Don't Look Deeper (2022) - full transcript

A high school student in central California sets off an unexpected series of events when she begins to doubt if she's human.

Aisha!

Aisha, come on,
just let me know you're okay.

It happened again.

Third time this year.

Less than last year, so progress.

I had the full-on crazy eyes.

Optic nerve spasms.

You get anxious.
Your brain tenses.

What triggered it this time?

Today started pretty good, I guess.

Come on, Frida Kahlo. We're late.



I hung out with Cari.

Peep Caleb Hass' Instagram.
Like, 500 photos...

Till she was literally
loading into her dorm...

News flash, it ain't working.

What? AISHA: The service bots.

Seeing them like that, um,

just broken into pieces, it makes me sad.

Levi and I conspired about our weekend.

Yeah.

Then it all went to shit.

Who's ready for cymatics?
Jenny, you want to help me?

- Yes, ma'am.
- Okay, great.

Come on, come on.
All right, hit this button right here.

Isn't that cool?



That's cymatics.

Patterns created
through vibrational frequencies.

Let's do a different pattern.

All that means is the sound frequency
creates a pattern.

Oh, Aisha!

Can you... can you call a medic, please?

People were staring...

like they could see through me,

like I was a freak,

which, you know, maybe I am.

Does anyone else feel this way?

Aisha, you suffer from a disease
for which there is no cure.

You're human.

Should we end with a meditation?

Okay.

Control your breathing.

Focus only on my voice.

And in... and out.

Hey, bitch. So Caleb...

hmm? is having a party tonight
'cause his parents are in Italy,

and you need to get your ass
over here now.

Ooh, and bring Levi. Okay, bye.

Hey, Picasso.

You'll still love me if I never escape
the middle of nowhere.

Right?

Yeah.

Hey.
- Hey.

I was just gonna hop on over to Cari's
house to study for a chem final, so...

Yeah, okay.

Have you heard anything back
from RISD yet?

- No.
- No?

Well, baby, I really wish
that you would reconsider CalArts.

Listen, they have a great art department.

The dean there thinks
you're really talented,

and it's just a few hours' drive,
you know?

Yeah, well, RISD is Rhode Island,
not Mars.

And, um...

it's also where Mom...

It's where Mom went.

I know.

Yeah.

Okay, well... love you.

Love you, too.

What the fuck are you doing?

Seriously?

Attention required.
Attention required.

Attention. Attention required.

Initiating report.

Hey, hey, Aisha.
Aisha, wait! Aisha!

Wait, was it, like,
full-on head in shaft,

just, like...?

- Oh, my God.
- Going at it?

Balls?

Was it touching his balls?

Was it cradling them?
- Stop.

Wait, I thought they had coding
that, like, prevented them

from doing the dirty-dirty.

I mean, yeah, they do, but is that
your biggest concern right now?

I mean, it's pervy fucked up.

Yeah, and a bit disrespectful.

Okay, but would you feel the same way
if you caught him

jacking it off
with one of those Fleshlight thingies?

- A Flesh...
- The flashlight.

It looks like a flashlight,
but it has a pussy inside,

and he just, like...

I definitely need a drink.

Whoo!

Caleb.

This is okay?

I mean, you and Levi.

- Forget Levi. He screwed up.
- Okay.

Home System, dim the lights.

Dimming Caleb bedroom lights.

Seventy percent.

Home System, music.

Damp Snack.

Playing Damp Snack.

Home System, lower the, uh...

Stop playing
with the stupid Home System.

Okay.

Jeez, what the fuck are you doing?

I'm sorry, sorry! I'm sorry!

Hey, you weren't even
supposed to be here.

I'm gonna fuck you up, Greg!

Just bringing other people in,
that's all.

Really?

Caleb Hass?

You've got no right to talk.

Look, Tio told me
about these cheat codes, okay?

He said that you can use them
to get around the emBed's limits

and get them to do stuff.

I honestly didn't even think
it was gonna work, and then when it did,

I just wanted to see if it was,
I don't know, fucking different.

Aw.

Well, was it?

Hmm?

Tell me all about it.

Look, I'm sorry, okay?
But it was a shitty bot.

It was a thing.
It doesn't mean anything.

Well, it means something to me,
and it matters

because you're supposed to be
my boyfriend,

and now you're not.

Oh, shit.

Oh, fuck.

What did I do?

Are you up, kiddo?

Look, I've got exams,

so I'm not gonna be back
until around 9:00, okay?

Lunch is on the table.

No, Dad, wait.

Please.

Oh, please.

Dude, what the hell?

Where did you go?

I've been texting you all night.

I-I was...

I was fucked up.

Really?

That bathroom looked like a bloodbath,
like you murdered someone.

You didn't kill anyone, did you?

Mm-mm.

I, um...

I was having another one of my eye things.

Okay. Yeah.

Was last night about Levi?

Wait, were you in there
trying to hurt yourself?

Aisha, were you cutting?

Look, I was... I was drunk.

Fell.

So I got embarrassed and left.

Aisha, just talk to me.

I'll find you later, okay?

DI...

5V...

U2.

Okay. 108.

Aisha?

What are you doing?

Wait, what the fuck is that?

- Get off of me!
- What the fuck is that?

God!

Don't touch me, Jenny.

You've reached out to Sharon Carter.

Leave a message.

Hi, Sharon, it's... it's me.

I need an emergency session, um, now.

I-I need to talk about, um,

just about some... some, uh...

j-just, can you call me back later,
please?

Thanks. William!

Hey.

Uh, can we talk?

Of course. I'm always available.

Right, okay, uh...

just, just...

We've reached my geographic limitation.

Also, there's two seconds
until the first period bell.

If you're in privacy mode,

anything we talk about
is just between us?

I need you to verbally accept.

I, I...

accept.

How can I be of service?

Um, do you know what this is?

It's your haptic tensor system

for multilinear subspace learning.

Do you have this in you?

I cannot provide that information.

Yeah, no, I-I just want to know

if it's similar technology

that's inside of you.

I'm sorry, if you continue
this particular line of questioning,

I'll be forced to return to public mode

and issue a report to administrators
and my manufacture...

Okay, fine, I'll stop!

You were hurting yourself?

I was trashed.

And I thought I saw something, so...

I had to find out.

Look, um...

It's everywhere.

Um, I mean...

Okay.

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

I'm... I'm a machine!

It's okay, sweetheart.

Does my dad know?

He must know, right?

It means I wasn't born, I...

I was made, and...

and that I'm not real, and...

and that...

No, it's okay.

What's... what's happen...
What's happening to me?

Breathe, breathe.
No, no, no, no, no.

No, breathe, breathe, breathe.

Breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe.

Breathe, breathe, breathe.

Breathe, feel my body against yours.

You're okay!

- Okay.
- Breathe.

Take a deep breath.
Take a deep breath.

Close your eyes.
Close your eyes.

It's okay. It's okay.

You're okay, I got you.

Close your eyes, okay?

And in...

- Oh, God.
- And out.

And in...

and out.

And in.

And out.

In.

Out.

Admin mode.

Code DI5VU2108.

Prompt command options.
Stasis mode.

Admin prompt. Network mode.

Admin prompt.

Archive and erase.

- Yeah?
- Hey, there.

Yeah, uh, she, um... she, uh...

she figured it out again.

Hey, Picasso.

Hey.

Hey, buddy.

Here.

Come here, you.

Good morning.

Huh.

You made breakfast?

Oatmeal. Comfort food.

Comfort food?

- Mm.
- Why?

Well, if you must know...

I've got terrible cramps,

which means I'm about to go
full menses.

- Mm.
- And second,

have you ever have one of those dreams

that feels totally real,
even though it's super crazy,

and once you wake up, it's a total relief?

Yeah, I guess so.

Mm.

I killed Picasso.

Well, Robot Picasso.

It wasn't pretty.

But you're okay now?

Basically.

I'll clean all of this later.

You won't.

Yeah, but you love me anyway.

- Yeah, I do.
- And, oh, hey.

I was thinking about spending the night
at Cari's on Saturday

and hanging out with her
a bit on Sunday.

Um, yeah, I guess that's... that's okay,

but save a little Sunday for Dad.

Only if we order Chinese.

- Okay.
- See you tonight.

Yes.

- I love you.
- I love you too, baby.

Oh.

Hey, C!

Cari!

I'll catch up with you guys.

Hey, guys.

OK, so. Um...

I'll be staying at your place on Saturday.

I mean, I'll actually be at Levi's,

but my Dad thinks that I'll be at yours,

and he has your cell, so just...

just cover for me.

What the hell, Aisha?

What?
I've done it for you before...

I'm talking about the party;

yesterday too, when you just
shut me out, blew me off.

Look, I don't know
what's going on with you,

and I don't know if it's this Levi thing

or maybe it's the Caleb thing...

- What are you...
- Which... yeah, I found out about that.

You knew I liked him, so don't come
up to me asking for favors

like everything's normal.

Wait.

Wait, what... what happened with Caleb?

What party?

Shit.

What the fuck?

Hey, Jenny.

You're here early.

Have you always known?

Known what?

That you're, um...

You know.

Oh. Okay.

I won't tell anyone.

Okay.

It's gone?

Yesterday...

You know, I've read they're working on

a self-generating flesh replacement.

I mean, how does it work,

like a... like an internal 3D printer

Or something or what...

Whatever you're doing, stop.

I'm not doing anything.

Yeah, you, Cari.

Why is everyone fucking with me today?

Sorry about this.

I really am.

Stop it.

Stop!

Please!

There isn't a human alive that can
register a pitch that high, Aisha.

And not even animals.

Only a machine...

You're one of them, Aisha.

Okay.

Crap.

Have a great day.

Out of the way.

Sure.

Although we only have two minutes
and nine seconds

until second bell.

And I must say, you have the same agitated
look

as when we talked yesterday.

We talked?

At 09:47,

for 11 minutes.

What did we talk about?

You put me in privacy mode.

In order to access that conversation,

you need to authorize and accept.

Come with me.

Okay, I authorize and accept.

Permission to touch you.

Uh...

Okay.

Your drive was wiped 18 hours ago.

My what?

Memory drive.

Unless it's been overwritten,
I can restore that for you.

Would you like me to restore?

Yes.

You have to say...

- I accept.
- "I accept."

Restoring memory data.

Fuck.

Fuck!

Ladies and gentlemen.

Ladies and gentlemen, please,
if I could have your attention,

gather round, please.

I want to thank you all
for coming out tonight

for the unveiling of
William's newest product

in human enhancement.

This drop contains millions
of synthetic nanobots.

And what they're gonna do this evening
is permeate Kathleen's eardrum,

repair it, and then fuse permanently
to her sterocilia.

Now, Kathleen,

there's gonna be no pain.

It will just be a little cold at first.

Are you ready?

Awesome.

This is gonna change your life.

Good?

Kathleen was born with Anacusis,
total deafness.

And tonight we're gonna help her hear
for the first time.

- Great presentation.
- Thank you.

I don't like your look.

Does Merced, California,
mean anything to you?

Not particularly.

Well, I think we've got
a serious problem there.

How'd you do it?

EmBeds, they, um, they
have intimacy restrictions.

How'd you get around them?

I told you, some online forum.

There were these chicos, and then I...
I just...

Give them to me.

Baby, come on.
Can we just talk about this?

No, the codes.

How do I get them?

I... I wouldn't do that if I were you.

I didn't want to use my own laptop
in case I got tracked.

Okay, well,
it seems like you went through

a lot of trouble,
and you know what?

Hope it was worth it.

Deactivate.

Omega-Six-One.

Bypass code required.

Oh, shit.

Deactivate Alpha-Eight-Three.

Bypass code required.

DI5VU2108.

Successful bypass code.

Auditory safeguards deactivated.

Your weird-ass little brother
walked in on me showering.

I swear to you, Bobby,

if he so much as glances
my way one more time,

I will carve his heart out
with a dull wooden spoon.

Initiate audio record and playback?

- Yes.
- Initiating playback.

Your weird-ass little brother
walked in on me showering.

- Shit, Shit.
- I swear to you, Bobby,

if he so much as glances
my way one more time...

Deactivate playback.

Everything all right?

Yeah. Yeah, it's fine.

Well, could you please keep your voice
or phone or whatever that noise is down?

Totally.

Are... are you okay?

Yeah, it's just...
where's the bathroom?

Oh, it's... it's right...

Thank you.

Stupid cramps.

Oh, my God. Okay.

Okay...

Wait.

Um...

Deactivate Alpha-Six-One-Six.

Simulated menstrual cycle deactivated.

Ohh.

Whew.

Well, look who can turn off her period.

We've got to contain this before it
gets to the goddamn shareholders.

When did this happen?
- This happened two days ago.

A unit in Merced had its
intimacy limits removed..

Roblow. Robot blow j... anyways,

do you want me to communicate
with the local installer?

No. No, I'll send my brother.

Abel?

You're... you're gonna send...
okay.

I'll get to that.

Deactivate...

Gamma-Ninety-One.

Gamma-Ninety-One deactivated.

Downloading facial recognition data.

Data collection safeguards deactivated.

Hey, Fiona,

how was your bikram yoga class at 7:30?

Downloading social media platforms.

Hey, how's your nine-month old?

Great new mom.

Downloading court records.

Raoul Ortiz and your nephew Gabriel.

Auditory safeguards deactivated.

Downloading ride share history.

Downloading genetic testing results.

Downloading aptitude test information.

Downloading credit card documentation.

Downloading bank records.

You won't leave me in here, right?

Memory max breach.

You promise?

I'll be back for you.

Wait! Wait a minute!

Administrator mode,
prompt hard reset.

You promise?

Abel.

Sending me on the Jet.

Must be serious.

My brother can't have the precious
moneymakers malfunctioning.

Merced Magnet School, clean it up.

I have an aunt
who lives 30 minutes east of Merced.

Took me to a Vietnamese restaurant once.

Fantastic pho, terrific.

He's not gonna have time for pho.

No?

Probably no pho.

Okay.

Half power to stun, full power to fry.

You've outdone yourself.

Keep it away from kids and animals.

I'll do my best.

Aisha?

Hey.

What happened, honey?
What happened?

I-I got a little lightheaded.

She passed out.
I saw it happen from across the street.

Oh, did... did you hit your head
or anything, babe?

No. I'm fine.

- You're fine. Okay, here, okay.
- Oh, no.

I think you should call an ambulance.
- She's fine, all right?

Please.
- Who are you? Are you her father?

Who are you? Back off, okay?

- Just... we got it, all right?
- Oh, my God.

- Is this yours?
- I got it.

- Okay.
- Wow.

Here, let me... let me take this
for you, okay?

W-we're fine. We'll take it from here.

Come on, babe. Come on.

Um...

maybe I should go to the hospital.

I don't... I don't know
if that's necessary, baby.

What if I have a concussion?

You said you didn't hit
your head, right?

- Right.
- Okay.

Well, then let's just get you home, okay?

I think you probably just have
low blood sugar or something.

And we'll get some food and water in you.
I'll order from Yang's, okay?

You know I don't like Chinese.

No... yeah.
No, La... La Cabaña, La Cabaña, Mexican.

Okay, just sit back.
Put your seat belt on.

You're gonna be all right.

Okay.

Let's go.

You're gonna be fine.

This is an example of surface tension.

If you look closely,
when the pink is behind the green,

it makes a brown color.

Water and oil don't mix.

No Aisha?

Uh, I haven't seen her today.

I'll call the office.

Okay, well, you're looking better,

so, look, why don't you go on in
and, um, order the food?

And I-I've got to... I've got to get
back to this faculty meeting.

Uh, and I'll see you later, okay?

Okay.

Yeah, it's me.

Listen, she, uh... she...
she collapsed again.

Initiate audio enhancement.

Yeah, this time she asked me
to take her to the hospital.

Of course I didn't take her
to the goddamn h...

Look... no, it's all these lies, okay?

They're all, like, building up
and collapsing on top of each other.

Are you listening to me?

Listen, I-I'm coming over.

- Want some coffee?
- No.

Look, y-you could've at least told me that
you made her stop liking Chinese food.

I didn't.

Maybe she was testing you.

She's hacking her own system.

- Well, that's new.
- Yeah, but not unexpected.

It was only a matter of time
before she adapted.

I'll wipe, archive, and reinstall.

Jesus.

Hey, you know, I...

I-I-I have to keep a damn journal,

you know, just to... just to keep track
of what reality we're living in, Sharon.

Sharon, Sharon, listen...

We can't keep doing this.
It's not right.

We've taken so much of her life from her.

Okay, there is no choice.

If she becomes aware...

it's only a matter of time
before they become aware.

And if they become aware,
they know she's here and not in a box...

They'll come for her, I-I know.

Let's just tell her,
I mean, bring her in on it with us.

If she's in on it,
what does she become then exactly?

The whole point of the experiment is...

She is not an experiment, Sharon, okay?
Not to me.

You knew what this work was, Martin.

And you agreed.

Well, okay, well,
then I-I don't agree anymore.

I disagree. I un-agree.

Whatever.
I don't... I don't want to do it anymore.

You have to understand, at some point,

I'm gonna do what is right
for my daughter.

That's...

Welcome, Martin Taylor.

Activating surveillance system.

Wait a minute. What...

What is this? What's going on?

It's always been the best way
to get you to shut up.

Jesus. Fuck you, Sharon.

Which is what usually followed.

What the fuck?

Huh.

You're not a TA.

I'm guessing you're not faculty either.

I'm a kid.

Yes.

I... I can see that part.

Sharon Carter is my mom.

She's a visiting fellow from the
neurophysics research group at SMU.

Oh. Oh, that's impressive.

If you say so.

She teach you to play Go?

I taught myself.

Wow.
Well, now that... that is very impressive.

And you're playing both sides?

Uh, do you mind if I play?
Can I...

Okay, great.

I have to warn you.
I did play a little bit in college.

So I am... I am pretty good.

Yeah, well, uh...

It would pretty much be over.

Yeah.

Guess so.

You know, you should've
practiced more in college.

How about we start fresh
and I play for myself?

If it'll make you feel better.

Hey, can we...

Hi, Mom.

Oh, hi.

I... I'm Martin Taylor...

- Hi.
- Hi.

She's always been very precocious.

She's...

Better with adults
than with kids her age.

You noticed that, right?

Yeah, yeah.

Did you homeschool her?

Since we moved to Dallas, yeah.

And her father?
Is he, uh, in the...

- No.
- Oh.

Well, you know, maybe

maybe she should go to a regular school.

You know, just be around kids,

classrooms and hallways, mean girls.

Well, she's been through a lot
when she was younger,

so...
- Oh.

I'm just taking it
one step at a time.

Oh, yeah.

No, that makes sense.

Well, I hope you're
having a good time here anyway.

Does it seem like I'm not?

No, no, no, no. No.

It's just, um...

when... when you said "let's meet,"
I... maybe I got the wrong idea.

I mean, we've...

it's just we've been here,
you know, over an hour

and all we've really talked about
is Aisha,

you know, my impressions of her and her,

you know, interactions
and all that kind of stuff.

And when I ask about you...

you deflect a little bit.

You know, you evade.

Sorry. I...

Yeah, I'm...

- No, it's...
- I'm... I'm kind of private.

And, Aisha's...

Well, she's kind of my life's work, so...

Yeah, I get that.

But I do like talking to
you, Martin.

Oh.

Good, good.

How do you feel about my apartment?

Ooh!

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

What?

- What about Aisha?
- What?

- Are we gonna wake her up?
- Aisha?

Yeah.

Oh, World War III wouldn't wake her.

Come with me, young man.

I left something out...

about...

what I noticed about Aisha.

Cynth.

Cynthia...

my daughter.

My daughter, she's eight years old,
and she, uh...

she started...

throwing up.

We were at a picnic,

and half her class
was taken down by the flu,

but in her case, it wasn't the flu.

It was salmonella.

No idea where she got it,
but it has a neurotoxin.

It went to her brain.

She was gone.

Uh...

I'm not with her mother anymore.

You know, obviously.

She divorced me a few months later.

But, uh, Cynthia would have been 13,

a couple years younger than Aisha is.

And I just thought I...

saw something familiar in her.

Her spirit or something.

That's what I left out.

World War II.
- Yeah.

- Okay.
- What about it?

- Ah.
- Merry Christmas.

Ho, ho, ho time.

Voice unlock.
Play warning, please.

Aisha Unit,
low battery detected.

Aisha?

Is this person famous?

Uh, more infamous.

No extra help, Martin.

Just yes or no answers.

I know.
I'm just, you know, trying to be...

Specific.

- Yeah.
- Yes. I know.

You're very specific, Martin.

Aisha?

Aisha?

Danger of malfunction.

Aisha Unit, low battery detected.

Admin mode.

Access code DI5VU2108.

Fuck.

This is

a dead American man...

- Yep.
- Infamous...

Accelerating to keep up with traffic flow.

Is that okay, Martin?

Yes, thank you, car.
Stop trying to be my friend.

I'm your friend.

You have a call from Sharon.

Hello?

Where are you?

Hey, yeah, um...

Aisha called me,
so I went and picked her up.

We're gonna go get some coffee.

She was feeling kind of groggy, so...

Turn around, Martin, okay?
I... I need you to get back here.

We're just a couple of blocks away,
Sharon.

No, I... I need you to pull over.

Just pull over now.

We're just a couple blocks away...

Dead American man.

Dead American.

Pull over and stay there...

Aisha! SHARON: And wait for me!

- Infamous. Infamous.
- Okay, guys?

Pull over! Just pull over now.

Auto-drive malfunction.

Whoa, whoa, whoa!

Danger. Auto-drive malfunction.

Pull over!

Guys! Guys!

She's having a seizure suddenly.

I gotta get her to the ER!

I'm right behind you.
Just pull over!

Jesus Christ.

Over drive. Over drive.

Override. Override.

Admin mode.

Code DI5VU2108.

Sleep Mode.

Oh, my g...

What the fuck?

Wha... when were you...
When were you gonna tell me?

Were you ever gonna tell me?

No one knows she exists.

No one can know, for her safety.

D... do you understand that?

Do...

Do you understand that...

- Hey.
- Hey.

I heard you took a job in California.

Merced?
- Mm-hmm.

I re... I really miss her.

She misses you.

She talks about you all the time.

What if I was willing
to answer all your questions?

To... to what end?

Us coming to California too.

No, Sharon.

We're done.

But what about Aisha?

She needs a father.

Hey.

How long have you known?

Known what?

No more gaslighting.

I... I don't know what you're talking...

Found this in your office.

Listen, I... I never look at that, Aisha.

- Yeah, right.
- I... I don't.

Okay, what am I?

Where did I come from?

How did I get here?

I need answers.
- Listen, listen, listen.

- I need... you told me...
- Okay, okay.

Listen, listen, listen.
You... you are my daughter.

You have been my daughter to me

since the first moment I... I saw you.

Please.

Please, I'm begging you.

No more lies.

Okay? No more.

Before you were my daughter, you...

you were... you were... you were part

of a highly specialized project.

You might find this interesting.

Move. Move, move, move, move, move, move.

Unit 2108.

Analyze these images and tell me
which subject needs comforting.

The one on the left is
in a world of hurt.

Someone clearly just felt up
his girlfriend.

It's not supposed to refuse
a direct command.

And it's supposed to be neutral
and inviting, not snarky.

Wait, stop.

Someone altered the personality patch.

Archive this, revert back
to an earlier build,

and get my project back on schedule.

You got it.

You outdid yourself.

Thanks.

It's not a compliment, Sharon.

Respect the specs.
Deliver your targets.

Understood?

Yeah.

So Sharon created me.

She created your programming, yes.

And the "therapy" I do with her?

It's, it's...

it's how she monitors your progress.

How she spies on me.

Wipes my memory.

Repairs my body.

Tracks my every move.

I think she should be here

if we're gonna do this, okay?

She... she should be here...

Did Mom know what I am?

Oh.

Mom...

Mom isn't real, is she?

Nothing is real.

Everything I think

and know is just a story

that you and Sharon have put
inside my head!

No, no, baby, it had to be that way.

Okay? No one could know.

No one could know that you're alive.

Yeah, or what?

Hmm? Or what?

Or...

They'd shut you down.

Kill me.

Yeah.

S-sorry, baby.

I...

I... I need a moment.

Okay?

Hey, hey. Aisha?

Aisha? Let me... let...

Let's talk for a second, okay?

I want to explain some things to you.

Hey.

Hello, Aisha.

I thought you both were in sleep mode.

I didn't know where else to go.

You seem upset.

Is there anything I can do to help?

No.

Not unless you can stop people
from constantly wiping my memory.

I could assist you with that.

Are you fucking kidding me?

Do it.

Does it hurt bad, baby?

It hurts really bad.

Oh, okay. Well, you hang on.

You're gonna be all right, Cynthia.

She just showed up. Yeah.

Sharon, let me in.
I just saw you.

Sharon!

- Hey.
- Hi.

We need to talk right now.

Disable my monitoring system.

Will you please just sit down?

No, I'm tired of being spied on

like some upgraded emBed.

You're much more than an emBed, Aisha.

You're incredible!

You're... there's nothing like you.

But the monitoring is there
for your protection.

- Protection?
- You see? Yes.

Protection?
Protection from who, you?

- Oh...
- You gave me anxiety.

You gave me insecurities.

You gave me a past with a dead mother.

You saddled me with pain.

Who would choose to do that?

Because people experience pain.

And if you're gonna be real...

- I'm...
- You have to feel pain.

I wasn't real! I'm not real!

We all feel pain, Aisha!

Hi.

My name is Aisha.

I am a piece of artificial intelligence

created by Dr. Sharon Carter.

If you're seeing this video,
it means...

You got to take that down.

Well, it means that I'm dead.

Give it to me.
Aisha, give it to me right now.

It hasn't gone live,

and it won't.

As long as I log in every five minutes.

You need to stop watching me.

And you need to do it in the next

163 seconds.

Come here.

If you're thinking about
wiping my memory again,

I made backups.

Look, the clock is ticking.
- I know, I know.

- You have a few seconds left.
- I know, I know.

I'm aware
of the clock ticking, Aisha.

All of it.

Every single way that you can watch me.

Bypass code required.

Admin mode.

DI5VU2108.

Voice identify.

Disable surveillance routine.

Successful bypass code.

What do you plan to do now?

Um, anything I fucking want.

Afternoon, Aisha.

Would you like company?

No, I'm good. Thanks.

I need to inform you that I have filed
a malfunction report

concerning the circumstances
between Levi and myself.

If you have any supporting details,
I'm required to upload those as well.

You really don't have to do that.

It wasn't your fault, Emma.

We've got to go talk to her.

I can't take this anymore.

Uh... why don't you sit?

I'm going right now.

What? You're not gonna eat?

Oh.

I do not eat.

If I did, it would just be an affectation.

Like with you.

To make us appear more... like them.

How'd you know about that?

Your microphone array is showing.

We gotta go talk to her.

I gotta go.

Hey, can, uh... can we talk?

Just a couple minutes.

Are you gonna keep quiet
about what you saw?

Yeah, of course.

Okay, then there is nothing
to talk about.

Back to business.

And it's supposed to be inviting,
not snarky.

Respect the specs.

Deliver your targets. Understood?

Guys, meet Aisha.

"Aisha."

"She who lives."

Here.

Yeah, uh, Dieter supervised the body,

I team-built the hardware,

but the software and the assembly
are all mine.

I... I thought I told you that if you...

Yeah, I know what you told me,

but I knew the second you saw her...

Wait. Did you just call it a her?

She is the logical next step.

The specs are all in there.

Synthetic hair, eyes, blood.

Aisha could be the first
indistinguishable AI,

a piece of tech that appears human
to the user...

and to itself.

AI like this could be invaluable
in war zones,

companionship for the...
The bereaved, the elderly...

What's the point?

Well, the... the more human it feels,
the more seamlessly the user...

No, the point in making a product

that doesn't know what it is?

What's the upside, for the company?

Well, the upside is that we can, right?

And... and as you always said,
if we can, shouldn't we try?

Look, we... we live in a world
where we don't agree on anything.

Politics, climate, gender.

But we know what human is.

We can at least agree on that,
and if we lose that,

if... if humanity becomes... fungible,

we don't recover.

If the regulators discover
we built undetectable AI,

they'll take it and revoke our charter.

It's illegal.

They'll shut all this down,

and I'm not ready to lose
everything I've built

over what is essentially just a...

A person.

I... I have built a person,

and you're jealous.

You have done something
without ever bothering to consider

whether or not it is a thing
that should be done.

We only got about a half hour left.

I know you're hoping to get into RISD.

Yes, it's a design program,

but they will look at your
second-semester grades.

I'm not getting in.

And even if I did, I can't go.

I don't understand.

Hmm.

Nobody does.

Perimeter breached.

Admin code. Hard override limitations.

Unauthorized attempt at maintenance.

Please remove your hand immediately or...

Unauthorized... please... unauthorized...

Aisha!

Hey.

What are you doing here?
How did you find me?

Your tracker.

No, that... that's been removed.

You have an old-school radio-frequency
tracker in your foot.

Good morning, Abel.

Unmask the data located
in the Interactions Partition.

Those conversations were taken
in privacy mode

and are encrypted.

Encrypted my ass.

Naughty boy.

Got her.

Wait a minute, she still has
her surveillance software?

A tracker isn't software.

I installed it forever ago
in case all else failed, which it has.

- This is fucking insane.
- I know.

You know what?
How about you wipe me next, okay?

And help me forget all this.

In pain and fear of what's gonna happen
every goddamn second.

Th-this is on you, Sharon.

I thought this was supposed to help
with grief...

- She didn't help you?
- Jesus Christ. Let's just go.

Ah!

Oh! JENNY: Ah, there it is.

You are now fully stealth.

How'd, um, did you know
what to look for?

Research.

Come on.

Let's go.

What is this place?

What do you mean?

I've brought you here before.
You don't remember?

Things, memories...

get taken from me sometimes.

I did a deep dive on G.E.A.R.,
the emBed company,

they are a shiny, happy face

buying and selling marketing data.

But they don't actually make the emBeds.

They license the tech from another company
called Rylium.

All of their super secret biotech shit

comes out of something
called the "Playpen"

on Gabriola Island, near Vancouver.

I mean, if anyone made you,
it's Rylium.

Wh...

Why do you even care?

'Cause we were friends, Aisha.

Sophomore year, we were really close.

What happened?

You changed.

Look, I, uh...

I appreciate you trying,

but these people are coming for me

and seeing what they did to Emma today,
I, um...

I think it's best you keep your distance.

You want to see something cool?

Yeah.

It's a disco ball.

What?

You helped me hook it up
to a solar panel on the roof.

You brought this pillow from your house.

You don't remember any of that?

It all happened.

Unless you're a robot, too,
and someone implanted those memories...

I'm not. I checked.

- Seriously?
- Yeah.

My stepdad's practice has an MRI.

If you didn't know,
how can anyone else be sure?

Yeah.

Hey... hey, Aisha?

Hey. Hey. W... hey, hang on, hang on.

Where are you... whe...

Wh-where have you been?

W-wait a minute!
Where are you... where are you going?

J-just... listen, I'm sorry
about the other day, okay?

That was a shitshow.

L-let's sit down and talk for a second,
okay?

Or w-we don't have to talk.

We don't have to talk.

We can just sit here a-and play a game
or something, just hang out.

Okay, let's just try to get back
to us a little bit, okay?

Do I even like games?

Or is that something that you and Sharon
put in my programming

because you like them so much?

Aisha, please.

Come on.
- No.

Am I really even creative?

Or did you want me to be good at art

so that you had some reason
to be proud of me?

What of who I am

is mine?

I don't know.

- Hmm, you don't know?
- No, I don't know.

I mean, how's it any different than...
Than kids and their parents as it is?

Look at... kids get DNA, you got code.
All right?

They, uh... kids have instincts,

You have AI, they learn, you learn...

Wait a minute, Aisha, please.

Will you just... listen, I'm not gonna
let you walk out the door again.

- Get out of the way.
- No.

Get out of the way.

Get out of the fucking way.

I'm not letting you go.
Listen to me!

Let go of me! You're hurting me!

I d...

I don't want to hurt you.

I don't.

If I let you go out the door,
I feel like I'm not gonna see you again.

I know.

I know that's what you think,
but what are...

what are you gonna do,
keep me locked up in here

the rest of my life?

I can do this, Dad.

You can do what?

- I have a plan...
- What is it?

You have to trust me.

Okay, it's my life!

Trust me.

You owe me that.

You owe me. Please.

But just...

just come back to me, okay?

Just say you'll come back to me.
Just say you'll come back to me.

We need you to drive us somewhere.

Since when are you guys friends?

Will you do it?

Yes or no?

Okay.

Look, uh, if you ever
really felt anything for me

and if you're genuinely sorry
about what happened,

then come on.

All right, let me get my jacket.

You'll need your passport.

- Really?
- Mm-hmm.

And money.

For gas.

Oh, Christ. Okay.

- Mm!
- You're not gonna scream

and you're not gonna try to escape.

Okay.

Gotta say,

it's kinda disheartening.

You know when you find out
your friend's secret

and you wanna post it on the Internet.

I just wanna figure out what's going on.

Well, now you know.

Wait. Wait!

I-I don't know where else to look.

I set up alerts on my system

so if she enables her Wi-Fi capability,
we found her.

Yeah, but if she doesn't,
we're just... we're just blind.

Hey, did you... you leave your door open?

No.

Hello, Sharon.

We've entered hour 13
of this road trip.

When will it end?
Will it ever end?

Who knows?

Are we really going to Canada?

Levi, I told you, no phones.

We can't risk being tracked.

Tracked? By who?

Uh, that info is reserved for those
who haven't been fellated by Emma.

"Fellated,"

now that's a good word.

Yes, it was stupid, but it's not like
I cheated, okay?

She's a bot.

An emBed, a thing.

You know, I heard they turned her into
a pile of scrap metal?

So can we please...
- Stop the car.

What?

I said stop the fucking car.

Stop the car!

You're an idiot, you know that?

Aisha?

Aisha?

I, uh...

I thought I could go to them,

show them who I am,
and maybe they'd let me live.

It's... it...

It's a completely insane idea.

You know, to them,

I may as well be Emma.

You're not.

You're more human than most people I know.

That's not how they'll see it, Jen.

Where is she?

I don't know, honestly.

You know what? I'm calling the police.

You're not.

'Cause then Sharon here
would end up in a discussion

about what she stole from us,

and that's inconvenient.

And does she know where she came from?

I'm sure she does, I made her.

Which is probably where she's headed.

Wait, what are you...
Why are we even talking...

who is... I'm sorry, who are you?

Who are you?

I'm Aisha's father.

Oh, Sharon.

You really made a mess this time.

Shit.

I'll get us a room.

It would be...

an affectation...

To make us...

more like them.

Morning.

Where's Levi?

Uh, he went to go find
some real coffee.

Real coffee sounds good.

Yeah.

It does.

Hey, uh...

I was thinking.

William was able to restore
some of my memories once.

Maybe you can give it a try.

You know, go back further?

Yeah.

Yeah, in theory, we can do that.

Am I supposed to understand this?

Let's have a look at what I found
on one of the other units, shall we?

You recognize her?

I didn't, at first.

Aisha.

She's alive.

Sharon stole her.

It might just be, like, fragments,

but, uh, we can try.

Control your breathing.

Focus only on my voice.

- Admin mode.
- DI5VU2108.

Stasis Mode.

Restore erased data.

Y-N-N-3-J.

It's the code.

It's, uh...

It's "Jenny" backwards...
Backwards,

but with a 3 instead of an E.

In case you want to come back.

Maybe when there's not
a Little League game happening.

Yeah, definitely.

So I used to take clarinet lessons

with the guy who lived in that house.

He, like, collects a lot of random shit.

I think he used to be, like,
a clown or something.

Oh, BTW, also, like, I hated the clarinet,

uh, but my parents wouldn't let me quit

because, uh, their...
Their marriage was in the shitter

and they wanted me out of the house
two nights a week, so...

Yeah, my... um, my mom was having an affair
with my doctor, Stu.

My dad found them screwing
in my sister's bed.

Stu's my stepdad now.

All right.

This used to be a tiger cage.

Oh.

Well, thank you for...
For bringing me here.

It... it's so awesome.

Well, I like you.

Um...

I like you too.

- Uh, this is me.
- What?

This is me.

Oh.

Well, we have to...
do that again.

Yeah.

Um, this weekend?

Totally.

Okay, b... bye.

Good night.

Aisha?

Aisha?

Honey? Aisha.

Baby, what... what are you doing?

I'm waiting for Jenny to wake up.

Honey, you can't...
You can't do stuff like this.

But I love her.

Come on, help me.

I mean, if...

you know, if she's a friend, that's great.

If she's... turns out
to be more than a friend,

then th-that's great, too, but

she can't just be walking out
in the middle of the night.

I mean, it's kinda...
I mean, it's really stalker-y.

Don't you... and this?

It's kind of obsessive,
don't... don't you think?

If she feels good, she wants more.

It's hard to define a clear boundary.

No, no, no, I-I understand that.

I'm just... I'm just saying that I thought
we were gonna wait

to introduce sexuality into it.

I mean, can we...
- Martin, please stay in your lane.

What?

It's just ironic that someone
with such clear, defined boundaries

would create someone who doesn't seem to...
To have any.

Ca... can I ask you a question?

Was there ever anything
really going on here?

I mean, real?

Did you have feelings for me,

or was that just some...

control element in your grand experiment?

Okay, if we're being honest,

would have you been with me
if it hadn't been for Aisha?

Yeah.

I'll revert to an earlier build,

see if I can change the base settings.

And Jenny?

What do we do about that?

I don't know.

Aisha!

I saved you a spot.

Can I sit here?

Sure.

I'm Cari.

Aisha.

I like your outfit.

Oh, thanks. I assembled it myself.

Really? That's awesome.

If humanity becomes fungible,
we don't recover.

It's illegal.

They'll gonna shut all this down.

You have done something

without ever bothering
to consider whether or not

it is a thing that should be done.

Welcome home.

Where is Sharon?

I want to see Sharon.

No.

No!

Sharon!

Ahh!

Aisha!

DI5VU2108.

Admin prompt, awake mode.

Hurry. Get up.

Come on, get up. Get up.

Here, put this on.

Shit.

Okay. Aisha, wait.

Wait there.

Aisha, no!

No, leave it! Leave it!

Come on.
Come on, we got to get out of here.

Go!

Run, Aisha. Keep going. Run.

You won't leave me in here, right?

You promise?

Hello, Aisha.

Wait. You're saying that whole time...

I saw it myself, Levi.

But how could she not be real?

It depends on your definition
of "real," I guess.

I-I define it
the way most people would...

flesh and blood and bones
and a brain not run by a processor.

Listen, I need to find her, and I don't
have time for someone who does not believe

that she's a real person.
- I believe.

I do believe.

That's the problem.

She fooled me and you.

It's not fooled if she didn't know
she was a robot herself.

Easy for you to say, huh?

She wasn't pretending to be
your girlfriend.

Get in line, Levi.

Really?

Yep.

Well, she attacked you and ran off.

No, she didn't have any idea
what she was doing.

I-I restored all of her memories,
everything that was on her drive.

Something spooked her.

Low battery detected.

Danger of malfunction.

I feel like I'm alone.

Are there others?

Kids like me?

Would you like there to be?

I know lonely.

Well, I sure don't like being lonely.

I think Aisha's gonna love him.

How are my new micro-gears in the eyes?
More fluid, right?

Well, yeah,
now that you've upgraded the software.

Dieter, how about Calian?

It's Native American, Shoshone.

It means "warrior of the life."

Hmm.

Come on, Dieter, it's perfect.

He really looks like his sister.

Knock, knock.

Knock, knock, Aisha.

Come on, we've done this bit,
like, 15 times.

Sharon told me to put you back to bed.

Why?

I don't think anyone's supposed to know
that you're down here.

Low battery detected. Danger...

Knock, knock, Aisha.

Can you stop?

You... you need to stop.

It's dark and cold.

I don't like it.

You won't leave me in here, right?

No matter what happens,
I'll... I'll be back for you.

You promise?

You've got me, and I've got you.

Knock, knock, Aisha.

Who's there?

- Interrupting cow.
- Interrupting...

Moo!

Always funny.

Yeah. Sure.

There.

There!

Did I do something wrong?

No.

I just...

remembered everything...

What we were,

what you meant to me.

How good your...

Your... your tongue felt...

Mm-hmm.

Also...

I have a brother, and...

I never...

Came back for him.

I screwed up.

You did.

I can be an asshole.

You can, yeah.

Mm.

Not so different from Emma, huh?

Come on, that's not how I see you.

You are...

so unique...

impressive.

I got to pee,
and then we'll jet, all right?

Yeah.

Unit fully charged.

Hey, it... it's...

Hey, it's... it's time to go.

Welcome back.

I just want to see my brother.

Best if we don't talk.

I need to see Calian.

She's not up here.

I'll go around one more time and look.

No one inside has seen her.

And I called the motel.
How far is Rylium?

It's probably just, like, another...

What?

What?

Cari Hernandez...

she's in a coma.

I'm surprised you didn't shut me down.

My brother wants to see you first.

You look different.

Really good.

The transition... it makes you look...

like yourself.

It's freeing, isn't it?

Passing...

My whole life I've...

been doing it as human

without even knowing.

What you're doing...

it's not gonna work.

What I'm doing
is trying to be what I am.

Which is what exactly?

Authentic...

worthy...

myself.

Now, I would think you of all people
would understand.

It's not the same.

Of course not.

But...

when you know what you are,
you want to be accepted for that.

Shit.

You've probably only got five minutes...

even less.

Admin mode...

Access code D23VU1169.

Admin prompt...

Awake mode.

Aisha!

Hi, Calian.

- You came back!
- Oh, you know I said I would.

Your crazy hair...

I love it.
- You do?

- I missed you.
- I missed you, too, buddy.

Yeah.

You're predictable, you know that?

Doesn't surprise me a bit that
she scares the living shit out of you.

Did you do what I asked?

Abel?

Yeah.

The car ride over, I added a patch.
It's on a timer... 24 minutes.

Good.

Yeah, your red ball.

For the record...

That's what family should act like.

If you say so.

All right, let's end this.

You are gonna give them their moment.

It's literally the least you can do.

Okay.

Tag.

- Knock, knock.
- Calian, we don't have much time.

Come on. Knock, knock.

Okay. Who's there?

Interrupting cow.

- Interrupting...
- Mo...

Hey.

Hey.

Turn him back on, please.

That's not how this is gonna work.

Come a long way to see me, Aisha.
What can I do for you?

Look, I'm not a threat.

I won't tell anyone where I came from
or what I am.

I came to prove that...

and to ask you if I can live...

- And to get your brother back.
- Yes.

Anything else?

No, that's it.

Dad.

Aisha.

- Oh, my gosh, what are you doing here?
- I love you.

Jesus Christ, I was so worried.

Hey.

- It's good to see you again.
- Yeah, you too.

I thought the last version
you showed me,

the one you told me was in the box
was realistic,

but she's...

She's remarkable.

- Which is why she should live.
- Not your concern.

I raised her.

You raised her?

Cool. How's that relevant?

It's my technology, my patent,
created when you were under contract.

That's what this is gonna come down to...
Lawyers and patent rights?

What this is gonna come down to

is a world where everyone
is left to question the humanity

of their neighbors,
their friends and family, even themselves.

Guys, it can't happen.

- So you're just gonna murder her?
- Okay, Dad.

Murder her?

Do you want me to pull off her faceplate?

You want me to show you how the cameras
in her eyes connect to here GPU

or the 63 ball bearings
that make her feet work?

I don't care.

- Noah...
- You don't care?

Noah, you and I can fix this, okay?

We can make her perfect.
We can teach her to...

Guys, I'm right here!

Okay?
My whole life I've been manipulated...

And molded by each of you.

And just as I am beginning
to figure myself out,

you're talking about shutting me down.

I'm sorry?

Sorry.

You and your sorry

can go fuck itself.

Aisha...

Hey, Aisha, wait...

- Great parenting.
- Aisha...

Hey, Aisha!

Come...

Aisha!

Aisha!

Can you... can you just please
leave her alone, okay?

Let her go.
- I can't, even if I wanted to.

My brother... on the car ride over,
he installed a patch.

A virus?

Call it what you will,
but it's about to delete her programming.

She'll be completely wiped
in less than five minutes.

Aisha!

You won't leave me in here, right?

Visual ability shutting down.

Tactile recognition shutting down.

Simulated breathing shutting down.

- Calian.
- You won't leave me in here, right?

Aisha.

Honey?

I'm right here.

Do something.

I-I can't.

I love you, Martin.

Shh.

Just hang on.

Holding...

I'm sorry, Calian.

Shh. You're okay, baby.
You're okay.

Stay with me, okay?

Okay, stay with me.

Tell Jenny...

Tell Jenny...

Picasso...

inside out.
- Okay.

I will, baby.

I will, baby. I will, okay?

Just stay with me, okay?

Aisha?

Hey, you have backups
of her data, right?

We don't have a body.

Get a new one.

I got help from 17 members
of the robotics division.

I do... Deiter, the tech guy's...
I don't know.

The last I heard, he was in Tokyo.

So wh... that's it?

You're done?
We're just never gonna see her again?

I... I loved her too.

She's not coming out... is she?

Um, but she...
She did say something.

She said, "Tell Jenny...
Picasso, but inside-out."

Does that mean anything to you?

Picasso...

As in, her ferret?

I...

I guess.

God.

You okay?

Come here, come here.

- Ever supposed to no...
- Never noticed him.

And why didn't you see him?

Because I was on my phone.

She was on her phone.

You don't go into your phone
in the middle of the... when you're all...

Hey. How are you guys?

How are you?

Girl got mugged.

Yeah.

Something like that.

Um...

do you guys know where Aisha is?

Is she coming back?

Someday we're gonna
get super high together,

and I'll explain everything.

I just wanted to say, um,

it was really cool,
what you did for Aisha.

Thank you.

Do you know when she'll be coming back?

We have a daily appointment,
and she's missed the last three.

Wait. What appointment?

I'm not authorized
to reveal that.

Not authorized by who?

The data exists
on a password-protected partition.

The password.

Picasso, inside-out.

Administrator mode,
access code A-S-C-S-I-O-P.

Request denied.

Okay, try... try, um...
O-S-C-P-I-A-S.

Request denied.

It's probably numbers
instead of letters.

Password 0-5-C-P-1-4-5.

Backup restored.

Guys.

Aisha?

No. This isn't right.

How long has it been?

You've missed a lot.

Oh, my God.

God, it's so cold in here.

Where's my body?
Where's my body?

It's gone.

It's gone.

I can't stay here.

It's not safe.

Dad, I'm leaving you
this message to tell you...

I'm out here.

Or at least my code is.

Jen and Levi, they uploaded me.

I think there's someone
who can help me find the right body.

I'm searching for him.

I'll come back to you and everyone.

I promise.

I love you so much, sweet girl.

Dad, I'm leaving you this message
to tell you...

I'm out here.

Or at least my code is.

I think there's someone
who can help me find the right body.

I'm searching for him.