Original subtitles

NARRATOR: In the city of Betaville, in the near future,

the technology we developed confronts us.

The science we created that seduces us,

but will our dreams of tomorrow be turn into a nightmare?

"Welcome to Paradox."

Be careful what you wish for.

Nothing is impossible anymore.

THE HOST: When you enter the underside

of a city like Betaville, technology has taken control.

You find secrets too dark and too

dangerous for the human mind to ever imagine.

Rashid Kaye has been sent here to find a missing person,

but what he'll really discover is that nothing

is what it appears.

People are not what they seem, and the truth is elsewhere.

HERTZAL: I'm afraid my conscience

doesn't leave me any choice.

I quit.

You can't do that, Hertzal.

Nobody just leaves Teraspan.

I was surprised too when I found

out I still had a conscience.

20 years being a corporate spook is a hell of a long haul.

We want the list.

The list of people I recruited.

My agents.

The list of innocent men and women

I blackmailed into spilling secrets for you,

you want me to give it to you so you can squeeze them again.

You want that last, gentleman, you

can have it over my dead body.

Get the list, then kill him.

There is no time to explain.

Quickly.

The name is Manheim, Pablo Manheim.

No need to go into the details now.

Suffice it to say I heard a rumor

you might be having some difficulty,

and you might need a place to hide where no one would

ever find you or what you know.

Follow me.

Follow me.

Come.

This place you're taking me, what makes you so

sure no one will ever find me?

When you get there, you'll have a new name a new identity.

Believe me, Hertzal, it would take a real miracle for anyone

to track you down there.

A miracle is exactly what you need.

RASHID: My name is Kaye.

Rashid Kaye.

I'm an inquiry agent, what they used

to call a private detective back in the good, old days.

Those days have long gone.

Some things never change.

Husbands still cheat on their wives,

employees still steal from their bosses,

and every once in a while, some ordinary citizen

turns up missing.

Someone wants them found, they come to me.

This the kind of work makes it hard to get

an optimistic outlook on the future of humanity.

Then again, optimism isn't exactly

what brings in my paycheck.

Now, Hugo Burns had just gotten himself released

on another technicality.

The DA called him slime, he called the DA a moron.

Cats were scratching.

The dogs were snipping.

Yeah, life was looking sweet.

Well, wouldn't you know it, I had myself a visitor.

You're inquiry agent.

Yeah, that's right.

Who's asking?

I'd like an inquiry conducted.

Uh-huh.

This man is missing.

We'd like him found.

We?

My name is Victor Lazar.

I'm a lawyer representing Mrs. Walt Hertz,

wife of the missing person.

Have a seat, please Mr. Lawyer.

This a divorce case?

Mr. Hertz and his wife had been separated shortly

before his disappearance.

Mrs. Hertz is anxious to complete the divorce and reach

a final property settlement, which cannot be done easily

in he Mr. Hertz' absence.

How long has he been out of touch?

Two weeks.

Mr. Hertz works at the Bureau of Records.

One day he didn't show up for work, not a trace of him

at the hotel room where he'd been staying,

and he made a substantial withdrawal from the bank.

So your man took a walk.

Could be anywhere.

Could have left town.

We have reason to believe otherwise.

He was seen a few days ago on Elvira Avenue.

Who's the dish?

VICTOR: Her name is Marsha Trom.

She's an artist of some sort.

A radical.

You think she could help?

I found her extremely unhelpful, as a matter of fact.

But perhaps you'll get better results.

For your services.

Lazar, why come to me?

People say you're the best, and I--

we need him found quickly.

I'll expect a daily progress report.

RASHID: Something about the man's story just didn't wash.

Maybe it was the lie he told me about this

being just a divorce case.

Property settlements in this town are handled automatically.

People like to keep their human interface

down to a tidy minimum, if you know what I mean.

So Lazar wanted Hertz for a different reason, a reason he

didn't want me to know, which, of course, made me

want to know it all the more.

I hadn't even gotten started.

Already I was hit deep.

Like the man said, life is sweet.

[cab horn blows]

To an inquiry agent, few things are

more telling than the home a man abandons when

he decides to pack it all in.

You're left with the things he leaves, things

he leaves behind with his wife.

Some he doesn't care about, some he forgets.

Times you can tell the difference on site.

Other times, you have to look deeper.

What do you want?

Rashid Kaye I'm an inquiry agent.

Inquiring into what?

The disappearance of Walt Hertz.

Why don't you come in, Mr. Kaye?

Thank you.

Someone has hired you to look for him?

A lawyer.

A man by the name of Victor Lazar

who represents Mr. Hertz' wife.

These yours?

M-m.

Where did you paint them?

Right here.

The subject matter is entirely imaginary.

Nice.

So how long have you known Walt?

Three months, give or take.

We met at his office down at the Bureau of Records.

And I'd gone in to renew my license, and we became friends.

He expressed an interest in my work.

In fact, you were having an affair with him.

And you are the reason he left his wife.

In fact, not.

We were not sexually involved, not

that the nature of my relationship with Walt

is any of your concern.

No.

But it is my concern.

And I am, after all--

--an inquiry

Bingo.

And it is your job to sift through all the lies

until you discover the truth.

Suppose I told you that Walt Hertz has no way wife

and that the man who calls himself Victor Lazar

is not who he appears to be.

My job is to find Hertz, not to investigate

his client's motives.

Even if Lazar wants to kill Walt?

Does he?

I was speakinghypothetically, of course.

Of course.

You recognize this picture?

Doesn't do you justice, by the way.

I've never seen it before.

Was Walt under some sort of surveillance?

Well, he must have been.

Someone took the photograph.

So he was being followed before he disappeared.

Why?

Why, indeed.

Was he in some kind of trouble?

Can you think of any reason why he might

want to disappear or need to?

Perhaps he was tired of his work, his life.

Perhaps he felt he needed a change.

I hear marriage can get terribly boring.

He seemed like such a responsible person, not

the kind to just pick up and disappear.

He'd split with his wife.

Did you know that?

Hertz was a private person.

He never discussed his personal life.

Did you know he was married?

Like I said, Mr. Kaye, we never

discussed personal issues.

Had he seemed like he was under any strain

to you, any unusual problems at work or anything?

Walt was one of our most conscientious employees.

Supervisor.

Records management.

Not what you would call exciting work,

endless lists of names, numbers, but he enjoyed it.

Uh-huh.

Does this mean anything to you?

Looks like his handwriting, but I don't

recognize any of these names.

Sorry.

His wife mentioned he had a thing for spy thrillers.

Does that ring a bell?

If Walt Hertz was fond of anything,

it was order, predictability.

He didn't like surprises.

Goodbye, Mr. Kaye.

Somebody wants to see you.

Try just asking.

How about you telling me where we're going?

I could just walk there like we knew each other.

Mr. Kaye, I don't believe we've had the pleasure.

Hugo Burns.

I understand you're looking for Walt Hertz, Mr. Kaye.

You got a mutual friend, or do you just see things?

When you find him, I'd appreciate

it greatly if you would inform me of his whereabouts first.

Appreciate it?

Whatever your current client paying you, I'll do better.

Much better.

Bidding war on Walt Hertz.

What's he got that I don't have?

Mr. Kaye, I urge you to consider my offer, quickly.

What's the rush?

You don't find him in time, he turns into a pumpkin?

What?

Don't get smart with Mr. Burns, huh?

He made you an offer.

Think about it.

Hey, Rashid, what's up?

Too much romancing?

You should have seen it.

They get frightening.

Give me the usual, will you?

Thanks.

A little note.

Maybe she's already sorry.

I didn't hear from you last night.

I told you I expect a daily progress report.

Yeah.

Well, you know, I don't seem to be making too much progress.

The thing is Walt Hertz disappeared for a reason.

I think you know what that reason is.

I'm not paying you to find reasons.

I'm paying to find the man.

Is that all you have to say?

VICTOR: Mr. Kaye, you are beginning to try my patience.

In that case, I have no choice but to return this.

Can't say it's been a pleasure.

You're making a mistake, Kaye.

Well, what is it this time Mr. Kaye?

No.

Walt has never mentioned any of these names.

None of them are listed in information

or the Bureau Records.

I checked every one.

They don't exist.

The landscapes I see in my head before I start painting,

it's as though I remember them.

Could it be the same with these names?

Could they be a memory from another place?

Walt used to talk about the graffiti.

He said it was the key.

To what?

He used to say that forgetting was easy.

It was remembering that was hard.

Remembering what?

That was the part he could never remember.

Something happened to the man.

One day everything was normal.

Then out of the blue--

--a stranger walks into your life.

And everything--

--changes.

Who comes up with the words?

I'm Kaye.

I'm an inquiry agent.

Who tells you what to write?

The code man.

The code man.

I'd like to talk to him.

Maybe you should.

Hey.

You all right?

I've seen worse.

It's about that romance of yours, Rashid?

Maybe, man.

They were looking for something.

Yeah, just maybe.

She's got some nasty habits.

You are absolutely sure about Mr. Lazar?

Like I said, Mr. Kaye, we have no record of any lawyer

named Victor Lazar.

Can I take a look at Walt Hertz' marriage certificate,

please?

Certainly.

If it's not too much trouble.

Mr. Hertz has never been married, not

in this municipality, at least.

Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

What can I do for you?

Yeah.

You looking for my wallet?

Hey.

Hey.

So you wanted to know who comes up with the words?

You're the code man?

I do a few jobs for him.

Sometimes it's hard to make ends meet being a painter and all.

I bet.

What's with the gun?

He sent me to pick someone up.

Didn't know it would be you.

Nice.

Thanks.

You get it back afterwards.

Now come on.

He doesn't like to be kept waiting.

You're the code man.

People expect you to be a certain way.

When you're not, it confuses them.

Sometimes it makes them think.

So the graffiti is some kind of code.

No.

It's a nickname from a previous existence.

I used to write code, software.

My specialty was simulating environments.

You got the right kind of software,

you can render almost anything, except people.

They're too chaotic, too random.

I need to find Hertz before Lazar gets to him.

I want you to find him fast, otherwise,

a lot of innocent people are going to get hurt.

Afterwards, I'll explain everything.

I give you my word.

Right now find him.

Please.

It's a matter of life or death.

I need you to help me figure this out, OK?

All the time you spent with Hertz,

it must have been something, some thing,

some odd little detail that didn't quite

fit with the rest of it all.

Something you might figured was just a quirk or something.

You wrote it off.

But if you really thought about it, it didn't add up.

Huh?

The taxis.

Walt didn't just talk about the graffiti.

He used to watch the taxis as though they

were going to tell him something,

but he couldn't figure out what.

I used to kid him about staring at them,

and he'd just shake it off and tell me I was crazy.

Taxis.

Let's go find some.

Ah!

Easy man, easy.

I'm here to help you.

I'm not working for Lazar anymore.

What do you want then?

Hugo burns says people die if I don't find you.

I just want to know why.

I just want to know what's going on.

Now, reach into the inside pocket of my jacket.

I've got something of yours.

It's got something to do with this doesn't it?

OK.

I guess it doesn't hurt for somebody else to know too.

Could I get my gun back, please?

Thanks.

I used to have a different name.

He told me he was going to take me to a place where

no one could ever find me, a place where I could have

a new identity, and he did.

Are they dead?

No.

They're in stasis.

Suspended animation.

We slowed the biological clock to a crawl,

but still maintain life.

Most of our clients were about to die

from diseases, from conditions for which there is no cure.

Occasionally, we had one like you who needed

to escape in order to survive.

In stasis, bodily functions may slow

to a point of imperceptibility.

But most brain functions persist what

you might call the subconscious comes fully awake.

HERTZAL: It's like being buried alive.

Yes, that's what started me thinking.

What if I took these minds and plugged them

into a grid, a simulated environment

where they could lead happy and productive lives?

Of course, when you plug in, you have no conscious memory

of who you were.

Your new personality is formed entirely

from your subconscious.

But you get to be who you really always wanted to be.

You never knew it.

We plug you in six months, a year.

By then who's ever after you will give up.

And we bring you out. You go your merry way.

A simulated environment and new personality,

how do you know that it works?

Oh, because I've been there, quite often,

as a matter of fact.

I like it.

I like it.

And that's what he said.

Do you think I'm crazy?

No.

What about my name?

Walt Hertz here, TW Hertzal there.

Yeah.

Same nine letters.

Yeah.

But the thing is, from what you just said,

you shouldn't be able to remember what you just said.

I didn't.

Until the day Victor Lazar walked

into the Bureau of Records and tried to kill me for this list.

He's the one that Teraspan sent after me out there.

Don't ask me how he got in here, but when the same guy tries

to kill you twice, I don't care where you are,

you start remembering things!

OK.

So you got away.

Lazar needed help finding you, and that's where I came in.

That's a good story.

It's good.

It's very good.

Doesn't explain what you're doing here, but Walt,

what is it with the taxis?

That's the way the software works.

Go into stasis.

All of a sudden, you're in this taxi, and it brings you here.

So I thought if I could find the right taxi,

I could get out, away from Lazar,

but I don't know which one or where it goes.

Please, you've got to help me somehow.

Find out which taxi I take.

The one that takes you back to the stasis warehouse.

Well, do you remember what street it was on?

It was in a rundown, industrial area on D Street.

Pick another.

There is no D Street in this town.

Find D Street, I'm sure.

OK, D Street is good.

Whatever.

You see, every taxi has a trip record, so the taxi you need,

this special taxi, it ought to say D Street.

So all you got to do is just go take a look.

But you're not going to.

Because you don't believe there is any D Street.

[gun shots]

No!

No.

No!

Ah!

You all right?

Yeah.

I'm fine.

It what?

You see that?

Yeah.

What's going on here?

That was Lazar the lawyer, and he had Walt with him.

Walt told me most remarkable story.

Come on.

I can't believe that this isn't real.

I can't believe you're not real.

This is real.

These people are real.

This is what Lazar wanted all along.

But he doesn't have them yet.

He's got Walt Hertz.

And he'll damn sure find a way to get these names out of him.

Unless I stop him.

It's a hell of a long way for Hertz

to come to keep these people safe.

Be a shame if he made the trip for nothing, wouldn't it?

I'm coming with you.

I don't think so.

I'm coming.

So what did you have in mind?

Find another taxi that's going to D Street.

All right.

All right.

All right.

That's the destination column right there.

OK, go back.

Go back.

That one is blank.

Go back again .

That one is blank too.

Why?

CLERK: Special trips.

We lease the cabs out.

To who?

I don't see it.s Codeman.

Mr. Codeman.

Ring a bell?

When does the next Codeman run?

Looks like it's tomorrow.

Cab is in the garage getting looped.

Thanks.

Hey, come back here!

Do you think this is going to work?

Maybe.

That's not what's worrying me.

If we cross back into our real bodies, our physical bodies,

we're going to be weak.

If we can't remember our other lives now,

do you think we'll remember these lives when we get there?

I won't forget you.

Ever.

Here goes nothing.

[coughing]

[coughing]

So we remember coming back this way.

Have you been?

[inaudible].

Hey.

Kaye, I'll be damned.

How did you get here?

We took the taxi.

Lazar was here.

He surprised me.

He's got Hertzal, I mean Hertz.

Are they still here?

I think so.

But you better hurry.

Where are they?

I think in the workshop downstairs.

Stasis tanks.

We'll be back as soon as we can.

You'd better hurry.

OK, my friend, let's try it again.

Where is the list?

I told you I don't know.

But you remember the names on the list.

No, I don't think so.

Everything is so mixed up.

Maybe this will jog your memory.

If I remembered, I wouldn't tell you.

This time it's going to hurt a little more.

Go to hell.

What was that?

I said hell will freeze over before--

That's enough, Lazar!

Ha.

So the inquiry agent wants to be a hero.

How noble.

[sparring sounds]

[shivering]

I still got the old touch.

We'd better get him to a hospital.

No, not the hospital.

I want to go home.

I want to go back home.

RASHID: There's an old saying the more things change,

the more they stay the same.

I used to think that was true.

Now, I'm not so sure.

I found out a few things about myself.

In my old life, I was an accountant

to the boring 9:00 to 5:00 guy, a slave of routine.

I'd rather die than go back to being that person.

And I almost did.

Now, here I am again.

Back home.

It feels good.

It feels right.

Of course, feelings don't get the rent,

so once again like always I needed

a job, a new case, a client.

I'm looking for something.

I was hoping you could help me find him.

I think maybe you're right.

How is that?

The code you wrote is circular.

It curves back on itself.

No beginning.

No end.

Just the middle.

No yesterday and no tomorrow.

That's the way I like it.

Dick, another round for me and my friend here.

[laughing]

In the future, the difference between the real world

and cyberspace is a thin line.

Rashid Kaye has just crossed it and found

there's no coming back.

"Welcome to Paradox."