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The vortex opened. Remmy, Wade, Arturo, Quinn, and Maggie flew from the wormhole. Each of them was dressed in bulky winter clothing. REMBRANDT QUINN REMBRANDT ARTURO Arturo glanced at the timer. ARTURO Each slider, in addition to the large coat and pants, had a mask over their face. QUINN ARTURO They arrived at the hotel desk, which was manned by Gomez Calhoun. QUINN GOMEZ MAGGIE GOMEZ WADE The sliders moved to their rooms. Guys in one room, and the female sliders in the other. Rembrandt took off the heavy clothing and went to the bathroom. Quinn turned on the television. NEWS ANCHOR Quinn was shocked. Arturo looked on with the same amazement. QUINN REMBRANDT Before Rembrandt could finish his sentence, he was shocked by the report. NEWS ANCHOR REMBRANDT ARTURO QUINN ARTURO Quinn laughed. Rembrandt was fixated on the situation. He was a civil rights leader on this world. That fact hit at home. He wanted to pursue his double, despite the Professor's warning. Arturo had decided to go to the library. He had been doing this more frequently. He was also keeping a log, more professional than Wade's diary, but still a log of the history of the worlds they visit. This world received a large entry. He returned to the hotel room to alert the others. When Arturo entered, Quinn was on the bed, still examining the timer. He still had hopes of fixing it, even though they had left Quinn's world over two weeks and three slides ago. Rembrandt was glued to the television. ARTURO QUINN ARTURO REMBRANDT ARTURO REMBRANDT ARTURO REMBRANDT WADE MAGGIE Rembrandt smiled, but was going to go. He had decided that hours ago. He would have to sort out the other problems when the time to slide came.  At night, he left. On TV, he found out the headquarters of his double's party. He was going to help as much as he could. He reached the headquarters, and knocked on the door. MAN REMBRANDT MAN REMBRANDT The man didn't know why, but he trusted Rembrandt. He was too closely similar to the Reverend. MAN Rembrandt entered the room, and he saw a bunch of men, many crying. REMBRANDT MAN The man pointed across the room to a short, middle-aged man. MAN Rembrandt never thought of that. Sure, the Civil War on his Earth was bloody and many died. But what amount of damage could a 21st Century Civil War inflict? MAN Rembrandt looked at Carver in the corner. He was shaking, knowing that the fate of the US might rest on his shoulders. But then, Rembrandt had a light go off in his head. That was the solution. REMBRANDT MAN REMBRANDT MAN The man stopped, staring at Rembrandt's neck. MAN REMBRANDT MAN REMBRANDT The man seemed to stop in his footsteps. Was this the answer to his prayers? Was this the way he could stop the war? It seemed too good to be true, but he had to go along with it. MAN Dennis didn't quite know what to believe, but this was a ray of light. The press had been bothering them for answers on the Reverend's condition. Now they had an answer. Even if he wasn't Rembrandt, he was a temporary solution. The men began to work. Arturo and Quinn woke up and discovered that Rembrandt was gone. ARTURO QUINN Quinn was still a little unsure of all the sliders. A lot could've happened while he was trapped inside Mallory. QUINN ARTURO QUINN Quinn smiled. He was glad to be back in the group. He turned on the television, and he was amazed at what he saw. TV ANCHOR REMBRANDT (from press conference) TV ANCHOR QUINN Arturo didn't know, but he knew what Rembrandt was thinking. ANCHOR Rembrandt was on the road. He was traveling all over Northern California, giving his sermons. His advisors were giving him everything he needed to say, but every once and a while, Remmy would add something from his heart. It was a lot of fun for him. He continued his tradition of crying, still the "Cryin' Man". Even Dennis was changing his mind. Maybe Rembrandt's story had merit to it, but it was so hard to accept. The bus stopped in San José, and Rembrandt stepped out. He remembered doing a gig in San José before. It wasn't one of his most successful, but then again, his fans now were a lot more supportive than his fans now. He stepped to the podium and began his speech. WADE I don't understand! We can't even see him? Wade and Maggie had come over to Arturo and Quinn's room. They all were angered by Remmy's decision, but they accepted it. They had tried to contact Rembrandt, but they hadn't allowed it. They couldn't allow it, because of the death of the original Rembrandt. MAGGIE QUINN WADE ARTURO WADE QUINN MAGGIE ARTURO Rembrandt was standing at a podium. REMBRANDT Rembrandt began to cry, and for the first time on this trip, his tears were genuine. This world was changing him. REMBRANDT The crowd began to cheer. Rembrandt was proud to be the Reverend Rembrandt Brown, now. For the first time in weeks, he forgot about home. Outside the hotel, Quinn was looking at the timer. He answered the question he knew they would ask. QUINN Wade and Maggie looked worried. QUINN Quinn and the girls walked down the street. The streets were covered in propaganda from both sides. The anti-slavery pamphlets were brightly colored, while the pro-slavery papers were in simply black and white. The Sliders continued to walk down the street towards the headquarters. They saw an angry mob surrounding it. QUINN WADE Arturo was also worried. In the room, he was watching the television, he noticed a growing hatred toward Rembrandt. Militia groups that fixated on killing Rembrandt and reinitiating slavery were growing. And there was nothing any of the them could do about it. Rembrandt entered the bus, tired from the heat. Dennis congratulated him. DENNIS REMBRANDT Rembrandt was happy, but began to miss his friends. REMBRANDT DENNIS REMBRANDT DENNIS REMBRANDT DENNIS Dennis didn't mean what he said. He wanted to protect Remmy and his country. Anything that could have endangered either he wouldn't allow. He had family down in Los Angeles. If Civil War broke out in America, it would most likely break out internally. And if the war turned nuclear, there was no escaping. Quinn and the girls reached the mob. There were signs everywhere, all pro-slavery. But what made the Sliders cringe was the evidence of hostility towards Rembrandt. Pamphlets claiming "Second Time's the Charm" with pictures of the dying Rembrandt in the middle made Quinn want to throw up. He kept it away from the girls as long as he could, but these signs were everywhere. A man approached Quinn. MAN Quinn fought the urge to punch this man in the face. What good would it do? QUINN On the ride home, Dennis gave Remmy good news. DENNIS REMBRANDT DENNIS This was good news. Rembrandt was getting tired of life on the road. His thoughts, once again, turned to home. They reached the headquarters, and Rembrandt retreated to his room. When he opened the door, the light didn't turn on. He tried to mess with them, but was hit over the head. Two large men dragged him from the room. Arturo woke and went to the living room of their hotel room. He looked at the timer. One week and no word from Rembrandt. He was beginning to get nervous. He turned on the television, which the group found themselves doing a lot to find out about Rembrandt's progress. He was alarmed at the news. ANCHOR Arturo didn't want to wake Quinn, but tried to keep calm. Rembrandt's double had been killed by these people, and now they had Rembrandt. They were treading on thin ice on this world. He knew that everything would turn out all right. It always did. But the thought of his own separation from the group kept popping up. Rembrandt woke up tied to a chair. MAN #1 Rembrandt was drugged, so that he could barely talk. MAN #1 MAN #2 An hour later, Rembrandt woke up completely. The men were sitting in the corner of the room, talking. REMBRANDT MAN #1 REMBRANDT MAN #2 The man checked his sentence, making sure that's what he wanted to say. REMBRANDT MAN #2 Rembrandt was nervous. He would have to make a serious decision soon. This was a big test of his strength and character. REMBRANDT MAN #1 The men weren't worried. If this guy didn't pan out, there was always Plan B. Rembrandt had a plan. He would have to delay the sermon, and they would have to prep Mr. Carver fast. The men dropped Rembrandt back off at the headquarters. Dennis met him there. DENNIS REMBRANDT DENNIS REMBRANDT Remmy hadn't made a decision yet, but this plan gave him time. He had to think. During the week, Rembrandt spent most of his time in his room, thinking. Should he risk his life or betray his beliefs? The decision was so hard. What happened in the next week would determine the fate of this world. Never before had he held this kind of power. Instead of feeling happy about it, though, he felt nauseous. Dennis had told him of the consequences. He knew them all too well. Dennis was preparing Carver. He had many sessions when he would give fake sermons. Carver's problem was his stage fright and his confidence. He had the charisma to be a public speaker, but he lacked the ability. Throughout the week, he worked on those problems. DENNIS REMBRANDT DENNIS REMBRANDT DENNIS REMBRANDT Rembrandt entered his room. He hadn't talked to his friends in over two weeks. His big sermon was the next day. Then, it came to him, and not a minute too soon. He put it into effect. In the hotel room, the sliders were getting restless. Maggie and Wade had moved in with the guys so that if Remmy called, they would know immediately. WADE ARTURO Then, a ray of hope came to the Sliders. The phone rang. Quinn answered it. It was Remmy. QUINN REMBRANDT Quinn agreed and Rembrandt hung up. He had to make Dennis let his friends in. He said he needed a "fast escape". He didn't know who from, though. He talked to Dennis. REMBRANDT Rembrandt gave Dennis a piece of paper with a description of his friends. DENNIS REMBRANDT DENNIS REMBRANDT DENNIS REMBRANDT DENNIS REMBRANDT DENNIS The next day, the park where Remmy would give his sermon was ready. Rembrandt looked at his watch. It was 1:03. He stepped out in front of the audience, and it began to cheer. Rembrandt, once again, gave real tears. He came to a final decision as he reached the podium. REMBRANDT The Sliders showed up, and Dennis allowed them to enter. Quinn looked at the timer. They had six minutes until the slide. REMBRANDT Rembrandt looked out on the crowd. He saw the men, and he even saw the gun they were planning to use. Rembrandt tried to stay calm. REMBRANDT The crowd began to ask why. REMBRANDT The men began to get nervous, as the assassin loaded his gun. Rembrandt was counting inside his head, getting ready to run. REMBRANDT The assassin looked moved by Rembrandt's words. He lowered the gun, but a man took the gun from the sharpshooter. The time it took to get the gun ready, gave time for Dennis to grab the gun he brought. He fired, killing the man. The crowd went into a frenzy. Chaos was hitting the crowd. Had the Reverend been killed? Was this the end? Or was it the beginning? Rembrandt spoke into the microphone, and the crowd began to calm down. Quinn and the rest of the Sliders were amazed at the power Remmy held over these people. DENNIS REMBRANDT Carver approached the podium. Rembrandt walked behind the podium to his friends. It was time to go. QUINN Rembrandt looked at Quinn, smiling. He had done good on this world. He was happy with what he had accomplished. Quinn opened the vortex, and the Sliders jumped inside. CARVER Carver looked into the crowd. He found the man he was looking for and he winked at him. Plan B was ready to commence.
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