Original subtitles

Perfect day for a game.

You can't move there.

Now we have to restart.

I can't find focus.

Does this have a macro setting?

It defaults to it if you're close enough, I think.

Sorry Tonya, you were saying? I couldn't be any closer.

No, just putting my acting career,

well everything, to look after.

How's your shot? It's a nightmare.

I actually went through a similar thing with my mom.

Oh, I'm sorry.

Your shot?

Uh, it's fine.

It's just, it's a squared-off two-shot.

But you're kinda like close and interrogating him.

Okay.

How are the levels?

Don't worry about me, it's just for James.

I don't know.

James, can you say something for us

in your normal speaking voice?

Daddy?

Is that GoPro on?

I need...

We need that for the two-shot so I can cut between.

We need that master.

You guys should know something.

My husband, Jeff, isn't quite as open-minded

about what we're doing here.

He knows it's my decision and my dad's decision,

but if you could just try and keep it just on us,

- me and my dad. - No, that's fine.

He'll sign a release though right?

Yeah, he just doesn't want to be in it.

Tonya!

They're still here.

Yeah.

And my dad is still alive.

Thank you very much for asking.

Then why aren't you in there with him instead of out here

flirting with this fucker? Jeff what are you doing?

I think you're getting the wrong impression.

Fucking asshole!

Where are my glasses?

Pretty sure you had your contacts in.

No, no, no.

I wanna go back to that shot.

Stop thinking about it.

It's time to talk to Ted.

We gotta sell him on this footage.

I have an idea for that.

Ted.

Guys, what the hell do you think you're doing?

You'll never get his release.

Your footage is unusable.

I had them right here.

Okay, but...

Let us go back and smooth things over.

I mean, that guy James is gonna clock out any second now.

Yeah, that's the other thing.

Think of your audience.

You can't just show a bunch of random people dying.

We are thinking of the audience.

There's this professor who developed this thing

called the God Helmet.

And it's supposedly this rig that you wear.

You go into this room, and they use magnetism

to kind of induce a God-like experience,

or a near-death experience, and it's totally safe.

Supposedly.

I think for this documentary

we can go for more of a universal approach

of how we think of our own mortality or existence.

Death is just a part of that.

You're not worried about your brain getting magnetized?

It's gotta be safe.

Safe enough if they're using it at a university.

Okay, show me what you can find.

All right.

Get some B-roll at the university

while we still got the weather.

Let's get it tomorrow.

I wanna get in that God Helmet.

Yeah, but if it rains tomorrow, which it says it might,

then we can't get the shots that we need.

Like just for each set up, do a static, a tilt down,

- and a pan over. - Yeah.

It's fine.

I got it.

Establishing shots in the rain

might serve us better anyway, thematically.

Devil's advocate.

Clouds of uncertainty.

My mom didn't know what the fuck was going on at the end

but she was still scared shitless.

What's a bright and sunny day at school

have to do with any of that?

But not everyone sees it that way.

Think about it.

If you believe in immortality

then death is an exciting prospect.

By the way, you're shooting.

I'm test driving the God Helmet.

Okay, let's see here.

There.

Yup, check.

Okay, Mike, do you feel comfortable enough to start?

Yeah.

Sure.

Is that light staying on?

You shouldn't be seeing any kind of a light yet.

Eric, we cleared the...

the gear from the hospice, right?

Was it...

My glasses, right?

Did I forget my...

No, I got it.

Okay.

Yeah, I'm good.

I'm good.

Mike, I'm not gonna be able to increase the current here

until we get you straightened out a bit.

Are you feeling okay?

Is he on something?

It's okay.

I'm fine.

Eric gets it.

I was just, the darkness, you...

start to think about...

the girl at the Hospice.

Tonya?

I think was her name?

I'm fine.

Don't worry about Tonya.

It's okay to forget.

Just try to focus on the here...

and now.

Even here and now there's like...

me...

and you...

her...

I think her name was Tonya, and her dad was there.

And...

Okay.

I'm pretty sure it was her.

Listen to my voice.

Her name was Tonya, but you don't need to remember her now.

Let yourself forget.

It's her.

They need more blood-work.

Can I book it for Monday?

Colonizing another planet is supposed to be hard.

Why don't I go down to the lab

and see how our boys are doing?

I thought we agreed I'd see some progress today.

We were just about to stop his program.

So that's nine days wasted.

What was the program?

It was the atrium module.

Playing chess, checkers, birdwatching...

For nine days?

No variation?

Did he kill himself?

No, he just hit a barrier.

His brain was running beautifully, everything gelled,

then bam, everything stopped integrating for him.

Now we gotta pull him out.

Do it then.

Let me talk to him.

Sir...

Miss, I don't think we can do that.

- He won't be in any state- - If you're getting anywhere

at all, he should be able to transition easily.

We're not sending vegetables to the stars.

Pull him out now.

Set up the interview room so I can watch.

I'll give you 10 minutes.

And get a fucking bib.

Lieutenant Duncan?

Uh-huh.

My face still feels...

That's normal.

And you said that last time.

Do you remember?

What's your name?

Lieutenant Chris Duncan...

retired.

No, you were discharged.

You do realize your team is the bottleneck?

Your progress has been intolerable.

I have a chess board, but we can also play checkers.

It's reversible.

Which would you like to play?

Um...

Which did we play last time?

Chess.

Okay.

Checkers.

Holy shit!

Were gonna lose him!

Mike?

You've gone radio silent on me man.

Is this...

Is this still it?

You okay buddy?

Yeah, I just...

Okay.

Put my hands up in the field of vision.

I can't see them.

That kinda ruins the illusion.

Turn.

You should be able to toggle on/off on the motion sensor.

I wanted to keep going that way.

Resolution could be a little better.

So, nerd shit aside,

what does this have to do with the documentary?

The doc isn't about death, it's about life.

Human experience.

VR is a bridge to whole new worlds of potential experience.

This one needs better software though.

Okay, let me try.

In a minute.

What the...

Whatcha got?

It's me.

How can it...

This is impossible.

We would have known if someone was doing

a goddamn 360 capture.

Someone's coming down the hall.

You're here.

But someone's missing.

Where is she?

Holy shit.

It looks a little forced, like, the staging of it.

We need a break.

I need to get drunk.

No, we've gotta get at least to the end of this scene.

You look like you're hallucinating.

I'm not hallucinating.

I just feel like I'm in a dream.

You gotta pull back and let things percolate a bit.

Yeah, but...

when we uh...

go in the hole...

the um...

Yeah, I don't know what I'm talking about.

It actually felt like I was in the scenes,

like, experiencing everything from the camera's perspective,

except I was in the scenes.

Pretty sickening feeling

kinda losing the forest for the trees, you know?

But it works.

It's postmodern, but the audience knows

they're being toyed with.

It's artificial, but we're still with the main characters

because they also are being toyed with.

Turn it off for the night.

Think any of 'em read a book in the last year?

You get the first round.

I gotta say hi to someone.

Begin.

No crystallization, glucose level high,

and they've been staying high after reanimation.

So it's still, what, just the damn gamma waves?

That's the main problem, give or take.

They just don't want to integrate.

Ensign Walker here is coming out of program Zenith.

12-to-one time dilation.

Let's hear what he has to say.

Beta function surprisingly good.

Gammas?

Neil, do you know where you are?

How many times have I... Answer the question please.

Yes.

What year is it?

It's the same year you went under.

What year do you think it is?

3,000?

4,000?

A.D.?

What?

What...

What's your name?

Neil.

Why wouldn't I know my name?

I know my own name.

Strong impulse at 36 Hz.

Hey, I know it's disorienting, but it's gonna be okay.

Oh shit.

Gammas still...

This makes no sense.

He's catatonic.

No shit!

Wake up all the subjects and send them home.

We're changing tacks.

Fuck off.

Ow!

Hey.

Wow!

Good morning to you too.

Who...

What are you doing here?

What am I...

What?

There's a gap.

You.

No, I can't explain it.

Hello?

What happened last night?

What do you mean?

There's like a girl in my bed.

Hello?

Holy shit, I am a miracle worker.

Wait, did you fucking drug me?

Is she a hooker?

Man, take it easy.

The club.

You know her, I saw you.

Are you talking to someone?

The club.

Yeah, well, I talked to a lot of ladies last night.

Wait, is she still there?

Yes!

Hey, I'm embarrassed too, you know.

Hang on, you locked yourself in the bathroom

to call your friend about...

How do you know I'm in the bathroom?

Are you just going to hide in there

until I leave?

I haven't decided yet!

What the fuck is going on?

Let me save you the trouble and leave now.

Nice to meet you, Mike!

First things first, go make her some eggs,

bare fucking minimum.

Call me later if you're still pissed about getting laid.

Wait.

I didn't get your name.

Don't worry about it.

Stop.

Please, tell me your name.

Sophie.

Sophie.

No, sorry, I still don't remember.

Look, I don't do one night stands either.

Neither do I.

So, let me at yeast cook you some eggs

so it's a night and a morning.

Thanks.

Sorry.

I mean, yeah, you're welcome.

Um...

So, what's your movie about?

Or was that just a pick-up line?

Oh, movie.

It's a documentary.

Well, part narrative.

It's about what happens after you die.

Like after it...

What happens after it happens.

Mm-hm.

Sounds a little pretentious

now that you've made me say it out loud, though.

Well...

I don't know about you, but I could use some coffee.

God yes.

Where's our first stop?

Caledon.

Where are we ultimately headed to, though?

What's that, a metaphor or something?

You're the one driving the trailer.

How do you not know where we're going?

Yeah, yeah, there's is a nice way to answer that, too.

You're married?

I just hate it when single chicks wear fake wedding rings

'cause they're constantly having to ward off

all these guys that are hitting on them.

Is that it?

Uh...

I wear my wedding ring because we're married.

That's what people do.

Just 'cause you're too cool to wear yours

doesn't mean I'm gonna stop wearing mine.

What the fuck are you talking about?

Never mind.

We're married.

- Yeah, you said that. - Yeah, and?

Are you fucking nuts?

We just met.

Wait, do you go around telling

all your girlfriends that we're married?

You're not joking, are you?

Okay, look, pull over.

This can't be safe.

Pull over, what can't be safe?

You're just trying to make me

- fucking feel crazy right now! - Mike, please can you just

pull over?

I don't want you driving.

How do you know Eric?

Mike.

I think you're having one of those episodes,

or like, one of those attacks.

Attacks?

You're literally the person

who just said that we're married!

Because we are!

We are.

Ask anyone we know.

I just...

I don't think you should be driving.

Okay, I can drive for a bit.

You can lay down in the back.

Or we can pull over and call it a day.

Anything you want.

I just...

Babe, what are you doing?

You need to leave me alone.

But we're in the middle of nowhere!

No, stop!

I'm not having an episode, okay?

This is something else.

I don't remember how I got here!

I remember seeing you at the club,

the next morning, breakfast, eggs.

And then just all these, like,

these flashes of all these memories together.

A montage you'd see in a movie, okay?

And I get that it adds up to us,

and that I care for you, but we're not fucking married!

Okay?

Where's all the stuff in between?

Our engagement?

The arguments?

All the stuff that makes it connect?

Okay?

- Just come back... - No, look.

You can either stay here or go back there,

but don't fucking follow me!

I know that you and all this is a distraction,

and I know the difference now.

Mike, can you please just...

What?

You're gonna tell me that it's all in my head?

That everything's fine?

I know the difference!

You cheated.

Somehow.

Only in part.

Screen.

Mike, playback.

Start to zero-five.

Yes, playback.

You guys controlled your avatars

in a two-dimensional, top-down view.

But I was playing in three dimensions.

Mike, render 3D.

Yes, render.

Continue.

Side view.

Introducing one set of restricted representations

meant I could save time programming graphics

and control code for the third axis.

We were playing three dimensions, you just assumed two.

I sold you the illusion of complete freedom

knowing you guys would act like flatlands.

I've already talked up Bridges to Infinity 3.

It has to be a complete paradigm shift in gaming.

And the key to the architecture

will be to exploit the difference

between the the interface and the representation.

It can't be fake.

It's gotta be real life.

Who knows I'm up here?

No one.

Nothing to do with me.

Okay, fine.

That's enough for today.

Screen, sleep away.

Hi, are you Mike?

This is a private island.

Yes, I know.

Can we talk?

Um, outside.

I work with the Fuller Corporation.

I'd like to discuss an interesting opportunity.

Calm down!

One second.

Shh.

Hey man.

Eric, I need a favor.

What happened?

I don't know.

Lost reception.

You feeling all right?

You sound a little weird.

Something's up with my brain.

Maybe...

Everything seems foggy.

I think I'm having some sort of episode,

but I don't have episodes.

Right?

Still there?

Yeah.

Hey, where are you?

Looks like Askin and Wyandotte.

I'm just parked up here.

So we're driving along, everything's fine.

Then I notice she's got this fucking wedding ring on.

She says we're married with a total straight face.

It's like everywhere I look, it's fucking cardboard cutouts.

I mean, sometimes things do go wrong upstairs, chemically.

I'm not saying you're crazy or anything, but...

Mike, this is not the first time

we've had this conversation.

How many times?

Three, four?

Your doctor said it wasn't a stroke, it was just an episode.

Last time you just kinda...

reset.

She is your wife.

It'll come back to you.

She deserves an explanation.

And a bit of hope things'll go back to normal.

Fine.

I'm sorry.

It's okay.

It's not your fault.

I know that.

It is.

I...

I got confused and I took it out on you.

How 'bout a swim?

The water's real nice.

Now very slowly come back to the room.

Feel the chair beneath you.

What just happened?

We just successfully hypnotized you.

On camera.

No.

Yeah, you were recalling details

like they happened yesterday.

No, no, no.

That's bullshit.

That's not what happened.

Yeah.

We got it on camera.

Imagine yourself in a Hawaiian breeze.

Why don't I remember this?

That's usually how hypnotism works.

It might feel like deja vu.

That's usually how hypnotism works.

It might feel like deja vu.

What the fuck?

Fuck.

This is very generous, but...

It's not about the money.

Of course.

Mr. Fuller understands that.

But you are here, so something does motivate you.

Let me ask you this:

do you think Mr. Fuller is in it for the money?

Life after death isn't just a dream.

It's real.

Legacy.

It's about making a real difference within our lifetimes.

While we still draw breath.

We need your help.

We've already announced our launch dates.

What did you have in mind?

We've been following your work for some time,

and we're impressed.

Oh.

Thanks.

I...

was pretty sure nobody noticed.

A low profile is a smart idea

for a man in your situation.

Don't worry, I have no ethical stake in this at all.

Neither does Mr. Fuller.

But some friends of his at the DEA

say they're about a month away from making their case,

and your picture is hanging up on a cork board

surrounded by a bunch of unfriendly Mexicans.

Mr. Fuller wants you to know that he understands.

Someone you loved was dying of a terrible, painful disease.

You saw a way.

A way to help.

What choice did you have?

You shouldn't have to live in the shadow

of that decision for the rest of your life.

Especially now that she's gone.

How would you like a real lab?

One you wouldn't have to clean yourself.

No, no, no, I don't think so.

You cheated.

You hacked in and raised the Zed-axis.

It's not cheating.

It's a workaround.

How is that fun for you?

I get to see behind the curtain.

Organic chemistry, U of T.

You were the hot shot in the front row,

but you dropped just before Christmas.

How do you remember that?

We're ready for you.

So far, we've had success

building on a 10-to-one solution, glycine to GABA.

But our results beyond eight days

of suspension have been...

embarrassing.

Have you tried-

You can't wasp your formulas

without shutting down the program.

We're not changing our formulas on the fly.

One at a time.

Cleaner data and safer trials.

That's a waste of time.

If I could swap his formula now,

I could have his gammas on track in an hour.

You have got too much cortical inhibition

going on in this mix.

How long could that brain state be sustained chemically?

You synthesize as needed, so, just shy of forever?

As long as you can maintain the homeostatic functions.

Our formulas were good on paper;

it was just the psychological side effects of...

Psychology is brain chemistry.

We need to get to work.

Checkers, chess.

I think this one's Pong?

No wonder they can't maintain engagement.

Yeah, literally bore them to death.

The point is to keep their brains engaged

for an indefinite amount of time,

not flex one muscle over and over again for decades.

This approach basically guarantees

that they're insane by time they show up.

Okay, any given night, your dreams are essentially

more or less memories of the days events just replaying,

but with other memories

and more imaginative variations mixed in, right?

So that's essentially what we need, but goal-oriented,

so they're not just treading water.

Yeah.

And you can't recycle the same content forever.

These guys are supposed to sleep for who knows how long,

and then show up on an alien planet and get to work.

They'll need to be sharp.

If you can give me open-ended programs,

I can maintain the chemistry,

provided your spread the stimulation across the whole brain.

Feeding checkers into an idle brain is one thing,

But to create something that would last indefinitely

is a whole other animal.

That's fine, though.

With these resources I can pipe them in there.

We just have to focus on generating content.

Okay, you don't get it, though.

It would have to be something

magnitudes more complex than any cutting-edge

video game or VR.

Not only does the brain have to be fooled

by the sights and sounds of the program,

but it needs the freedom to try out

new patterns and combinations at will.

There can't be any buildings you just cannot enter

or only two types of restaurant.

The program would need to be a multi-verse of complexity

where anything and everything could happen.

Then you might get all those brainwaves firing

like a waking brain for that long.

Could take years to write something like that from scratch.

We don't have that kind of time.

Right.

I remember you.

What?

There was this virtual reality program

that would let criminals serve out virtual sentences.

It would seem like 10 years subjectively,

but it took place in a matter of weeks

at a fraction of the incarceration costs.

It was huge.

They built prison worlds for the convicts to occupy.

But lobbyists got it shut down

'cause nobody wants to see their daughter's murderer

walking free, even if he's a changed man.

But with this type of cryo-sleep

we can flip the subjective time dilation.

What seems like weeks is actually years of clock-time.

If I can steal some of the architecture

and maybe even parts of the raw program,

it could be a solid work around.

So they're in jail subjectively for years,

then when they come out, it's weeks later?

Seems evil to compress that much pain

into such a short amount of time.

You gotta wonder what it'd be like to be stuck in there.

Did you hear anything I just said?

No, probably not.

Man, what is up with you lately?

I want to test something out

I'm already pretty, yeah, pretty confidant about.

What are you testing?

There's gotta be some things

that it just can't compute.

There's cracks all around us, we just gloss over them.

I am not following you at all.

I don't give a fuck.

Hey, I'll drive for a bit.

Think you've been working a little too hard.

You need some time away, man.

Shh.

Shh.

Listen.

Can you hear that?

Shh.

Just listen.

Here it comes.

Where is that coming from?

Where's the train?

There is no train.

There aren't any trains around for miles.

That's my point.

Wait, where are you going?

I'm leaving you here.

Wait, what?

Hey, hey, hey.

Wait.

You got all my stuff in there!

Where are you going?

I think a good starting point might be

some of these prisoner recreation programs.

Prisoners had the option of doing art,

music, photography, creative writing.

The modules actually look pretty complex and task-oriented.

So if you strip away the prisoner reward point

bullshit thing and just sink 'em into...

programs where they're forced to be creative,

maybe we can get the brain generating its own content.

Their subconscious will be able to basically dream up

whatever it wants, within the confines of the program.

What about filmmaking?

I mean, it basically combines

all those artistic elements you just mentioned.

Yeah, have the user work on a film.

You just keep on dropping in new tasks,

pushing back the end-goal back til it's time to wake up.

Limitless possibilities.

Huge waste of full brain activity.

That is perfect.

And half my idea.

How did you hear about this study?

How do you mean, sir?

Like, how did you hear we were looking for test subjects?

I was ordered to report here sir.

Ordered by who?

By my commanding officer, sir.

You want to use my program.

I know the copyright reverted back to you

when the prison program folded.

We want to build upon your work.

Buy it flat out.

How do you plan to avoid neural degeneration

for over a decade?

Well we all have our trade secrets now, don't we?

To be honest, it wouldn't be difficult

to reverse engineer your program and avoid your copyright,

but it would be much cleaner if I just buy it outright.

Give me a number.

I want it.

You want it?

Or do you want it?

Everything I've said comes from-

What is it, Mr. Fuller?

I want it.

You'll need a good neurochemist

and one hell of a programmer.

Think you can do it?

Of course we do.

Be my guest.

Well...

I guess I dream about...

what everyone dreams about.

Things, I guess.

Okay, be specific.

What do you and everyone else dream about?

Jeez.

Stuff, I guess.

Okay.

Like what specifically?

Normal things.

Normal stuff.

So, the same different stuff?

That's the normal stuff.

Exactly.

Okay.

Well, thanks.

We'll be in touch.

Thanks.

My other guy is on break.

But I can get you started.

Please, have a seat.

Thanks.

Have we met?

Hm?

No, that's deja vu.

Sorry, if you can just start filling that out.

Yeah.

Could you tell me a little about

what I'm signing up for before I sign up?

It's a computer program.

Well it's like a series of computer programs,

and we're gonna do stuff to you.

Like, we're gonna...

It's non-invasive.

So this is one of those things

where you program me to kill the president.

Uh, no.

It's...

We just need you to be ignorant.

Like, we need ignorant people.

Not dumb people, like not you have to be dumb.

Just, we need the subjects to be ignorant.

If you, okay, so say you knew exactly how the program worked

then it might not work on you the same way.

You'd be cognizant of everything around you

and it would, the program would shut down.

I was joking.

Sorry, I got a lot on my mind.

I think your partner does the interviews for a reason.

What reason?

You don't seem like you have a lot of experience,

you know, talking to people.

How's that?

Well I have good news for you.

I sold my program to Ray.

I knew I was here because of my program,

but I didn't know if he was serious.

Then I saw you.

Me?

Yeah, we haven't met, but I know who you are.

And you wouldn't be here if you didn't think

there was some potential for something great.

His plan is too ambitious.

I would have walked myself,

and then I remembered your program.

Your code was...

You must have been so young when you wrote that.

It almost sounds like you're warming up to me.

Your program is one of the most beautiful things

I've ever seen.

Why do they even make french fries anymore,

if onion rings exist?

Your commander volunteer you too?

Yes and no.

We actually have everyone we need.

Well, thanks anyway.

Whoa, watch out!

Fuck!

Where am I?!

It's okay, man.

It's cool.

What did you see right before the end?

It was a...

a light...

was falling.

Again, the program kicked him out

right before he died, like a dream.

'Cause it's not in the programing.

It's a kill screen.

You can go.

You're fine.

Your stuff's in the change room.

So, can you just write in something then?

Just jump 'em into a new scene?

I could write something in that, like,

if you die in a module, then you wake up at

breakfast table, 900 hours, but we can't.

We need...

That would ruin the illusion.

We need normal waking brain function, okay?

Not video games, 'cause if you get crushed by a light,

you don't wake up with fuckin' orange juice!

Okay.

So your consciousness is running along

trying to stitch together a logical sequence,

and we want to keep that illusion intact,

but what if we could, like,

wipe the slate clean during the reload?

Reintroduce a hint of Partridge's cortical suppression,

use some sort of volatile chemical mediator for memories.

After the reload, when the person dies or whatever,

you just flush the memories, the person wakes up

and they just start drinking OJ

because it's right there in front of them.

What about residual effects from previous brain states?

Yeah.

The amygdala's flooded,

adrenaline's obviously spiked or whatever, but...

with a suppressed PFC you might not even question it.

But if we're suppressing the PFC,

then we're not getting normal, waking brain states!

I'm talking about subtle suppression.

And you only flush the memories

when you absolutely have to hot-swap the program.

And ultimately, filmmaking isn't usually fatal.

Every now and then, like in real life,

they're gonna break routine, and that involves risk.

And it's not just a low-probability hypothetical;

it's inevitable, considering how long

they'll be in the program.

Wipe their memories every once in a while

and they're bound to notice.

And when a subject notices discontinuities,

we run the risk that they'll start noticing the program.

And when that happens, we'll need to intervene.

Drastically.

Chemically we're in great shape

but we may have underestimated

how complex the program has to be.

Any frayed edges and it'll fail.

I need every loose end seamlessly tucked back

into the program before we move on to human trials.

I want our next trial to be the last.

How much time?

Not long.

We don't know.

The last report was so optimistic.

Yeah, we still are optimistic.

But...

Maybe you two should split up,

work separately for a few days.

You're in each others' heads too much.

Meanwhile, if there's anything you guys need from me,

I want you to let me know.

Thanks, we will.

All right.

And I know I don't need to mention our timeline.

I'm a bit concerned that you didn't want Mike

to hear whatever it is you're about to say.

Mike is...

Mike a genius, no doubt.

Whatever.

Okay, but he's a perfectionist, and it's holding us back.

He wants the program to be

the perfect recreation of real life,

so that you can't experience anything in the program

that you wouldn't normally feel while you're awake.

Of course.

It sounds like it makes sense, right?

But we never have all the data in our environment.

We don't need it.

Consciousness fills in the gaps.

The program doesn't have to be perfect,

it just has to avoid drawing attention to itself.

I know how to do it, okay?

But Mike is in his head,

he's too distracted to hear me.

This sounds like something you two should agree on.

Yeah, I know.

But Mike won't move forward until he thinks

the program is absolutely perfect.

And look, I need this to work.

Okay?

He doesn't.

Let me be blunt.

We trust Mike's track record and his judgment

far more than a former drug cook.

That's why I've been hesitant.

But I'm ready for more testing.

Now.

I'm confident that I can stabilize the interface

and move the project forward.

I don't want to waste any more of your time.

It's your call.

I can either sit on my hands and wait for Mike

to try and find his inspiration,

or I can take a couple subjects on my own

and get back to work.

Mike can't even suspect.

I asked Ray how your trials were going.

But he wouldn't tell me anything.

Gave me attitude for even asking, like,

"Take the money and shut up."

We're cautious for good reason.

But you have people inside experiencing things, right?

Why would I tell you more than Ray?

Because...

you get it.

What I wanted when I designed the program.

You know what it could do,

what it could mean, and not just for Ray.

It's troubling.

I like talking to you, but I shouldn't.

It's distracting.

I have to do work.

You gotta take a break some time.

Do I?

Mm-hm.

Yeah, you can't be on all the time.

You gotta...

let some noise in.

It's inspiring.

I don't think I'm built that way.

What?

I bet you are.

For years, all I ever wanted

was to see my program working.

Then it was all over.

Just like that.

And I felt like I could die.

Things were better for a while after that.

Not worrying about it all the time.

But when Ray called me...

I felt it again.

I need to see it.

I want you to succeed.

Eric thinks he can solve all our transition problems

by just wiping the memories of the previous module.

He can do that?

More or less.

But no way it's a longterm solution.

Memories connect to too much.

Anything could trigger a memory that would ruin continuity.

Things bleed over.

Well...

as a fail-safe, it might give you enough of a buffer

to put off serious cognitive dissonance.

When you make Ray's deadline, when you're finished,

I want you to show me how you did it.

I need to know.

When it's over.

Get back to work.

Hello?

So, uh, where's your partner?

Hopefully getting some sleep.

He needed a couple days off to shake off the zombie-brain.

You can get comfortable there.

Is it safe?

Yeah, it's safe.

Comfortable?

Sort of.

Feels weird.

Something about wires sticking out of me.

Yeah that was the one thing that really pissed off my mom.

Chemo, confusion, that was all fine,

but man, she hated shit sticking out of her skin.

It's funny...

Sorry, I've been up for a while.

Just...

try and relax.

Breathe naturally.

Okay, Sophie, you should start to feel

nice and heavy and sleepy.

I'd like you to count backwards from 10 for me.

10...

nine...

six...

Took the idea from you.

Six walled.

So it doesn't bode well for us

that you figured out it was a program.

None of our other tests subjects figured it out.

You a lucid dreamer?

How long have I been under?

Not long.

Not long enough.

And now I find myself wasting time down here

trying to make you forget.

It would really be better for everyone

if you just roll with it.

Why cut me out?

Cut you out?

No, I need you.

But in here for the time being.

Well, whatever you're doing, it's not working.

My memories from the previous modules

are starting to bleed over.

Yeah, I know.

Annoying.

But I noticed you don't start remembering right away.

You start from scratch every time.

So that means I can keep shifting you around to buy time.

But it is a fucking hassle.

Why then?

Why do you need me out of the way?

No.

No, I don't think I will tell you.

I don't want you to take it personally.

Just trust me.

It's Sophie.

Fuck!

What's going on?

Come on!

Mike, come on!

Open the door, open the door!

Come on, come on!

Open, it, open it!

Open the door!

Why would you do it?

I don't...

Why?

I don't...

I don't remember.

That makes no sense.

Hey.

Hey.

Wake up.

What?

Wake up.

Welcome back.

It's okay.

Ease back into it.

You'll be disoriented for a while, but that's okay.

What?

You had a pretty big shock there.

It'll take a little while to regulate your brain.

No.

No?

No.

Wait...

Well, that fucked up.

Congratulations.

You can rearrange the program faster from the inside

than I can from the outside.

But it's still my program,

so wherever you go, I'm in control.

I can put you where I want.

Even if you figure out it's a program immediately,

I've got the bird's eye view.

Then come find me.

Yeah.

Hey, you're not answering your cell.

Hey!

What's up?

Couldn't sleep, and I think I had a breakthrough.

Wanted to say it out loud before I forget.

So, basically we've been inputting positive data

into a blank interface, the subject,

which would make sense for a computer,

but a human can't sit tight and wait for the next program

to run during the gaps, like a computer can.

That's why our subjects are washing out

during the transitions.

But what if, before we run anything,

we lay down a control track, like a field of noise

that constantly runs, essentially filling in

any possible gaps that would come up,

so when the transitions happen,

the brain is still receiving some sort of chaotic signal,

thus staying active, trying to sort it out,

while it waits for the next program to start.

It's like in a proper dream state;

the mind accepts the next weird logic of reality

because it doesn't have empty time to stop

and contemplate the previous weirdness that just happened.

Yeah.

Yeah, that sounds great.

We can try it in the morning.

No, I'm awake now, I'm heading over.

No, it can wait.

Fuck.

Shit!

What the fuck were you thinking?

Ray signed off on it.

I don't care!

You don't test something so incomplete...

Look at her, she's comatose!

It's the same damn program!

I tweaked one little thing to mask the memories,

and none of the other volunteers went unresponsive.

She wasn't even a volunteer!

This is why you don't fuck with things you don't understand.

Fucking amateur.

Hey!

We're on a deadline!

Okay, I'm not set like you.

If this doesn't work out for me I go to prison, at best!

So I saw a way to jump forward and I took it.

How is she not a volunteer?

Get out of here and let me fix this.

We can fix it together.

I'm not letting you anywhere near her.

And now I've got to go to Ray with this?

You're off the program.

Get the fuck outta my lab!

That's not an option.

You don't have any say, not any more.

I need more time.

Time.

Okay, where did you go?

Scoured every line of code and came up blank.

And then I thought about your warrior game, and it clicked.

A new axis.

Imaginary time, or whatever this is supposed to be.

That's crafty, but I still found you.

Hiding isn't doing anybody any good.

It's just costing me valuable time.

Then tell me what you want.

Why are you doing this?

It's not as sinister you think.

Sophie's under the same program you're under.

But for some reason, she keeps shutting down

every module I throw at her.

Why am I under?

Because you overreacted.

You wanted me off the project.

I needed time to fix things.

And I can't be off this project.

It's fixable.

The program is good.

It's just not good on her.

I don't know why.

She's got something off...

chemically, I'm not sure what.

Haven't figured it out yet.

Patch her into this program then.

Look, you can't pull her out manually, then neither can I.

But I can control this world, this program.

Patch her into me.

I can make her feel safe.

I can ease her back up through each transition,

one at a time, all the way to the top.

Look, I either wake her up, or make her feel safe

long enough so that her brain's firing on all cylinders

so you can lay down a new control track.

But it's still your program.

She wouldn't even be a player in your...

She wouldn't even be a sub-routine in your code.

She'd just be a virus.

There's no way to predict the kind of bleeding

that would occur between the two worlds.

Look, you came to me.

Even after all you did, you came to me.

You don't have a better option.

How do you feel?

Let's rock.

Just make her comfortable,

so she doesn't turtle every time something new happens.

Every time she panics, I have to alter the program.

Once you get her into a comfort zone, try and show her

how she can manipulate the program from the inside.

Like you're doing.

Where are you gonna start her from?

I was thinking of starting her at your place.

Where you guys first...

No, no.

Start her at my lake house.

I don't know about that.

You sort of jerry-rigged it from the inside,

so I have no way of knowing how stable it is.

It's stable.

I'd rather have her at an environment that I can control.

And her comfort level is already fucked

so it's a moot variable.

Fine.

You ready?

Yeah.

Sophie!

Sophie.

It's Mike.

It's just me.

Mike!

I know you're scared.

But it's okay.

Where are we?

Things are too unpredictable, so let me help.

Mike.

Where are we?

Where are we?

How can I get to you?

You're somewhere safe.

Shh.

It's okay.

No, I'm here.

I'm here now.

Okay?

It's okay.

I'm going to get us out of here.

I just need you to stay calm.

I need you to tell me the last thing you remember

before everything went crazy on you.

Eric called me.

He...

He must have found the form I half filled out.

I was trying to give you my number.

So you went to meet him.

He was so confident.

You were already in human trials.

I had to know.

Shh, shh, shh.

He dropped something!

When I was on the table.

Dropped something?

Some vials.

It's the last thing I remember.

After that it's...

It's all just...

flashes.

Oh God!

It felt like...

like I was falling out of the world.

Like I was dying.

I tried so hard to hold on with everything I had.

You did good.

Okay?

You did good.

But I need you to listen to me closely.

We're still in the program.

No.

I can't!

No!

Listen, listen!

I'm in control now.

Okay?

How do I know what's real?

The next time you wake up, it will be real.

And I'll be there.

Now I just need you to hang on.

No!

No!

This is it.

You made it.

See?

It's real.

Thank you.

Sure you have the right one this time?

She needs a stabilizer.

Get it now?

How long have I been under?

I figured the best way to keep you busy

was to let you think you were in control.

But just barely.

From what point though?

Oh, I was never under.

You've been tricking and resetting a program of me,

a digital me who thinks he's making a film,

and forgetting things, and trapped.

You've been playing in my sandbox while I fix your mistake.

She's okay.

I just pulled her out.

So what now?

Why am I still under?

I'm okay.

Good.

We'll call you back.

It's done.

Minus a few tweaks.

Sophie?

Human error, on Eric's part.

He got sloppy.

Overworked maybe.

She's been through a lot, but she'll be fine.

What about longterm forecasts?

Eric just passed day 10.

All the extrapolations look perfect.

He had to brainstorm, keep the fake Mike busy,

introduce new realities every time

my digital self caught on.

Our people are going to look over your data

in the next four hours.

Be available.

Look, I don't know what you have on Eric,

and you probably want to send him up river,

but I still have some use for him.

You're going, aren't you?

You're making the trip yourself.

I wouldn't miss it for the world.

Guess that'll probably mean a bit of a promotion for you.

Get back to work.

Sophie's fine, if you're wondering.

Thank you.

It was a clumsy mistake.

You injected her with the wrong vial.

The wrong vial?

We're up and running here,

just a few bugs to work out, some high-stress scenarios.

Gotta lock those down.

Okay.

Unhook me.

Just lay back down.

Mom?