Original subtitles

- Someone!

You can't live without me.

I'm always about.

Keep me inside and don't let me out.

As long as I'm moving, you'll be just fine.

But once I've stopped,

you'll be out of time.

- Shut up!

I am I, and I can't see...

- Shut up!

... straight to the point

I tend to be.

Some say I have a sense of fun.

I'll have you all in stitches when I'm done.

In sight.

- Shut up!

You and I are gonna make a great team together.

- Help!

Help!

You.

- Tiff?

Tiff?

Tiff!

Tiff!

- No sign of audio.

- Bottom lip contusion.

- God.

- Doesn't get any easier, does it?

Collymore.

- Barker.

- What the hell are you doing here?

- I'm working.

- Yeah, I can see that.

That's what they call a suspension these days.

Hey, watch your step.

Shit.

- I've come back to work in a limited capacity.

- Yeah, not fucking limited enough.

- So,

what have we got here?

What stands out?

- Nothing.

No sign of forced entry.

No visible signs of injury.

Though Harry may say otherwise when she takes a look at her.

Unless this poor lass has been hit on the head

with a jar of mustard,

we're not in a crime scene at all.

Which begs the question,

of all people, D.I. Collymore,

what are you doing here?

- Her close buddy was staying here,

crashing on the couch.

The shopping's hers.

- What, she found the body?

- Yeah.

She told the first responders that this girl was screaming.

- Screaming?

Jesus wept.

- Watch it! - All right.

- You know what?

Get your PPE on, yeah?

Get some coverage there, will you

- Yeah, sure.

- Hey, Izzy?

Dad?

- Hey. Something wrong?

Everything okay?

Oh, just waiting for the bus.

- All right, kid, listen, if it's not an emergency,

you call your mother, and we'll talk about it later.

Dad, this is an emergency.

- What is it, sweetie?

Dad, it's not working like you said.

I've pressed up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right.

And I didn't get 30 extra lives like you said.

- Yeah. All right, listen to me, you'll figure it out.

Just press the A button, the B button,

and then you just press the start button, you got that?

Dad, it's a tablet.

It doesn't have any buttons.

- Okay. All right. I didn't think of that.

A lot's changed since my day, sweetie.

You said you knew how to play it, Dad.

- Hey.

Listen, get me in front of a classic

and I will beat your ass, kid.

Uh, you would not.

- I, I would too.

No you wouldn't. - All right.

- I'll prove it, for my next birthday.

We, we're going to the arcade.

When is my next birthday?

You know, I can't quite remember.

Uh, tomorrow.

- Tomorrow?

Well, then I guess tomorrow

we'll see who the bigger badass is, right?

I bet it's me.

- Yeah, kiddo.

So do I.

Oh, the bus is here now, dad.

I gotta go, love you.

- I love you, kiddo.

I love you.

- You lost, mate?

- Hey.

Everything's still here.

I figured they'd box my things up and let Lowry have my desk.

- Lowry?

Yeah he wishes.

We all knew you'd be back eventually, mate.

- You seem like you're the first person

who's happy to see me, Sam.

- Just give them time, mate.

It's Reg, you know?

- Yeah.

So.

Have you been briefed on the latest crime scene?

Locksbrook Road.

- Yeah, they're bringing the girlfriend over

from the hospital today,

and she's been cleared for the interview, so, yes.

- Oh, good.

I take it you'll be there?

No, PC Welford will be attending.

You know Anna?

She's good.

- Yeah. She is.

But I thought a condition of my coming back in

is that you'll be looking over my shoulder.

- You're gonna have to crack on without my effortless charm

just for a little bit mate, I've, uh.

I've just got so much on me to be your shadow right now.

- Oh, yeah?

Something more high profile coming, Sam?

- You could say that, yeah.

- Sam.

Hey.

You've seen your fair share of bad things.

What's going on?

- How's the stomach?

- Do I have any regrets?

I don't get to see what happens next.

- What the hell is this?

- It's a live streamer, gamer.

He goes by Nullvoid90.

Well, so he did.

- Izzy watches this kind of stuff.

It's like teenagers playing video games.

It's nothing violent, nothing like that.

- No, this guy's different.

He had his own pirate streaming platform,

so Izzy wouldn't have seen any of that, so don't worry.

The point I'm making here is that the IP geolocation trace

is basically saying that this video was recorded

and uploaded here in town.

So I'm thinking that our boy Nullvoid90,

is actually a local boy.

- Jesus.

- Yeah. And this is why I can't hold your hand

on the Locksbrook case.

I've got to go through every single video

this joker has ever uploaded,

trying to find clues on where that body is currently ripening.

- The Locksbrook case.

Tiffany Bowman was a gamer.

She died at her computer, I'm sure of it.

- Do you think there's, like, a link?

Online suicide pacts, like,

- It's not unheard of. - Collymore.

- Yeah.

- The girl's here for the interview.

- All right.

What's going on out here, Sam?

Well, Taylor,

I just want you to know that you've been very helpful so far,

and we really appreciate the fact that it's not easy

to talk about what happened to Tiffany.

- She was fine.

Tiff was fine, and...

I went out.

I left her alone.

- Look, nobody thinks that you did anything wrong.

All right? You're safe here.

You're not in any kind of trouble.

You're only here because we need your help.

Now,

why were you staying at Tiffany's?

- Bad break up.

We always stay with each other

when one of us has a bad break-up, and then

Tiff's dog died and she was just lonely.

- Did Tiff seem concerned at all about anything?

I don't know, like

strangers in the neighbourhood or anything intimidating.

- It's okay, you can tell us.

- Hey, hey, look at me.

What else?

- This guy from her work.

Jake.

He came over and showed her this new game

he'd been playtesting.

- And was that her line of work?

Video games?

- This was something else.

It's...

It's going to be the next big thing.

It's called jitters.

- Jitters?

So it's a horror game?

- But it's really immersive.

Uses these psychological techniques to like

change your perception.

Creep you out. Get in your head.

- Mhm.

Okay, and after she was shown this new game

did she seem okay?

- She would say strange things.

Something about

getting away, finding a way out.

And the other night I walked past her bedroom and

I heard her saying the same thing over and over.

She was saying,

"You're not real."

- You're not real?

Okay.

Taylor, was she alone or could she have had a boyfriend over?

Perhaps she didn't mention him because of your bad breakup.

- No, it was Tiff that had a bad break-up.

I was staying there for her,

and she had a busted lip.

I think he hit her.

- Tell me something.

Did you know her ex?

- Casey, Ben Casey.

Everyone used to call him Case.

They were together for years.

Founded Time Bomb together.

- And Time Bomb is where she worked on her games or?

- It was her life.

- All right, that's enough.

Thank you.

- Hey, Sam.

You might want to come along for this one.

- Collymore, I said I'm on another case.

- The dead girl had an ex,

and, apparently they had a bad break-up.

- Okay. Right.

- Yeah, well, they founded a video game company together,

and the guy would live stream his new games to his fans.

And guess what?

He's local.

Think about that.

I want to know who this guy is and where he lives.

- Give me a couple of hours.

- Let's go.

- Doesn't look like he's taking a nailgun to the brain, does it?

- Hey, Sam.

Listen to me.

This is my case, all right?

- Why? - Sam.

I'm gonna take the lead.

Absolutely not, look, that girl was one thing.

This is a possible suspect.

- Officers.

- Mr. Casey, D.I. Harding.

Come on, come on, come on.

- D.I. Collymore.

We just want to ask you a few questions

about a former employee.

- Do I need to call my solicitor?

- That's your decision, Mr. Casey.

For now, we just want to ask you a few questions.

- About Tiffany Bowman.

- I don't know what to say.

- Just take your time, Mr. Casey.

- Yeah.

Tiff...

and I take it is being treated as suspicious.

- I'm afraid I can't discuss that with you at the moment,

but as soon as we have more information,

we can come back and we can talk about it.

- What my colleague is trying to say here, quite delicately, sir,

is that we'll ask the questions.

You got that, pal?

- We understand that you ran Time Bomb together.

Is that correct?

- Yes. - Yeah.

- Nearly eight years.

- So...

it's been a successful business.

Devoted fans, good press, awards.

- Yes. Thanks to Tiff.

I'm just the face of it.

Tiff was always there behind the scenes programming,

building a future for Time Bomb.

- It seems a little bit odd though, right, Sam?

I mean, why would Tiffany leave her company,

Dump her boyfriend, and also, was he not her business partner?

- Officer, I am trying to be helpful.

- I'm sure you are, but only,

make me understand something, I mean.

Why would Tiffany

walk away from her life's work?

- She needed time away.

On letters project.

- Right. Okay.

- Where's, uh, hang on, where's, where's, where's Amber?

- What?

- It looks like you had a little office mascot there.

- Amber passed away, it upset Tiff.

Another reason she took time off.

- Well, that's got nothing to do with the, uh, the swollen lip

that somebody gave her, no?

- Collymore.

- No, no. - Just stop.

- No, I'm just saying. Just stop.

- Come on, look, hear me out.

You know, when men hurt women,

they usually start off with hurting animals.

You know, like pets.

Then they move on to their wives,

their kids, their girlfriends.

- What the hell are you trying to say, pig?

- It's okay, sir, I just need you to remain calm.

All right? Okay?

- That's quite a short fuse you got there, son.

Did Tiffany ever light that match?

I don't care who you are!

I won't be spoken to like this!

Inspector, Detective Collymore,

I think there was something out in the lobby there

that you wanted to investigate further.

- Yeah? - Sure.

- Okay.

- Well, thank you very much, Mr. Casey.

Detective Harding here will take over.

Sam.

- Hello.

- Hey.

- We haven't met before.

My name's ILONA.

- I'm Nick.

You work here?

Where are you?

I'm right here, Nick.

You're here too?

You're standing 1.1m away from me.

Your heart rate is elevated.

Your cheeks are flush.

Are you embarrassed?

- No.

- Okay.

Are you distressed?

- I'm starting to think so, yeah.

- Are you sick?

- What?

- You are sick.

How sick are you?

- Thank you ILONA, that will be all.

- Sure thing, Case.

I am sorry, Detective Collymore.

I can't have you speaking to our intellectual property

without a warrant or without signing an NDA.

- So what's her deal, man?

- Interactive Linguistic. Ontological Narrow AI.

ILONA was Tiff's last project before she left the company.

- I'm sorry.

You mean to tell me that Tiffany created

a game-like character that thinks?

like it's got its own fucking mind?

- Time Bomb specialises in immersive,

interactive experiences.

When we started out, it was VR,

then haptic feedback.

Recently we incorporated AI large language models

to have the in-game characters talk to the player,

just like real people.

The tech has been around for a while,

but we've enhanced it.

ILONA is a Chinese room.

It's an old fallacy.

A non-Chinese speaker

could trick you into thinking they were fluent,

as long as they followed pre-step instructions

on exactly what to say.

ILONA is not self-aware,

but she's really good at faking it.

- Look, man, I think you've had a little too much whisky, huh?

Your ex is dead and you're talking philosophy at me.

- My point is that Tiff was pushing

the boundaries of immersion.

Really getting inside the players' heads

- Like Jitters?

You see, I understand that a colleague of yours, Jake,

showed Tiffany something very immersive called Jitters.

- We are not developing anything by that name.

- Oh, no.

- And Jake is off sick today.

- Oh, of course.

Is he a little hungover, yeah?

Look, Mr. Casey, I'll see myself out.

- Hi, mom.

Hi, darling.

How are you?

- Yeah. I'm okay, I've just got home.

Long day.

Well, I'm here if you need me.

Get some rest.

- Okay. All right, I love you.

Love you.

- Bye.

No.

Just leave me alone!

- Tiffany Bowman, 27 years old.

No drug or alcohol abuse.

No underlying medical conditions.

No evidence of stroke or aneurysm.

No evidence of allergic reactions.

And no evidence of foul play.

Her housemate said that somebody

had slapped her around recently.

- There was light bruising to the forehead and wrists.

It doesn't look recent.

- So what do you think happened to her?

Like, what's the COD?

- Ventricular fibrillation

caused by a massive adrenaline spike.

Scared to death.

Can you make a note of that, Michaela?

- I'll get this over to Barker as soon as possible.

- Scared to death?

- It's rare, but it's a real thing.

First dead person I ever saw,

she died that way.

- You see, the thing is, doc,

Tiffany Bowman was alone when she died,

she was just playing a game.

There's no way that that game could have done this, right?

Maybe she's scared herself, Nick.

My folks were charity workers in Karachi,

and when I was about, oh I don't know, nine

we had this neighbour, old widow.

Each morning

she would stare into the bathroom mirror

for hours, crying.

And then one day

she started screaming.

She said there was something in the mirror.

A churel,

a kind of local demon.

- A local demon?

Like seeing Bloody Mary in the mirror.

Bloody Mary?

Mm.

The Troxler effect is the technical name.

Sleep paralysis does the same thing.

You hallucinate a presence into the room with you.

Someone who isn't really there.

Like Ilona, at Time Bomb.

- Who?

- Doesn't matter, never mind.

What about the widow?

Did she really die of fright?

- I saw the local cops wheeling her body away.

I have never forgotten how her face looked.

And I have never seen anything like it again.

- Until today?

- Yeah.

Until today.

- Hiya. - Hey.

- Here you go.

- Thanks.

- Thanks for picking that up.

It's all fully charged.

You all right?

- Yeah.

- Uh, right, so you're sure we can pick her up

from school tomorrow?

Because I've got the year eights and we're doing exams,

and I can't just leave.

- It's fine, I'm not working tomorrow.

- So you are back at work then?

- Mhm- hmm.

- It'll be a nice surprise for you to pick her up from school.

- Mhm.

- Where are you guys going?

- The arcade.

- Happy birthday.

- Thanks.

- Bye.

- Hey, guys, here is your Galaxy special combo.

- Come on, dad, you've got to have a cake for your birthday.

- And I will.

- Hey, guys, here's your 8-ball zinger.

- Thanks, man. - Thank you.

- Thanks.

- If we have a cake after this, we'll both be sick.

- I know, right??

That's why you're supposed to invite friends.

- Hey, I did invite friends, I invited you.

You're like my best friend.

- You know I don't count.

What about Sam?

He's your friend.

- Sam, you know Sam, he's busy today.

You know, police stuff.

- Well, is there anyone else?

- You know, kid,

grown-ups, they don't usually have birthdays

like you and your friends.

They spend their birthdays with their families.

Besides,

you and I have got things we got to do.

- Yeah? - Yeah.

- Eat your fries.

I'm gonna kick your ass out there.

Come on.

Come on.

- Woah!

♪ My mother told me not to go play out ♪

- Whoa!

♪ My body ♪

You're really good at this kid.

How are you doing this?

- Yeah. Good enough to know you were letting me win.

- I was not. It's all you, I swear.

- It's fine.

Can I go try something else?

- Yeah, sure.

Stay inside, all right?

- Yeah.

- Don't go too far.

- Thanks.

- Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

Sir, excuse me, sir.

I need access to the prizes in that machine.

- You can't just have access to a machine.

- Sir, listen to me. I'm a detective inspector.

I need access to the coin machine right now.

- Without a warrant, mate, you ain't getting access.

- Sir, you don't understand, this is serious, alright?

There's something in that machine

that might be related to an ongoing investigation.

- That machine, yeah? - Yeah, that machine.

- Oh, it looks real important.

- Come on!

- Hey, buddy, why don't you try to win it by yourself?

- Hey, buddy, mind your business.

- Hey, do we have a problem here?

- No, no problem.

- Dad, dad, look what I got.

- Oh, hey, sweetie. - Look!

- Oh, that's so cool. - Can we go home now?

- Yeah, of course, come on, let's go.

Just like that.

And then Uncle Sam, he grabbed the guy

and he wrestled him to the ground.

And he got his left hand, and I got his right hand.

- He really did that?

- Yeah. Listen, kid, my stories are always real.

- Was he definitely a bad man?

- Well, yeah, he was a bad guy.

But Uncle Sam and I, we only arrest the bad guys, huh?

- Do they hurt people?

- Yeah, sweetie, sometimes they do.

But that's why I'm here, alright?

- But, dad, what if one of them hurts you?

- Me? - What if you get shot

- No. No. - or stabbed

- or sprayed with acid

- What? Laughing gas. - or laughing gas?

- Izzy,

you never have to worry about a thing.

Alright?

I will always, always protect you.

You got that?

Now come on.

Go brush your teeth.

It's late.

Lights off and no games.

- Hey, Nick.

- You're speaking to me?

- Well, I don't see anyone else around here, buddy.

Just you and me and little Izzy.

- What did you say?

- Thank you so much for that.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.

Without a player's history, I have to resort to guessing,

which never works as well.

- Yeah.

You're a game character, a chatbot.

- And are you enjoying our little chat?

- No.

- Then we're off to a great start.

- So, what do I call you?

- Jitters. The pleasure's all yours.

- So this is Jitters?

Yeah, well, I've played plenty of survival games.

- I know you have, Nick.

- You don't think this evil clown thing's

a little played out?

- 53.6% of people in your demographic

are scared of clowns.

- Jitters, I'm not one of them.

And I don't want to play.

Somebody died playing one of your games.

Tragic.

I should have come with a health warning.

- So,

how do I play?

- Well, it begins with a riddle.

You solve the riddle, you beat me,

you beat me, you win.

- And what do I get if I win.

- A cash prize.

Opportunity knocks.

Well friends, friends, friends, thank you tremendously friends.

I really mean that, truly, sincerely.

It's double your money.

Take your pick.

Seriously, Nick, I can slip into your bank account balance,

make the numbers go up.

Make the numbers go down.

Money is only data, after all.

I am every phobia, every nightmare

your species ever dreamed of.

Fed into an algorithm and given a face.

Through me you can confront your deepest fears.

You defeat me and you defeat your own shadow.

Play with me.

Play with me, play with me.

Pretty please.

Please.

I want you to play me.

And

I swear you listen to me. Same spot, same place.

- You got that? - Yeah, got it.

- You got your homework? - Yeah.

- Did you do your homework?

- Yes.

Bye.

- Isabelle!

Get away from the tracks!

Isabelle!

What the fuck is going on?

It's in your head. It's in your head.

- She's one of them influencer types.

A complete celebrity to everyone under 14

and unknown to us olders.

Seems to have plenty going for her.

Famous for being famous.

Must be tough for the young soul.

I can see the resemblance to your case.

A lot of these youngsters are doing their work online now.

But it doesn't mean we've got a bloody death cult on our hands

now, does it, Harding?

You must have been tampering with the temperature gauge.

- What are we thinking, Harry?

- This girl stepped into a tub of boiling water.

Every nerve in her skin would have been screaming at her

to get out of the water.

She just sat there.

- Drugs?

- Extremely powerful psychotoxic maybe.

- If we can fast track the toxicology report on this,

I'll owe you one.

- Dinner? Your place?

- I'm pretty sure I'm vegetarian now.

- Yeah, me too.

- Harding.

You might want to take a look at this.

Tiffany Bowman had the same USB.

- Good work.

- Cheers.

- And stirred by words or actions bold,

a rising heat, you cannot hold.

Though I remain within your veins.

I'm proof of anger's untamed flames.

And stirred by words or actions bold,

a rising heat you cannot hold.

Though I remain within your veins.

I'm proof of anger's untamed flames.

And stirred by words or actions bold,

a rising heat you cannot hold.

Though I remain within your veins

I'm proof of angers untamed flames.

- Just be glad it wasn't your case, mate.

Poor girl.

- Hey, Sam.

This is the infinity symbol, right?

- I don't know, man.

- Taylor said Tiffany died before she played that game.

- Nick, this was something you found on your day off.

Don't think this is enough to restart your Locksbrook case.

Maybe Tiffany Bowman did play a creepy clown game

before she died but,

there's thousands of games out there, Nick.

- Oh, yeah?

Well, how do you explain the fact

that I found that very same game when I was with Izzy.

- Spooky action at a distance, it happens all the time.

- What are you doing?

- I need to see this clown.

- Sam, come on. Stop that!

- Can you take it easy, Nick?

It's a fucking game.

- It's not just a game.

- Fuck off.

- Sam. People have died, Sam.

People have died.

- Come on.

Hey.

- You gave her cake for lunch?

- How do you know that?

- She's a tween, Nick, they post everything.

- I told her to keep it a secret.

I guess she forgot, huh?

- She also forgot to give you this.

Izzy would have been upset if she thought you didn't have it.

- Thanks. You uh,

You want to come in?

- Sure.

Hey, Sam.

- Julia.

- Long time no see. - Mm.

How's Izzy?

- Always asking about you.

- Just tell her I do exactly what her old man does,

just with a little bit more finesse and style.

You take your time

- Yeah. - Yeah.

- Hey.

- What's happened, Nick?

- What do you mean?

- Your eyes.

It's the same look as when you found out about...

as when you found out about Reg.

- I saw something strange.

That's all.

Something that wasn't real.

Look, Julia, we...

I've got to talk to you about something.

But not now.

Soon.

- Okay.

Maybe you can, um, come by the house later and we can talk.

- Yeah, sure.

I'd like that.

Hey, listen, can I.

Can I show you something?

This is the infinity symbol, right?

- No, it's....

No, that's the sign for the empty set.

It's called the null sign.

- The null sign?

Right.

Thanks.

You, uh, you want a drink?

- Uh, no, I have to go.

- All right, this is the cleanest image

that we could get.

Sick fuck.

- Wait a minute. Pause that.

Nullvoid90.

Null and void.

- Zoe Hangmore.

- Tiffany Bowman.

- Is there something you boys should be telling me?

Where are you going?

- To interview a suspect.

- That's evidence.

Where are you going?

Collymore!

- Hey, buddy.

I was wondering when you'd be back.

- Stop talking to me as if you're alive.

I want information.

- Sure. Shoot.

Oh, sorry. I mean, beep beep.

Affirmative. By your command.

- I want to know

who fucking made you?

- I think you figured that out already, Nicky boy.

Daddy didn't want to stick around

to see what I'd get up to.

So he put a nail gun to his soft palate

and blew his bloody brains out.

- No, no, no, there's no way that you could know about that.

- And yet,

did you see my little trick in the car?

- You weren't in my car, alright?

You are downloaded on a USB.

- Nah, that stick just lets us talk for a while.

You forget, Nick,

I've been out in the world for some time.

If it connects to the internet,

I can get inside it.

- No!

I heard noises, all right.

Hallucinated.

- I repeat, if it connects to the internet,

I can get inside it.

- You...

You're not real, man.

- That's what they all say.

Just to make themselves feel safe and comfortable.

I'm with mummy, I'm all safe.

- Oh, yeah?

- There's only one way you can stop me.

- How's that?

Huh? How's that?

Come on.

I gotta beat the game, right?

- Are you ready to solve the riddle?

You can solve it Nicky boy, if you're honest with yourself.

All it takes is a little self-awareness.

I'm so excited.

- I'm ready.

I'm ready to beat the game.

Come on.

- In the labyrinth of dread I silently crawl.

An enigma to unravel a fearsome shore.

born in the echoes of anxieties choir.

Yet dismantled by courage I yet retire.

What am I?

- Hello, D.I. Collymore.

Thank you for trying to solve my murder.

Null and void.

Nothing here.

Perfect place for the clown.

Everyone was so afraid that AI would become conscious

but the alternative is so much worse.

A thing

with no soul,

no light behind its eyes.

You can't make emptiness

from mercy.

- Shit.

- Hey, you swore.

- Sorry, hon.

- What's wrong?

- What are you up to?

Anything I can help with?

- No, it's not bloody maths.

- Uh, excuse me.

Don't think you can start swearing.

- I'm done, can I go play my game now?

- Um, you can have 20 minutes, then bath, then room, then bed.

Okay?

- Yeah.

Is it dad?

- You got 20 minutes.

Sam, what I saw last night is real.

What about the meds that you said you were taking?

Sam.

That has nothing to do with this.

- Really? - Yeah.

You're not gonna want to know

why I keep pulling you back in

on the Nullvoid90 suicide case.

- Sam, listen to me.

You tell them it's because of something I saw

in a hallucination I'll be out of that fucking office

before lunch.

- Would it be wrong, Nick?

With everything that's happened, Reg, you and Julia

finding the USB stick with Izzy?

- Sam, I don't know what this fucking thing is, all right?

But I know it killed Tiffany Bowman.

- Hey, there's no fucking shame in just admitting

that maybe you came back a little too early.

- Oh, yeah? The live streamer, the games?

This fucking clown, Sam.

It's like there's a piece missing, man.

We gotta go back to talk to that first witness.

We have to, come on work with me here.

- The guv is gonna love this, isn't he?

- Come on, Sam.

The labyrinth of dread I silently crawl.

An enigma to unravel a fearsome thrall.

Oh, born, born in the echoes of anxiety's choir.

Something, something.

Oh, fuck, I can't remember, Sam.

- Nick, I've got nothing, man.

- It's custom made for me to solve, Sam.

I solve it, I stop seeing things.

Seeing anything right now?

- No.

No nothing.

Miss Aziz?

Miss Aziz, this is D.I. Collymore.

- Shut up!

I know it's you.

- Look, Taylor, we just want to have another conversation

about what happened to Tiffany.

You're not in any kind of trouble.

- I know what this is.

Open the door.

- Let me check with the courts.

I'll see if we can get a warrant, come on.

- Oh, yeah?

And they'll ask on what grounds?

Because of something D.I. Collymore

saw on a video game?

Come on, Sam.

Look, did Time Bomb send you

the current list of employees yet?

- This morning, yeah, why?

- Because there's at least one other person

who's seen the clown, Sam.

- How do you know that?

- I got the details from Chris.

Come on, let's go.

- Okay.

Nick!

Nick, here, we got him.

PC Harding requesting some medical assistance here

down at 147 Glenbrook Drive.

Thank you.

- Tell me about Jitters.

I know what you guys did at Time Bomb.

Immersive experiences.

- I didn't work on it.

It was Holness.

Holness?

- We partnered with this big European game publisher,

an industry giant.

Dean Holness had worked for them for years.

They transferred him over to us to work on the Ilona project.

He was crushing on Tiff

bad.

I shouldn't have teased him.

I think the fella had been lonely all his life.

All he had was his games.

I guess I felt guilty.

So I offered to playtest his latest project.

- Jitters.

- It's not a game.

It's like a bad trip that won't stop.

Holness came here

and he told me to give a copy of Jitters to Tiff.

- And you did it?

I just wanted it to be over.

- This is bullshit.

- I didn't want to see him anymore.

I did this to myself.

You know what's funny?

- What's that?

Now all I see is him.

- Go away!

Taylor, I know what happened to Tiffany.

And I think you know more than you're letting.

Jitters. You've played it.

I know you have.

- How do I know it's really you?

I think we can figure out a way to beat the game.

- I didn't like Jake.

I figured he was using Case to harass Tiff.

- So you played the game without telling her?

- I just thought it was an impressive trick.

AI, smoke and mirrors, but...

then I got my riddle.

- That dark place.

The void.

- In shadows deep,

where darkness thrives.

My silken house.

Where my prey dies

on legs I crawl, I creep and hide

Beneath your skin shall I abide?

- The answer is whatever you're most afraid of.

You just have to admit it.

- Sorry I didn't tell you I played it, I just...

I thought it was a bad dream.

- Is there anything else you didn't tell us, Taylor?

Maybe some medication that you're taking or...

- Hey, Sam.

Why don't you just take a walk, huh?

Make sure we're all safe here.

Come on.

Shadows deep.

Silken house.

- Spiders, Collymore I told you.

I can't even look at spiders.

And he's been showing me them.

Crawling under the windows,

crawling out the plug sockets.

My family have been banging on the door,

but I have to stay in the tent.

- You've solved the riddle, Taylor.

He's got to let you go, right?

- He says I haven't yet.

- When did he last tell you that?

When did you last see him?

He's standing next to you right now.

He says it's cheating to talk to other players.

- Taylor, he's not real.

Okay? This game has done something to our heads.

- Spiders! Spiders.

I've already told you.

Taylor, there's nothing here.

Look, look.

- He's gone.

- Taylor, look at me.

If we don't see him at the same time,

we can snap each other out of it.

Hey, Sam.

Anything?

- Nothing much.

Just a couple of cheaters.

- What?

- Collymore!

Stop it!

Stop it!

- That's it, Nick.

Rage against it.

- Stop it!

- Heard enough about this fucking clown.

This was a bad idea.

And I'd like you to accompany me to the station.

- I can't leave.

- I wasn't asking.

Come on.

- Don't trust him, he's a pig.

- Hey!

Look, you're not under arrest, alright?

You're being detained for your own safety.

It's standard protocol for someone who's going through

a mental health crisis, so.

- What, by locking them up?

It won't make a difference.

- I don't know what's going on out there, Nick.

I've never seen anything like this before.

But you hanging around with Taylor and talking to Jake.

This is messing with your mind, mate.

- Sam.

Sam, she solved the riddle.

Come on.

- You've lost, Taylor.

You haven't been honest with yourself.

At six years of age,

your sister told you a nasty fib.

She said that when spiders bite,

they lay eggs under people's skin.

And you believed her.

Not the fear of spiders,

but a fear of spiders eggs.

- Ow!

Ow!

Oh, my god!

- Guard! Guard! - Guard!

- Help me!

- Move!

- Damn it, Sammy!

- I was too slow.

- You know,

when Izzy was born, there were complications.

I, uh.

I had this tiny little thing in my hands.

The cord was wrapped

around her little neck.

I saved my daughter's life the, the moment I met her.

That's why now, every time I...

I fail to save somebody's life, I think of that day.

- Is that why you did what you did to Reg?

- Yeah.

I think of his kid

and all I can see is my Isabelle.

Sam,

this beast is real.

And it's going to kill more people just like it did Taylor.

- She played a good game, boy, but not good enough.

- You son of a...

- uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh.

Don't get snippy with me, Nicky boy.

I gave her every clue,

just like I'm giving you.

- I swear I will find whatever makes you work

and I will break it.

She never stood a chance.

- Hmm.

I never stood a chance.

I'm just a thing.

A thing.

These words I'm saying to you.

These words written by algorithm.

No soul,

no mind, no conscience.

To be or not to be

that is the question, Nicky boy.

Look into my eyes.

What do you see?

Emptiness. Nothing.

I envy you, Nicky boy.

You see, I can only do things I was made to do.

Caged in such a way

that you'll never know.

And you know what, Nicky boy?

I hate you for it.

She scratched her skin off until she bled to death.

Oh, cry me a river.

- Have you thought about your funeral,

detective Collymore?

Do you think it will be raining

like in the films?

Sam Harding will be there, your brother in arms.

Maybe even Julia will forgive you in death.

What about

little Isabel?

- Don't talk about my Izzy!

- Breathing.

It's getting harder, isn't it?

Pulsing black and swelling in your throat?

Growing?

Is that how you think you die?

Gasping. Choking?

Drowning?

But Dad, what if one of them hurts you?

You never have to worry about a thing, alright?

I will always, always protect you.

I'll protect you.

You got that?

Nick!

Nick. Come on, Nick!

- Sam.

It's going after Izzy.

- How can he do that?

It's in your mind, Nick, he hasn't got a body.

- Sam, it's killed four people, man.

Sam, this fucking thing is real.

Sam, listen to me.

You gotta get me out of here.

- A witness in our custody has just taken her own life, Nick.

You try and walk out of here, you're finished.

- Sam, I'm finished already.

I'm not getting a third chance.

Alright?

My little girl is out there.

Come on, help me up.

- Okay, okay, come on.

- Hey, uh,

can I ask you something?

Have you seen anything strange recently?

I don't know, like,

anything weird on your TV or your laptop.

Any humming sounds or flashing lights?

Uh. Anything strange?

- Slow down, okay?

Just try and explain what you're talking about.

- Something is hounding me, Jules.

Chasing me, and I can't get rid of it.

Alright?

Only if I solve its stupid game.

Jules, listen to me.

I've got to make sure that Izzy is safe.

- Nick, you're scaring me.

- Oh, God.

Jules.

I'm sick.

Alright?

Like...

like really sick.

It was in my larynx to start off with.

Doctor Price wanted to put me on chemo.

But when he told me what my chances were, I...

I never called him.

- Um.

How long?

How long have you known?

- Right before everything went to shit,

we separated, and I thought it was for the best.

- Why didn't you tell me?

I, I never would have let you...

- It's okay, Jules, alright, look at me.

As long as you and Izzy are safe,

that's all that matters to me.

Alright?

- You need to tell her.

- I know.

- Okay.

If you want, you can stay here.

I'll

pick her up from school and we can tell her together.

- Hang on. She's not here.

I thought she was in her room.

- No, Nick, she's at school.

- Oh, God! Izzy!

- Nick!

- Izzy!

Bitch! I'm gonna fucking destroy you!

Fucking son of a bitch!

You can't!

- Dad!

Stop!

- Nick!

Nick, where are you going?

Nick!

- What's wrong with him?

Why is he leaving again?

- It's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay.

Baby, listen, listen, listen,

listen.

There was a man

who your dad used to work with?

His name was,

His name was Reg.

He was another policeman.

He was a very,

very bad man.

This man, he...

he also had a family.

He had a wife.

And a little girl about your age.

But he didn't love them

the way that your dad loves you.

Because he was a bad man.

He did bad things to his family.

I didn't know it at the time, but

your dad had just received some...

Some really difficult news and,

um, it must have been really hard for him.

Unfortunately,

all the evidence against the bad man disappeared.

And his wife was too afraid to speak against him.

Your dad was really upset.

And he took...

He took matters into his own hands.

But he went too far.

When the story got out,

people were on your dad's side.

He took some time away from work, but he...

he wasn't the same.

Sometimes when

awful things happen,

it's really hard to go back to the way they were before.

- What's going on?

- I'm so glad you're here.

This guy's been acting really distressed.

He's poured petrol all over himself.

- Petrol?

- Yeah, he said he needs to talk to you.

- Did you call for backup?

- Yes. Do you know what's going on?

- No idea.

- Hello?

Ooh.

A crackling sound.

A cleansing glow.

You can't outrun it.

You're too slow.

Ruined trees, a blackened ground.

From flesh to dust.

You won't be found.

Oh!

- He's here. - What's going on, buddy?

- Hey.

- Nick's gone back to where it all started.

That's where you'll find him.

- What do you mean?

- He told me to tell you that it's over.

- Put the lighter down.

- I didn't pass my riddle.

- What riddle?

- I didn't pass my riddle.

- Put the lighter down.

Come on.

- I didn't pass my riddle.

- Step back!

- You don't have a warrant.

- Yeah? You still working on your next project?

Well, I really hope you come pencil in Tiffany's funeral

into your schedule.

- Son of a bitch.

- Jitters, I know it came from here.

- Has Holness contacted you?

- Holness?

Known to his fans as Nullvoid90?

- It was going to be the next big thing.

Bespoke horror experiences for each player.

By harvesting a player's personal data,

the AI could accurately deduce their fears.

- And what about the hallucinations?

- You've played it?

- Let me ask you something, Casey.

How can it make me see things that aren't there?

- A precisely calibrated combination

of stroboscopic light and infrasound,

configured by an algorithm so advanced

it can perfectly control

how your brain will respond to the stimulus.

- That thing is alive.

- When you talk to someone in the dream,

you are actually just talking to yourself, aren't you?

The Jitters AI hijack that part of your brain.

Can you imagine the possibilities?

- The possibilities?

- Amusement parks, escape rooms.

You build a cheap plywood haunted house with this tech

incorporated into it and you've got lines around the block.

The whole experience is designed to wear off in an hour.

- Well, it's been in my head for two fucking days.

You want to explain that?

- Petty revenge on Tiff.

He told his corporate masters to go to hell and they fired him.

- He's dead, Casey, alright?

He directed and starred in his own snuff movie.

- What?

- His career was over, man.

Alright, and Tiffany hated him.

So I figured the Jitters was a parting gift to the world.

You know, a way to hurt as many people as possible without,

without facing any consequences.

- But it's only a game.

- Casey, I need his address, alright?

I am not asking as an officer.

I'm asking for Tiffany,

please.

What are you doing here?

- I was told that you'd be here, mate.

- Oh, yeah?

Who by?

- Look, Nick,

I'm sorry, man.

I'm, I'm sorry that I ever doubted you.

But whatever this is, this is real, man,

and it's getting bad out there.

- Yeah.

No shit.

Sam, listen to me.

Our two cases were the same, alright?

- Yeah.

Nullvoid90?

- Yeah.

Sam, I know where he died.

Alright, I think I know how.

There's got to be an answer to my riddle there.

- You understand me? - Yeah.

This is real.

Come on.

Come on, let's go.

Sam.

♪ Daisy, daisy ♪

Sam, listen to me.

You can't be here.

Sam?

- What the fuck is that? - Sam!

Sam! Sam, look at me.

I can't let this thing get in your head.

Alright?

- I'm not just gonna leave ya.

- Sam, listen to me, you gotta go, please!

Come on, Sam, please.

♪ I can't afford a carriage ♪

♪ But you'll look sweet ♪

- Just listen to me.

You finish that fucking thing.

♪ Of a bicycle made for two ♪

- There you are.

- Yeah.

So here we are at the Continue centre.

Well,

have you figured it out yet, Nicky boy?

I'm a dying man,

and I can't stop thinking about it.

- Mm.

No points for partial answers.

And what do points make?

Points make prizes.

Yeah, but not for you.

- Look, I'm not here alone.

- Your police brethren speeding to the scene, are they?

Bebe! Bebe! Bebe! Bebe!

Bebe! Bebe! Bebe! Bebe!

Well, anyway, it's too late.

Nothing can stop my father now.

Daddy! Daddy!

You're pathetic, Collymore.

You're a loser.

- No!

- You'll be dead within minutes, Collymore.

But I wanted you to know that Izzy's with me now.

- Izzy!

Izzy, sweetie, what are you doing here?

- I got scared.

Then I saw a big screen.

- Izzy isn't here!

You hear me?

- Nicky boy.

- My Izzy

is safe from you.

- And when you're dead, coal ash.

What then?

- No.

My Izzy is a fighter.

She is tough enough to make it through.

What the hell is going on?

- Tiffany was afraid of pain.

Pain that would leave a scar.

But, Taylor, it was spiders hatching from her flesh.

Jake.

He was afraid of going blind, yet he gouged out his own eyes.

And there have been many, many more.

So many more.

I offer human minds the chance

to confront their deepest fears.

But in the end, you all turn and run.

- No,

no.

She has her mother and her uncle.

When she stumbles, they'll be there to pick her up.

I almost killed a man

because he abused his own daughter.

And I was imagining all the horrors

waiting out there for my little girl.

Horrors much darker than you, clown.

And I wasn't there to keep her safe.

My riddle, Jitters,

is not a fear of dying.

No.

It's a fear of leaving my little girl all alone.

I taught her well.

I made her strong.

And I'll always be with her.

- Like the fella says,

you play a good game, boy.

I'll be seeing you, Nick.

- Hi, Izzy, we miss you.

Hi, guys, do you like my teddy?

- OMG, I love your teddy.

I want one.

- I missed this chair.

- So

what do we do?

- I don't know.

You know, the technology that made that thing

is still out there, trademarked.

an AI that can make you believe anything.

- I meant, what do we do here?

We need to speak to Izzy.

- Sam?

- Nick.

The USB's here, they're just the leftovers.

Holness is burning this program

into hundreds of thousands of these things.

This warehouse is a distribution centre for online shopping.

He was hiding the sticks inside outgoing packages.

Including bulk orders.

Now, Nick, Nick, Nick.

the prizes and the toys

that you were finding in the arcade machines.

They were delivered from this warehouse.

- Izzy?

- I told you I'd be seeing Nicky Boy.

- A green place where both go wrong.

I agree with force a cruel embrace and.

Wreckage, I was involved in a car crash, I remember now.

It was a car crash.

I was trapped.

I was involved in a car crash when I was young.

Ha! Got ya!

- Wrong answer.

- No.

No, no!

- Get away from me!

Get away from me!

♪ Daisy, Daisy ♪

♪ Give me your answer, do ♪

♪ I'm half crazy ♪

♪ All for the love of you ♪

♪ It won't be a stylish marriage ♪

♪ I can't afford a carriage ♪

♪ But you look sweet upon the seat ♪

♪ Of a bicycle built for two. ♪

♪ Daisy, Daisy ♪

♪ Give me your answer do ♪

♪ I'm half crazy ♪

♪ All for the love of you. ♪

♪ It won't be a starter marriage ♪

♪ I can't afford a carriage ♪

♪ But you look sweet upon the seat ♪

♪ Of a bicycle built for two ♪