#K2815 - "Slidecage" - 1st Yellow Revs. 11/24/97                                                              1.

ACT ONE

FADE IN

6   OMITTED

6A INT. LABYRINTH - MAGNETIC CORRIDOR - ON THE  WINDOW - NIGHT

The same bizarre scene as before.

7   ON QUINN, REMBRANDT, COLIN AND MAGGIE

looking out at the scene with disquiet. Maggie turns to Quinn.

MAGGIE
You're sure you got the coordinates right?

QUINN
Positive.

REMBRANDT
Well, something must've gone haywire. I mean, that looks like something out of
Star Trek, The Lost Episodes.

QUINN
The timer always sends us to an alternate Earth, never an alien planet.

REMBRANDT
Looks pretty dead out there. If this is your home world, where are all the people?

QUINN
I don't know, we just got here. (exasperated) Why does everyone always
expect me to have the answer?

COLIN
Because you usually do.

MAGGIE
So if it's home sweet home, we'll stick around. If not, we'll slide out.
(to Colin) How long we got on the universal remote?

COLIN
The --?  Oh.

Colin raises the timer in his hand to check -- and freezes.

COLIN
Brother, we have a problem.

He shows it to the others -- its LED is frozen at 00:00.

REMBRANDT
The timer's not counting down?

Quinn takes it, tries to punch in some commands -- nothing.

MAGGIE
What's wrong with it?

Quinn shoots her a look -- what were they just talking about?

MAGGIE
You don't know.

QUINN
Yes, that's right.

Suddenly, a soothing MAN'S VOICE issues from behind them.

MICHAEL MALLORY (O.S.)
Excuse me. Over here, please.

Surprised, they turn in the direction of the sound.

QUINN
I know that voice.

Colin nods. He does, too, but -- like Quinn -- can't quite place it. They move toward a doorway.

MICHAEL MALLORY (O.S.)
This way. There's nothing to be afraid of.

They move off toward:

8   INT. ARRIVAL AREA - NIGHT

Quinn, Colin, Maggie and Rembrandt enter.

MICHAEL MALLORY (O.S.)
Good.

As soon as they're all in:

LIGHT behind them comes on, ILLUMINATING them. They turn to see that it's a BIG VIEW
SCREEN. The kindly face of MICHAEL MALLORY appears. Stunned, recognizing the face,
Quinn and Colin draw near it, the others following.

MICHAEL MALLORY
Welcome, newcomers. I helped to invent sliding, the method by which you've
arrived here. My name is Michael Mallory.

QUINN
Colin, it's our --

COLIN
Father.

MICHAEL MALLORY
(over the above) This may well be disorienting to you, as you were no doubt trying
to get to my world -- but you have instead been shunted here, by the Slidecage
mechanism.

MAGGIE
Slidecage?

MICHAEL MALLORY
Following the recent human/Kromagg war, we have driven the enemy from our world
and cloaked it so they cannot return, by these means. In the interest of --

His image BREAKS UP, the sound GARBLES, it's all distortion.

REMBRANDT
Come back, give us the whole story! Hey!

No response. Rembrandt HITS the edge of the screen with the flat of his hand hard. The
IMAGE restabilizes.

REMBRANDT
Hah! Always worked with my old TV.

MAGGIE
Doesn't look like they're maintaining their equipment.

MICHAEL MALLORY
(over the above) -- unfortunately cannot return you, as it would pose a security
risk. If you are a friend rather than an enemy, I'm truly sorry. Your needs will be
provided for, food and air and shelter. Do not tamper with the dispensing machines.
If you attempt to venture outside, the toxic atmosphere will kill you. Other than these
strictures, you are free to live by the rules you create. Make the best of this world. It
is now your world... for the rest of your lives.

The screen GOES BLANK. Our guys look gut-punched, they're so upset.

MAGGIE
The rest of our lives?

QUINN
It's a perfect system to protect their world, make sure the Kromaggs can't invade.
Anyone who tries to slide there ends up here instead. (off the timer) They must have
some kind of damping field to render this inoperable.

REMBRANDT
You saying we've wandered into some kind of roach motel for sliders?

COLIN
But why would our parents cloak their world and not come get us?

QUINN
They tried to, but I was kept hidden from them. And you were lost, your foster parents dead.

REMBRANDT
Oh, this is great. We weren't even in this war and now we're P.O.W.s!

MAGGIE
There's got to be a way out of here. There always is, isn't there? Quinn...

QUINN
We'll just have to do what we always do -- beat the odds. Okay?

REMBRANDT
(calming) Yeah. Okay.

Quinn looks at Maggie. She nods, too. They start to move away from the arrival area.

9
THRU OMITTED
10

11 POINT OF VIEW FROM VENT - ON MAGGIE

An UNSEEN PERSON is watching her. We HEAR the O.S. observer's breathing. Maggie
is unaware of him. Just then, there's a CRASHING and SHOUTS of a brawl drawing near.

12
THRU OMITTED
14

15 WIDE

Hearing the RIOT coming their way, Quinn calls to the others:

QUINN
Get down!

They duck into hiding. A beat, then a BRAWLING GROUP OF HUMANS AND KROMAGGS
surge into the area from a side corridor. All are dressed in ragtag clothes. It's like a street rumble,
everyone fighting dirty, fists and boots and rough weapons (neither side has guns or blasters,
weapons are jerry-rigged from scavenged parts).

Rembrandt wants to join the fray, but Quinn hold him back, whispering:

QUINN
Wait and see what the rules are.

The Kromaggs seem to be getting the upper hand. Two humans take flight down the corridor, 
leaving one human alone. We see now it's a haggard woman, DARLA (30s), the Kromaggs
ganging up on her.

MAGGIE
Okay, now we know.

She and the others dive out, taking on the Kromaggs, allowing the woman to escape. The
woman runs off after her companions. Seeing they're outnumbered, the Kromaggs beat a
retreat. At the last, a blow from behind knocks Rembrandt senseless. The Kromaggs drag
him back the way they came.

Quinn, Maggie and Colin are after them in a flash, but the Kromaggs have passed through a 
doorway. Two wires protrude from the wall. One of the Kromaggs touches the ends of the
wires together, making a connection. The door starts to close. He RIPS out the wires and dives 
through the doorway, just as it closes.

The door slides SHUT, closing off our guys from Rembrandt and the Kromaggs.

QUINN
Rembrandt!!

16 DOWN THE WAY

Unseen by them, Darla hesitates, watching them, then hurries off after her fellows.

17 QUINN

tries to force the door. No use. He shakes his head to the others. Rembrandt is gone.

18 INT. MAGNETIC CORRIDOR - NIGHT

Quinn, Maggie and Colin are hurrying in the opposite direction. Maggie points at a wet footprint.

MAGGIE
There's another one.

COLIN
You think these people will help us?

QUINN
I don't know. At least they're human.

They turn a corner, spy a MAN darting away.

QUINN
Hold it, we're friends!

They run after him, into:

19 INT. TERMINUS OF MAGNETIC CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS

Colin, Maggie and Quinn rush in -- then stop as they realize they're surrounded by a motley
group of MEN and WOMEN. LUTHER, the man they chased, strides up to Quinn.

LUTHER
I know my friends. I don't know you.

He slugs Quinn, who doubles over. Maggie and Colin try to come to Quinn's aid, but they're
grabbed and held fast. Luther is about to hit Quinn again when a COMMANDING VOICE
calls out:

JANIE
Hold it, Luther.

JANIE appears, addresses the others, speaking quietly, but with authority.

JANIE
Let them go.

They release Maggie and Colin. They move to help Quinn. Janie turns to Luther.

JANIE
What happened?

LUTHER
They were chasing me.

MAGGIE
You were running!

Janie puts out a cautionary hand to silence her.

JANIE
We're all ready to run here.

She turns to Darla, whom we now see is part of the group.

JANIE
Are they the ones who jumped into that trouble you got yourself into?

DARLA
Yes.

Janie nods, considering. She turns her attention back to Quinn, Maggie and Colin.

JANIE
You're new here, aren't you?

MAGGIE
Yes.

JANIE
No reason to start on the wrong foot. We're all humans. Now we don't have many rules but --

Quinn cuts her off. Time's wasting.

QUINN
I'm sorry, but if you heard about that fight, you know our friend got captured and
we've got to --

JANIE
He's gone. Or will be before the night's out. You're going to have to forget him.

The mood in the room takes an abrupt chill.

MAGGIE
We're not about to do that.

JANIE
I understand your feelings... but you don't know where you are. We're all that's left over
two hundred. We were all away from the home world during the war. Some didn't hear
about the cage being built, some took too long to get back. Whatever the reason, we're
here. We keep on the move so the Kromaggs can't find us. 

COLIN
Won't you help us?

JANIE
Believe me, I'm trying to.

QUINN
(to Janie) My brother and I, we're from the home world, but we don't remember it.
Our parents left us on other worlds during the war. I'm sure you can teach us lot,
but we can't abandon our friend. 

He turns to go, gesturing Colin and Maggie to accompany.

QUINN
I'm sorry.

JANIE
I'm sorry, too.

Janie nods to her people. Some of them block our guys. Maggie's angry, wants to get
into it.

MAGGIE
Now, wait a minute.

Quinn puts a calming hand on her arm, turns back to Janie.

JANIE
The last human we let go solo was caught, tortured, revealed our location.
We had forty children here. They were all killed.

She comes up closer to our guys.

JANIE
Now that you've found us, you either join...or die.

COLIN
How do we join?

MAGGIE
Colin.

COLIN
It's clearly the superior of the two options.

Quinn moves closer to Janie, tries a reasoning, non-threatening tone.

QUINN
You've been through hard times, and we don't want to make them any harder.
Can't we talk?

MAGGIE
Save your breath, Quinn. I may be new here, but I've seen enough bad C.O.s
in my time to recognize the breed.

Janie stiffens, hardness comes into her eyes. Quinn sees this and is worried. But Maggie's blood
is up. She looks the other humans in the eye, one by one, talking to them as individuals, trying
to stir something.

MAGGIE
You. Yes, you. No problem? Surviving by hiding like rats?

Quinn's seen Janie's expression, is alarmed. But Maggie presses on.

MAGGIE
(to Darla) Someone who helped you has just been hung out to dry. How do you
feel about that?

DARLA
(hesitant) Janie, maybe she's got a point. Maybe --

Janie glares at Maggie.

JANIE
Out. Now.

Maggie's confused by Janie's response, assumes she's letting them go. She turns to go.

MAGGIE
All right...

But the men grab her roughly, along with Quinn and Colin.

MAGGIE
Hey!

JANIE
(to her men, off Maggie) Airlock.

The men start hustling Maggie over to something we see now for the first time: AN AIRLOCK
DOOR. Beside it is a LIGHTED CONTROL PANEL. Our guys struggle like mad, but are held
tight.

MAGGIE
No!

COLIN
What's an airlock?!

QUINN
(to Janie) Don't do this! She's just got a temper!

COLIN
We'll do what you say!

A man pushes a button on the airlock controls.

The inner airlock door SLIDES OPEN, revealing a chamber beyond, some toxic wisps of the
outside atmosphere still inside it. They throw Maggie into the chamber.

The door SLIDES SHUT, trapping Maggie within. We hear her MUFFLED SHOUTING and
POUNDING at the door.

Quinn and Colin continue to struggle, to no avail.

JANIE
Vent it.

The man by the controls pushes a button. A FLASHING LIGHT above the airlock door comes on,
spinning its warning. From outside, we hear Maggie CHOKING, BANGING on the door. But the
SOUNDS grow weaker, then are silent. Quinn breaks free, rushes for the airlock door. He manages
to hold the others at bay long enough to start frantically keying in commands on the controls -- then
is knocked unconscious.

20 ON COLIN

In anguish, as we......

END OF ACT ONE