All language subtitles for nowhere_man_s01e07_a_rough_whimper_of_insanity

My name is Thomas Vail, or at least it
was.

I'm a photographer.

I had it all. Life, Allison, friends, a
career.

And in one moment, it was taken away.

All because of a single photograph. I
have it.

They want it.

And they will do anything to get the
negative.

I'm keeping this diary as proof that
these events are real.

I know they are. They have to be.

I run, whether I'm running towards
something or away from it, I'm not

sure.

Then there are times that I stop out of
sheer exhaustion and fear, because I

need a job and money to live on.

During the last few months, I've found
that I am not the only person who lives

in fear.

Fear takes many shapes and claims many
victims.

This is the fourth time I've been to
this house, and it is a house of fear.

I know it. I can feel it.

I can smell it.

But it's difficult to determine if what
I feel is the fear that I carry with me,

or if something inside this house, or
perhaps even the house itself, has

nightmares of its own.

And because we live in darkness and hide
in the shadows, we remain mostly

unknown.

I suspect that there are more of us in
the darkness than most people imagine.

Those who hide, those who fear.

I know this is where I live.

A medium pepperoni, onions, and an extra
large stromboli special. Pull the

jalapenos. All right. Come on, keep it
moving, Pepe. Okay, man, I'm doing it.

People are starving out here.

Yeah, I know, I know.

You better put on your hat.

I can't find it.

Brace yourself.

Hat's cost $3. You make $6 .50 an hour,
so maybe next time you'll hold on to

yours.

You're not out in ten minutes. I'll call
in the troops.

Peppy, we're backing up here.

Yeah, I know. Tom, we have orders going
out.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Where's your hat, Tom?
I don't know. Maybe in the car.

Maybe? Yeah, hats cost three dollars,
Tom. You make $6 .50 an hour.

Maybe next time you'll hang on to yours.

There you go, man. Fifth night in a row.

Looks like you picked up Joel's old run.

South Ardmore.

Guy's a weirdo. Wouldn't know. I've
never seen him.

Yeah, that's what I mean. Nobody has
ever seen him.

The pie goes in, the money comes out.

Weirdo. He keeps to himself. He's not
hurting anybody.

Not anybody we know about.

Right.

That's right. You find that hat, I want
the new one back.

And don't think I didn't see you take
that soda.

Come on, Pepe.

Hurry up.

Okay, order up.

Yeah.

Whoa. Hey, pizza's here.

Hey,

everything okay in there?

Oh.

Oh.

Oh. Oh.

Oh.

Oh.

Hey. Hey.

Hey.

Hey, man, you all right? Don't touch me.
Don't touch me.

Okay. Okay.

A little more. Take it easy.

That's good.

It's not going anywhere. There's plenty
more. Just slow, slow. Take it slow.

I get dehydrated. I forget to drink.

You have to drink to stay alive, right?

Here you go. You can hold this.

Sorry, I really...

Don't like to be touched.

Okay.

All right, well, I'll just put this
right here.

You're the pizza guy, right?

I'm the pizza guy.

Then this is for you.

No, no, no, it's on me. Forget it. No,
no, no, please take it. Forget it.

You don't have to shout.

Well, so, uh... When was the last time
somebody else was in this house?

When was the last time you were out of
this house?

Thank you for the pizza. You can go now,
please.

Hey.

Hey.

You need a doctor. No doctors.

Look, I'm fine. I just got a little
dehydrated. I'm fine now, okay?

Okay. You're

pretty

good at this stuff, huh?

What's this thing?

It's a router.

Right. I guess it comes in handy when
you've got some major routing to do.

It's a high bandwidth connection to the
network.

Oh.

Don't you know anything about computers?

Yeah, sure. I mean, they're confusing
and impersonal. When I get near one, it

doesn't work.

You don't get it at all, do you?

No.

This stuff is beautiful,

man.

It's pure poetry. It's orderly.

It's logical.

It's contained.

On, off, zero, one.

The power to recreate intelligence.

Maybe even better.

Click, click.

On and off.

It's beautiful.

Well, I guess I'm just more the beer
babes and baseball type.

You think I can't do that here?

You think I can't go there?

What do you want?

Major league scores from the U .S.? How
about from Tokyo?

Batting averages from 1960.

Team earnings, league profits, ballpark
dimensions, architect names. Come on,

name it.

Kofax's ERA.

What do you want? What do you want?

How about just a bag of peanuts?

You think you're joking, right?

There is a market down on Flower in
Carlson. They have a fax machine and

deliver. What do you want?

Salted or un?

In the shell or out?

All right, all right. I get your point,
but I mean...

That isn't everything, Scott. I mean,
there's more to life than just click,

click, zero, one.

Oh, yeah. You're out there delivering
pizzas in a paper hat.

Are you having fun?

I'm flesh and blood, man. I'm out there.

I'm out there.

I haven't been computerized.

Come on.

You think you can avoid this? You think
that just because you're not sitting in

front of a monitor that you're not
involved in this? You're in here. We're

in here. Like it or not, this is one big
cyberspace gangbang, and we're all

invited. No.

You won't find me in there.

What are you talking about?

Well... This isn't the dark ages. This
isn't the 70s.

You get a paycheck, you rent an
apartment, you buy something in a

store, you're in here. I could get your
whole life up here in one second.

Okay.

Go ahead, show me what you can find.

I'll need some information.

Name?

Thomas J.

Vale, V -E -I -L.

What's your social security number?

549.

24 -1889.

Totally amazing.

What? You found me.

I did, and I didn't.

What was that supposed to mean?

You've been deleted, man. Big time. I've
never seen anything like it. I can't

understand this. It's amazing.

What does that mean? If I've been
deleted, how could you find me? Well, I

you because I know what I'm doing.

You have to understand that deleted
files only look deleted to the system.

until they're wiped out, if you know
what you're doing, you can find them.

And they haven't all been wiped?

Well, most of them have been.

What is this? Do you realize the access
required to accomplish something like

this?

You couldn't do it. The president of the
United States couldn't do it. This is

big. time big brother freaky stuff man
it's almost impossible

obviously not entirely yeah but how i
mean computers are not centrally linked

this would take years and even then how
do you get into every computer into

every database access secure lines and
totally eradicate every trait of a

person's life

Who the hell are you?

She's pretty

And you have no idea how she got into
this?

No, I'm not sure.

I mean, part of me needs to believe she
was pressured, and somehow she did what

she did because she was trying to
protect me, but... I don't know, part of

just... It's hard with people. You can't
always be sure.

I mean, not like computers.

Click, click.

Yeah, but computers don't light you up
with a look of recognition.

You know, they don't brighten when you
come into a room.

It's not quite the same.

That's closer.

But no cigar.

It's a phrase, man. Close but no cigar.

I know. Yeah, I know.

Need a little lighting.

Hey, close it. It's too bright in here.
Come on.

It's better like this.

It's always twilight in here. It's
always the same. I don't have to worry

what the outside world is doing right
now because right now never changes.

Hey, um... Scott, no.

You know, before your parents died, did
you go out?

I mean, you must have had friends from
school.

Hey, I got my first computer when I was
13, and it's the first time I ever

remember feeling happy.

Happy or just safe?

Like there's a difference.

Hey, man, it's all the same. No, it
isn't. Safe is happy.

You were safe, and you felt happy. Now
you're not. Scott, there's more to it

than that. I mean, it's... I don't know,
it's a feel of fall on your face.

It's the pain in your stomach after one
chili dog too many.

It's something lost and something
gained.

Somebody's touching the side of your
face.

And it's being afraid.

And loving someone.

And being loved. That is a poem, man.

That's something you read in a book.
That's something you look at over and

again, wanting it to be real, and it
never is.

Scott, you can't live without other
people. I mean, believe me, I know you

live without human contact. I don't live
without human contact.

I just make it the way I need it to be.

What is this?

You know what virtual reality is?

No, not first -hand.

Well, you want to know how I get by,
right?

With virtual reality, I can create any
environment I want, and it's as good as

the real thing.

It's okay.

You can get a feel for it. Just move
your legs like you're walking.

It's incredible.

Feel a ball on your face?

But it's not real.

It's virtually real.

You feel it.

You taste it. You believe it.

It's real.

Hi, Scott.

I've missed you.

She always says the right thing.

Oh, this is my friend, Tom.

Hi, Tom.

Well, you had no trouble talking when
you were giving me advice.

Sorry.

Sorry, hi.

Didn't we make arrangements for you to,
uh, bring...

A friend?

If you're going to play hard to get,
then it just means I get to keep both of

them for myself.

This is Tom.

It's a pleasure to meet you, Tom.

She's in my database now, but don't
worry.

I'll save her for you.

I'm taking.

Would

you?

You're staring at me.

You're just so beautiful.

You're very beautiful.

Would you dance with me?

Are you expecting someone?

No.

I love you.

I love you.

Scott, no, don't.

About two hours after you passed out.

What are you doing?

I think I found a way to get to
whoever's doing this to you.

What I thought... No, you said... No,
no, what I said is I'm the best.

Whoever the hell they are, they're not
better at this than me.

See, I just have to stop relying on the
domain servers and plug in some raw IP

addresses.

I'm getting through some major doors
now.

I guess I really freaked you out with
the VR.

Your brain looks like it's on an
overdriver.

It just felt so real.

It is real.

That's what I told you. I mean, your
head believes it and everything else

along for the ride.

I think I've got something.

What?

It's a government computer at MIT.

Tricky. What's that?

They've routed you through a weather
server in Reykjavik.

One more and we got it.

Pardon?

I don't know

why

this is taking so long.

What's been happening? What?

They've tunneled into my system. Turn
the power off. I can't. Not with them in

here. I've got to get them out.

Damn it. Get out of here.

Get out of here.

They know where we are, man.

Scott, we've got to get out of here.
This is my whole life. This is

I've got.

Damn it. Get out of here. Get out of my
system.

No, we've got to go. We've got to go.
Come on.

No.

No. Get back there. I've got to get back
there.

Oh, no!

Close it! No, Scott, we gotta... Close
it!

Clark, take me upstairs.

Right.

Come on. Are you getting on or what?

Got a schedule to keep here. Come on.

Take me inside.

Take me inside.

Please, Tom.

Please.

Scott. Scott.

Scott. We can't stay here.

I can't do this, Tom. I can't stay out
here. Why are they doing this, Tom? I'm

not sure. Maybe we got too close. Maybe
we wandered into something that they

didn't want us to see. Either way, we're
not safe here.

Scott. Scott. You've got to listen to
me.

Listen. You know anybody who lives
around here? Anybody at all?

Relatives, friends of the family,
anybody.

Scott, we've got to get off the street.

Scott. Scott, think.

Think. I have no friends. I have no
friends. I have no friends. There's got

be somebody someplace.

Only Pam. Only Pam.

Pam. Who's Pam? My teacher.

My high school computer teacher.

Scott, that's ten years ago. That's the
only one I can think of.

Okay. Okay, that's good. That's good.

What's her last name?

Peters. Pam Peters.

Peters? She lives on Larchmont.

I'm going to find the phone booth. I'm
just going to leave you here for five

minutes. Don't leave me. I've got to
find out if I can even find her. I'm

going to the corner. I'll be right back.
Don't leave me. Don't leave me. Please.

Okay. Okay. He took everything.

He took my whole life.

He took my whole life.

He took my whole life.

I miss Peters.

Scott? He's not doing too well.

You were the only person he could think
of. Do you mind if we come in?

Oh, sure.

Yes, please. Come on in.

He was always the best.

Whenever everybody else saw dead ends,
Scott saw open doorways. He was such a

bright kid.

At 18, he designed a significant piece
of software for a venture capital firm.

I heard he made a good deal of money off
of it. Yeah, he told me he's been

living off the profits and bonuses for
the last 10 years.

I had heard that he had some problems,
you know, after his parents died, but I

had no idea.

A rough whimper of insanity.

What's that?

A rough whimper of insanity.

It's an anagram, something that Scott
discovered, a rearrangement of the

information superhighway.

God, in a sad way, it really seems to
fit.

Well, yeah, he seems to take more
comfort in solos in front of a computer

monitor than he does in the real world.

Yeah, well, the world's been pretty
cruel to him.

God, I just wish I had known how far it
had gone. Maybe I could have been there

for him.

Well, I think in some ways you were.

Well, he's really lucky to have a friend
like you.

Actually, we just met.

He was helping me track down some
information at his house, and then there

problem, and we had to get out pretty
quick.

Damn it.

The permissions on this file are locked.

What are you trying to do?

I'm trying to locate a file.

So why can't you just circumvent the
permissions and access it directly?

You can't fetch it without initiating
defense. Forget it. Forget it, Scott.

We've already been there.

Wait a minute. I think maybe there's a
way to do this. Let me just be clear.

are trying to access a highly secured
file that's surrounded by firewalls?

Okay.

Of course.

Scott, how do you get the file?

I don't know what you're saying.

The answer's in the question.

How do you look at a file that you can't
open and you can't fetch?

You don't try.

That's right.

You guys just came up with a dictionary.
What are you talking about?

We don't try to get the file. We go to
the file. Oak Park, Michigan.

We can go there.

We can look at the file. We just can't
take it with us.

Go on.

Essentially, you'll be making a one -way
connection.

No one will even know the file's been
read.

How do we go there?

I'll need your VR helmet.

Where are we?

Discarded heat memory. Random data that
they use to fill the space between

files.

Wow, they sure went to a lot of trouble
to dress this place up.

Somewhere around here should be the door
to your file.

This is it.

What is it?

It's a painting of the photograph I told
you about.

Stand back.

Okay, one of these is yours.

No, no, no, don't worry.

They're all sequential. We just have to
find the right sort of key.

Okay, let's see.

There's eight digits.

It's not a driver's license.

Okay, it's not a social security number.

Stage 1, 120, 1985.

Maybe it's a birthday.

No, no, no. That's not a ten -year -old
girl.

Where do we start?

Eight digits.

It's a date.

I bet you it was the date that the file
got copied to the disk.

It's August 28th, 1995.

That was the day.

The day it happened.

What?

The day I lost everything.

This is 70s, 80s.

It's gotta be up there.

How are you a person climbing?

Nice and slow.

Oh, I see.

How you doing?

Harder, Bugs.

I can't get my footing.

Take it easy. Remember, it's virtual
reality.

It's okay. I'll get the files.

I found it.

82895.

This is it, man.

This is really it. Scott, what does it
say?

Oh, my God. What?

It's not what you thought.

Just bring it down, Scott.

God, what's happening?

What happened? I don't know.

Something went wrong.

Oh, dear God.

Scott!

Scott!

Scott, come on.

Come on, Scott. Come back to us. Come
on.

All right, I need you to tell me
everything that happened in there. We

trying to get out, and the walls were
disintegrating. Scott said it was

they were deleting the system.

And he could have made it. He stopped
intentionally.

I think he's still in there.

I think when the system went down, he
went down with it. What are you talking

about? It wasn't real. We weren't really
there.

Yeah, but if your mind believes it, it's
real.

This is insane.

Scott.

Scott.

Scott.

It wasn't real. It didn't happen.

It didn't happen.

It didn't happen. It wasn't real.

It was like two more feet you could have
made.

Tom, it was what he wanted.

You made a choice.

What? What, to stay in that room while
it disintegrated?

I don't think that he thought there was
anything out here for him.

There's a chance that he can still find
his way back.

So he can come back.

Yeah, he could if he wants to.

Tom, I'm not sure that he ever will.

Those of us who live in fear keep our
secrets hidden, protected from prying

eyes, and only Scott knows what drove
him to make the decision that he made.

And only Scott knows the answer to the
question that I've been searching so

to find.

There are more of us in that darkness
than most people imagine.

I know this is where I live.