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Episode 14: Planting Season

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

Guest Stars: John Schneider as Mett Cooper, Daphne Zuniga as Wilma Cooper, Billy O'Sullivan as Daniel Cooper, Lynne Thigpen as Sheriff Paula Martin, Alan Rosenberg as George Verron, Rena Sofer as Debbie Verron, Bret Harrison as David, and Martin Starr as Bryan

Synopsis: The sliders are at a New York Yankees game, with Mallory and Joel enjoying the fun of telling the opposite team how poorly they are doing. Diana, Wade and Colin return to their seats with refreshments, and Ryan soon appears to take a seat by Mallory. Ryan asks Mallory what the score was with Mallory stating that the Yankees were winning by 12 points. Ryan states that he really has been enjoying his first baseball game, since he never really took the time to sit in on one. Joel tells Ryan that with sliding to parallel worlds, they don’t really get a lot of time to enjoy a little relaxation. Diana states that they have another hour until the slide, so they better enjoy it while they can.

Through the portal, the sliders travel to the next world, with the vortex opening up in an enclosed building where a car show is going on. People are shocked of the sight of a wormhole and of the people exiting out of it. Once the portal closes, the sliders are surprised to have landed in another public place. The sliders quickly exit out of the building, with Diana stating that she doesn’t understand why they slid into the public view again, since she thought that she reconfigured the timer to establish a wormhole in locations with no other heat signatures near the portal. Wade states that probably no one will say a thing, since they might think it was just a part of the car show. Joel tells Wade not to be so hasty, since they could get exposed again. Mallory asks Diana how long they had until the slide, with Diana looking at the timer and stating that they slide in seven days, so if they do get exposed to the rest of the world, they better get into hiding as soon as possible.

Once the sliders were set up with a room at a motel a few blocks away from the place they slid in at, Mallory quickly turns on the television to see if the news was on top of their entrance into this world, but no such luck. Joel ponders the idea that maybe no one wanted to say anything and, like Wade said, the people could have believed it was a part of the car show. Diana hopes that Joel and Wade were right, since she doesn’t like the idea of being exposed again, since the last time they got into a situation, everyone was killed off and she doesn’t want to experience the feeling of loss again. Colin suggests the group get out of town for a few days, go out to a campground site and enjoy their nights under the stars. Wade asks Colin if he liked freezing to death, since it wasn’t exactly summer time in New York for this world since the temperature was around the 32 degree marker. Ryan adds on that they could go buy camping equipment, since they did have plenty of money, after Diana won the lottery. Diana states that she doesn’t want to spend it all on stupid things, since she didn’t exactly get the full amount, since the bank blew up before she collected it. Ryan tells Diana that she doesn’t have to get upset, since a tent and sleeping bags weren’t going to be in the $10,000 range. Diana states that she isn’t being whiny, she just feels that the less time they have to spend time looking for jobs to support themselves, the more time they can try to live a normal lives.

A police officer enters her office with the phone ringing. The female officer answers the phone with a man’s voice on the other line. The man explains to the officer that he saw this odd thing occur at the car show he had attended a few hours ago; the man continues, explaining that six people exited this tunnel and then they took off without saying anything. The officer asks the man where he saw the so called tunnel, with the man explaining that it was inside the County Duplex in the city and it happened inside near the cars. The officer asks if he saw where the people went to after exiting the tunnel. The man tells the officer that he video taped the group going into a Best Eastern motel, but that is as far as he got with taping. The officer tells the man that she would meet him at the County Duplex within the next half hour and try to figure things out. The female officers gets off the phone and exits her office. She heads to the main desk, telling the secretary she had a situation to deal with and would be leaving soon. A male officer walks up to her, asking what was going on, with the female officer explaining that they had a situation and if he wanted to come, he could. The male officer seems interested and decides to go along.

Mallory and Colin head down to get the bucket of ice filled, along with getting snacks and drinks for the group. Mallory tells Colin that Diana seems a bit paranoid, since she thinks that someone automatically followed them and the cops were on their way. Colin states that he understands her feelings, since from what he heard from her about the experience they had with the government tracking them down and killing all but her and Joel. Mallory states that he never experienced that situation, but does realize that time was reversed for them to stay alive, but he still feels that she gets too uptight and should relax. Colin soon notices the room for the vending machines and points Mallory in that direction. Colin tells Mallory that he would hate to have someone not worry about the group, since he would hate the idea of getting a feeling and no one would believe him. Mallory agrees that people should be aware of the surroundings, but it just seems Diana is obsessed. Colin begins to put dollar bills into the vending machines and getting snacks, while Mallory got the ice.

Outside, three police cars are in front of the lobby of the motel. The female officer from before exit’s the lobby and heads to her teammate and a couple more officers getting out of their cars to join in the conversation. The female officer states she spoke with the motel clerk and he explained that a group of six people entered the motel a couple hours ago and he even gave them keys to the rooms. One of the officers asks if the man showed her the video tape of the group so she can identify them. The woman states that she did see the group and would even pick them out of a line up if that ever happened. The woman officer tells the others to follow her and they would catch their unknown suspects.

Back in the room, Joel, Ryan and Wade plan to head to the pool to sit by it to relax, with Diana stating that she would remain in the room to look over some more data and would come down for some air soon enough. Wade comments to Diana to not work so hard. Diana smiles, stating that she was their leader and had to watch out for them. In the vending machine room, Colin asks Mallory if Diana would like a Snickers bar or some gum. Before Mallory can say anything, he notices four police officers and pulls Colin toward him so the officers wouldn’t see them. Colin states that they have to warn the group, since they obviously will get captured. Colin quickly uses his cell phone to call Joel, but there isn’t an answer. As Ryan, Wade and Joel walk past the elevator and down a flight of stairs, the elevator doors open and out come the officers, headed to the room. The female officer tells the men to stay back and she would see if the group would come peacefully. The female officer knocks on the door, with Diana figuring it was Colin and Mallory, telling whoever to come into the room while she entered the bathroom. The female officer enters, with Diana exiting the bathroom, shocked to see her. Diana realizes she had hid the timer and the PDL, which was under a newspaper. Diana asks the officer what she wanted, when the other officers enter. The female officer introduces herself as Sheriff Martin, stating that she has gotten a report that a group of people were doing illegal activity in the area and she was here to arrest them. Diana states that she would gladly go with them, but she didn’t have anyone else with her, she was traveling alone, heading to Maine. Sheriff Martin seems confused with Diana willing to go, so she didn’t need to be handcuffed. As the group enter the elevator and exit back out into the main floor, Mallory and Colin see them walk by. Mallory wonders where the others were, but Colin thinks that maybe Diana’s double was in trouble and hopefully they should let her go. Mallory and Colin rush back to the room, and find no one around. Mallory checks for the timer with it still in the room. Colin looks out the window and notices the others, telling Mallory they needed to get to the others and figure something out before Diana was sent to jail for good.

As the sun begins to set, Diana is sitting in an interrogation room with Sheriff Martin and her deputy. Diana explains that she lives in California and was traveling to Maine to visit a friend who was on their death bed. Sheriff Martin asks Diana why she was lying, since she saw video of her and the others exiting a tunnel at a car show earlier in the day. Diana asks the sheriff if she had proof, since if she didn‘t, she would call her lawyer and sue the police department. Sheriff Martin turns to her deputy, calling him John, telling him to get the video. Diana seems fearful of learning about a video tape, and so she isn’t sure what to do. The sheriff tells Diana that unless she is willing to cooperate, she may go to prison for the rest of her life, as long as the report is written up, explaining of her murderous rages. Diana tells the sheriff she will level with her. Diana explains that she, along with her other group members, were on a mission planned by the government, experimenting on new technology to destroy their enemies in ways they wouldn’t see coming. The sheriff seems interested, telling Diana to continue. Diana explains that the so called tunnel they traveled through was mistakenly placed in the wrong location, due to the many malfunctions in the top brass of the science department, thinking they were smarter than the average person. Sheriff Martin asks Diana if she needed any assistance to keep the information a secret. Diana states that whoever took the footage of their entrance into the car show should be locked up and sent to prison, since she wouldn’t want the media to latch on to their militaristic plans. The deputy returns with a video tape and a television/vcr connected. Sheriff Martin closes the door, telling her deputy that they won’t need the video, since their guest has spilled her guts, revealing it to be top secret information. Diana stands from the table, asking for the video, with the deputy handing it over. Diana states that she would be strolling off now since she can’t be wasting anymore time with such fools. The sheriff and deputy apologize to Diana with her walking out of the room and soon exiting the building. Diana soon catches up to the group who appear in front of her. Joel asks Diana how she escaped, with Diana telling the group that she lied about some governmental experiment and couldn‘t believe a sheriff and her deputy believed it, but she now realizes they need to get away for a while and possibly consider going to the countryside, out of state.

Before sunrise, the sliders head to the bus station and get tickets for a trip to Ohio and hopefully hide out until the time is almost up for the slide and return to exit the world. Mallory takes a seat by Diana, who is looking over some data on the PDL. Mallory asks Diana what she was looking over, since he wasn’t much of a scientist; Diana explains to Mallory that she was still researching the problem they had seven worlds ago when the wormhole split off. Mallory tells Diana that they haven’t had any problems since then and maybe that particular slide was just a fluke. Diana partially smiles at Mallory, telling him that she realizes he may think she is paranoid, but she doesn’t want to see problems occur for the group, or even be separated to different worlds if the wormhole shifts again. Mallory apologizes to Diana, stating that he didn’t realize how much pressure she had, since no else in the group, except Colin who really understands the science to sliding. Diana thanks Mallory for the apology, telling him that she hopes that thing will get back to normal and then she can take a break. Mallory states that maybe they will land on a world where minds can be switched and someone else in the group can take over. Diana states that it would be nice, since it might actually be fun to take over someone else’s body. The bus takes off, heading out of the parking lot and hitting the highway.

Once arriving at a bus station in Ohio, the sliders soon exit and head out into the world. Joel comments that with being in the countryside, no one would search for them. Colin states that they would have to get a ride somewhere, or else they would have to start walking. The group is picked up by a farmer, and are forced to ride in the back of his pickup truck full of hay. Once reaching a small town, the sliders are soon let out. The group finds a restaurant to eat breakfast at and decide how to plan their time out. Joel figures that if they can hitch another ride, they should find a place to stay, since the area they were in, didn’t look exactly like a place that had a motel. Diana states that with being in such a small area, they will have to make due with what they can find, since there might not be a motel until the next largest city, which she has no clue where it would be at, but they would basically be back to square one and could get picked up, since she figures the sheriff might have caught on that she was lying and she could have sent their pictures throughout the states. Wade soon notices a television going on ahead of her, with it showing of a field that was burned. Wade asks the waitress to turn up the volume and the reporter explains of a family farm that was destroyed and they aren’t really sure who is to be blamed. The reporter ends his report and Wade looks to the others, wondering if maybe they found their next adventure. Joel tells Wade that she might be courageous to investigate a situation, but the local authorities should be the one to handle it. Wade tells Joel that he used to be a police officer and that maybe he should get back into his old habits. Joel states that he can’t put himself out there and make it look like he is an officer of the law, and who knows what type of authority exists in the area, they could all be crooked. Mallory speaks up, stating that he will go outside to the phone booth and look for a motel somewhere close to get to it. Ryan stands up from his seat and lets Mallory get out. Colin tells Wade that she has a mind of an investigator, but feels that they couldn’t easily solve a problem, and he thought they were trying to lay low until the slide. Wade tells Colin, along with the others that she just thought they should try to do a little bit of good on each world and maybe they were meant to find the news coverage of the family who lost their farm to fire and they have to save them. Joel tells Wade that if they get themselves involved, things might get worse, since the family could sue someone and they might be back on national television or even sent to prison.

After a couple of hours walking they notice a sign, revealing to the group that they were 33 miles from Columbus with an arrow pointing straight ahead. Ryan wonders why no one has come down the road to pick them up, since a few cars have passed them but no one has stopped. Joel points a sign out to Ryan a few feet ahead of the Columbus sign, explaining to drivers to not pick up an hitch hikers, since it‘s the law. Diana comments that if the police show up, they might get arrested and that is something they don’t want to happen. A Ford truck comes speeding around the corner and the driver soon notices the sliders. Wade states that maybe the guy in the truck would give them a lift. The guy does pull over to the side of the road, asking them where they were headed. Joel explains to the guy that they were actually hitch hiking, but for other purposes. Wade explains that they weren’t from any prisons that might be in the area and actually were trying to get to a motel. The guy tells the sliders to get into the truck since a city close by would have some lodging for them. The guy tells the sliders that two people could ride inside and the rest would have to ride in the back. Colin and Wade get inside, while the others get in the back of the truck. Wade introduces herself to the guy, along with Colin, who also introduces the others. The guy introduces himself as Daniel, asking why they didn’t have a vehicle. Wade explains that it was a long story, but they were from New York and had traveled by bus, but what they forgot to realize was that they didn’t plan on renting a car, but use public transportation, and once they entered a small town, they were basically screwed. Daniel explains that bus stations are starting to go extinct, due to all the traveling by trains, planes and automobiles. Colin comments that busses should stick around, since it might do some good.

Daniel tells Wade and Colin that he has to stop at his house for a couple minutes, since he needed to grab a shopping list that he forgot. Once driving in, getting toward the house, Wade and Colin look at each other, with Colin asking Daniel if his parents were on the news about their crops burning. Daniel explains that they were the people from the news. Wade asks Daniel if they had figured out who might be behind the whole attack. Daniel thinks that it is a competitor who wanted to beat them at their own game, but he doesn’t feel that going to their level is the smart choice. Daniel tells the two that they can get out if they want, even meet his parents since they usually like to meet new people. Daniel shuts off the truck and the three exit the inside of the truck, with the other sliders getting out. Mallory asks Wade and Colin why they had stopped. Wade states that Daniel had forgotten a shopping list and they would be delayed for a short time. The four in the back get out, with Diana commenting that maybe she should ride inside the truck, since her hair is obviously a mess. Joel comments to Diana that her hair looks unique in its own way, with the others smiling of his comment. Diana states that maybe when the timer hits zero, she will leave them behind. Daniel soon exits his house with his parents following them. Daniel tells his parents that even though he broke the law, he had to help out some people. Daniel’s father shakes Colin’s hand, introducing himself as Mett Cooper, and points to his wife, calling her Wilma. Wade states that they saw the news report about their farm and feels bad for them. Wilma states that she figured it would happen sooner or later. Mallory states that hopefully the criminals will be found. Wade asks Mett if they could help out in any way, with Mett telling Wade that leaving everything alone would be a good starting point. Daniel tells his parents he would be back later and the group soon get back into the truck, with Diana replacing Colin inside the truck. As the group are traveling down the driveway, Daniel apologizes to Wade about his father, since sometimes he has a way of acting all tough and protective of everything and she shouldn’t take it personally. Wade states that she usually wants to help people out who are in a bind, but realizes that not everyone can be helped. Daniel states that if she wanted to help, she could poke her head around the area he will drop them off at, explaining that sometimes people like to gossip.

Daniel drops the sliders off at a Motel 6 downtown. Daniel writes down his number and address, giving it to Wade, telling her if they need anything to just holler. Wade thanks Daniel, telling him that he was a smart kid and glad to have met a friendly face on this planet. Daniel speeds off, burning rubber as he exit’s the parking lot of the motel. Joel asks Wade what the kid had given her, with Wade stating that she still wants to help solve the mystery of the crop burnings. Mallory tells Wade to just be careful, since he wouldn‘t like the idea of getting in trouble or even killed. The group enter the lobby of the motel and as they wait, Colin and Ryan look behind them out the window to see a pool filled with people, with Ryan stating that he can’t wait to jump into a place to cool them down. Mallory soon turns around and notices a plant on the window sill, wondering if it was marijuana that was being grown. Colin states that maybe on this world, drugs like marijuana are legal for people to do what they want with them. The motel clerk arrives at the desk, and Diana soon pays for a couple rooms. The clerk states that if they want joints left on the pillow, it would be an extra $50. Mallory pulls out some money, tossing it to the clerk, with the clerk soon turning around and handing Mallory two keys. The group soon exit the lobby, with Wade asking Mallory why he wants to smoke marijuana, since it obviously would kill him. Mallory tells Wade to cool it, since he finally has a world that he can enjoy a little stimulation on and he wants to take full advantage. Joel tells Wade to not worry since back on the world that was flooded, Mallory stole a carton of cigarettes when they tried to return for Grace and John. Wade states that she wondered how he could afford a carton when they were almost broke. Mallory tells the group to stop annoying him with complaints, since he lives his life the way he wants to and if he wants to get high, then just let him do it. Once getting into the rooms, Ryan decides to go for a walk down to a salvation army and find some swim trunks; Colin decides to go to the place as well, since he hasn’t gone for a swim in a while. Mallory states that he would just enjoy the time in the room. Diana and Wade decide to check out the town, and even get lunch at a McDonalds that is a few blocks away. Joel decides to head to the other room and take a nap, since all the walking has made him very tired.

By nightfall, the sliders return from eating at a Ponderosa, but with the food disagreeing with Diana, she decides to visit a local pharmacy and get some peptol bismo. Wade decides to tag along for some fresh air and exercise. Once arriving at the pharmacy, and getting down an aisle for her cure of stomach aches, the two hear a woman on the opposite side talking on her cell phone, speaking to someone about buying a few more stocks for the George Verron tobacco company. The woman states that after recent events with the Cooper farm, the stock prices will be sky rocketing and she will be wealthy after so long of being in the poor house. The woman soon disappears with Wade starting to wonder if maybe the reason the crops were burned were due to competition of selling tobacco. Diana states that Mett, Wilma and Daniel didn’t exactly look like they were tobacco owners. Wade states that she is remembering that when they visited the Cooper house earlier in the day, she noticed a symbol on the front door in the shape of a lightning bolt and maybe the same symbol would be on a cigarette pack. She remembers back at the steak house when they were paying the check, of a selection of cigarettes and she might have seen the pack she is thinking about. Once the two return to the motel, Wade heads to the vending machine room, finding a cigarette machine and once she pays for a pack that she thinks is it, she takes the pack out of the drop shute and notice the lightning bolt with the Cooper name on the pack. Diana states that even with having a cigarette pack, it still doesn’t prove that the competitor was the culprit. Wade states that she plans to return to the Cooper farm sometime during the next day, because giving them clues might help solve the situation. Diana tells Wade to be careful, since she might get them into trouble. Wade states that she finally has a mission to help people on each world, even if it means risking her life. Diana states that with that type of attitude, she might want to find a world soon to live on, since she doesn’t like the idea of dying. Wade tells Diana that she has always felt that as a slider, she wanted to do some good, give advice to worlds that might need it. Diana states that filling people in on alternate history is the smart way, but deciding to solve cases is another way they might not want to discover.

By the following mid-morning, Wade, Colin, Joel and Diana are at a local library. Wade is looking over a history book, looking over to Diana, stating that she really doesn’t see much of a difference from this world compared to theirs. Colin asks Wade if she did find anything else that would be interesting, Wade tells Colin that on this world, drugs are apparently legal to grow wherever someone wants them. Joel questions the idea of letting people grow their own marijuana or whatever type of drugs that exist on this planet. Wade states that the government legalized it after a big court case from the Coke company, who was suing some drug lords after their coke products didn’t have cocaine in it and so without getting into a bunch of wars with South America, the government chose to let it all fold out, since marijuana is even legalized in the medical community. Diana states that they should leave Mallory on the world, since he definitely would enjoy the place and get high almost every day. Colin tells the others that Mallory did tell him that he was considering the idea of quitting his habit. Wade tells Colin that she has been bugging him about ever since he started it up over a year ago. Colin tells Wade that Mallory shouldn’t be blame and he feels that if Mallory wants to smoke or get high off of whatever, to just let him do it, Colin figures if the drugs got to Mallory to just get him into rehab. Wade tells Colin that maybe they should go into rehab on the next world. Joel asks Wade what she planned to do, if she got the Coopers to listen to her. Wade states that Mett would definitely listen to her if she had information, involving the destruction of his crops. Diana states that if she decides to go public, she might want to reconsider. Wade tells the others that if exposing themselves will get someone put behind bars, then she is all for it. Joel tells Wade to be careful with her thoughts, since he and Diana experienced loss with everyone and despite her absence from feeling the pain, he doesn’t want to go through it again. Wade states that a court date likely would happen after their departure, and she just wants to set it up to move in that direction. Colin tells Wade that we’ll be behind her, but if they get exposed they might have to run for it. Wade states that hopefully they won’t get stalked by the government again.

On a television monitor, there is an interview being done with George Verron, the competitor to the Cooper’s tobacco business. The woman asking the questions has her back toward the camera, with George Verron speaking about how competition is always a difficult situation to handle, especially when he is blamed for burning someone’s crops. The woman asks George if he would know who possibly would have done the act. George tells the woman that he figures it has to be someone who is obviously against the Cooper family, he may have his issues with them, but burning someone’s crops to become superior is highly unlikely, especially with his beliefs in life. The television pans out to reveal that the monitor is attached to a ceiling in a bar, where Ryan and Mallory are sitting on stools at the main bar, drinking away. Mallory looks to Ryan, stating that George Verron doesn’t seem like the guy who could be trusted, since people like him usually are found out. Ryan tells Mallory that hopefully Wade will give clues to the Coopers and possibly find the answers to who ruined their business. Mallory tells Ryan that as long as they don’t have to expose themselves again to the public, just so Wade can fight for them, he will be all set. Ryan states that it would be weeks before a trial would begin and figures by the time they slide out, the trial won’t even be in the court room.

Wade, Colin, Joel and Diana show up at the Cooper farm, by the use of a taxi, with Colin telling the taxi driver to wait and he would pay him a little more to stick around. The taxi driver agrees to the idea, with the sliders exiting the taxi and heading to the front door. Wade rings the doorbell, with Wilma answering the door. Wade states that she might not be welcomed to the farm, but she wants to help to figure out who burned the crops and she thinks that she might have the answer to their question of who did it. Wilma lets the sliders in, with closing the front door. Mett comes down a flight of stairs, with Mett asking the sliders what was going on. Wade states that last night, she and Diana had headed to a store and overheard a woman speak of George Verron and his stock prices going up. Diana speaks up, stating that they started wondering if his competitor was behind it all, despite his claims against doing anything wrong. Colin states that they had seen the news reports of George denying his work of the destruction of the crops, but there obviously is an angle to it all. Mett states that George and him have been competitors for the past decade, but he doubts that someone like George would do such a thing, but it did cross his mind after the crops were destroyed. Joel states that they wanted to help discover the truth and maybe they could even talk to George Verron himself and maybe learn something from him. Mett states that they could try, but what he might have to do is close his business, since all of his crops were destroyed and it would take time to relocate and start over, and even if the crops did come back to life, the product might not be the same. Joel tells Mett that they will do what they can before they have to leave. Mett thanks the sliders, stating that he never really knew of anyone who would actually wanted to help him. Colin comments that helping people are their business and they try to resolve things before they move on to help others. Wade asks Mett for a business card, so she can be in touch; Mett pulls a business card out of shirt pocket and hands her one, stating that he usually carries some, in case he runs into people who he can deal with. The sliders exit the house and soon return to the city.

By late afternoon, Wade returns to her room, to find the others hanging out. Wade states that she lied a bit and told a secretary that she was a reporter and wanted to speak with George Verron about the recent situation, and she was given an appointment the following afternoon. Colin states that even if she speaks with him, he likely wouldn’t say anything to prove him guilty. Wade states that George Verron has a daughter and she will be sitting in on the interview and she figures if someone came along, preferably of the male species, that they could sweet talk her into dinner and dish some things out. Mallory states that he’d be up for it, he could get the woman to party and if she got too drunk, she might spill the beans. Ryan states that maybe they should all be there, except Wade, so if she won’t say anything to Mallory, to just take over. Joel states that a perfect idea could be used by getting the daughter drunk and have her fall asleep and then when she awakes, just reveal that she spilled the beans and then she actually will. Diana tells Joel that his plan sounds better, but the daughter would have to be in the drinking mood.

With Wade and Mallory showing up at the office of George Verron, they sit in the waiting room, awaiting for the interview. Wade tells Mallory that hopefully their plan will work; Mallory tells Wade that he usually charms the pants off of so many women that he is very good with his flirting skills. Wade tells Mallory that if the daughter isn’t into smoking, he might not want to light up. Mallory states that he can just have a smoke after he drops his date off. The secretary tells Wade and Mallory that George could see them now. The two enter a door a few feet beyond the front desk. George welcomes them into his office, along with introducing his daughter Debbie who is sitting to the left of George. Wade and Mallory take seats in front of the desk with George asking Wade what was up. Wade states that she wanted to interview him about the recent events over at the Cooper farm and if it was possible for him to be behind the crop burning. George tells Wade that he may be a competitor, but he would never destroy someone’s business. Wade asks George that since the crops were destroyed if he would likely do better, with stocks skyrocketing or even gaining more income. George looks to his daughter, smiling, then turning to Wade to tell her that he obviously would gain income; George asks Wade if she had any more difficult questions for him, since he wasn’t very impressed. Wade asks George if it would be possible to speak with him privately, without his daughter present. George seems reluctant to agree, but then tells Debbie to leave. Wade looks over at Mallory, telling him she would be right out. Once the doors close, Wade looks to George, asking him if he would likely go to prison if word got out that he was behind it. George tells Wade that she shouldn’t be threatening him with anything. Wade stands up, stating that sooner or later she will find the truth, since she won’t stop until it’s revealed. George tells Wade that she may leave with Wade heading to the door and leaving. Once Wade returns to the lobby, she notices Mallory and Debbie by the elevator. Debbie soon walks away, with Wade heading to him, asking if he got a date. Mallory states that he used his charm and got her to go with him out to a club that evening. Wade states that George wasn’t willing to talk, but hopefully his daughter will.

At the Rendezvous Lounge in Dayton, Ohio, Mallory and Debbie are dancing away. Colin, Ryan and Joel are spread out in the club to watch out for Mallory. Once the song was over, the two head to get drinks. As they wait for their drinks, Debbie asks Mallory if the reason they came together was to get her drunk and spill the truth on whether or not daddy was the one who actually burned the crops. Mallory states that he was just out to have some fun, but would be curious to know if George was behind it. Debbie states that she would be willing to help out, since she actually wants her dad to go to prison, so she can take over the company. Mallory asks Debbie why her dad destroyed the crops; Debbie tells Mallory that her dad wanted to rule the tobacco industry and knew that if destroying the Cooper’s crops would get him the gain. Mallory asks Debbie what she wants to do with the company, since he would hate to see a family lose their business to a psycho competitor. Debbie explains that she actually wants to merge with the Cooper business, since she figures their stuff is better and she secretly uses Cooper cigarettes, compared to her dad’s brand. Mallory asks Debbie if she would want to speak with the Cooper family about merging, since they would definitely enjoy hearing about a merger. Debbie states that she would wait until her father was arrested. Mallory asks Debbie for help, since they need evidence to expose her dad. Debbie states that she would help if she got $50,000 in cash and then she would help punish her father. Debbie smiles, telling Mallory that his friends could leave now, since she kinda figured that she would be set up to reveal the truth. Mallory grins a half smile and soon walks over to Joel at the other end of the bar, and soon motioning Colin and Ryan to come over. Mallory states that Debbie was on to them the whole time, but she wanted to help. Joel asks Mallory how they could help, with Mallory explaining that Debbie wanted a huge chunk of change worth about $50,000 and then she would help. Ryan states that blackmail wasn’t going to help them get anywhere. Colin wonders if they spoke with the Cooper family to help out, things might get resolved between the companies. Mallory explains that Debbie wants to merge with the Cooper family business and figures the $50,000 was for assurance, in case her dad went bankrupt. Joel tells Mallory that they should go and return to the motel. Mallory states that he was actually enjoying Debbie’s company and might want to do stuff later on with her. Colin tells Mallory to watch his back since Debbie might be more than he can handle. Mallory tells Colin that he can handle all types of women.

With returning to the motel, the guys find Wade and Diana watching television, with Wade shutting off the television by the remote she had close by and asked how things went. Ryan explains that Debbie already had their plan figured out to get her drunk, but she wanted to help them expose her dad and then once he was out of the picture, the two companies could merge. Diana states that everything was going to work out. Colin speaks up, stating that there is another side to the story, Debbie wanted $50,000 and then she will give them the information to put George Verron away. Wade states that they didn’t have that type of cash, but they could try to speak with the Cooper family in the morning and seek out their guidance. Diana asks the guys where Mallory was, with Joel stating that Mallory was starting to enjoy Debbie’s company, so he decided to hang with her for a little while longer. Wade comments that it was a match made in heaven. The group laugh over the thought with the group moving along into the night and sleeping until the morning sunrise came.

Close to the noon hour, the sliders arrive at the Cooper house, with Mett and Wilma meeting them out on the porch of their house. Wade tells the two that they had some things to chat about. Mett invites the group in, telling them to make themselves at home. Joel, Colin and Diana decide to remain outside to just relax on the porch, since they didn‘t need everyone inside to get the two up to date. Inside, Wade and Ryan sit in the living room on the sofa, while Mett and Wilma sit in wooden chairs close by. Wade explains that after speaking with the daughter, Debbie Verron, she agreed to help them, but the downside, is that she wants some money in advance to keep her afloat in case the business goes under. Mett asks Wade how much Debbie needed with Ryan speaking up to tell them that she wanted $50,000 and he figured that was too much. Mett looks to Wilma, then back at the two, telling them that he didn’t even have that type of money on hand, and it almost sounds like blackmail. Wade states that Debbie obviously wanted to blackmail them, but in the end, George Verron would be put away and the businesses would be merged. Wilma tells Wade that they weren’t the type of people to give in to blackmail and if Debbie refuses to help out, they will have to go to court to settle the dispute.

Daniel soon shows up, driving up the driveway, pulling up close to the house. Mallory exits the passenger side, with the others coming up from a field close by. Daniel tells the sliders that he saw Mallory hitch hiking again and thought he would give him a lift. Diana tells Daniel that he could have kept going, since Mallory needed the exercise. Daniel asks the sliders why they were there, with Colin explaining that they might have a way to take down George Verron, but it could be pricy. Daniel soon takes a seat on the top step of the porch. Mallory takes a seat by him, with him taking a cigarette, asking Daniel if he cared if he smoked, with Daniel telling Mallory to go for it, since he didn’t care about people smoking. Mallory asks Daniel if he used to smoke, with Daniel explaining that he did, but quit after learning of the consequences. Joel tells Daniel that Mallory has been smoking for the past couple of years, and he might not quit. Daniel states that he quit after a few months and is still glad to have made that choice. Wade and Ryan soon exit the house, with the others looking to them for an answer. Joel speaks for the others, asking what Mett was going to do. Wade tells the group that Mett plans to sue George and if all should work out, they will be in trial by the next day. Daniel tells the group that hopefully they can stay around for it, since his dad really needs the support. Mallory looks to Daniel, stating that they weren’t going to go anywhere until the matter was solved. Mett calls Daniel inside with Daniel telling the sliders he would be back. Ryan asks Daniel if it would be possible to get a lift back into town, since they didn’t have transportation. Daniel states that he would be willing to take them, and if they were up for it, he could take them somewhere and do something fun, like go bowling. Wade tells Daniel that they would be up for a day of fun, since they haven’t had much since getting into town. Daniel soon enters the house with Wade slapping Mallory on the shoulder, asking him why he lied to Daniel about sticking around. Mallory tells Wade that he wanted to give Daniel some hope, since the family needs the support. Diana tells Wade that it might be possible for a speedy trial and they could get going back to New York. Colin states that they can stick around for another day, but they will have to get going. Mallory tells Diana that she could just open the vortex in Ohio and then once they slide to the next world, they could head back to New York and then slide off from there, returning to their original sliding radius. Diana tells Mallory that she will only do that as a last resort.

Debbie walks into George’s office, who is very angry. George slams the phone down, looking to Debbie, telling her that he just got a call for his lawyer and it seems that Mett Cooper is suing him for the destruction of his crops. Debbie tells her dad that he was foolish to do such a thing in the first place. George tells Debbie to keep her mouth shut when she goes on the stand. Debbie states that she will do her best to keep quiet, but lawyers can be tricky. George states that if he gets found out, the business will go under and they will be dirt poor. Debbie tells her dad that if they merged with the Cooper family, they would stay afloat. George tells his daughter to keep those thoughts out of her head, since he doesn’t want to join a business doing better than his.

With late afternoon arriving, the sliders exit a bowling alley, with Daniel telling the group that he apologizes for his performance, but with not a lot to do in the city, he got involved with bowling and really enjoys playing the game. Wade tells Daniel that the only person disappointed was Mallory who kept getting gutter balls. Mallory turns to Wade, telling her that he is a little rusty, since it’s been a long time since he was 12 years old. Once returning to the truck, Daniel asks the group if they were up for an early dinner and then they could go back and play a few rounds of poker. Colin asks Daniel if he had any friends who would like to join them; after thinking for a few seconds, Daniel realizes that he had a couple friends in the area that might be up for it. Diana speaks up, telling Daniel that they could go find his friends and then go out to dinner since she would buy all the meals. Daniel tells Diana that he would really appreciate someone doing that since he was kinda strapped for cash.

With darkness falling onto the Cooper household, the sliders decided to spend it with the Cooper family, along with Daniel’s friends, Bryan and David. Daniel tosses in his cards, telling the group that he can’t believe he has lost his skills to adults. Mallory places his arms around the winnings and pulls them toward him. Mallory states that when you play the best, you probably will go broke. Joel tells Daniel and his friends that he should have told them to have watched out for Mallory, since he was a good card player. Diana returns from the bathroom, asking if Mallory won again, with the group being silent and just shaking their heads. Mallory turns to look up to Diana on his left, asking her if she was up for a game of poker. Diana states that she actually might be up for it, since with the probability of winning might be in her favor, thanks to her skills as a physicist. Diana takes a seat between Bryan and David, telling Mallory to shuffle the cards and deal them out.

Out in the kitchen, Mett, Wilma, Wade, Ryan and Colin are sitting there, discussing the following days plans. Wilma states that George might pull a fast one in court and might make them the culprits. Wade states that as long as Debbie goes to the stand and actually will speak up for herself, George should get put away, instead of running free. Mett states that he wishes he had more witnesses to testify since no one else really will be on the stand except for himself. Wade states that she would go up there and tell everyone in the court room what she had talked to George about. Mett tells Wade that she is a good person, but George’s lawyer might find her out and expose her as a fraud since she did lie about being a newspaper reporter. Colin tells Mett that hopefully things will get fixed and then they can move on. Wilma tells the sliders that she is grateful for their help, since she almost gave up on the business and figured they might have to find a new home or even go to prison if someone blamed them and were believed. Ryan tells the two that they just need to have a little faith in them, since they usually pull off miracles.

As Daniel arrives at a drug store, he lets his friends out, telling the guys he would pick them up in the morning to go to court, and hope his dad will win the case. Bryan tells Daniel that maybe once the trial is over with, they could go cruising around or even get enough money to get to Hawaii. David tells the two that if they did get the money and win the case, they could get the chicks in any country, since he has heard about some slutty women in Europe. Bryan and David exit Daniel’s truck with Daniel speeding off. A man soon walks up to the guys, telling them someone wanted to speak with them. A limousine pulls up close to where the guys were and they were forced in. George Verron is sitting inside, with his daughter at his side. George asks David if he was ready to testify against the Cooper family. David explains that he has been ready since he helped start the fire on the crops. Bryan tells David to watch it, since with Daniel finding them out, he may get ticked off and want to hurt them. Debbie speaks up, stating that they shouldn’t worry, since she was screwing with a friend of the family with her finger wrapped around him to make him believe whatever she wants him to believe.

By the following morning, the sliders arrive at the court house with Daniel to meet with his parents with the lawyer. In the court house, the sliders catch up with Mett and Wilma in a room not far from the main courtroom discussing certain issues before going on trial. Wade asks Mett how things were coming along, with Mett explaining that if someone will reveal the truth, they will win the court case. The lawyer tells Mett that he would be waiting outside for him and then they could proceed into the courtroom. The sliders and Daniel soon gather around Mett and Wilma, with Mett telling the sliders that he hopes he will find out if George was actually the one behind the crop destruction. Wade tells Mett that Debbie did say it was true and hopefully with her testimony she will get her dad put in prison, but isn’t sure what will happen after that. Diana tells Mett that they can only hope for the best. Mett tells the group that he was ready as ever and just can’t wait for the situation to be over with. The group head out, with Wilma asking Daniel where his friends were, since she figured they would be around to support him; Daniel states that David and Bryan were on their way, since their family got a little busy.

On the stand, Mett is seated with George’s lawyer asking Mett if he wanted to frame Geroge on the basis of competition and that the recent destruction of the crops have lead to George Verron leading in the tobacco industry. Mett tells the lawyer that he just has a feeling that George was the one who did it since he can’t possibly find anyone else who would profit from his loss. The lawyer then asks Mett if maybe there was someone out there who just wanted to get their revenge on them for another minor situation. Mett states that he doesn’t have any enemies, besides the one in the court room. The lawyer tells the judge that he was finished and the judge tells Mett to return to his seat.

Mett’s lawyer asks George that even though the equipment used to destroy the crops are likely to be found on company grounds, proves that he did do such an act. George tells the lawyer that if he had destroyed the crops, he probably wouldn’t leave the murder weapon sitting out. The lawyer tells George that even killers like to leave the weapon out in plain sight, but without much proof, he can’t be sure if George is telling the truth or not. The lawyer then asks George if he did actually do the act, what would stop someone else from putting up a tobacco business. George states that if someone wanted to establish a tobacco business, they better have enough money, since people usually don’t do so well in the business, despite the law of giving anyone the ability to plan marijuana on their property. The lawyer asks George if he would ever consider taking out other competition if they did take them on. George tells the lawyer that if someone wanted to try to compete against him, they would likely fail, since he has been in the business for a long time and new businesses don’t do so well, unless there are certain factors that lead to their success.

Once George gets off the stand, the judge asks George’s lawyer if he had any more witnesses. George whispers to his lawyer and the lawyer tells the judge that they did have someone who might make the case. The doors to the courtroom opens with Bryan and David entering the room. Mett, Wilma, Daniel and the sliders are shocked to see their friend be on the opposite side. Bryan takes a seat beside Debbie and David proceeds to the stand, swearing on the Bible to tell the truth. George’s lawyer stands up, asking David to explain why he has come to the rescue of George Verron. David explains that he actually was helping out the Cooper family. David pulls a vile out of his jacket pocket, explaining that a few months back, he was delivering a television to George Verron’s office when he was offered a job by him to take out the competition and he reluctantly agreed. David continues, explaining that the vile contains a flammable type of liquid that was like gasoline when spilled on crops and its instantaneous to start flames. David tells the courtroom that he was forced to pour a vile on the Cooper’s crops, but he switched the vile with water prior to the plan, while other of George’s men did all the work. The deputy takes the vile and hands it to the judge. George stands up, stating that kid was lying and he should be arrested. The judge tells George that he was under arrest for the destruction of the Cooper family farm and he would sentenced at a later day. The deputy places handcuffs on George, taking him away. Mett goes to David, shaking his hand, glad to know that he could trust his son’s friends. Bryan and Daniel join David who gets off the stand, and David tells Daniel that he would never turn his back on his friends or their families. Debbie walks up to Mett, apologizing for her father’s work, but would still consider the merge for the companies since she actually enjoyed his marijuana than her own father’s brand. Mett tells Debbie that he would be in contact with her soon and shakes her hand, thanking her that she wasn’t nothing like her father. The group celebrate their win and Mett hugs Wilma, telling her that he knew that being a clean competitor would soon take out his competition.

The sliders return to New York with only a couple of hours left to go. With getting some lunch and soon exiting the restaurant, the sliders head to a nearby park for the slide. Joel states that it was definitely risky to slide off in public, but figures that they were leaving and it wouldn’t matter anymore. Colin gets off his cell phone, telling the others that Debbie and the Cooper family have merged into one industry and even Debbie has worked with the local scientists who created the liquid that started the whole mess to establish a possible unit in the company to demolish old buildings and other type of stuff that needed to be burned down. Wade tells the group that she is glad that they took a vacation out of state, since it obviously proved that they made a change in a society where drugs are allowed to be grown. Mallory tells the group that he will miss the weed and how much fun he had smoking it, but hopefully the next world will have something new to offer.

Sheriff Martin soon notices the sliders walking past her police car and exits it to catch up to them. The sliders are shocked to see someone they lost they got rid of early on. Sheriff Martin tells the sliders that she apologizes for interfering with their governmental science project and would be up to help out in anyway possible. Diana stops, turning around to tell the sheriff that she can actually return to her vehicle and just leave them alone, since they were about to leave. The sheriff tells the group to think again, and the group is soon surrounded by local authority. Sheriff Martin tells the group that she had to play along to catch them, since she figured they would return sooner or later. Colin tells the group that at least they didn’t have to worry about being exposed with the others looking at him to get past his sarcastic comment. Diana tells the sheriff that they don’t have time to sit in prison and Diana soon points the timer toward the grass and opens the vortex. All the law enforcement are shocked to see a vortex. The sliders start to slide out with Diana being the last one, giving the sheriff a stare to tell her that

Colin tells the others that he was glad that they didn’t have to worry about getting exposed to the media, but hopefully nothing ever will happen. Diana opens the vortex with the group quickly sliding off. Diana turns around, looking at the sheriff and telling her sayonara, with Diana jumping into the portal. Sheriff Martin and the other officers watch the portal until it closes.