A Sliders Fan Script
by Ashe P. Kirk
Episode 6 of my "Season 6 in the 2020s" series
Completed: 3 August 2022
Content Warning: This fic explores the difficult and timely subject of transphobia and TERF rhetoric, and while the fic explicitly condemns it, it may disturb some readers.
Please read with care.
I'm a non-binary intersex person who's been increasingly horrified at hate directed at my friends who are just trying to be themselves, and this is my attempt to work through it, and give others a taste of the future I fear.
This is the kind of thing Sliders could be if it had guts, but last I heard, Tracy Tormé was working on some kind of Sliders reboot that he promised would specifically not be "woke."
In this script, I'm trying to put across the message that the fascist patriarchy won't stop with trans people, and that anyone who throws us under the bus to enjoy a temporary reprieve from oppression better watch their backs, because once they're done with us, guess who's next.
Arturo
I don't get much recognition since the government cover-up forced me into obscurity. -- It pains me to think of what they could have been doing with that technology all this time.
Wade
I heard about what happened to the other Wade -- I have a responsibility not to tarnish her memory.
Rembrandt
What are you workin' on now, Q-ball?
Quinn
New timer.
[Woman spits into Arturo's face.]
Felicity
If I were you I'd get a Covid test.
Arturo
What is a Covid test?
Felicity
Where have you actually been for the past couple years?
[Arturo coughing]
Wade
Professor, not to state the obvious, but I think you have Covid.
Nurse
We set up a video call to say goodbye, in case he doesn't wake up from the induced coma.
Arturo
Wade, if I don't --
(wheeze)
-- survive, -- tell Quinn --
(gasp)
-- he's the best stepson I could imagine.
[Arturo wakes up in hospital]
Cole sits on the staircase, staring at the spot where the vortex has opened up so many times recently. It's as if they're willing it to appear.
Anna wanders in from the hall, looking for them.
Anna
There you are. Whatcha doing?
Cole
Trying to convince myself that if I stare hard enough, they'll show up.
Anna joins them in sitting on the step.
Anna
I wish I could offer any comfort, but these wormhole things are unpredictable, right? Anything could happen. They could be off on adventures like in the show?
Cole
That could mean I'll never see 'em again. And I just met my other Dad, you know?
Anna has no response to that.
Maggie, wearing a towel, is rummaging through her closet, looking for something to wear.
Mallory comes up behind her, and starts massaging her shoulders. She recoils from him.
Maggie
Not now.
Mallory grunts; something just snapped inside him.
Mallory
(contentious)
Not now? Not ever, it seems like!
Ever since Quinn vacated the premises.
Maggie
(nervous)
Oh, don't be silly.
Mallory
Come on. Everyone sees it. Especially me. How many times have we had sex in the month since he left?
Maggie
I don't keep track of--
Mallory
Maggie, you don't need to "keep track" of a big fat zero.
Maggie
(guilty)
Fine, I've been distant.
Mallory
It's because you love Quinn, isn't it?
Maggie
What? No, I love you!
Mallory
Then why, Maggie? Why aren't you giving me any affection?
Maggie
I don't know, okay? You just have... different vibes now.
Mallory
Which suggests that it is Quinn.
Maggie
Look, I'm obviously not going to deny that I went into our relationship loving Quinn. I thought he was dead, though, so it wouldn't matter. And over time that love morphed into a love for you, such as you were.
I don't know why I don't feel as turned on by you now. Maybe it was Quinn that I was attracted to, but I always saw your face, heard your voice, enjoyed your personality. So I just figured it must be you!
Mallory collapses onto the bed.
Mallory
(defeated)
Quinn just keeps ruining my life, even after he's gone. I can't win. I'm always gonna be compared to him, just because we share a name.
He buries his head in his hands.
Mallory
Why doesn't anyone just like me as a person?
Maggie moves to comfort him, but he denies her.
Mallory
Our marriage is a sham! How did I never see it? The way you were so happy after Quinn took over my body. You're never that happy to see me.
Maggie is weeping now.
Maggie
I'm sorry. I never expected to feel this way.
Mallory
Maybe Quinn isn't the only person I'll be separating from this year.
Maggie's eyes widen at the suggestion.
Maggie
You know what, maybe that's not such a bad idea.
She storms out of the room, carrying a pile of clothes.
Cole and Anna's reverie is broken by Maggie storming down the stairs, wearing a few loose items of clothing she'd managed to throw on herself in her rage.
Cole
Mom? Are you okay?
Maggie
(icily)
I'm fine.
As she reaches the bottom of the stairs, she's stopped in her tracks as a vortex opens in front of her.
Cole and Anna stand from their spots, each excited in their own way.
Cole is taken aback to see Missus Mallory and Arturo appear, followed by Wade and Rembrandt.
Both Maggie and Cole are saddened to see the portal close without Quinn showing up, but they are nonetheless relieved to see those that did come.
Maggie
(anger gone for now)
Oh my god, where have you been for a month?! What happened?
Rembrandt
Oh we've just been in Covid isolation is all.
Maggie
Co-what now?
Arturo
We got caught up in a pandemic on another Earth. Finally got a clean bill of health...
(wheeze)
So to speak.
I've come here to recuperate. I was told I could live in some kind of luxury here.
He leans heavily on Missus Mallory. He's in a bad way after his near-death.
Wade
The Professor almost didn't make it. And now he's got a severely reduced lung capacity. He's going to have to rest for a while, I think. Who knows if he'll ever really recover. This kind of thing was pretty common on that Earth.
Maggie
We have deep pockets at our disposal. And you can stay here as long as you want; we have guest rooms coming out our ears.
Maggie helps Missus Mallory carry Arturo toward the living room.
Cole
(to Wade)
Where's Quinn and Aunt Didi?
Wade
They stayed back to work on their containment thingamijig for Colin. But Quinn promised to spend 10 hours here a night, so you'll see him soon.
Cole pumps a fist.
Remy and Wade head to the living room, leaving the two zoomers alone on the stairs.
Anna
(to Cole)
Wow. Sliding really is dangerous, huh?
Cole
From my very limited experience, yes, very.
(grinning)
But, it looks like a spot may have opened up for a young, vibrant team member with sliding in their blood. Who am I to refuse?
Cole follows the group into the living room, with Anna trailing behind.
It's mid-morning, and Diana is standing over the flower beds with a watering can. She completes her chore, and pulls out a small list of tasks that Missus Mallory presumably gave her to take care of the place while she was gone.
Diana
(to self)
Water flowers: check.
Trim hedges? Okay I think she's just turned me into her new gardener. What a pointless waste of time.
Her musing is drowned out by the sound of military vehicles roaring down the street. One by one they begin to stop in front of the Mallory House.
Thinking fast, Diana hides in some bushes.
Quinn lifts his head from his soldering, hearing the commotion. He hurries to the stairs and cautiously peeks out the door.
In terror, he closes it, lunges for the two timers and comms device, placing them in whatever pockets he can find in his clothes.
He then heads for the window in an attempt to escape, but he's only able to open it before two soldiers burst through the door, one pointing a gun at Quinn.
Soldier #1
(pointing a gun)
Sir, put your hands where I can see them.
He puts his hands in the air.
Soldier #1
Turn around slowly.
Quinn does as told.
Soldier #2
Please hand over the timer, sir.
Quinn
I don't know what you're talking about.
Soldier #2
Please don't play dumb with me, sir. We are well aware that you have sliding tech, and we know who you are.
Soldier #1
Hand it over, now!
Quinn sighs, and grabs the old timer from his pocket, giving it up to Soldier #2.
Diana taps very gently on the glass so that Quinn, whose head can be seen right by the window, can hear.
Notably, the tray from the previous episode is still sitting there at the window, almost forgotten.
Quinn stands still for a moment, and then in one swift motion, grabs the tray and hurls it at Soldier #1, using the distraction to toss the new timer out the window, along with the comms device.
Quinn
Go, Diana!
Diana, without any time to think, opens a vortex and slides away.
Both soldiers now have their weapons trained on Quinn.
Soldier #2
Oh, that was a mistake, sir. Come with us please, and no more funny business.
Quinn goes quietly now that the timer is safe.
The vortex opens once more, and Diana collapses into the room, before springing back up and standing vigilantly for some soldier to come through after her.
Fortunately, it closes without that happening.
She breathes a sigh of relief, and then drops to her knees in shock.
Cole's head pops out of the hall.
Cole
Aunt Didi?!
They rush over to her.
Diana
Quinn's in trouble. The military just seized the basement.
She holds up the timer, which has been set for 10 hours in anticipation for Quinn's short stay later.
Diana
I have to slide back in exactly ten hours, or we'll all be stuck here with no way to reach him.
Cole takes a moment to process this.
Cole
(shrieking)
Mom! Dad!!
Quinn sits in silence, hands cuffed to a nailed-down chair. He looks at the analogue clock hanging above the door, concerned. The clock reads half past four.
Finally, the door below the clock starts to open. On Quinn as he refuses to look at whoever's coming in.
Unknown Interrogator (O.S.)
We'd been tracing vortex signatures for few weeks, but we couldn't track down the source 'til... oh!
(amused)
Ha! Should've guessed who I'd find here.
Quinn's eyes pop in recognition of the voice, and his eyes meet one of his doubles, wearing a suit and tie. He looks like he has no shortage of ego. Henceforth known as Bravo.
Bravo
Good afternoon, Quinn. For the sake of the circumstances, call me Bravo; it's one of my code names.
Quinn
What are you doing here? This isn't your Earth.
Bravo's eyes light up with the trademark Quinn excitement. The wheels are spinning in his mind, and he loves it.
Bravo
Oh, interesting.
If you're saying that, then you're either this world's native Quinn, or you know what happened to him. Which is it?
Quinn
Maybe I'm him, maybe I'm not. Could be either. Could be both.
Quinn's eyes dart to the clock, and back.
Bravo holds up the old timer, turning it over. Then he throws it over his shoulder like it's garbage.
Bravo
Useless. You must've cannibalised it to build the one you threw to your lady friend.
Look man, we're intellectual equals, I'm sure. You should have deduced by now that we're not trying to hurt you. It's just this tech needs to be contained. You've surely seen the harm it can do in the wrong hands.
Quinn
What, and your hands are the right ones?
Bravo
(chuckling)
Touché. But maybe you should see our facility before you make that judgement.
Quinn
Oh, goody, the grand tour, huh?
Bravo
Hey, I wouldn't do it for just anyone, you know?
Bravo touches his earpiece.
Bravo
Charlie, this is Bravo. Engage Contingency A6.
He looks at Quinn pointedly.
Bravo
You haven't stopped looking at that clock behind me, so it's pretty obvious to me that the woman you were with is due back pretty soon. I don't know what kind of back up she's getting, so my colleague is in your lab, diverting her next slide to a random Earth.
Quinn
What?!
(disbelieving)
No, there's no way your flunkies know how to do that.
Bravo
You'd be surprised how good my flunkies can be. And relax. We'll let your friend come back as soon as you and I have come to an arrangement. We could use another Quinn on the team, just puttin' it out there.
Quinn stares at him with intense anger.
Bravo
Think about it. You might be surprised at the good we're doing.
He leaves the room, leaving Quinn to stew.
Arturo, Missus Mallory, Maggie, Mallory, Cole, Diana, and Wade all sit around the room.
Maggie is assembling guns.
Maggie
Quinn needs us, and that's all I need to know.
Diana looks at her in gratitude.
Diana
Who else is coming? We're talking the army, okay? It's going to be a long shot at best.
Wade
Count me in, obviously.
Arturo
I am in no state, I'm afraid.
Maggie
That's alright, you get your rest.
Rembrandt
I... want to help, but...
Wade
Remy, you need to do that thing we talked about, okay?
Rembrandt
(head lowered)
Yeah. Okay.
(looking at Maggie and Diana)
I'm sorry.
Maggie
It's alright. You're going through things.
She looks at Mallory, her gaze changing from sympathetic to stony.
Mallory
Why do I get the feeling you don't want me to come along?
Maggie
(angrily)
Mallory, you do what you want. Try not to get fused with another double this time.
Mallory
(venomous)
Oh, just say it. You think I'm useless now.
Maggie
Oh go throw a pity party, Mallory.
The room has become tense, and Mallory stands up.
Mallory
You know what, screw it. I'm outta here.
He storms out, leaving the room gawking in shock.
Cole looks alarmed at what just happened, but nonetheless resolute.
Maggie
I'm sorry about that. We're going through a rough patch. But there's no time to worry about that right now, so let's just focus.
Cole
Mom, let me come.
Maggie
Cole, no! It's way too dangerous!
Mallory hesitates, before hearing:
Cole (O.S.)
(muffled)
It's my Dad! I need to help him.
Mallory sighs, and continues his exit.
It's time. The off-world team of Cole, Wade, Maggie, and Diana make their final preparations.
For Maggie, this means concealing weapons on every part of her body. Guns, knives, more guns, cable ties, and more.
Cole and Diana each have a handgun strapped to their bodies, and Cole places a switchblade in their boot. Diana has a flashlight in a holster on her belt.
Notably, Cole wears an interesting mix of women's and men's clothes - jeans with a shorter skirt over the top, eyeshadow, a leather jacket, big Doc Martens, and a chunky chain around their neck.
Wade
You really need all those weapons?
Maggie
As the boy scouts say, "be prepared."
Cole
I don't love guns, but think about who we're going up against.
Wade
You could have weapons coming out of your eyes and still be greatly outmatched by the military.
Maggie
Ideally, we'll never need to fire a round. But they can be an effective tool for getting people to do what you ask. And that's what we'll need.
Wade sighs, and shrugs.
Diana
All right everyone, let's go.
Diana points the timer, and the vortex bursts open.
They step through.
The four sliders appear from the vortex.
Diana freezes, staring at the house.
The house is painted the wrong colour. It's a shade of blue, when it was once white.
Maggie
Alright, stay sharp everyone.
No military vehicles? Have they already left?
Wade
This... this isn't the right Earth.
Cole
Are you serious? Again?!
Is it just me this keeps happening to?
Maggie
How do you know?
Diana
The house is the wrong colour.
She inspects the paint job - it's weathered and there's caked dirt over it. Then she looks down into the basement window. It's dark, so she flips on her flashlight and looks in.
Diana
Washer, dryer, boxes - no lab.
Maggie
Crap. Let's get out of here before whoever lives in this house sees us.
The foursome regroup on the sidewalk. Diana's looking disdainfully at the timer.
Diana
The military must have somehow messed with the coordinates. I didn't know they would be capable of doing that, unless they forced Quinn to do it.
Wade
How long are we stuck here? Wherever here is.
Diana
(mournfully)
Five days and two hours.
Maggie
(alarmed)
You're kidding!
Cole
What do we do now?
Maggie and Wade exchange glances.
Maggie
Let's head to the Dominion. As long as we can get a room, we can just hole up there until the slide.
The four sliders walk along the busy street towards the hotel, and the women are being assaulted with catcalls and whistles.
All the other women around them wear conservative skirts and dresses, and there are very few women with short hair. This society is highly gendered.
Cole, on the other hand, seems to be getting less favourable looks and comments.
Passer-by #1
Freak!
Passer-by #2
Check out the degenerate!
Passer-by #3
What the hell is that?
Cole, looking extremely worried for their safety, powers ahead into the hotel.
Cole, Maggie, Diana, and Wade step up to the counter. They feel like everyone's staring at them. Behind the counter, a male clerk eyes them.
Maggie
Hi, we'd like a suite, please?
Clerk
Sure, and what name can I put that under?
Maggie
Uh, Beckett. Maggie Beckett.
The clerk just stares for a moment.
Clerk
I need a man's name, ma'am.
Maggie
(annoyed)
There are no men in our group.
The clerk looks Cole up and down with disdain.
Clerk
No, I guess not.
Look ladies, you need a man to check you in. It's the rules. He don't have to stay but he needs to do it. With his credit card.
Maggie scowls at him, and turns to the others.
Maggie
We'll have to find somewhere else.
Cole sighs in exasperation.
Cole
Okay, but I gotta use the bathroom.
Maggie
Should be one by the Hotel bar. Go.
Cole dashes off as we follow them to:
There's a few people awaiting entry into the bathrooms. Cole goes to the ladies queue.
They're not paying much attention. When they reach the front of the line, they realise they're stepping through some kind of X-Ray.
There's a shout, and Cole looks with alarm as two armed men grab them on either side.
Gender Officer #1
Sir, you're under arrest for attempting to enter the women's bathroom.
Cole
(incredulous)
What? I'm not a sir...
Gender Officer #2
X-ray says otherwise, mister.
The police place handcuffs on Cole, who is just dumbfounded.
Cole is forced out of the bathroom, and is taken towards the side exit of the Hotel.
Cole
(top of lungs)
Mom! Help!
Gender Officer #1
Shut your mouth, degenerate.
Cole is manhandled towards a police car parked in the alley.
Cole
No, stop!
They manage to ram an elbow into one of the officer's stomachs, winding him, but it just makes the other one restrain Cole more tightly.
As they approach the car, a great big thud is heard, and we see that the officer has been hit hard in the head by a crowbar.
Two unknown rescuers wearing ski masks have come to Cole's aid.
A drawstring sack has been pulled over the head of the officer that Cole had managed to hurt, and tightened enough to buy time.
Unknown Rescuer #1
Come on! Quick!
Cole finds themself being pulled along in a rush, through alleyways and tunnels, and finally boosted over a chain link fence and behind a dumpster, where they finally get a moment to breathe.
Unknown Rescuer #1
Thanks for giving us that opening. I don't think we could have helped if you hadn't elbowed that pig.
Cole
Thanks... but who are you??
Unknown Rescuer #2
IOA.
Cole looks blankly.
Unknown Rescuer #2
You haven't heard of us?
(sigh)
Guess we need more PR. We're the Intersectional Outcasts Alliance.
Unknown Rescuer #1
We provide a safe haven to folks like you.
Cole
Like me?
Unknown Rescuer #2 takes off their ski-mask, and we see that it's a trans woman, henceforth named Beth.
Beth
Yeah. Gay, trans, intersex, gender-non-conforming, queer. Anyone subject to the Gender Assignment Act.
Cole
Oh dear god, what is that?
Beth furrows her brow.
Beth
You came to the Western States and you don't know that? Oh honey. We have a lot to tell you.
Maggie, Diana, and Wade are still waiting for Cole to return.
Maggie
I'm gonna check on Cole. The way people were commenting before, she could be in trouble.
(catching herself)
I mean, they.
Maggie hurries off.
Wade
They?
Diana
Cole's non-binary. Uses "They/Them" pronouns. Well, they used to use "She/They," but they're trying to transition us all to just "They/Them." We do sometimes catch ourselves saying the wrong thing, but we're trying.
Wade
(seemingly new to the concept, sceptical)
Hmm.
Maggie peers around, and then spots some signage on the walls.
Gender checkpoint
X-ray in use
prosecution applies for improper bathroom use
She overhears a woman:
Woman in Queue #1
I just saw them grab a degenerate trying to enter our bathroom, can you believe it?
Woman in Queue #2
That's what the IOA's pushing for, you know. Men in our bathrooms, exposing themselves.
Woman in Queue #1
Thank god they caught him.
Maggie
(horrified)
Oh, no.
She dashes back toward the lobby.
Wade and Diana are startled by Maggie running back to them, looking frantic.
Maggie
Guys, I think Cole might have been arrested.
Diana
What?! Why?
Wade
What, you've never been arrested within an hour of arriving on some world for breaking some rule?
Maggie
(beside herself)
Cole uses the ladies room when they go. It's generally safer. But, not in this world. They have actual police that monitor who goes in and out of bathrooms, and what they look like... you know, down there. I think they took Cole away.
Diana
Oh my god.
Then, their conversation is broken up by the front doors of the hotel slamming open, and a small crowd of women burst in, wearing t-shirts emblazened with a large "XX". One of them, Mel holds a megaphone.
Mel
(into megaphone)
Ladies and gentlemen, your patriarchal oppression is over! The XX League are takin' over this hotel tonight!
The announcement ellicits a low murmur, followed by some boos from male voices.
The clerk looks at them with annoyance.
Wade grins at these women, who seem to be a huge shift from what they've seen so far on this Earth.
Wade
Right on!
Mel glances at her, and her eyes light up.
Mel
Wade Evans? Ladies, look! Our leader graces us with her presence.
All of the women of the XX League crowd around Wade, who looks back at Maggie and Diana before being swallowed up by them.
Maggie
Doubles again?
Diana
Guess so.
Wade makes eye contact with Maggie. She's a mixture of surprised and elated that her double is the leader of some group that's fighting this oppressive system.
Maggie is less enthused, of course.
Diana
Maybe this group could help us find Cole?
Maggie looks at her, and nods.
Maggie
Let's ask.
Between Beth and a now-unmasked Unknown Rescuer #1, Jesse, a woman with what could be considered by some to be a masculine build, Cole heads, blindfolded, down a winding corridor that opens up to a large industrial warehouse.
Finally, they stop and remove Cole's blindfold.
Cole takes in their surrounding. People of all kinds are scattered here. One section of the room has a series of cots, while another is an industrial kitchen. Yet another area is a simple medical station.
The people around are highly diverse, though the majority are in some way outside the gender norm.
All are scruffy and pale, as if they don't get much sun.
Beth
Welcome to IOA HQ. I'm Beth, by the way. And this is Jesse.
Oh, by the way, this whole facility is a dead zone for cell signals. Keeps us invisible. Don't expect to be calling anybody from here.
Cole smiles at the scene before them. They've never felt more like they fit in than among these people that all look so different.
Jesse
So, you don't seem to know much about our country. Where you from?
Cole
Uh, Canada.
Beth
Never heard of it.
Jesse
Well regardless, if you kept wearing those clothes you would have either been picked up by the pigs or beaten to death sooner or later, even if you hadn't gone in that bathroom.
Cole
I see... what kind of punishment is there for being like us?
Beth
(gravely)
Well, first they try conversion therapy for a year, and if you don't conform to a gender after that they send you to prison 'til you do.
Jesse
Needless to say, most of us who get to prison never make it out. Often we're murdered in there.
Beth's head hangs.
Jesse
Beth's girlfriend, Hayley, died in prison. They'll never say she was murdered by a prison guard, among other unspeakable things, but our sources say she was.
Cole processes this with great horror.
Cole
I'm only here for five days, but while I'm here I wanna help. I have some tech expertise. With the right equipment, I know how to monitor brain waves, tell truths from lies at a higher hit rate than a polygraph.
Jesse and Beth glance at each other, calculating.
Beth
Maybe you can help out. We have a project we're working on. Obviously as a newbie we can't fill you in on much just yet, but...
Jesse
We might be able to get you the tech you need. But for now, grab a meal from the kitchen, and pick a bed.
Located in a well-maintained floor of an office building, the XX League base is much more "legitimate" than the ramshackle headquarters of the IOA. Some women are working at computers, though since it's late at night now, it's largely deserted.
At the entrance, Maggie and Diana have their weapons confiscated.
Maggie stands, arms outstretched, being patted down by one of the women. With each weapon confiscated, she gets more and more annoyed.
Maggie
Do you have to take all of them?
Mel
I'm sorry. We are a strictly non-violent organisation.
They wave Wade through without the strip search.
Maggie
(muttering)
I'd better get these back.
Diana
(impressed)
Non-violent, huh?
Mel
(to Wade)
Missus Evans, welcome to the San Francisco chapter of the XX League. We're delighted you've taken the time to come.
All the women in the place (and they're all cis women) stand up and nod to Wade as Mel leads her through the building.
Wade
(winging it)
No problem. Listen, you got somewhere to sleep here?
Mel
Absolutely, ma'am, I'll have our girls make up a private room off the women's shelter upstairs.
Wade
Can you make it four beds?
Mel
Four? Are you expecting another?
Maggie
We came here with my kid, Cole, but she's missing.
She catches the "she" and cringes.
Mel
Oh, I see. We can help you find her; we have connections in the police. What's the name? Cole...?
Maggie
Cole Mallory.
Mel nods towards a woman at a computer near her, who writes the name down on a notepad.
Mel
So ladies, make yourselves at home and we'll have your quarters prepared in no time.
Maggie and Diana look at one another, somewhat impressed by this organisation, though Maggie is still a ball of anxiety.
It's morning, though you'd hardly notice in this dank place. All the residents are gathered around tables, eating some basic gruel. Cole sits beside Beth and across the table from Jesse.
Beth
(through a mouthful of food)
The intersex folks we have here, most were surgically altered at birth to fit them with either male or female standards.
Jesse
They're the only ones who can legally take hormones, but only for the one gender they were assigned. So in here, they swap around. Has to be rationed but it's better than nothing.
Cole
Why not just play along as a gender?
Beth
A lot do. But it takes its toll. High rates of, well, you know. At least here we're free to be ourselves, even if this is the only safe place we've got.
Cole
I get it. If I was forced to stay a boy, I might not have got this far.
Beth
You had supportive parents, huh? What's that like?
Cole looks into her bowl.
Cole
They had no idea what I was talking about at first, but after a while they saw I wasn't just yanking their chain.
At first they had a lot of trouble adjusting to the change from "he" to "she," but now since I've asked them to call me "they," now they're having trouble not saying "she."
Beth
I really would kill for parents like that. Ones that actually try and understand you.
Cole
Yeah, I guess I'm really lucky.
She finds her eyes welling up as she thinks about her parents.
Cole
I hope they don't separate.
(catching self)
But my problems are nothing compared to yours.
Jesse
Hun, we're all in solidarity here. We have to be, it's our only means of survival. And that means we validate each other's feelings.
Beth nods, and Cole responds with a warm smile. Cole feels connected to these people.
A large group of women, all wearing the XX t-shirts has gathered and they're working on protest signs.
Mel
(addressing the crowd)
Okay girls! Let's show these arrogant males that women deserve equal rights! That we demand an end to male violence! That our bodies are not their property! The next big march is tomorrow, straight to City Hall!
Wade, Maggie, and Diana work on their own signs.
Wade's sign:
Equality now!
Diana's sign:
Silence is violence
Maggie's Sign:
End bathroom policing
Mel comes upon her sign, and looks at it, frowning.
Mel
Excuse me, but that message is not in our ethos.
Maggie
What? Why wouldn't you be against violating people as they go to the bathroom?!
Mel
The only violation that goes on is when males try to invade our bathrooms, dressed up unconvincingly as women.
Maggie can't take this.
Maggie
My child was almost certainly carted away by these gender police, and Cole is no threat to anyone!
Mel
Then your child must be a man in womanface. We oppose all male violence, including the degenerate male who feigns womanhood to satisfy their sick fantasies.
Maggie
(standing up in rage)
Oh don't you dare talk about my baby like that.
Diana
(providing support)
Cole goes to the ladies room when there's no unisex option, because they fear being beaten in a mens room for looking feminine.
Mel
"They?" What kind of freak is this Cole, anyway?
Maggie slaps her hard in the face, and makes a beeline for the exit.
Wade
Wait!
Diana looks at her.
Diana
You could have stood up for Cole.
Wade
They... they're doing a lot of good here, Diana. I can't just give up on 'em because of one thing.
Diana
I'll be honest, I didn't expect this from you, Wade.
Diana shakes her head and turns to leave too.
Diana
We'll meet you at the hotel for the slide. You can do whatever.
She walks away, leaving Wade crestfallen.
Cole is seated near a group of IOA members who are assembling large rifles. Beth sits beside her.
Beth
Unfortunately we don't have the luxury of non-violence. When our lives are on the line every day, it's fight or die.
Of course, that makes for bad PR. We work in such tight-lipped secrecy that the only time anyone hears about us is when we pull stunts like the one we did to rescue you. They paint us as the violent ones, but...
Cole
You're defending yourselves the only way you can.
Beth nods.
Cole
(musing)
Stonewall was a riot...
Beth
(unfamiliar)
Stonewall?
Cole
Oh, just a... story... I once read. About a gay bar hassled and raided by the cops. Things came to a head and they started throwing bricks at the cops in defiance. It was violent, but it was a breakthrough in their fight for rights.
Beth
Sounds like a good story.
Beth thinks for a moment, before finally speaking up again.
Beth
Listen, I shouldn't be telling a newbie this, but we've got such a great plan about to come together. You ever heard of the XX League?
Cole
No. Sounds... exclusionary.
Beth
That it is. They're what I would call the government-approved opposition. They're a safe outlet for most people who disapprove of the patriarchal regime.
Cole
What do you mean, "safe?"
Beth
They're ostensibly a women's rights group who put on big displays. They rattle a few cages, feel good about it, but ultimately change nothing, while throwing people like us under the bus - in fact they'd probably spit on either one of us given half the chance.
(leaning in, whispering)
We've got some serious dirt on them.
The protest is in full swing now, with a huge group of women marching down the street.
Wade walks side-by-side with Mel towards the front of the pack.
She slows her pace, letting the crowd go ahead of her, until she's trailing behind them. Looking defeated, she stops in her tracks in the middle of the road, watching the march go on ahead.
She stands there for a moment, and then:
A sack is thrown over her head.
Cut to Black
Cole and Beth are having lunch at the mess hall table, and Jesse appears, bounding toward them.
Jesse
We caught the big fish!
Beth stands, elated at the news.
Cole
Big fish?
Beth
(whispering)
The leader of the XX League.
Cole smiles at this.
Jesse
(to Cole)
Oh, we got all your components, they're waiting for you by your bed. Be ready by tomorrow, okay?
Cole is now just as excited as the other two.
Wade is tied to a chair, the sack still over her head. Finally, Jesse pulls it off her. Beth and a trans man, Blake, stand near the doorway.
Jesse
Welcome to the fun, Missus Evans.
Wade squints at the light shining on her.
Wade
What's the big idea? Who are you?
Jesse points to a symbol spray-painted on the wall: a circle with an "equals" sign in the middle.
Wade looks at it without recognition.
Wade
Am I supposed to know what that is?
Jesse frowns.
Jesse
Well you've ratted out enough of us, the least you could do is recognise our symbol.
(leaning in close)
We're IOA.
Wade looks blankly.
Wade
Look I don't know who you are, but you've got the wrong person, I swear.
Jesse
Oh my god, screw you. You look down on us, you send our people to prison, if not their deaths, and now you won't even respect us enough to acknowledge we exist? Just for that you can stew until morning.
Jesse heads for the door.
Wade
Wait, I have to use the bathroom!
Jesse
(glancing back)
Tough cookies. All of us here are pretty damn used to holding it. Maybe you can too, hey? Just for a change.
Wade is left alone by the IOA members, the shutting of the door echoing through her small space. She weeps softly in the dark.
Fade to Black
The door creaks open, letting in a shaft of light. Wade, who has been sitting here all night, is exhausted and she shifts around uncomfortably, crossing her legs to try and keep the pee at bay.
Jesse, Beth, and Blake resume their positions.
Jesse
Mornin', sunshine! Ready for round two?
Wade
I wasn't lying, you know. I'm not Wade Evans. I look like her, but I'm not her. Please, you have to believe me.
Jesse has a moment of doubt. She turns to Beth.
Jesse
Bring in the lie detector.
(turning back to Wade)
Hope you weren't bluffing, 'cause we're about to find out for sure.
Wade looks at the door, as she sees a figure coming in with a bundle of wires and sensors attached to a phone.
Then the figure turns, and it's Cole.
Cole locks eyes with Wade.
Cole
Oh my god, Wade!
Cole runs over to her and gives her a hug.
Wade
Cole, I can't believe... we thought you were taken away by the police.
Jesse and Beth exchange horrified looks.
Blake whips his sidearm up and points it at Cole.
Jesse
(betrayed)
How do you know Wade Evans?
Cole
Evans?
They look at Jesse earnestly.
Cole
No, this is Wade Welles, and she is nothing to do with the XX League, I promise!
Beth
Then how come she was picked up while marching with them?!
Jesse
Cole, she was side-by-side with the chapter leader.
Cole looks at Wade, and then they look back.
Cole
Look, I'm not from Canada. I'm from an alternate Earth. And this is an alternate Wade, who's actually from an alternate alternate Earth from mine.
Wade
I hate to complain, but before we go into our convoluted explanation, can I please use the restroom?
Beth and Jesse stare, disbelieving, at this strange turn of events.
Blake and Beth wait outside the bathroom, guns at the ready for any funny business.
Meanwhile, Cole is sitting on a chair near the door, being guarded by Jesse.
An IOA member sidles up to Jesse, and whispers something in her ear, which makes Jesse all the more confused.
A flush comes from the room, the sound of running water, and finally Wade emerges, her hands raised and dripping.
Wade
Thanks. Thought I was going to burst.
Jesse
Look, this story you're tryin' to feed us, it's pretty fanciful.
But I've just been told that Wade Evans is, right at this moment, speaking at a rally in Sacramento. So... I have no choice but to believe that you're not her.
Beth
You could be some kind of twin or some kind of lookalike decoy.
Jesse
But until we can figure it out, we're gonna need you to stay locked away in the interrogation room.
Blake
Look, we'll still feed you, and let you use the bathroom, but we can't let you go.
Cole
Fair enough.
Wade
We only have a few days to the slide, Cole.
Cole
I know. But I trust these people. We just need to convince them, somehow.
The two are lead back to the room by Blake and Beth.
Wade and Cole hold their hands in the air as they enter the room. Jesse follows them in, with a second chair. She puts it down.
Jesse
Sorry Cole.
And she leaves, closing the door behind her.
Diana and Maggie are sleeping uncomfortably on bedbug-ridden beds. With no night clothes, they're merely wearing the clothes they have had on for days now.
A dark shape moves into frame, looming over the sleeping women.
As this person walks towards the beds, a small creak is enough for Maggie's eyes to snap open.
She jumps to her feet, and flips on the lamp. It's an older man, who freezes in surprise.
Diana wakes, and frantically sits up.
Diana
What the heck! The guy from the reception desk?!
Maggie
Oh you dirty bastard. Get the hell out of here before I kick your sorry ass! I mean it.
She throws a shoe at him.
Maggie
Beat it, scumbag!
The man scurries out, leaving the two women feeling wholly unsafe.
Diana
This world claims to care so much about women's safety, but I've never felt less safe.
Maggie
Yeah. Let's get out of here.
Cole lies on the concrete floor, staring at the ceiling. Wade sits on her chair, bent over with her face in her hands, similarly listless.
Cole
So why were you hanging around with the XX League?
Wade
They seemed to be doing good work. But then they started saying all these horrible things about "degenerates;" Maggie and Diana left there and then. I thought maybe they were salvageable from within, I just wanted to find their Wade and maybe I could explain myself to her.
Cole
(wryly)
Do you know why they brought you here?
Wade
I have no idea. I thought it must be the gender police come to take me away for being the leader of the league. Never suspected it would be another rebel group.
Cole
There's a reason the gender police leave the XX League alone, and it's because this world's Wade is a collaborator with them.
Wade
What?!
Cole
Yeah. These guys got a hold of some photos of her and the governor being really chummy together at his mansion.
Wade
So they were planning on blackmailing her?
Cole nods.
Cole
She collects information on "degenerates" who come to the XX League for help, and gives it straight to the governor. Lots of IOA members have been burned by her, or know someone who has.
Wade
My god, she's a monster!
Cole
And in return, her group is permitted to operate, as long as they don't cause any real, problematic disruptions. They're treated like an exhaust valve for angry women, to stop the pressure from becoming explosive.
(sitting up)
And at the same time they continue to spread propaganda about people like me and this group, in order to use 'em as a scapegoat. Everybody wins, except us degenerates who get thrown under the bus by all of them. Classic fascism if you ask me.
Wade
I'm so sorry. I didn't know.
Cole
Yeah. Most of the people out there don't.
Wade's eyes widen.
Wade
Oh, I just got an idea.
She shoots Cole a grin.
Maggie and Diana sit at a table nursing glasses of water. They're both very tired, owing to their lack of safe place to sleep.
Maggie taps away at her phone.
Maggie
I seem to have phone service, but neither Wade's nor Cole's phones are ringing. I don't know if it's just this world having incompatible networks, or what.
Diana
Could be any number of things. Listen, let's just go back to the damn XX League, at least they have a women's shelter.
Maggie
(sighing)
You may be right.
But then, Maggie's phone rings. She looks up at Diana.
Maggie
It's Cole!
She answers.
Maggie
Cole, oh my god... what?
Whoa, slow down.
A moment passes.
Maggie
Ah... alright. No, we're at the all-night diner two blocks east of the Dominion.
Okay, I guess we'll see you then.
She hangs up the phone, almost teary-eyed with relief.
Diana
What they say?
Maggie
Okay. So, Cole said they couldn't say much over the open line, but they're with Wade, and there's a car coming to pick us up outside in ten minutes.
Diana just looks at her, mouth agape.
Beth, wearing a masculine disguise despite herself, drives the car. Cole sits in the driver side back, with Wade in the front passenger seat. The passenger side back door opens, and in get Maggie and Diana.
Diana
Apologies if this car gets bedbugs. We just spent a night in the shadiest motel I've ever seen.
Beth
Oh, don't worry about that; these cars are gonna get torched when we're done with 'em.
Maggie
Where are we going, and how did you escape the cops, and--
Cole
Chill Mom.
They eye their mother through the rear view mirror.
Cole
I've just been hangin' out with trans militia members in a secretive anarchist collective. That's all.
Maggie can't help but smile at this.
Maggie
That's my baby.
Wade
As for where we're going? That would be Sacramento. I'm gonna be continuing a long slider tradition.
Beth
Look, I don't know if I believe any of this sliding business, but that video you taped was...
Beth does a "chef's kiss" gesture.
Wade looks proud of herself.
Beth
There's a few other cars taking alternate routes to the rendez-vous. You'll have plenty of backup.
Cole
Thanks Beth. I owe you so much.
Beth
Pull this off, and consider the debt repaid.
Wade Evans, makeup and expensive jewellery, walks, flanked by two burly male bodyguards, towards her home.
From every hiding spot appears an IOA militant, pointing their gun at the three. Wade E looks distraught.
Jesse, clad in a ski mask, walks in front of them.
Wade Evans
What is this?!
Jesse
Missus Evans, I'm afraid you're going to have to get in the car.
Wade Evans
What car?
Right on cue, a car pulls up beside them.
Jesse
That one.
Having no choice, she gets in.
Waiting for her inside are three more figures, also wearing ski masks. Jesse joins them in the car, so Wade E is in the middle.
The car pulls away and they start weaving through the streets.
Wade Evans
IOA, I presume?
I had no idea you'd be so brazen.
Beth
(from the driver's seat)
We have a few aces up our sleeve.
Jesse
Yeah, like all this information and photographic evidence of your collusion with the governor.
Wade Evans
(defeated)
... I see.
What are your demands?
Jesse
Nice to hear you're co-operating.
It's simple: tell us when and where you're next meeting the governor.
Wade Evans
What, so you can storm in and shoot up the place?
Beth
You know, there's far more to us than violence. We actually help people that need it instead of handing over their names to be arrested.
Wade Evans
Look, I can't. You know they would destroy the XX League at the slightest murmur of my betrayal.
Jesse
Sounds a lot like someone you shouldn't have gotten in bed with to begin with.
Wade Evans
I give people hope that the regime can some day be toppled.
Beth
You sacrifice people like me to keep your status and false hope. Don't you dare pretend you're doing good.
Wade Evans
Well, regardless, that evidence you think you have can easily be faked. Nobody will believe the IOA.
The person in the passenger seat, who has been silent until now, pulls off their ski mask and turns around, to reveal Wade.
Wade
What if you confessed?
Wade E just stares in shock.
Wade
I already recorded a video; wanna see?
She holds up her phone, and hits play.
Wade
(on tape)
Hello, I'm Wade Evans, leader of the XX League. I have a confession to make.
You see, I've been secretly working with Governor MacArthur to funnel information on gender-non-conforming individuals, also known as "degenerates," in exchange for my group's continued operation without prosecution.
I am deeply ashamed to have sold out my principles in this way, and in apology, wish to throw my full-throated support behind the Intersectional Outcast Alliance, who have worked tirelessly to support trans, intersex, and gender-non-conforming people, providing them with sanctuary and health care.
The patriarchy's violence is perpetrated on both women and people whose body and gender presentation doesn't neatly fit our society's strict categorisations, forcing those most vulnerable to hide in the shadows lest they be abused at best, or killed at worst, while my group enjoys privileges not dreamed of among the IOA.
I am deeply regretful to have bought into the lies that the governor and his supporters have spread about my trans siblings. We are in this together, and only through solidarity can we hope to topple this fascist regime.
Your physical sex characteristics do not define who you are, and I am truly sorry that I've lead this group to hatred against those who need us the most.
Thank you.
Wade Evans closes her eyes.
Wade Evans
This is just a nightmare. It's not happening.
Jesse
You gonna tell us now?
Wade Evans
(tears rolling down her face)
Kimpton Sawyer. Tomorrow night, 7pm sharp. Under the name Charles Laurel.
What are you gonna do with me now?
Beth
Relax, we'll let you go, soon as we play our little ace here. 'Til then? Welcome to the real rebellion, Missus Evans.
Fade to:
Governor MacArthur, a middle-aged man with a stout build and neatly trimmed hair, sits on the bed, clad in a satin robe.
A knock at the door.
MacArthur grins lecherously, and hurries over to the door. He opens it, and Wade walks in. She wears her double's clothes and makeup.
Wade
(in greeting)
Governor.
MacArthur moves in to kiss her and she stops him.
Wade
Listen, before all that, I have some important information about the IOA.
He stiffens.
MacArthur
Oh, what information?
Wade
Well, the truth is, I've decided to join them.
MacArthur
What the heck are you on about?
Wade
They have a recorded confession and endorsement from me that they'll release should you make any move on either organisation. Or if anything happens to me.
MacArthur
What are you saying? You're willing to give all this up for some degenerates? What's gotten into you?
Wade
It's over, governor. This dance we do, where you always get to stay on top. No more.
MacArthur
You're out of your mind, Wade.
Even if you send out some video like that, who's going to believe you?
Wade
I control chapters all over the Western States who hang on my every word. You saw to that.
MacArthur
And one word from me, and all of them get carted to jail.
Wade
Will the people stand for that? Or will that push them over the edge and encourage them to rise up? Your call.
Wade smiles, satisfied with herself. She exits the suite, confident.
MacArthur
You crazy witch. The XX League's days are numbered!
MacArthur, red-faced, pulls out his phone and dials a number.
MacArthur
Good evening chief. Yes, I'm calling to put a bounty--
He's about to continue when he hears a click and feels a gun barrel, complete with silencer, on the back of his neck.
IOA Militant
(whispering in his ear)
You better hang up.
MacArthur
Ah, never mind.
He hangs up the call, and raises his hands slowly.
The sound of a silenced gunshot can be heard.
Several Nondescript Sedans pull up to the side of the road, and Maggie, Wade, Cole and Diana get out of the car, along with Jesse and Beth.
Cole hugs Jesse and Beth.
Wade
How's the other Wade doing?
Jesse
She knows everything she had going on is over. Just how over, none of us really know. But maybe now she might have to come to us for help, and that's a bargaining chip I can handle. We've given her a secure line of communication.
Beth
So, how long did you say you have?
Diana
(checking the timer)
Looks like just over a minute now.
Maggie
Thanks for taking care of my baby, you two.
Beth
(warmly)
Supportive parents are so precious, Cole, and you've got two.
Cole
Three actually... but that's beside the point...
Beth
You hang on to them.
Maggie's face softens.
Diana
Ok, here we go. Be prepared for anything.
She opens the vortex. Jesse and Beth marvel at it.
Maggie, Diana and Wade jump in. Cole hangs back just a moment.
Cole
So... you took the shot, didn't you?
Jesse
We had to.
Cole
(smiling grimly)
I hope you're right. See you.
Cole jumps through, and it closes.
The vortex deposits Maggie, Cole, Diana, and Wade right back in Arturo's basement lab.
Before them, Quinn sits on a stool, chewing casually on a Red Vine. He turns to face them and waves.
Quinn
Ah! Hey guys, glad you're safe.
Wade
Quinn? What happened? I thought you were captured!
She lunges forward and hugs him.
Quinn
The military did something funky with the machine that sent you to a random world, but I fixed it. Can I have a quick look at the timer, though? Need to adjust somethin'.
Diana hands him the timer. He grabs a screwdriver and starts opening up the back.
Cole's brow furrows ever-so-slightly, as they sense something the others don't.
Diana
I thought they were gonna clear this place out.
Quinn's busily taking apart the timer piece by piece as he speaks:
Quinn
Nah, it's built into the walls. Would have been a waste of effort when it's perfectly fine here. Don't worry about it.
Diana
(suddenly alarmed)
Quinn, why are you disassembling the timer?
Cole
He's... not our Quinn...
He looks up at them, and flashes a smile.
Quinn
(pointing a screwdriver at Cole)
Good catch.
He touches a finger to an earpiece, which we had not seen previously.
Quinn
Bravo, this is Charlie. Mother Bird has nested. I repeat: Mother Bird has nested.
(with a smirk)
Four birds, actually.
He gives a quick wink to the four.
Wade walks back several steps.
Wade
Who the hell are you?!
The Quinn double, Charlie, gives a quick shrug.
Charlie
(as if it's obvious)
I'm Quinn Mallory.
He grabs his jar of Red Vines and offers it to them.
Charlie
Red Vine?
Cole, in a state of shock, reaches out for one. Maggie slaps their hand away.
Cut to Black.