timer?"
"I'll be careful with it," Sarah said as she smiled at Randy.
"She's helping us, Professor," Randy said to Brown.
"How about we just meet somewhere together and work on it?" Brown suggested. "I think the library..."
"It sounds like you don't trust me," Sarah said. "What have I done?"
"It's nothing," Randy said. "It's just your crazy friends got to my friends last night."
"Yeah, they can be wild sometimes," Sarah said, "but they are loyal."
"Still...I think we should continue tomorrow on this," Brown said. He looked at Randy. "Mr. Heim?"
Randy looked at Professor Brown. He was giving Randy a look of warning. Randy just sighed. This could be their only chance to get home.
"How about we do it now? "R andy asked. "We can go back to your suite and start on it."
Sarah grinned at Randy. "Sounds good to me."

The shuttle had just returned. Melissa and Richard got off to look at the streets around them. People were running from store to store. A group of girls giggled next to Richard. A mother tended to her children. It had the business of a mall.
"So where do we start?" Melissa asked.
Richard grinned at her. "Wherever you want. This is about you."
"Trying to impress me, huh?"
"Is it working?"
Melissa felt her face grow warm. She was actually liking the attention from Richard. What was going on?
"Fancy meeting you two here!"
Melissa looked to see Peter and Eve heading for them. They were all smiles. Melissa could feel her mood sink.

"There! It's set," Sarah announced to Randy and Professor Brown. "The statuscope should be able to see if we came across your coordinates."
"How long do you think it will take?" Randy asked.
"Could be minutes. Could be hours," Sarah admitted. She started to head for a table.
"I can't believe it," Randy said.
"Neither can I, " Brown said. "We might be on our way home tomorrow...if Sarah's gamble turns up our coordinates. Melissa will be surprised."
"Yeah," Randy said weakly. He had forgotten about her again.
"A toast!" Sarah said as she brought over two glasses. She gave them a glass. "To the end of your quest."
"A good thing to drink to," Brown said.
"Yes," Randy agreed. He started to raise the glass to his lips.

"If you don't mind, I would like to be alone," Melissa said as she sat at the restaurant. Richard was in the bathroom with Peter. that left Melissa alone with Eve.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Eve said. "You never know if your enemies are watching."
Melissa corked an eyebrow. "Oh? So you're a friend?"
"Maybe."
"That just makes me feel worse."
"What if I said I had your best interest at heart? What if I told you that Sarah planned to kill your precious Randy Heim?"
Melissa gasped. "What? Why?"
"Revenge."

Richard washed his hands. He wished that Peter would just leave him alone. Instead, Peter seem intend on sticking to him like he was his shadow.
"So Melissa liking you yet?" Peter asked.
Richard faked a grin. "Well...I got something going on."
"I'm surprised."
"What? Come on! Look at me! I could get any girl I wanted. At least, I'm not ignoring her like Egghead."
Peter laughed. "You sound jealous of him."
"Me? Jealous of Egghead? No way."
Peter just shrugged his shoulder. "That's just what it sounds like."
"You can't hear well," Richard replied.
"Well...as I recall...you can't drive well. That blonde...Laura...never had a chance," Peter said flatly.
Richard stopped drying his hands. Peter, on the other hand, kept right on drying his hands. His eyes looked into the mirror.
"We crossed to your world months ago," Richard said calmly. "Eric and Robert wanted to see the stock options. Eve watched to teach Laura and I about the fine art of clothes..."
Richard bolted for the door. Peter's hands blocked the way. He looked at Richard now with a look of intense anger.
"Laura always wanted that you know," Peter continued. "She always wanted to be beautiful. She e was, but she didn't think she was. Eve was taking us to a mall when YOU decided to get your drunk ASS behind the wheel. Remember that? Or were you too drunk!?"
"I remember that!" Richard yelled. "I was reminded every day on my world. I saw her face when I went to sleep. I was blackmailed. then I was sliding. Some times it felt like my past was behind me."
"The past is never behind you," Peter spit. "It always returns to get you in the end. ESPECIALLY when you take someone's future like you took Laura's."
"I didn't mean--"
Peter grabbed Richard by the throat. "Don't even try to apologize." He pulled out a knife. "In fact...just die!"
The door swung open. Melissa and Eve ran in.
"Richard, we-" Melissa started.
Peter was surprised. Richard took the chance and punched him in the jaw. Peter fell to the floor.
"We got to go!" Melissa said to Richard. "Sarah's going to kill Randy."
Richard was beside himself. He just nodded at Melissa and followed her out. Eve kicked Peter.
"Come on, dear," Eve said. "Your prey is getting away. It's your move."

The door swung open. Randy turned to see a double of himself run at him and Brown. He knocked the glasses out of their hands.
"Randall, I wish you would have waited longer," a blonde man said as he entered. "I wanted to see if the Professor caught on."
"Eric, you are a sick man at times," Randall said. He turned to Randy. "I think you should leave. This woman suffers from serious mental problems that are just now surfacing. It's a result of the death of her husband which she blames me for."
"What?" Randy said as he looked at his double and Sarah. "Why come after me then?"
Eric laughed. "Come on, Randall. We're crossers. This is just another of Sarah's games."
"Don't you get it?" Randall said to Randy, ignoring Eric. "She has a vendetta against me, but she still needs me so she crosses to different worlds and kill my doubles."
"I don't need you anymore, Randall," Sarah said as she pulled out a gun and aimed it at Randall. "I think I can get enough from other doubles now instead of you. You are now expendable."
"Then why don't you shoot then," Randall ordered.
"No!" Randy said. He felt Brown grab him.
"Let them play it out," Brown instructed.
"Now this is getting interesting," Eric commented.
Sarah aimed the gun at Randall's face. He just smirked at her. She felt her finger on the trigger, but it wouldn't move. It was like...
"Someone else in control up there?" Randall said.
Sarah's eyes widened. "No..."
"Yes," Randall said, "you can't harm me."
"Very well. I'll harm him then," Sarah said as she aimed her gun at Randy and fired.
Randy ducked. The bullet missed Eric barely.
"Hey!" Eric said.
Sarah aimed at Randy again. She fired at him. He ducked behind the couch.
Suddenly, the statuscope beeped. Brown grabbed it.
Sarah aimed at Brown. "Put it down now."
"No!" Randy said. He lunged at Sarah. They both fell on the floor.
Brown looked at the statuscope. He did not really understand it, but he was sure that it had found their home coordinates. He was so busy that he didn't see Randall with the lamp. Randall knocked Brown over the head with it. Brown fell to the floor cold.
"I knew him once," Randall said. "God, I hated Professor Brown. We should go."
"Yeah," Eric agreed. "We will learn more about this vendetta Sarah has against you."
Meanwhile, Sarah and Randy continued to struggle with the gun. Suddenly, the door opened and Melissa ran into the room with Richard, Eve, and Peter. That's when the gun went off and Randy fell back.
"Randy!" Melissa screamed.
Randy felt the pain in his right arm. The blood flowed out easily. He held his left shoulder.
"I think this is quite enough," Eric said. "Also...we're out of time."
Eric aimed the timer at a window. The vortex formed as the window dissolved. He ran for it and jumped in. The vortex simmered.
"Come on, Randall!" Eve yelled. She jumped into the vortex. Randall grinned at his double and followed her.
"No!" Randy yelled as the vortex simmered after his double. He had taken the statuscope. That meant that he had their home coordinates. now he was gone with them.
Peter stared at Richard for a moment. Then he jumped into the vortex.
Sarah grinned at Randy. "Do you think this is over? It's far from over. This is just the beginning and that wound is just a start."
Sarah ran for the vortex. She vanished into it. It simmered for a second. Then it closed.
"Well...at least they left the timer," Richard said. He looked at Brown. "Proper, you okay?"
"My head is ringing," Brown said.
"Randy!" Melissa said as she sat next to him.
Randy was about to reply when everything went black.

"He's waking up."
Randy woke up in the hospital. Melissa sat on one side of him. Professor Brown was on the other side. Richard was leaning on a wall.
"We were starting to worry, Mr. Heim," Brown said. "We slide in a couple of hours."
Melissa hugged Randy. "I'm just glad you're okay."
Randy grinned. "So am I. Now I can tell you I"m sorry for ignoring you. Sarah was a way to get home and now..."
"It's okay," Melissa said. "We'll figure something out."
"It's not okay!" Richard said. "We now have a set of experienced sliders that have a beat with...you and--"
"Mr. Hal," Brown said, "shut up."
"So did the statuscope download our coordinates into the timer?" Randy asked.
He looked at Brown's face. The answer was already there.
"I am sorry, Mr. Heim," Brown said. "THEY have them."
"Leaving us back at square one," Randy said.
"Again," Richard added.

EPILOGUE

"I expected it," Randall said to Sarah. "When you had your last checkup, I took the opportunity to put an implant in. It's set to your nerves. It prevents you from killing me."
"What?" Sarah said as she sat on the couch.
"Even if you could," Randall said as he got up, "the implant is set to fry your brain after my death. Either way, I win."
"You bastard," Sarah said.
"You gave me no choice," Randall said as he left.
Sarah got up and looked in the mirror. He had her trapped. That was for sure. The others will no longer let her cross....until she gets help.
She grinned at herself in the mirror. They can think what they want.
"You wanted to see me?" Peter asked as he walked in.
"Yes," Sarah said. "Let's talk about...Richard Hall."
As Peter grinned, Sarah knew she would be crossing soon. Her agenda would go on and someday all of the Randall Heims would be dead. Her vendetta would be over and Robert would be happy.
Someday...

THE-END