Original subtitles

Oh!

Morozov.

Zaitseva, please.

System voice: Popov, Apartment 23.

25-point deduction for breaking curfew.

Ambulance, please.

System voice: 50 credits. Ambulance dispatched.

Lyosha, can you hear me?

Wake up, my boy. Wake up.

I'm here. There's an ambulance coming.

I'm right here.

Forest King: For our guest, we have a quest.

In the king's court of fun and pleasure,

find the Tree of Infinite Treasure.

I can get credits?

Forest King: Complete a task to pass each gate.

Beyond the last, decide your fate.

Obey the rules of this fair game,

and find yourself with wealth and fame.

But disobey and in due course,

lose all gains with great remorse.

In return for great delight, all I ask is for your light.

If you're afraid, then you may flee.

But to make gain, just...

...bend the knee.

My son, he's-- He needs--

We need to take him to the hospital.

You don't have enough credits to get there.

But we-- I'll do anything. Please.

Perhaps there's some information to provide

on one of your neighbours?

Nice coat.

You already have one at home.

But it's old.

With this one you can meet with other kids in--

Dad, why don't we just get more credits

like the others?

Lyosha, I told you.

If we do things for credits, we forget who we are.

Remember what happens

when we play according to someone else's script? Hmm?

We become puppets?

Forest King: Raise your status. Make it last.

Collect these items.

Have a blast.

Whoa!

What?

Forest King: Follow your pleasure

and claim glittering treasure.

Forest King: Joy and riches lie beyond these doors.

Lose or gain. The choice is yours.

- Huh. It's a mining app. - What?

Can you get it out of him?

Hmm. Not without killing him.

These things hijack the nervous system.

The firewall should have stopped it.

Paramedic: Not on the old units.

Besides, this one seems to be masked as a game of some sort.

It's called the Forest King.

Forest King: Mirror, mirror on the wall,

who's most popular of all?

Wow.

What?

Forest King: Arrange your image, make it shine,

and leave the self of old behind.

Joy and riches lie beyond these doors.

Lose or gain. The choice is yours.

Neighbour: Everyone does it.

You just have to bend the knee a little.

Put a pleasant face on.

Tell them what they want to hear,

and I'll get you into blue tier.

Out of the question.

Think of the boy, Popov. Not everything's about--

We're not for sale.

System voice: Daily energy limit reached.

Turning off power in three, two, one.

- Stay with me, my boy. - It's up to him, you know.

How he plays the game. It's his choice.

What do you mean?

They all begin as Player 1, but most get reprogrammed

into an NPC.

An NPC?

A non-player character.

It's when the user loses individual sentience

and starts operating under the game's algorithm instead, and--

And? And what?

And has their consciousness uploaded to a dark web server.

Dad, what if we just get some credits?

You don't want someone controlling how you act,

do you?

It's not about earning points, son.

It's about remembering what's already in here

and growing that.

Come. Let me show you something no credit score can buy.

Lyosha: Whoa. So, it's alive?

More alive than most.

Excuse me. Is there a problem?

Security: This zone's for blue tier only.

You're green.

Green can only travel in a two-mile radius.

What? This was a green zone just last week.

For everyone's safety, it is now blue.

That's not--

However, we have a promo for the credit-disadvantaged.

Boost your credit score to blue tier

with the installation of a wellness tracker,

and gain access to all zones.

We're happy as we are.

Please make your way back to your designated zone.

Look. I just want to show my son the tree.

System voice: Activate rapid point deduction for loitering.

What?

Head back now or suffer further credit penalty.

Lyosha?

Lyosha, we're going home.

Forest King: Move right or move wrong.

We all must move to get along.

Stay with me, my boy. I'm here.

Stay with me, my boy.

I'm here.

Remember who you are, my boy. Remember.

Popov: Remember. Remember.

What is this? What am I doing?

Forest King: When doubts come in untamed and loud,

act in ways to please the crowd.

Paramedic: Looks like you're going to make it, Popov.

Thank you.

Huh?

Forest King: Pretend, perform for all to see.

The crowd decides who you should be.

We made it, Lyosha.

You did well, son. You did well.

Hello? Hello?

We've come for help. The boy needs a--

System voice: Wellness tracker required.

Wellness tracker required.

Hey. Hey! Come back.

This boy needs attention.

Open the doors. Open the doors!

Lyosha: No, no.

Forest King: Come inside the good king's court.

For wealth and status you will contort.

Someone please help.

Can anyone please help with my son?

Cast the spark of old aside

and let the shadow deep inside.

Lyosha, my boy, come back to me.

Come home, Lyosha. Home. Remember?

Forest King: Welcome to the king's court.

Popov: Remember?

Popov: No, no, no.

Lyosha. No. Son, son.

Lyosha. Lyosha!

Son, son.

What do I do?

Commercial announcer: Rejoice!

The latest collection of the King's Court VR Puppets is here.

Activate six modules of pre-scripted opinions

and world views.

Ready to plug and play for social events,

crisis acting, political activism,

companionship and more.

Non-player characters: Welcome to the king's court!

Forgive me, son.