“The Dying Fields” is episode twelve of season four of Sliders.
The Sliders arrive on what initially seems to be a pleasant world, though they are only there for a day. Rembrandt goes to drink from a pool, but there’s a skeletal human corpse in it, missing one hand. They hear running and hide, as two people run into view. One, a woman, shoots the other in the back.
Another man starts arguing with the woman over the kill. Neither looks entirely human. The woman even tells the man that something is terribly human of him. The man, Kryoptus, says if he doesn’t get a kill soon the general will banish him. The woman, Kyra, says this one is hers. Kryoptus hands her a blade to take the eyes, as per the general’s orders. Kyra hasn’t developed a taste for them yet. Kryoptus says that’s terribly human of her. She scans the wrist then severs the hand.
Rembrandt says they’re Kromaggs, but Colin says they look different. Maggie agrees; they look softer. Almost human, according to Quinn. Rembrandt says he can smell them. After the others leave, they search the body; Colin is impressed with the Swiss Army Knife. Maggie takes the dead man’s gun and wonders if it’s a war zone. Quinn suggests a war game.
The Sliders enter a place and Colin steps on something that triggers a popup target. A human target. Maggie can’t see shell casings; they must use energy weapons. On hearing a vehicle approach they hide. Two actual Kromaggs are in it. The driver is talking to the other, General Kronus, about Kyra nearly having enough kills to join the Elites and that it’s a shame that a Dynasty general must dirty his hands with the Humagg mongrels. Kronus tells him all great civilisations use slaves.
Rembrandt wants to take them out. Maggie agrees, sort of; they need to find out what the Kromaggs are doing. They spot a rifle barrel through a window and manage to capture the woman holding it.
Her name is Jenny Anderson and she asks where their tattoos are. All humans have tattoos. She wonders where they are from. She was taken one night in a crazy spaceship to this alien safari. Her and six others were given tattoos and a weapon and turned loose. Make it to day 20 and they go home. She’s up to day 18. She knew the dead man. The others are hiding. Quinn gives Jenny her gun back.
Jenny leads them to the other humans, who hold them at gunpoint, as they know about the Kromagg ability to look human. Though they don’t know who the Kromaggs are. The Sliders offer to help them go after the Kromaggs but the others think they will go home when the 20 days are up. Rembrandt says that won’t happen. Jenny knows the general direction of the camp and offers to take them there.
Kyra and Kryoptus are in a barracks; Kyra is leading in kills. They’re being flirty when Kronus arrives. He doesn’t seem happy that Humaggs will sully the Elites with human blood. He also suggests Kryoptus might perform better with a number on his arm. Kronus asks Kyra if there was anything left from her last kill. No; both headshots. However, Kryoptus hands the general fresh eyes on the way out, and says he got them from Kyra’s last kill.
Colin and Quinn are explaining the Kromaggs to Jenny when they come under fire from Kryoptus. Jenny tries to lead him away and gets shot. Colin heads back and attacks Kryoptus, only to be captured by Kyra before Quinn gets there. Colin says he isn’t part of the game, showing his arm.
Quinn returns to the others, who still think Jenny only had two days left to survive. The Sliders can have weapons, but no more. The Kromaggs will try to lure them out; they did that before by shooting a human in the leg and nailing him to a billboard until someone tried to help.
Colin is questioned by Kronus, who oddly doesn’t recognise the timer. Kronus tells Kyra to take a close look; Colin is even uglier than her. She agrees. But perhaps doesn’t. Kronus wants her to cut out Colin’s eyes. She detects that he’s afraid. But not of her; for the others. Kronus congratulates her on her mental training. They will save the eyes for later.
The others need to rescue Colin. Something new is learned about the Kromaggs. Of the Humaggs, Kyra, at least, seems conflicted. Though she’s also good at killing humans.