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The vortex opened, and Quinn flew out. Seconds later, Wade, Arturo, and Rembrandt emerged. Just as it was about to close, the vortex ejected another slider. QUINN REMBRANDT ARTURO CAITLIN The five sliders walked down the street. On this world, the stop signs were orange. REMBRANDT Rembrandt looked down at Caitlin. She looked discouraged, as if they were never going home. REMBRANDT Caitlin smiled. REMBRANDT  The sliders continued to the Dominion hotel. They observed a couple walking their cat. WADE QUINN WADE ARTURO WADE CAITLIN Wade looked confused, but realized that Caitlin must have meant Remmy's Wade. REMBRANDT QUINN WADE The others agreed. Quinn and Arturo checked out the library, while Caitlin checked the local gym. Rembrandt didn't really feel like doing much. He just wanted to go for a walk, and Wade decided to join him. After a few minutes, they approached a large building. REMBRANDT WADE Wade pointed to a sign on the studio's outer wall. It was a picture of Rembrandt, with a list of tour dates. There was also an announcement about The Cryin' Man's next album. REMBRANDT Rembrandt moved away from the studio. Wade ran after him. WADE REMBRANDT Quinn and Arturo were sitting inside the library, researching. QUINN ARTURO QUINN ARTURO Rembrandt and Wade continued to walk the streets. REMBRANDT WADE Rembrandt checked his pockets. REMBRANDT WADE Rembrandt began to laugh. REMBRANDT WADE Rembrandt turned around and saw a group of prisoners working on the side of the highway. One woman, in particular, attracted his eye. REMBRANDT Rembrandt pointed to the familiar face, but he couldn't seem to remember her name. WADE Caitlin! How come Rembrandt couldn't think of her name? She had been a Slider since the beginning. And he and Caitlin had been friends even before that! How could he have forgotten her name? Rembrandt shrugged it off, and he began to walk off. Rembrandt and Wade met the others. Quinn opened the vortex and the sliders continued their journey. The vortex opened and all five sliders jumped inside. This was a tough slide. Each slider was thrown around a lot, and there was a particularly brutal landing. QUINN REMBRANDT QUINN CAITLIN QUINN The group put together all the cash they had that resembled American money. They had barely enough to get a suite, even though they were using money from three different worlds. The Sliders were relieved when they saw Gomez Calhoun behind the desk. He was always too annoyed or star-struck to check for alternate currency. Caitlin went straight to her room for a quick nap. Arturo and Quinn decided to peruse the Internet, to add to Arturo's ever-growing journal. Rembrandt and Wade were also tired, so they decided to watch a little television. When she turned the television, Wade saw a preview for an upcoming movie. They saw pictures of a desert island, with serious-sounding music. TV ANNOUNCER Wade laughed. These three are in a serious movie? VOICE TV ANNOUNCER WADE Rembrandt laughed as well. REMBRANDT TV ANCHOR The television showed two men and a woman. Rembrandt stared at the screen as he saw who the woman was. "Caitlin Reynolds" popped onto the screen with a picture. WADE REMBRANDT WADE Rembrandt knew she was right. Didn't he? The limit came, and the Sliders almost forgot to go in and check on Caitlin. Wade had to remind them, just before the timer was activated. On exiting the vortex, Rembrandt, Arturo, and Quinn began talking amongst themselves. Wade looked at the vortex, waiting for Caitlin. QUINN WADE The others seemed confused, and they were surprised to see Caitlin emerge from the vortex. Quinn was about to question it, but he began to remember her. It was faint, but it was still a memory of his friend. None of the sliders told each other of their memory loss, but they were all concerned, because Caitlin was the only part of their memories fading. This slide was longer. It was a day and a half, and the sliders were eager to get some more rest. They hadn't received a full night's rest in about a week. Rembrandt wasn't very excited about rest, though. He had an inquiry about Caitlin. When all of the others were asleep, Rembrandt snuck to the library and began to surf the internet. He wasn't very happy with the results. He looked up San Quentin's website and looked for any indication that Caitlin was in there. He found an interesting section that allowed people to e-mail criminals. Rembrandt clicked on the link, but when he got to the list of inmates, he couldn't seem to remember Caitlin's last name. He had a hard enough time remembering her first. He still remembered her face, though. So, he was forced to click on each name until he came to Caitlin's file. It had taken well over an hour, but he finally found her. She was a criminal. Again. In the morning, he talked things over with Wade. REMBRANDT WADE REMBRANDT WADE REMBRANDT Rembrandt was worried. He couldn't keep wondering if Caitlin was a friend or an outlaw. He had to talk to her. Rembrandt approached Caitlin in the hotel. REMBRANDT CAITLIN REMBRANDT CAITLIN REMBRANDT Caitlin seemed nervous. CAITLIN REMBRANDT CAITLIN Rembrandt was very worried now. REMBRANDT Caitlin was very nervous. CAITLIN REMBRANDT CAITLIN Rembrandt was tired of beating around the bush. He asked her straightforward. REMBRANDT Rembrandt had forgotten almost everything. He genuinely wanted to know how she began sliding. Caitlin put her hands to her head and went into a deep state of concentration. Rembrandt was hit with a blast of mental energy. Now she was in trouble. She quickly examined the events of the past few weeks. Everything had changed so much over the past months. A year ago, she was a happy woman. Then, she stumbled on the papers, and everything changed. She thought that the adoption papers were a mistake, but she knew that her "mother" would never tell her the truth. That's when it came to her head. She knew that she had the potential to get the real truth. It was a very dangerous move, but she had to know the truth behind her past. She knew that she might be caught, but she never imagined that her own "mother" would turn her in. So, suddenly, she was alone. She had two sets of parents that had betrayed her. And the system had betrayed her. The judge looked at Caitlin straight in the face and issued the sentence of life in prison...for wanting to know her own past! It wasn't hard to escape from the prison, but it would've been hard to avoid capture. And she knew the punishment for escape from prison was death. But that's when that beautiful blue-green gem crossed her eyes. She had the chance to escape, but she didn't. The vortex was just supposed to be her way out of the system. A way off an unjust world. But she had stayed. Maybe she wanted to turn a new leaf; to get back to a normal life. These people wouldn't betray her. They wouldn't stop loving her. For the first time in years, she had true friends. But it was all over now... She ran off, leaving Rembrandt on the floor. A couple hours later, the others returned. They had been on a walk though San Francisco National Redwood Forest. Rembrandt was still on the ground, asleep now. His injury and his fatigue had caught up with him. Wade ran and woke him up. WADE Rembrandt woke up, but was slow in getting up. ARTURO WADE The others were confused. Who was Caitlin? Wade was the only one who remembered the fifth slider. WADE Rembrandt was still confused. REMBRANDT ARTURO WADE QUINN Wade was confused. How could they not remember her? WADE REMBRANDT Wade was worried, but she decided to try and forget. Obviously, they were all suffering from some sort of memory loss. She didn't want to leave Caitlin, but she had no choice. She was gone, and the slide was in a couple hours. By the time of the slide, the memories of Caitlin in Rembrandt, Arturo, and Quinn were completely eliminated. Wade activated the timer and jumped inside the vortex. Arturo jumped inside. The hotel door opened, but Quinn and Rembrandt knew they would be gone soon. They both jumped inside, but before the vortex closed, Caitlin had burst into the room and followed them. On the next world, the four sliders touched down, and then Caitlin. Wade was the only one who recognized her. WADE QUINN Caitlin brought out a gun. She aimed it at the sliders. CAITLIN Wade handed over the timer to Caitlin, and the sliders walked to the building. They came to an abandoned building. Caitlin searched the building, but found none of her "friends". CAITLIN WADE REMBRANDT Caitlin looked surprised that her effects had dissipated so quickly. CAITLIN Then, Caitlin looked at Wade. CAITLIN QUINN CAITLIN None of the sliders could believe what Caitlin was talking about. CAITLIN REMBRANDT He looked at Arturo and Quinn. They gave their approval to his inquiry. CAITLIN REMBRANDT ARTURO CAITLIN WADE Wade was in tears. She remembered everything so clearly. She remembered seeing Caitlin and Remmy for the first time. They had become friends. Caitlin was her friend! Caitlin smiled as she read Wade's thoughts. She had an ally. Caitlin glanced at the timer. CAITLIN Caitlin laughed, and Wade laughed too. It was as if they shared a mind. Caitlin was completely controlling Wade's mind. CAITLIN Caitlin opened the vortex. Quinn, Rembrandt, and Arturo stood up. Caitlin aimed the gun at them. CAITLIN She stared at Wade. CAITLIN By her command, Wade stood in front of her friends. CAITLIN QUINN Caitlin tried to look innocent. CAITLIN Arturo noted that the vortex was destabilizing. They had to go! Arturo ran towards Wade, diverting her attention. Quinn ran towards Caitlin, and Caitlin knocked him down, mentally. She tried to knock down Rembrandt, but it was too late. Rembrandt had tackled her. He picked up Quinn and threw him inside the vortex. Arturo and Rembrandt struggled to throw Wade inside. Together, Rembrandt and Arturo jumped in, only seconds before the vortex closed. On the next alternate Earth, Quinn landed, conscious, but weary. Wade landed, followed by Rembrandt and Arturo. They all looked at Wade, wondering if the effects of Caitlin's work were still there. ARTURO WADE Wade suddenly remembered everything, but told everyone that the memories were wearing off. Everyone was relieved. As they walked away, the memories of her faded away. Caitlin emerged from the old, abandoned building. If her plan was going to work, she needed a test subject. A man walked by her on the street. She waved at him in a friendly manner. MAN Caitlin closed her eyes and concentrated for a couple seconds. When she opened them, the man had a very big smile on his face. MAN CAITLIN  |