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Episode 12: Sliding Prey

Starring: Charlie O’Connell, Robert Floyd, Alicia Witt, Tembi Locke, Nicholas Lea, and John Haymes Newton as Joel Douglas

Guest Stars: Will Kempe as Frankie/Frank Almez, Vincent Corazza as Cliff, Justina Vail as Venna Olgstra, Jose Solano as Marco Diez, and Jessalyn Gilsig as Susan Elmont

Synopsis: Outside of New York City with the sun beginning to set, a group of street racers are nearby a cliff with two cars about to play the game of chicken. Inside a red corvette a man and woman are prepared to win the race against the other driver, who is none other than Mallory at the wheel. Inside an SUV, the sliders sit and await for the race to start. Colin, who is sitting in the passenger seat, also holding the timer, tells Mallory that the race is perfect timing with their slide off this world. Diana states that Mallory was smart to plan on the race occurring around the time for the slide. Wade asks the group about what if the other driver decides to drive off the cliff. Mallory looks back at Wade, stating that if they were desperate and they wanted to win, they would be sliding to another world with them. Joel states that Frankie isn’t a good guy and hopes he stops at the edge of the cliff so they can prove him wrong. Ryan tells Joel that he could have backed off from Frankie when he wanted to start a fight. Joel states that he isn’t a wimpy person and is ready to fight people when they want to. A woman approaches the SUV, asking Mallory if he was ready for the race. Mallory tells the woman he was, with the woman telling Mallory if he wins, she would marry him. Mallory states that he definitely will win then. The woman smiles and walks over to the red corvette, asking the man known as Frankie if he was ready. He looks to Mallory, then at the woman, stating that he wasn’t about to lose to an all American football jock. Mallory decides to close his windows on the SUV and another woman arrives out with a flag, and Mallory prepares to take off, as is Frankie who both are revving up their engines.

The woman throws down the flag, with the two drivers taking off, both speeding away toward the edge of the cliff. Colin counts the timer down with only 22 seconds to go. Mallory states that he has yet to turn down the idea of racing others, and thinks this exit will be the best of all. Frankie speeds up, going ahead of Mallory by a few inches, but shortly before the edge of the cliff, Frankie quickly steps on his breaks, just a few feet from the edge, but Mallory steps on it, with the SUV flying off the cliff and going downward. Frankie and his girl exit the corvette, to look down as the SUV is speeding downward. Frankie looks to his girl, stating that he didn’t think Mallory would actually do it and can’t believe he lost to a jock.

Colin opens the vortex, with the SUV entering it before it hit the ocean. Through the vortex, the sliders travel through the portal, with the vortex opening above a dumpster, dropping the SUV onto the dumpster, where the front wheel on the driver goes down into it. Mallory asks if everyone was okay, with them all agreeing they were okay. Joel tells Mallory that was the most exciting slide ever. Diana comments that her heart almost came out going so fast toward the ocean. Colin states that they should get out of the SUV before someone notices them and cites them a ticket. Mallory opens the front door, realizing he had to jump down, with Wade opening the door behind the drivers seat, with the others exiting out as they all jump down to the pavement. Colin states they slide in six days, so they should get moving to find a place to stay.

With getting into a hotel, the sliders are in the bar, with Joel buying everyone a round of drinks. Mallory enters with holding a flyer. Wade asks Mallory how he enjoyed smoking a cigarette out in the rain. Mallory states that it wasn’t that bad outside, and he was given a flyer by a passer-by and he finds it very interesting. Mallory hands the piece of paper to Wade, who overlooks it and is very interested in what was being offered. Wade shows the others the flyer, with it explaining of a Survivor type game and it was for anyone up for a little fun. Ryan states that it would be fun for a little survivor game to spend their time. Wade states that the game was in Florida and from the looks of the flyer, Florida was still controlled by Spain. Diana states that the game might be interesting with another country planning out the rules, but at the same time, they could be getting themselves involved with more than they can handle. Joel states that if the survivor game is anything like they’ve seen on the television on various worlds, they shouldn’t have anything to worry about. Wade tells Joel that he should remember the Survivors series part 8, where they were in the Amazon and one of the guys got killed off for using the Amazon river for a bathroom. Colin tells Wade that he figures that Florida shouldn’t be like the Amazon, and since they only have a week until the slide, they can just screw up and get eliminated and return to New York with time left to relax and then slide out. Mallory grabs the flyer, stating that if everyone was up for it, he would sign them up, since there is a phone number to call to agree to be in the game. Mallory gets agreement from everyone and leaves the table, heading back to the room to make a phone call. Joel states that hopefully they won’t get any competitor type of teammates to win whatever the prize is. Wade states that there are a lot of competitive people in the world and maybe on this world, everyone is competitive. Colin states that he needs some air and would go out for a walk; Wade asks Colin if he wanted some company, but Colin declines the offer, with standing up and putting on his jacket and his hat and then exiting the bar. Diana tells the others that Colin has seemed distant from them over the past few days, suggesting that Colin might need to get some psychological help. Joel states that the world they were on hit him hard and he just doesn’t seem willing to open up. Ryan asks Joel how he is doing with the whole Pearl Harbor incident, since he was deeply affected from the death of his friend Buddy. Joel states that he has had a couple dreams where he tried to rescue him, but he is trying to get over the situation and move on. Wade tells the group that maybe on the next world, they could go for therapy sessions, so that way everyone can get mental help and no one will be losing it if they get into a sticky situation and have to run for it.

By the following morning, as the sliders prepare to head out for breakfast, they get a message from the front desk, which is delivered to the room with Mallory taking the message and reading the note out loud to the others, stating that they have been entered in the competition on the survivor game and that they would have tickets waiting for them at the LBJ airport and a flight will be leaving at 3:00 p.m.. Wade looks at the note, stating that whoever wrote it screwed up on the name of the airport, unless President Johnson was a successful president on this earth and he got an airport named after him. Mallory continues, stating that a game will start on Saturday, May 22, 2004. The game congratulates them and hopes to see them in Florida, with the message ending with “Adios”. Mallory states that they should get going, since they wouldn’t want to be late for a popular game throughout the world. Joel tells Mallory that they can go eat breakfast, get themselves prepared, and then head for the airport for the flight.

With the group exiting Denny’s, the group head to a mall just a couple of blocks away where a Barnes and Nobles is located at, by the entrance to the mall. The group enter the bookstore, with Diana telling the others that she would be in the history section. Wade and Joel decide to get coffee, since Denny’s doesn’t offer coffee due to some law, mandated back during the prohibition era, explaining to the public that only coffee outlets can serve coffee and no one else. Mallory states that he was off to listen to some music, with Colin telling Ryan that he was going to head out into the rest of the mall since books really aren’t much of an interest to him anymore. Ryan tells Colin that if he needs someone to talk to, he would be there for him. Colin thanks Ryan, stating that he was fine and really didn’t need to talk about anything with anyone. Colin walks on, with Ryan heading farther into the bookstore, heading for the map area.

Diana finds a book with Lyndon Johnson on the cover, shaking hands with Ngo Dinh Diem. Diana starts skimming the book and finds an area involving the Vietnam War. She reads out loud that as the vice president, Jerry Goldwater had Johnson get things dealt with in Vietnam and the war ended earlier in 1965, making America a super power to the rest of the world after defeating the enemy. She keeps flipping through the pages and finds a chapter involving the survivor game, continuing to read that before the 60s ended, Johnson took part in establishing the idea of making a survivor type of game like Vietnam was, and people would sign up and for the first few games, it was based on Vietnam and then it expanded to many other survival ideas that players would work with. Diana decides to find a seat and keeps reading about the survivor game.

Colin walks around the mall, noticing many people walking around, but mostly teens which Colin figures were skipping school, or they didn’t attend classes until later into the day. Colin notices an American Eagle store and soon enters into it. A woman greets him, asking if he needed any assistance; Colin tells the woman that he was just browsing and if he needed some help, he would get her. The woman walks away, with Colin over looking the men’s area of the store. Colin soon takes an interest in the necklaces that were displayed on a revolving stand, interested in possibly getting one. Colin continues browsing and starts to look around at the sweaters, pants and even the shoes on display. Colin soon grabs a few clothing items and a shoe box, telling the woman that he wanted to try some things on.

Back in the bookstore, Mallory catches up to Wade and Joel, asking how the coffee was. Wade tells Mallory that she really appreciates a bookstore when they offer coffee. Mallory states that he was going outside for a smoke, and would be back in to catch up with them in the store. Wade tells Mallory since he is so excited about the survivor game, they wouldn’t leave without him. Mallory then disappears, with Ryan joining them, with a book in his left hand. Joel asks Ryan what he had in his hand. Ryan states that he was interested in learning how society will be once they get to Florida, since he never visited Spain and won’t know how to act with the locals. Wade tells Ryan that once they get to Florida, they probably will be in a particular area without interacting with the locals. Joel states that they should find Diana and then begin looking for Colin, which he asks Ryan where he had gone to. Ryan states that they have the whole mall to pick a location from. Wade tells the two guys that she is starting to worry about Colin, since before sliding off the last world, he told her, he was thinking of quitting the journey and just slide back home. Joel tells Wade that he has to deal with loss, and with time, he’ll be back to his old self. Joel tells Wade that even he has gotten used to sliding, even though at times he is still angry with Diana, for putting him in this situation. Wade tells Joel that Diana explained the whole situation in how she was brain washed and it was a different Diana who forced him to slide. Joel just reverts back to his message, stating he knows how it feels to be without a friend in the world and not able to trust anyone. Wade tells Joel that she has known Colin the longest and she considers them close friends. Joel tells Wade that even close friends can’t help people who they care for when they are dealing with loss.

Colin soon checks out of American Eagle with four big bags, two in each hand, exiting the store and returning to Barnes and Nobles. The sliders are seen halfway down from where Colin had exited. Once Colin joins the others, Wade comments to Colin that he must be getting ready for a trip. Colin tells Wade that he felt it was time to make a change in his outfits and felt it was time to live a higher style of living. Diana tells Colin that Mallory would join them soon, since he was busy smoking outside. Colin states that they should get going and be ready to arrive at the airport. Joel asks Colin if he was turning into Mallory, since he figured only one person could get excited about a trip into the unknown. Colin states that he is ready to embrace life again and being part of a survivor game might just do the trick to get his mind off of things.

With arriving at the Lyndon B. Johnson International Airport a couple hours later, the sliders head to the gate they needed to be at, and once they make it through the security check, the group heads outside and gets aboard a plane, with the word “Survivor” written on the side of the plane in big black and blue lettering. Once getting aboard the plane, they meet three other contestants, who welcome the sliders aboard the plane. Joel takes a seat by a woman, introducing herself as Susan Elmont, with Joel doing the same. Diana and Ryan take seats together, along with Wade and Colin and Mallory takes a seat beside another woman, who introduces herself to Mallory as Venna Olgstra, with Mallory introducing himself and commenting of how odd a name she had. The woman states that she is a foreigner and while visiting the states, wanted to participate in the popular survival game. The man aboard the plane, who is sitting adjacent to Colin and Wade introduces himself as Marco Diez, with Colin and Wade introducing themselves. A few minutes later, the captain comes on the speaker, welcoming the group aboard and hope they have a nice flight to La Florida and that they would be taking off shortly.

Once arriving at an airport in La Florida, the sliders exit out into the terminal to find a few people standing around, along with cages filled with chickens and feathers flying throughout the area of the airport. Wade states that they should get to the baggage claim area, with her soon reading signs, but not really sure where to go. Venna tells Wade to follow her, since she studied up on Spanish before her trip and she is prepared for anything thrown at her. Once the group get their luggage, the sliders and the others find a bus outside with the sign for the survivalist game on it. With exiting outside, the man leaning against the van and reading a newspaper soon notices the group, asking them in Spanish if they were the group ready to survive in the unknown. Venna speaks for the group, stating that they were and the man soon opens the back of the bus and puts the luggage in. The group soon get aboard the bus with it taking off shortly after. Venna asks the driver if there were any other game players still going to be picked up, but the driver states that they were all that was coming. Wade, who is sitting next to Venna asks what the driver had said, with Venna explaining that they were the survivalist group and that no one else would be coming. Wade comments that with a small group of people, it should be easy to deal with obstacles that come their way during the game. Venna looks confused at Wade’s comment, but Wade doesn’t let the woman’s facial expression get to her.

Once the bus pulls up to a gate, the driver of the bus exits, and heads to a speaker phone, calling who ever was in charge of the game. The driver finally gets back inside the bus, with the gate opening and driving down a pathway to a luxurious home. The bus stops, with the driver exiting the bus first, then the group exits out. The driver tells Venna that the host of the game would be out shortly to greet the group. Venna tells the group they will have to wait around a while, but seconds after her speech, the front door opens, with a tall man walking outside to greet the group. The sliders are shocked to see the face of the man, who they had played chicken with on the previous world, the man who was none other than Frank Almez. Frank, speaking in Spanish then in English introduces himself to the group, welcoming them to a side of paradise that he calls home. Frank welcomes the guests inside, telling the driver in Spanish to take care of the luggage, with the driver doing as Frank said. The group is welcomed inside the home, with Frank taking them into a dining room, telling them to take a seat at the table, since he figured everyone was hungry after a long flight.

After dinner, Frank states that they had the evening to do as they wanted, with the group scattering all over the house, and even outside, with Colin and Wade going for a walk around the property. Wade states that she has gotten used to the quietness of some of the worlds they’ve visited, with Colin commenting that he really enjoys the peace and quiet, since he had enjoyed it back on the world he came from, until he was found out by his brother, Maggie and Rembrandt who told him a different story of his life and began his life of sliding. Colin continues, stating that ever since he started his journey through the multiverse, there has just been a very few quiet moments to enjoy. Wade tells Colin that over the past few days, he hasn’t been acting like himself, and she hates to get into his personal feelings on life, but she is starting to worry about him. The two stop, with Colin looking down at Wade, telling her that ever since he had to suffer more loss from people he had gotten to know a couple of worlds ago, he is just having a hard time sliding and has contemplated the idea of just quitting the journey and slide back to live with his brother on the world he would call home. Wade tells Colin that she understands how he feels, but she explains that with being selfish, she would hate to see him leave the group, because she feels close to him, after going through so much together over the past couple of years. Colin states that he has a lot to figure out, but he figured they could discuss things on the next world, since now, they have to concentrate on surviving in an unsafe place.

With the two continuing to walk, they soon come upon a cemetery, surprised to see one so close to a house. Wade asks Colin if possibly the cemetery was for the family who owned the property. Colin bends down to look at a grave, stating that the last name didn’t match Frank’s. Wade looks at a couple of graves, realizing the same thing. Colin stands back up, asking Wade what they’ve gotten themselves into. Wade states that Diana told her about the game and how it got started, but she didn’t really say how the game was played. Colin consults Wade, wondering if the game was a cat and mouse type of situation, where they were the prey and Frank Almez was the hunter. Wade states that if that is the way the game is played, they were going to have to get things figured out before the game started on how to back out of the game. Colin states that Frank probably wouldn’t let them leave and he figures that with six heads, they should be able to outmaneuver Frank. Wade states that they would have to tell the other players, but then realizes that maybe the other contestants already know the game and plan to die. Colin states that if the others were prepared to die, they would have to stay as far away from them as possible. Colin tells Wade that it was getting darker and they should get back, since he wasn’t sure if anything was out in the woods that might attack them. Wade agrees with Colin, and they two take off back toward the house, with someone behind a couple trees nearby watching them, holding a rifle on them, but backs off from firing with the two going out of range.

By the following morning, as the sun begins to rise, the group is eating breakfast, when Frank enters into the dining room, asking the group how they slept, with them all agreeing that they had a great sleep. Frank states that it was nice to know that, since it was time to shatter their thoughts, stating that they had an hour to get moving, since he was on his way out to get his rifle ready for the hunt. Venna states that she is ready for anything and tells Frank to bring it on. The sliders soon return to the room Mallory and Joel slept in, with Wade and Colin bringing up what they had found out the previous night and are thinking that the game is more of a hunter and prey type of game. Colin explains of all the graves they found outside during the walk last night. Joel states that if they don’t think of a plan, they’ll get caught. Wade states that they should stay together, since she figures the other players know the rules and were ready to die. Susan walks into the room, asking if anyone wanted to be on her team, with Colin stating that the six of them wanted to play together, so she was out of luck. Susan tells Colin that he must have missed the part of the rule book, stating that there could only be a group of three people, and so she would choose him and Diana as her teammates. Susan tells Colin and Diana to get ready in the next few minutes, since she had a few things to check out, before they went and hid from Frank. Susan closes the door, with Colin looking back to his friends. Diana states that the idea of the six of them being a team was obviously proving to be pointless. Joel states that as long as they can stay alive, they shouldn’t have anything to worry about, with Ryan commenting that luck will have to play a big role if they want to survive the game. Mallory wonders if it was possible to shoot the hunter, since if he could, Frank would get taken out and they would win. Diana states the game wouldn’t be that easy, and figures Frank is the last man standing no matter the circumstances. Wade states that whoever gets partnered up with the other guests, to just try to hide with them, but maybe get an understanding of their plans to play the game and how to hide out. Colin states that Susan better not be stupid, since he actually wants to slide to the next world once the time is up. Ryan asks Diana if it would be possible to advance the timer so they could leave earlier than expected. Diana states that she already went over the idea a couple of worlds ago and still doesn’t want to take the risk in damaging the timer or worrying whether or not they would make it safely to the next world. Mallory chimes in, stating that after sliding off to the next world, she can look into the idea and they’ll watch her back if the world is a deadly one.

Diana and Colin meets Susan in her room, with Colin asking Susan if she had a rule book to lend him, since he lost his and wanted to remember a few rules. Susan hands Colin her rule book, which was laying on her bed. Susan tells Colin that she needs it too, since she at times forgets certain moves that she can make. Diana asks that with not knowing much about the game, if there was any prize to win at the end of the game. Susan explains that the only prize to win was to keep themselves alive. Diana states that she’d do her best to not get caught, with Colin stating the same.

Ryan and Wade get partnered up with Venna, while Joel and Mallory got to have Marco as a partner. With the hour almost half past, the three groups head out the unknown with a few weapons to defend themselves and begin their journey throughout the area and hopefully find a way to hide from Frank, who was going to be coming after them soon enough.

Back inside the house, in the basement, the door to it opens, with a man walking down, asking Frank if the survivors had gone, with Frank, calling the man by the name of Cliff, states that he is keeping track of their journey and when they aren’t looking, they’ll be attacked. Cliff tells Frank that he caught two people noticing the graves of the losers of the survivor game. Frank states that it wasn’t a problem, since it didn’t really prove anything to them.

By mid-afternoon, the three groups had gone their separate ways, with Joel, Mallory and Marco alone in the woods, with nothing to hear except a plane flying over. Marco tells the two that they should take a break, since Frank obviously wouldn’t find them for at least another day or so. Joel agrees, with grabbing the canteen from the pack they were given. Joel comments to Mallory that he wishes he still had his cell phone, then he could contact Colin and see where they were. Mallory states that for all they know, the phone range could be out, since he isn’t sure how far they’ve traveled. Out of no where, a gun shot is fired close by where Marco was sitting on a rock. Joel states they had to move now, and the three take off, running, with a couple more shots fired at them, and before they knew it, they all had stumbled down a hill that they didn’t see ahead of them. With falling down about ten feet, the three get to their feet, with Marco asking if they were all okay. Mallory and Joel both agree, besides minor bruises they’ve experienced. Mallory wonders who was shooting at them, since he figures Frank couldn’t have located them. Joel states that there could be others on the team with Frank to take them out. Marco states that in the rule book, it reads that the hunter can have multiple partners to search for their prey. Mallory comments how great it was to know that, since he is starting to think that no one is leaving alive. Marco states that his friend joined up for a game in the previous year and he made it out fine, so that is why he joined up for a game, since he is like his friend in many ways and knows how to survive. Joel states that he sounds kind of like Ryan, so whoever is with him should be in good hands. Mallory asks Joel what they should do now, since someone is tracking them. Marco states that they could always set up a trap for one of the hunters, which would be of help to limit the number of extra hunters.

With nightfall approaching the group containing, Wade, Ryan and Venna are parked near a lake, with a small fire going as the three sit on logs surrounding the fire. Wade states that hopefully they can have a little private time to relax and not worry about Frank attacking them. Venna states that she has been playing the past couple of years and during the night, she calls it downtime, since Frank usually has a hard time tracking them in the darkness. Ryan adds that hopefully Frank doesn’t have any way to track their moves and that maybe before daylight, they could take off and make it farther into the woods, and if Frank did catch on to them, they could set up a trap and capture their hunter. Venna states that she usually makes it back to the house every time with her team and Frank usually is still out hunting. Ryan asks Venna if she remembers the trail she took so they could get back to the house, with Venna stating that each game is played in different parts of La Florida, so she was new to the territory. Wade states that maybe they could still work together on getting back to the house. Venna states that her other teammates usually are the ones to figure that plan out. Wade seems confused, asking Venna why she would bring up the subject of getting back to the house if she didn’t have any part in it. Venna states that she just wants to help and usually every time she brings in the idea, her teammates usually get the plan figured out and they take off for the house. Ryan looks to Wade, stating that they could be those teammates; Ryan states that they should get some sleep, he’ll think of something to do and he’ll get them moving before daybreak.

Joel is rushing through the woods, hearing planes firing from the sky and a few people nearby; Joel rushes over to the people, asking if anyone saw Buddy Hansen. No one seems to hear him, but then the people disappear, and then suddenly, a plane comes through the trees and begin firing at Joel, who is soon shot down, falling to the ground. Joel quickly awakens in a cold sweat, relieved to know that everything he just experienced was a dream. Joel notices the sun starting to come up, with him getting out of his sleeping bag, waking up Mallory and Marco. Joel states that they should get moving before Frank locates them. Mallory states that Frank might have gone back to the house, and he probably would have to start over in searching for them or the others. Joel states that he just doesn’t want to be the one to get captured and then killed. Mallory and Marco both get out of their sleeping bags, with Joel putting stuff back in the back pack which Joel soon places on his back and the three take off, but not before Marco grabbing a bag of cookies, handing three each to his teammates, along with giving out plastic cups with milk.

Diana, Colin and Susan are seen walking close to a river, Colin looks around and doesn’t notice anything. Susan tells the two that they should get back into the woods, since a sniper might be around. Before they knew it, Susan gets shot in the head and falls into the river. Colin pushes Diana to the ground and after a few seconds, he gets Diana up who is in shock and he carries her farther back into the woods.

With the day speeding forward into the next morning, Joel awakens, noticing Marco and Mallory were already awake, with Marco heading down to the river which was close by. Mallory looks to Joel, asking how he slept; Joel felt that he had an okay rest, but has been dreaming lately. Mallory states that he did wake up and he noticed that he was mumbling something, but he figured it was just a nightmare. Joel states that he is figuring that since he is in a survival game and likely to get killed, he is having dreams about their slide at Pearl Harbor and he is starting to have mixed emotions about how they left things. Mallory tells Joel that he shouldn’t let the situation they are in create problems for him. Mallory tells Joel that he should feel lucky to have been on dry land, instead of on a ship that went down. Mallory states that he has had dreams, but he realizes that it already happened and even though he will never forget, he can’t let his life be controlled by what he has experienced. Joel tells Mallory that he doesn’t know what it’s like to be forced into sliding, since he hates the idea of never going home and be stuck sliding for the rest of his life. Mallory tells Joel that he does understand. Mallory explains that he was a lab assistant and once he was melded with his double, he was forced into going, since he didn’t want to have to deal with two minds, and he was forced to live like that for about two years. Joel apologizes, stating that he just has a hard time getting used to the idea of his life changing. Mallory states that he has felt the same way, being angry at the situation, but as time goes by, things will be less stressful. Mallory states that he is grateful to have friends with him in doing all the sliding, since he couldn’t handle it alone. Mallory tells Joel that at times he feels like giving up, but he realizes that with each new world they travel to, it’s just another world to have dealt with and hopefully down the road, they will find a world that will take their problems away, but he will always remember that he isn’t alone in doing this, and as long as they watch each other’s backs, they will make it, even if they are in a survival game where a psycho hunter wants them dead. Joel gives Mallory a smile, with Marco soon arriving back. Marco tells the two they should get going, since he noticed footprints not far from the river where he was. Mallory wonders if Frank was closer than he expected. The three pack their things and get moving along.

Wade, Ryan and Venna are still traveling down a path when they reach a river blocking their way across the path. Venna states they could cross over by walking through the water and then proceed with their trip. Ryan wonders how deep the water was since the water wasn‘t very clear, so Wade finds a stick that was about their height. Venna takes the stick and it goes down farther than expected. Venna states that they could still walk across, just keep their heads held high and have their stuff held over their heads. Wade decides to go first, since she wanted to get to the other side quickly. Wade slowly gets into the water, with Venna handing her, her bag which Wade carries over her head. Wade walks quickly, feels something on her leg and feels a bit of pain. Wade states she thinks she‘s been bitten. Before Ryan or Venna can do anything, Wade passes out and is taken down the river, with her bag in tow. Frank and Cliff soon catch up to them, with Frank telling the two they weren’t very smart. Venna and Ryan quickly rush backwards to take cover behind a large rock. Frank tells the two they were lucky, but they won’t be the next time he meets them. Ryan looks out beyond the rock, but Cliff fires a couple bullets, nearly hitting Ryan, who quickly snaps back behind the rock for protection. The two hear footsteps walk away, with Venna and Ryan realizing Frank and Cliff were gone. Venna tells Ryan they need to quickly find Wade, if she was bitten by a snake or eel, she might not make it. Ryan asks Venna if she knows where the river comes out at, but Venna states she wouldn’t know. Ryan states that they will have to travel beside the river and hopefully they will find Wade before it’s too late.

Colin and Diana are resting by a large rock. Colin sits down by Diana offer her some water. Diana drinks some water, stating that she feels she is still in shock for having to see someone get shot in the head. Colin states that they weren’t being careful enough and that they were lucky to have made it this far alive. Diana states that she is worrying that the others haven’t been so lucky. Colin tells Diana to just relax and once the game was over with, they would reconnect, return to New York and slide off to their next big adventure. The two hear footsteps, but they soon realize it’s a deer. A gun shot is heard and the deer runs. Colin stands up and notices Frank approaching them. Colin gets Diana up and the two run for it down a hill. Frank and Cliff approach the top of the hill, but can’t really see where the two went. Cliff tells Frank that they should have surprised them. Frank states that he can tell that those two were the weakest and he would save them for last, because he finds it a bit humorous when weak people try to survive alone. Cliff states that he did a good job with Susan, since he was doing poorly at the target practice range. Frank states that once he gets enough skills under his belt, he will do just fine.

Joel, Marco and Mallory are rushing through the woods when Frank catches up to them, with Cliff blocking them off from behind. Frank dares the three to run, but they are hesitant to do so. Cliff fires a shot in the air and so the three take off. Mallory and Marco quickly escape, but Joel gets hit in the shoulder, but Joel is able to out run Frank and Cliff who back off as the three run for their lives. Frank tells Cliff that if you just give someone a little pain, it won’t be so bad once a person is taken out for good. Cliff states he would remember that the next game he will participate in. Frank states that maybe he should consider trying out for the game, since he might actually do well. Cliff seems confused, but goes along with Frank’s comment, telling him that he could actually turn on his teammates and find a way back to the house to win. Frank tells Cliff he is starting to scare him, since that is what he used to do before he became the president behind the game.

With nightfall approaching, Venna and Ryan don’t have any luck finding Wade. Venna tries to comfort Ryan, telling him that maybe someone else found her and have rescued her. Ryan tells Venna that hopefully she is right, since he is starting to worry that Wade is dead and she will never be found. Frank and Cliff catch up to them, firing a few shots near them. Ryan and Venna soon catch on and race off, escaping before they are killed. Frank and Cliff pursue them, but not able to catch up. Frank tells Cliff that they will get what is coming to them, since there are a few traps that will likely eliminate the players. Ryan and Venna are quickly running, Venna speeds ahead and Ryan soon notices a trip wire, with hitting the ground and Venna soon trips on the wire, unsure of what it was and a machine gun appears from the ground firing at anything and hitting Venna all over her body. The machine gun soon stops and Ryan rushes to Venna. Venna tells Ryan that it was too late for her, but he needed to escape this hell and survive, or else he too would get killed. Ryan tears up, but he doesn’t let his emotions get him. Venna soon closes her eyes, with dying in Ryan’s arms. Ryan soon stands up, grab’s Venna’s bag and rushes off into the woods farther.

Colin and Diana soon decide to take a break after so much running and hiding. Colin overlooks the area, making sure there weren’t any snipers and figures it was safe. Diana tells Colin that she is starting to wonder if the others are still in the game or were taken out. Colin tells Diana to not think such bad things and they will all make it off this world alive. Diana soon notices something in the water and shocked to see that it was Wade. Diana and Colin pull Wade’s body out of the water. Colin feels for a pulse which is very weak, but still there. Colin begins CPR on Wade. Diana finds bandages in her bag and tries to stop the bleeding from her leg. Colin keeps trying, but isn’t sure if his efforts will prove to be positive. Diana wonders how Wade ended up where she was, since she was supposed to be with Venna and Ryan. Colin states that Frank might have caught up to them and they had to go their separate ways. Wade soon returns to the living by spitting water into Colin’s face. Diana hugs Wade, glad to know she was alive. Colin does the same, telling Wade that he scared them for a while. Wade smiles, stating that she doesn’t know what happened, she felt a pinch and then passed out. Colin states that there could have been a trap in the water, but her leg didn’t look too bad. Diana tells the two that she stopped the bleeding for a while, but Wade’s leg might not work so well when she walks. Colin states he can carry her and if she is up to it, she can walk. Diana asks Wade where Ryan and Venna were, with Wade filling in the details of their experience at the river and unsure of where the two were.

Mallory, Joel and Marco keep running through the woods. Joel tells the two he needs to break since his shoulder was hurting again. Marco tells Joel that it was bleeding again and they should change the bandage. Joel takes his shirt off and Marco changes the bandage. Mallory gives Joel some aspirin and some water from the canteen which Joel quickly takes. Marco finishes bandaging Joel’s shoulder and once Joel put his shirt back on, Marco gets hit in the neck, knocking him over and landing on top of Joel. Mallory pulled Marco off Joel and the two continue to run. Cliff catches up to Frank, telling him that he knows where the other group was and they should take them out before they make it back to the house.

With darkness approaching, Colin, Diana and Wade set up camp with building a fire. Wade tells the group that hopefully Ryan, Mallory and Joel can find them. Diana states that she is worrying about whether or not once they make it back to the house if Frank will let them go. Colin figures that Frank won’t let them leave alive and he thinks that once they return, they should pack their stuff and head to the airport. Diana asks how they will open the front gate, since the entire area was fenced off. Colin states they will have to climb, and with looking at Wade, he tells her that she can stay behind and become Frank’s lover. Wade smiles, thanking Colin for her support in becoming involved with a psycho.

Back at the house, in the basement, Frank is watching the group at the fire. Cliff shows up, handing Frank some coffee. Cliff states that they had a good day with taking out another player. Frank states that there is something about this group that interests him, since they all started off with different teams and now they were forming a group with each other. Cliff states that they could go in the darkness and take them out. Frank states that it would be easy, but he is playing by the rules, which explain of players be given the chance to rest and he would go out in the morning and take them out, maybe show up before they awake and easily take out three more players. Cliff states that he might erase the rule book for the night and take them out as soon as possible. Frank smiles, stating he can do what he wants since he really can‘t be eliminated because he was an official player, just an assistant to the hunter. Cliff exit’s the basement, heading back upstairs.

Diana decides to get more firewood and takes a flashlight out. Someone in the darkness notices Diana and heads toward her. The person puts his hand over Diana’s mouth, holding a gun in the other hand. Diana takes the hand off her mouth, turns around and is shocked to see Ryan. The two hug and Diana grabs a few pieces of wood and returns to the fire, telling Colin and Wade she found a friend. Ryan hugs Wade and pats Colin on the back. Ryan tells Wade he is glad to see her alive. Wade tells Ryan the same. Ryan explains to Wade what had happened to Venna, with Wade telling Ryan how horrible it must have been to see someone get shot up and die in his arms. Ryan states it was emotional, but now he just wants to end the game and slide off. Colin states that they were down two people and Mallory and Joel will hopefully show up soon enough.

Cliff soon notices a bright light which turned out to be a fire, he starts to head toward the fire, loading his rifle, ready to fire. Colin and Wade remain awake chatting about whatever was on their mind. Colin tells Wade that after the past couple of days he has realized that after joining up with the group last year, he wanted to pursue the plan of helping them all get home and then he would take care of himself, likely returning to Earth Prime and he is starting to feel that way again. Wade tells Colin that she is glad to know he doesn’t want to quit. Colin states that he would miss not being with his friends and knows that they need each other for survival. They hear a noise come from the left of them, a sudden thud is heard, but once Colin shines a flashlight, it was a dead limb that had fallen from a tree nearby. Cliff arrives at the fire, to find Mallory and Joel sleeping. Cliff fires his weapon, but it is unknown of what he decided to shoot at.

By the following afternoon, the sliders are running from Frank and soon end up falling into a trap, falling down a hole, which they all land at the bottom of a mud pit. Frank arrives at the top of it, smiling and glad to know his prey was right where they needed to be. Colin stands up, telling Frank that this wasn’t a fair fight, with Frank telling Colin that it was all part of the game, and soon enough, he will be the winner. Mallory shows up, with Frank pointing his gun at him. Frank walks away from the pit, asking Mallory where his friend was. Mallory tells Frank that Joel was killed by his sidekick and he has decided to give up and is willing to trade his life for the others. Joel appears out behind a tree that was far from Frank’s and Mallory’s location. Joel pulls out a crossbow and is about to fire at Frank, when Frank turns around and fires at Joel who quickly makes it out of the way. Frank tells Mallory that he didn’t see that coming, but now he had to go deal with another player and he would be back. Joel speeds off into the wooded area and Mallory heads to the mud pit. Mallory tosses down a rope and Colin grabs it, with the group climbing back up to level ground. Once the group got out of the mud pit, Mallory states that Joel was being chased by Frank, but he found a trail to the house, so he figures he could stay behind and help Joel out. Colin states that he would also stay behind, since he isn’t injured. Diana asks Mallory where the house was with Mallory stating that they should go back the way he came and then come to a hill that goes upward and the house would be a half mile away. Diana, Wade, and Ryan take off for the house with Mallory and Colin turning around and rushing to help out Joel before Frank killed him.

Colin and Mallory rush into the woods. Joel is soon cornered between two big boulders, without a possibility to escape. Frank tells Joel that he almost fell for Cliff killing him, but is really surprised that he has a bow and arrow to work with. Joel states that he got some help, but it was obviously proving pointless. Mallory and Colin arrive behind some rocks, unsure of what to do, but then suddenly, Cliff arrives, joining up with Frank. Frank tells Cliff that he was stupid for giving a player another weapon. Cliff tells Frank that he thought Joel would have some fun with something that wouldn’t save him. Frank asks Cliff he wanted to do the honors, or if he should. Colin and Mallory soon climb up the rock they were behind and quickly jump down on Frank and Cliff. The four men go down, giving Joel a way to escape. Cliff soon gets up and runs off. Mallory takes the rope he had used to help the others escape the mud pit and ties up Frank’s hands and legs together. Frank tells the guys that they won’t escape this place, since no one ever leaves La Florida alive, let alone his plantation. Colin tells Frank to just watch them leave, since he obviously would be busy trying to get free, giving them plenty of time to escape and he wouldn’t be able to catch them. Joel doesn’t see Cliff any where nearby and Mallory wonders if he was somewhere close, ready to kill them. Frank tells the guys that Cliff will take them out if he is unable to. Once Mallory was finished tying Frank up the three take off and return to house in no time.

Once entering back into the house, Mallory calls out to the others, with Diana tells them they were upstairs. Diana hugs Joel, telling him she is glad to see him alive instead of dead. Mallory states he had to say something in order to distract Frank. Joel still seems confused by Cliff gave him a bow and arrow, with Mallory wondering if Cliff secretly helps players out and Frank thinks Cliff is his ally. Wade states that as long as they were together again, that was all that mattered. Diana pulls out the timer that she had placed in her coat pocket once returning to the house, telling the group that they slide in 41 hours so they should get back to the airport, get their return tickets and head back to New York before Frank returns and wants to kill them anyway. Mallory states that he tied him up, so he figures that Frank will want them dead. Joel states that he isn’t sure what to do, he feels that this game is despicable and he doesn’t understand why people want to play. Colin comments that maybe people want to risk their lives to see if they can actually survive a game like this and go back home to tell the tale. Mallory states that he thought this game was very normal and that in the end, even if someone lost, they could still go home alive, instead of inside a box. Ryan states that they should just go, since Frank likely wouldn’t want them to stay alive, since he likely has a reputation to live up to and if people found out he let people go, could easily destroy him. Wade grabs her bag, stating that she has tossed mostly every piece of clothing they brought in the bags and they should go, instead of staying around and chatting about the worthlessness of the game. The other sliders grab their bags and head for the front door. Before they can exit, Cliff enters the house, surprised to see the sliders alive. He tells the group that Frank was on his way back and he isn’t going to be very happy to see his prey still alive. Mallory asks Cliff why he gave them a weapon, with Cliff stating that he hates Frank for the most part and wanted to help for once, but he figures once Frank learns of this, he as well might be put out in the field and killed off. Diana offers Cliff to come with them back to New York, and if he was up for it, he could travel with them to the next world. Cliff is about to say something, but the front door opens, with Frank coming in shooting, and hits Cliff, who falls to the floor, starting to bleed to death. The sliders rush into the kitchen and find the back way out of the place, but into the yard. Frank continues firing his weapon. The sliders manage to hide behind a couple big trees. Frank tells the sliders that they can’t run from him and he can officially declare himself the winner once he kills them off. Joel tells Diana that they won’t have time to deal with the consequences, but she needs to activate the timer immediately because they were cornered either way. Frank slowly begins to walk toward the group. Diana pushes a few buttons and the vortex opens in the form of a diamond shape. The sliders quickly slide out, leaping into the portal quickly as possible. Diana soon notices Frank coming toward them, but she leaps in before he can take a shot. He looks confused at the vortex, but he fires a few bullets into the portal, with it closing a few seconds later. Frank is confused, wondering what just had happened and where his prey went to.

The portal opens in the same shape, tossing the group out. Once Diana exits, she tells everyone to duck which they all do and a few bullets exit the portal and end up hitting a tree that was a few feet away from the group. The sliders stand up with the portal closing shortly after. Wade and Mallory hug each other, glad to be alive. Colin states that he doesn’t get why the portal opened the way it did, but he is just glad to know they all made it out okay. Diana states that with never really knowing for sure if she could advance the timer, since Bennish never explained to her about it, she didn’t want the group to have problems. Diana comments that after the original group advanced the timer, it got them stuck, sliding alone between worlds for a long time. Joel states that they shouldn’t have to worry about it, since they were already lost. Ryan asks Diana how long they had until the slide, with Diana stating that they will leave this world in about two days. Mallory states they should check out the scenery to see where they’ve ended up. The group notice a beach ahead of them, so the group decide to take off for a walk, and soon find a sign, welcoming them to Siesta Beach. Joel states that maybe this is a blessing in disguise, and they could start sliding into Florida. Colin states that it would be nice, but they should get back to New York, since if they ever want to return to California, they shouldn’t be in a new place, because Diana might shift the wormhole back toward California and they might end up in Montana. Diana states that they can have fun for a few hours and then head to a nearby airport and get tickets back to New York. The group decide to relax on the beach, finding a spot near a group of volleyball players, playing a game.