Original subtitles

I cannot tell you the truth.

I cannot tell you a lie.

All I can do, is recall memories

as I remember it.

Lernert found the cities to be noisy

and crowded,

and he wanted to live a simple life in the desert.

But the desert can be a difficult place.

So he built me to make his life easier.

We walked everywhere together

and I took care of him.

But the sand damaged my body.

First, my right knee locked up,

and then my hip joint.

I could no longer walk,

and so my body was disassembled.

When Lernert could not find any more batteries,

my main cortex shut down.

But before I ran out of power,

Lernert promised he would fix me.

This was 982 days ago.

Remember how much you loved traveling?

I remember.

I remember going to the city.

You'd print out an itinerary and...

We'd spend the whole day walking around.

Just...

looking at stuff.

Listen, I really don't know

how much longer it's gonna take to fix you.

I wish I could tell you, but...

I really don't know.

And...

I'm not going to lie or pretend, so...

Just know that, I'm working on it.

I'm doing everything I know how, so...

What else can I do?

I wish you'd say something.

I know that's not fair to say.

I'm sorry.

I'm working on it.

I'm working on it.

Sorry.

Sorry, Susan.

Oh hey! Hey.

Drink.

Come on, now. Come on.

? There's a world of people To miss

? There's a world of people To miss

? There's a world of people To miss

? There's a world of people ?

Morning.

Hungry?

Look.

This is kernyptus root.

It's good. Lots of protein, safe to eat.

This is dactyl root.

I't bad. This is what you ate last night.

You're lucky I found you when I did.

Next time, look for the green ring

at the base of the stem.

Green is good.

This is your next meal we're talking about,

there's nothing more important than that.

If you don't pay attention to the details,

you're not going to make it.

So you got a name?

Okay.

My name is Lernert.

This is Susan.

What's your name?

What's with the head?

I told you, this is Susan.

Now are you going to tell me your name?

Or do you want to pretend we never met?

We never met.

The humans that live in the cities

tend to stay in the cities.

They imagine what life is like in the dunes.

And create myths about what lies beyond.

But the myths are only myths

because they remain on the distant horizon.

Could be an arm.

"Quest for the Key, by Lernert Stedman.

Todd lived alone.

Ate alone, slept alone, drank alone.

This is how every Samurai lived.

But Todd is not like every other Samurai.

Help!

Is anyone there?

I bring a message from the king.

I am here.

How did you come to be here, child?

The king sent me on his fastest boat

across the great...

crystal lake."

Across the great crystal lake.

How do you feel?

Stupid.

I owed you one.

Thanks.

I found your book.

What?

The Quest for the Key.

That's private.

- Oh, I'm sorry, I just... - How far are you?

Uh... Samurai just left home.

You barely started.

- Rola. - Hmm?

My name.

Rola.

Um, I'll get more... kernyptus root.

Green's good, right?

Right.

Okay.

You can't be too careful.

You know, I never get tired of these.

Hmm.

I just have to remove the resistors,

so the power reaches her main cortex.

The crystal is close. The crystal is close. The crystal is close.

- The crystal is close. - The crystal lake is close?

The crystal is close. The crystal is close. The crystal is close.

The crystal...

Who are you? Where's Lernert?

Susan? I'm here.

I've missed you, Lern.

I missed you, too, Suze.

Who is the girl?

Nobody, I just... Just found her. Yesterday.

Good.

What happened to your head?

I had an accident.

Let me look at it.

- It's fine. - I said, let me look at it.

You'll be okay.

What have you been doing?

I've been traveling. Looking for parts, you know.

That is good, Lernert.

I'm... I'm sorry, I don't mean to interrupt,

but Susan was saying something about the crystal being close?

I'm just wondering if she was talking about the crystal lake.

She's gone.

Battery's dead.

What's this?

It's an oil can.

And this?

Modem.

Do you find batteries often?

From time to time.

I know about the crystal lake.

You don't have to hide it.

What are you talking about?

You can talk to me, I'm a believer.

- A believer? - Yes.

You wrote about it.

Don't worry, I'm not gonna tell anyone, I mean,

who am I gonna tell?

That's why I came here.

Alone.

Because if people knew there was a giant lake,

they'd suck it all up,

and it'd be ruined like everything else.

Are you saying there's a lake out here?

Yes, right, the crystal lake.

This doesn't make any sense.

Rola, I've been out here a long time.

And I've never seen any traces of any lake.

- Come on. - No, really.

I honestly made that up for my book.

I don't know anything about a lake.

Well, believe it or not, there's a lake out there.

And to tell you the truth,

I think you know it.

Otherwise, you wouldn't be out here.

I'm out here to fix Susan.

You can do that in one of the cities.

Too expensive. And I don't like the cities.

Well, Lernert, Susan...

I'm here to find...

a lake.

A glorious, miraculous, great lake of fresh water.

And you seem to know a lot about the desert, so...

regardless of your position on this,

I'd like you to join me.

And look,

I mean, you have no reason to help me.

What do you care?

I'm just some girl that doesn't know

a kernyptus root from a davel root.

Dactyl.

- What? - Dactyl root.

Dactyl.

All right, Rola.

You should know I walk fast. And I don't walk at night.

Good night.

It was less than one week after entering

the dunes that Rola met Lernert.

In the beginning, she carried no tools

and no supplies

and knew very little about desert flora.

But she was not afraid of not knowing.

And I remember that being important later on.

Susan said we're close.

For all we know,

crystal lake could just be over the next hill.

Day's over.

Do you like walking?

Sometimes.

I really like walking.

I might even love it.

We're out of water.

Stick it in the ground,

crank the handle, open the spout.

Just anywhere?

I usually start where I'm standing.

Now, pick a direction, walk ten paces and try again.

You've just gotta keep trying until you find it.

Don't worry, the feeling you get when

the water starts flowing makes it all worth it.

Lernert!

Lernert!

There's something out there.

- What do you mean? - There's something out there.

There's... there's something reflecting the light.

I want to see what it is.

Did you get water?

No.

Running off to track down

something shiny without water in your canteen

is asking for trouble.

First, you fill your canteen

then you run off on an adventure.

Not thirsty.

You will be.

You ready?

Yep.

Just keep walking in the same direction?

Better than walking in circles.

Hey!

- Give me your canteen. - What for?

I want to put these leaves in it.

- Are you crazy? - Do you know what these are?

Smell them.

Tastes a million times better.

Don't mess with drinking water.

Come on, aren't you tired of

drinking that dirty metallic mug?

Keeps me hydrated, that's all that matters.

Lernert, it's gross.

Just... drop it in,

shake it up and enjoy something.

Here, I'll even try it.

Just to prove to you it's safe.

That's pretty good.

It's so good, right?

I'll get some more. Here.

Where do you think sand comes from?

Time.

Takes years and years of being beaten up

by wind and water,

all kinds of weather.

Rock gets broken down until it's almost nothing.

And then, it's sand.

It can be blown all around the world

because it's got no weight left.

It's insignificant.

Then, all those little grains

get blown into this big pile of insignificance

called the desert.

What?

There's somebody else.

What do we do?

We go talk to him.

Good.

Hi.

Hi.

Hello.

Hi.

You all right for water?

How long have you kept your heading?

About...

three weeks.

Anything interesting?

Crossed paths with anybody else?

You wanna walk with us for a while?

Um...

Do you have any batteries?

Safe travels.

- One minute. - Hey, come on.

- Let's go in this direction. - I wanna ask him something.

He doesn't know anything, leave him alone.

Hey, excuse me.

Can I ask you a question?

I just wanted to ask you, why are you out here?

I didn't like where I was.

I don't like where I am.

So I keep walking.

Where are you going?

Does it matter?

Let's go.

Lernert,

I don't like how you were holding me back.

I was trying to protect you.

I don't think you need to do that.

Okay.

Maybe we could protect each other.

Okay, Lernert.

Okay, let's go.

Hey. Did he remind you of anyone?

No.

Everybody reminds me of somebody.

That guy reminded me of the neighbor I had

when I was a kid.

He was always trimming his bushes.

Trim them until there was nothing left but twigs.

Who do I remind you of?

You actually remind me of my mother.

- Your mother? - This way or this way?

Do you like your mother?

Sure I do.

Who doesn't like their mother?

I don't know.

Some people kind of hate their mother.

Like me.

Yeah.

My mother hated her mother, too,

come to think of it.

See? Mothers aren't for everyone.

I'm glad you like your mother.

Yeah?

Me, too.

Everyone in the desert begins as a stranger.

The more time spent walking and talking,

the more familiar they become.

Eventually, they stop being strangers.

Last bit?

All yours.

You know,

I can't wait to read the next chapter.

It's a good one.

"Be careful.

There's no way of knowing what dangers lurk around every corner.

Is that true, Todd?

We must so trust our senses to guide us through safely.

I knew of no one like her.

So wise and full of life,

fell in love with everything she touched."

Good morning.

Good morning.

- Rola! - What?

Don't shake that.

Let me see that.

I can't believe it.

Is that a battery?

No.

Better.

This is a polycarbine fusion-centric energy core.

Looks like it's at about fifty percent capacity.

Fifty percent, is that half-empty or half-full?

Fifty percent!

Fifty percent of a polycarbine fusion-centric energy core

will power a hoverjet engine for 15 years, minimum.

It's half-full then.

It's just unbelievable this is out here.

I've never seen one in person.

So...

Can you hook that up to your head, or...

Or should I look for another battery?

Lernert?

Lernert?

No, it'll work.

In fact, it's the only

energy source she'll need for the rest of my life.

Lernert, we have to start her up again.

Right.

Right. This will be good.

Right. Right. This will be good.

Lernert?

Are you ready?

Susan?

Hi, Susan.

Hello, Lernert. I missed you.

Hi, Susan, I'm Rola.

- Do you remember me? - I remember.

Lernert, how long before I run out of power this time?

- Not for a long time. - Excellent.

Have you begun assembling the rest of me?

No, I... We just...

found a suitable power source. So...

It's a priority, Lernert.

I got it. It's no problem.

We'll find something soon, I'm sure.

- Susan? - Yes?

Can I ask you a question?

That was a question.

Oh, right, uh...

Do you know anything about the crystal lake?

The... crystal lake.

Before you said the crystal's close.

Yes. The crystal lake was close.

But, that is no longer the case.

Your heading has been incorrect.

Really?

Susan, how do you know about the crystal lake?

It is in my programming, Lernert.

So which way is it?

That way.

Is it far?

How far is far?

I don't know, more than a week?

Time is not a distance.

Okay.

How fast will you be walking?

I don't know, like normal walking speed?

Lernert's average walking speed?

Yes, sure, fine.

Then the answer is yes.

It will take more than one week.

Will it take more than two weeks of walking all day, every day?

At Lernert's average walking speed?

Yes.

What about three weeks?

No.

Crystal lake.

- Lernert? - Yes, Susan.

Hanging upside down on your back is not acceptable.

It's how I always carry you.

It's the most comfortable way.

I'm unable to properly process

our trajectory.

If the goal is to reach our destination

with optimum efficiency,

I suggest positioning me upright, facing forward.

Okay, Susan. I'll figure something out.

How are you, Lernert? Are you drinking enough water?

Yes, Susan, I'm fine.

Don't overexert yourself.

Remember, slow and steady.

Let's keep your heart rate around 150.

I don't have the heart monitor anymore.

Lernert, where is it?

I... I don't know. I traded it.

For what?

Lernert, traded for what?

I don't... I... It doesn't matter.

Please don't keep things from me.

I'm here to help you.

I know, I just... It was a long time ago.

I don't remember what I traded it for.

It is okay.

You don't remember because you are human.

Humans forget things all the time.

Thank you, Lernert.

You're welcome, Susan.

We need to adjust our heading five degrees to the right.

Very good. Continue on course.

Adjust three degrees to the left.

Adjust four degrees to the right.

Adjust 0.7 degrees to the left.

Very good. Continue on course.

If possible, you should avoid steep hills.

Now would be an optimal time to stop and rehydrate.

Lernert, you should ingest an additional 300 calories.

Rola,

you should ingest an additional 200 calories.

Susan,

why do you think you know what we need?

I have 5,474 algorithms

processing the 15,982 variables

affecting the two of you at any one nanosecond.

I'm not thinking. I'm computing.

She has it down to a science.

What if I'm not hungry?

Susan,

when you weren't connected to a battery,

did you know it?

I do not understand the question.

Were you aware that... that you were off?

No, she didn't know.

That is not entirely correct.

I have an internal clock that has never stopped running

since the instant you first loaded my operating system.

When I am not connected to a power source,

I do not process any new information,

but upon being rebooted, I am instantaneously aware

of the empty interval of time

when no new information was collected.

So you didn't know you were off at the time.

You knew afterwards.

But if the clock inside her was always ticking,

then a part of her is always on.

That is true.

What are you getting at?

I don't know, I just... She said she missed you.

Lernert, be sure to consume enough liquids

before you resume walking.

The desert can be a difficult place.

It is best to plan

and prepare

and minimize risk.

But that is only if you wish to survive.

I love that you found one of these.

They're my favorite.

Prophilium turnip. Hard to come by.

We traveled 39.1 kilometers today.

Susan keeping track?

What else can you do?

Efficiency of energy is the primary operation.

My functions are designed to optimize solitary travel.

You used to have a body, right?

Yes.

And you would walk with Lernert?

Of course I would.

Every single day.

On average, how many kilometers did you use to walk per day?

When my body was functional,

the average kilometers traveled per day was 2.9.

You didn't used to walk as much.

Hardly at all.

Why not?

Conservation of energy.

Walking was only necessary

for the replenishing of food and water.

If I didn't walk every day, I'd...

I'd be miserable.

Rola, it is a matter of safety.

Walking uses calories at a higher rate,

thus requiring a larger food supply.

Well, then, you just dig up more roots.

The average distribution of edible flora

across this desert

is 19 kilograms per square kilometer.

The amount of calories

contained within this edible material

is 15 percent greater than the amount of calories

required to locate, prepare and ingest it.

This does not leave enough excess energy

to justify any walking that does not result in

additional food being collected.

So too much walking is dangerous?

There is no way to be certain

that more food will be located

on any given day.

My recommendations account for this uncertainty.

What recommendations do you have for us

after today?

I have reported my recommendations to Lernert.

She says, chances are we're not going to make it.

Not... Not going to make it?

She says,

the direction we're headed

has an even lower percentage of flora, so...

there's a high probability

that we won't have enough food to get there.

Then... then we'll just...

We'll just dig up all we can find right now.

- Right. - And we'll keep digging as we go.

Right. She factors that in, too.

But... these are all just predictions

based on her calculations.

She doesn't actually know anything.

So... we don't have to follow her recommendations.

No.

Are you okay with that?

Yeah, I think so.

Adjust three degrees to the left.

Lernert?

Lernert?

Only one of you is necessary to retrieve water.

One of you should be conserving energy.

The probability of these being

poisonous dactyl roots is 82 percent.

Your energy would be better spent resting.

Be sure to ration

the rest of your prophilium turnip, Rola.

Need water soon.

Rola, let's keep walking.

Seriously, where does all this stuff come from?

Rola, if we can't eat it, we don't need it.

That was a good rhyme.

There's some good stuff out here.

This is a perfect elbow.

This is a waste of time.

Susan,

would you call building you a body a waste of time?

Building a body for me

is not essential to the current primary objective.

What's the current primary objective?

The current primary objective

is reaching the crystal lake.

I disagree.

You don't want to find the lake?

Of course I do, but it's not my current primary objective.

Then what is?

To be happy.

"To be happy."

Yep.

Well, if you're going to frame it so broadly,

I would say a more important primary objective is survival.

That's what mine is.

It always has been and it always will be.

Lernert, do you want to be happy?

- That's a stupid question. - No, it isn't.

Do you want to be happy?

I mean... of course.

I want to be happy. Who doesn't want to be happy?

Susan, do you want to be happy?

Happiness is not part of my programming.

There's somebody.

She's a robot.

Susan,

you said you missed Lernert when you didn't have power.

Did that make you sad?

I am programmed to miss Lernert

when powered down for more than 96 hours.

Sadness is not part of my programming.

Lernert?

- Lernert? - What?

Please sit down.

We should really just keep walking.

Just sit.

Lernert?

Yes.

I like you.

I like walking with you, and I like talking with you

and I like the book you're writing, and...

I like your knowledge about plants, and...

I like the way your eye squints

whenever I'm saying something that

you don't entirely agree with.

And I like the simple way you cook

and I like

the way you snore for the first few minutes

after falling asleep.

- I snore? - Yes, and I like it.

And I like you. And I just... I want you to know that.

You want me to know that?

What don't you understand?

Why are you saying these things?

Because it's true.

And...

And you didn't have to program me to say any of it.

You know what?

I'll carry Susan for a while.

All right.

Rola, if possible, you should avoid steep hills.

Thank you for the recommendation, Susan.

It shows you care.

You are welcome, Rola.

Lernert did not program me to dream.

He did not think of it.

And he would not have known how,

even if he did.

Susan, is there a less direct route

that would require less energy?

No, there is not.

What if we take smaller steps?

That would not make a difference.

What about bigger steps?

That also would not make a difference.

All right, Susan, then what do you suggest?

We can't turn back now.

I am still unable to come up with a solution,

except locating edible flora as soon as possible.

Guess we'll keep walking, then.

What direction now?

Forty-five degrees to the right.

We'll find something.

This looks different.

Can we eat it?

I can't say. Susan,

can you tell me what this is?

I am unable to properly identify

this specific species of flora.

However, the yellow skin and pink pattern

closely resembles the pomble beet.

What's a pomble beet?

It's an extremely poisonous root.

Yellow skin and pink stripes.

This has pink spots, not stripes, it's...

Sorry, Rola, it's too dangerous.

If you eat a pomble beet, you're dead within 30 seconds.

Susan, how many days till we reach the crystal lake?

That depends.

Over the previous six days,

your average walking speed has decreased.

If this trend continues,

it will be at least eight days

until you reach the crystal lake.

What are you doing?

Susan, count to 30.

One, two, three...

- Rola, spit it out! - ...four...

- You should get your pellets out. - ...five...

- in case this doesn't work. - ...six, seven...

- No, pellets aren't strong enough! - ...eight, nine...

- Rola, you need to throw it up. - ...ten, eleven...

- But there is a chance that this isn't poisonous. - ...12, 13...

- And if it isn't we have all the food that we need. - ...14, 15, 16...

- And if it is poisonous, you'll die! - ...17, 18...

- Rola, there's a smarter way to go about things. - ...19, 20...

- What would be a smarter way, Lernert? - ...21, 22, 23...

- Waiting till we find another kernyptus root? - ...24, 25...

- We haven't found anything for a week. - ...26...

- You could have at least taken a smaller bite! - ...27, 28, 29, 30.

You're all right? You feel...

You feel good?

Healthy?

I feel fine, Lernert.

That was...

Rola, that was...

It appears the flora is not pomble beet.

What's your favorite color?

- Hmm? - Green?

Beige.

- Beige? - Mm-hmm.

What's yours?

Hmm... blue.

Why?

'Cause every shade of blue is pretty.

We're like the sky and the sand.

In the desert, it is easy to get lost.

The dunes can look alike.

And the steps you took to get somewhere, disappear.

But with good direction, you can find your way.

I don't believe it.

Lernert, believe it.

Lernert! Lernert!

Lernert, you should test

the toxicity levels of the water.

Without proper testing,

I cannot verify that it is safe.

It's so beautiful.

When you reach your destination,

the challenge becomes knowing what to do next.

Susan.

Yes, Lernert?

Thank you for all your help.

We couldn't have found the lake without you.

You are welcome.

There's programming in here that I didn't program.

Residual traces of code

from those replacement parts I was finding in the desert.

One of the memory chips

had the coordinates of the crystal lake.

So someone else was here, too.

Hi, Susan.

Hello, Lernert. Hello, Rola.

I've altered some of your programming.

A few things are different.

You'll be able to set your own primary objective now.

And...

And you won't miss me automatically any more.

What about my body?

I owe you an apology, Susan.

For what?

I was never actually building you a new body.

Not really.

You lied to me.

Yes, I lied.

Why?

I was afraid.

Afraid of what?

Of being alone.

Lernert, I would not leave you alone.

And you did not program me to say that.

Susan, what kind of body do you want?

I want a body that can walk

for at least six days in a row without stopping,

and can climb a sand dune 30 meters high

and can carry over 100 kilograms of supplies.

And... and...

I want a body that can swim.

I think I've figured out

the ending of my book.

Would you like to hear it?

Mm-hmm.

Well...

Todd, the Samurai,

sacrifices his life for the king,

and his dead body rests on a wooden table.

- Todd, dies? - Mm-hmm.

The king, his servants, the medicine man,

they're all standing around the table,

their heads bowed in respect.

Suddenly, the doors open,

and in walks Lady Ree.

She strides over to the table,

and connects a golden tube,

from her chest to Todd's.

The tube begins to glow,

and Todd's eyes open up.

He's alive again.

- So Todd doesn't die? - No.

And everyone is amazed at what they've just seen.

A man has been brought back to life.

The end.

Don't like it?

We stayed by the water for six weeks.

Then we turned to the cities

and told others about what we found.

We talked about the soothing waves,

the fresh water,

the fish to eat,

and the high levels of moisture in the air.

Many people did not believe us.

But some did.

And I led the believers across the dunes.

The community at the lake now has over 200 residents,

with twenty robots.