Echelon (2022) - full transcript

When infected terrorists from Earth aim to dismantle a space-faring corporate empire, a hacker-for-hire must rescue the CEO's daughter who's caught in the crossfire.

[♪]

[Brewer] Where am I?
[cloth ripping off]

[Julia] Couple miles outside of
Corp-Gov jurisdiction.

[Giselle] Somewhere safe.

What is this?!
Release me immediately!

[Brewer] Do you know who I am?!

Michael Brewer.

Born 2011, no children,
widower...

My condolences.

[Julia] You've been employed
by Wrightcorp

since practically the beginning.



Making nuclear energy
innovations

until transitioning
into the development

and commercialization of--

[violent coughing]
[wheezing]

Artificial gravity engines,
which--

[continued coughing]

Which brings us to your
business with us.

I'll have no business with you!

Oh no?

I don't do business
with infected criminals!

Rest assured, Mr. Brewer

the infection in our
lungs has not

infected our business integrity.

[rattling, wet cough]



[whimpering inhale]

[continued coughing]

Between us, Mr. Brewer

I think this might be her
last business trip.

[Brewer] Look, if it's ransom
money you want

the company's insurance policy
will more than--

You can't buy what we
want, Mr. Brewer.

You can only take it.

Who-- who are you?

[Edgar] Who am I?

I'm not that different from you,
Mr. Brewer.

We both serve a purpose.

You serve a company;
you're a company man.

I serve the people.

So, I guess that makes me a--

I guess that makes me
a people person.

Oh, god.

Are you--

Are you People's Army?

[Edgar] By stifling the voice of
the "infected" as you call us.

[Edgar] Wrightcorp has
driven us toward desperation.

And violence.

In that way, I suppose

your company has
criminalized change.

[Brewer] Look, I-- I--
I'm sorry

for what's happened to you.

To all of you.

I-- I really am.

But none of that is my fault.

No.

That's true.

You're just a symptom of a
much larger disease.

But we have a cure for that.

[Brewer] No, no, no no no no,
no! Please!

[Brewer] No no no, listen, I,
I can't get--

Please!

[Ramone] Shhhhhh...

Your air is precious now.

[mask peeling off]
[air releasing]

[sharp inhale]

Now...

I need to know where
Wrightcorp is developing the

new gravity free-gen tech.

[EDGAR] The good compact stuff,
you know what I'm talking about.

[Edgar] So, Ramone here

will hold on to your mask

until you tell us.

[Edgar] Now you have no voice.

Now your every breath
is precious.

[Brewer] [sputters air]

[Edgar] How much longer until
you're the infected criminal?

[hard exhale] Alright!

[Brewer] There's a testing
bunker under

the building at 1038 Shine
Street!

Shine Street!
1038!

They-- they store prototypes
and compact systems

in different stages
of development.

But you need special clearance!

Who controls clearance?
[Brewer] Grav-tech

department heads and earth-bound
security techs!

Names, Michael!

I need names.

[heavy coughing]

Larson! Howard Larson!

Larson's the work-from-Earth
CSO.

[Brewer] He can generate keys
and passes, whatever.

He runs ground and
orbital security operations

from his compound on Earth.

Look I-- I can help you!

Just please give me
my mask back, please!

I-- I can't get A.C.H.E.

Wright will take everything from
me!

[confused grunt]

[Brewer] Oh no-- no no no no
don't do--

No, don't do this!

No look, I--
I'm worth more to you alive!

[Brewer] [whimpering]
Please.... no...

[gunshot]

[glitching noise]

[♪]

[glitching noise]

[8-bit game noises]

[alert chime]

[digital button]

[pistol slide]

[urban neighborhood ambience]

[distant sirens]

[door slamming]

[radio tuning static]

Sportscaster] --got a hell of a
show for you folks tonight

The two-year running MVP Nick
"The Iceman" Donovan

will be joining us, remotely of
course

to discuss his short-lived but
exceptional career

as the premiere pitcher in the
Infected Baseball League

and what his failing health can
teach

other top-tier infected athletes

about ACHE, and the impact that
repeated outbreaks

might have on their careers.

Donovan made headlines in 2053

after his infected status meant
he had to drop out of the MLB

sparking controversy when--
[static]

[Nova] This is Nova Grave, and
thanks for tuning your auditory

implants on tonight's edition
of Graveyard Shift.

[Graveyard Shift jingle intro]

[spooky voice]
Gra-a-a-aveyard Shift!

[creepy voice] They're trying to
cut me!

[Nova] Anyway this morning I
wake up, have a cup of coffee

and start coughing blood out my
nose.

Nothin' new, I know,
just another Tuesday

in the good ol' U-S-of-ACHE.

Except this time the blood's
some thick, purple color

so, you know, hell with it

I figure I'll stop by one of
those new

Wrightcorp-sponsored health
clinics before I get here

to the studio to do the
morning's 'Early Grave'.

So they stick me with this newly
infected doctor

real piece of shit

who tells me that my particular
version of the

Airborne Chronic Hemorrhagic
Syndrome

is the earliest recorded
variant! [crowd cheering]

[Nova] Meaning I am one of
the O.G. recipients

of humanity's favorite plague.

And one of the last O.G.s still
living.

If you call life without a
non-exposure license "living".

[digital HUD noises]

[Nova] Maybe they'll take me up
to their fancy space station

do some tests and I'll get to
meet a fine, uninfected lady

with a thing for full-body,
airtight, rubber suits.

[rubbing rubber noises]

[digital warble]
[radio program fades]

[digital clicks]

[door quietly opening]

[careful bootsteps]

[paper rustling]

[match fizzling]

[fire crackling]

[door chime]

[door slams]

[distant clanging noise]

[distant beeping]
[clanging continues]

[springy clanging]

[happy game chime]

[relieved exhale]

[digital rustling]

[more clanging]

[gun clicks]

[pinball noises]

[mask velcro]
[air releasing]

[full exhale]

[digital chime]

[digital warbles]

[Edgar] Ah, looks like you got
in okay.

You burn him?

Yeah.

[Edgar] Mmmm. Bet that smelled
ripe.

I-- I mean I wouldn't know.
-Ah, right.

I'm glad I don't have to wear
one of

those things on my face
anymore.

One of the benefits of having
a debilitating lung infection.

You people with your masks are
missing all the smells of this

brave new world.

Okay, do we have login
credentials?

All we had was the housekeeper.

And you.

She doesn't know where he keeps
his private stuff?

Not that kind of housekeeper.

[Edgar] Guess you're gonna have
to work your magic.

[rapid typing]

How'd you get her to
cooperate anyway?

[Edgar] That's need-to-know.

[James] Well, I 'need-to-know'
if she's gonna

tip off anybody at Wrightcorp.

Her brother works for me.

She's not gonna tell anyone
anything--

Wait, she's infected?!

[Edgar] No! Her brother has the
aches...

She doesn't. The house is clean.

[Edgar] Look

You don't know me yet.

But you're gonna have to trust
me if you wanna get paid.

This is how I work.

You'll get used to it.

[deep exhale]

Well what's wrong with this guy
then?

If he doesn't have A.C.H.E. then

why's he gotta stay grounded?

[Edgar] What do you mean?

[James] I mean you'd think
they'd house their

security team on the space
station.

[scoff] Please.

A one-bedroom apartment up there
goes for a billion dollars.

You think they're gonna give the
real estate

to house a keyboard monkey?
-Hey.

[Edgar] I'm just saying

they outsource everything down
here

while they grow daffodils in
artificial gravity

and shit in golden toilets.

[grunts]

Yeah, kinda makes the wealth
disparity between

your people and my people pale
in comparison, doesn't it?

Sure.

[hard keystroke]
[access chime]

And we're in.

[Edgar] Cool. Look for anything
confidential or classified.

Wait. Hold on. Dude.

This is a very sophisticated
system, okay there's

multiple firewalls, honeypots,
subsystem dead-ends that--

The point is, I'm not going to
make all that go away.

It's gonna take days.

Which...

is enough time for somebody at
Wrightcorp to notice a certain

recently fired employee
not doing his job.

[Edgar] I'm guessing you have a
plan for that.

[blowing old USB]

[USB snapping in]

[access chime]

Let's see if our friend

Howard Larson

[scoff]

took a lot of selfies.

[typing]
[hard keystroke]

[amused whine]

[program working]

[James] A stirring, in-memoriam
montage for Howard Larson

Adieu.

[keystroke, beep]

Hi there! This is Howard Larson!

I just want everyone to know
that I spent

my life working for a spineless,
wack-job multi-trillionaire

who eats the poor for breakfast.
I have no conscience.

And, in death

I am a traitor to my
corporate overlords!

[Edgar] You'd better not
send that to anyone.

What? And tarnish my spotless
reputation?

[key slam]
[Edgar] [chuckling]

There.

I should be able to do all of
Howard's busy work remotely now.

No one will ask any questions.

[Edgar] Good.

Do his job, send us
everything you can about--

Yeah yeah yeah yeah

Station schematics, top secret
projects

personnel records.

You'll have a full list of the
various

endangered caviar available

on William Wright's executive
lunch menu.

You're a natural.

I knew I did good hiring you.

You're every bit as good
as they said you were.

I think...

this is the beginning of
a beautiful friendship.

[gasp from inhaler]

Y-- yeah. I--

I hope so. [chuckle]

Well I'm gonna make myself
at home here Edgar

and I um--

Call you tomorrow.

See you tomorrow kid.

Good job.

[transmission end chime]

[hologram whoosh]

[Grocer] What's my job?

I feed hundreds of kids a day.

I keep the engines runnin'.

I keep the space station in
orbit!

[announcer] And Wrightcorp
keeps making it possible.

Since Wrightcorp was founded
in 2043

the world's foremost energy
conglomerate has expanded

into nearly every global
industry.

Including national defense

shipping, and even

entertainment!

Hi! I'm William Wright.

Now the world has undoubtedly
changed over the last decade.

Fossil fuel shortage.

Shifting climate.

And a global health crisis.

But the earth as it was

still lives inside each and
every one of us.

In our hearts.

In our hopes.

In our sense of community.

Our top scientists here on
Wright Station

are dedicated to providing
reliable energy

and cutting edge technology

to our millions of customers

living down on the planet's
surface.

And while we innovate

we ask you

to keep the world turning.

Whether you're a privileged
uninfected citizen

or one of the millions of
infected essential workers

there is a place for you

in a Wrightcorp Indentured
Endeavor.

By providing work opportunities

universal housing

and a standard basic income

we have brought the
unemployment rate down

to nearly zero.

So, from the lab tech in orbit

to the essential worker on the
ground...

[scientist] I'm doing my part.
[mechanic] I'm doing my part.

[Grocer] I'm doing my part.

[Wright] And that's...

Doin' it Wright.

[happy music]

[happy logo chime]

[cheerful notification]

[double click]

[window zapping open]

God dammit, Howard, Wright is--

[Parsons] I'll say he's
displeased.

at the ambient noise

in the security feed from
Project A.

It's gotta be the

updated climate control.

Add some post noise reduction
to the video feed

so he can watch his daughter. Or
next time he flips out

-I'll let him know it was your--
-Project A

stupid cousin who
installed the noisy-ass

filtration system. Seriously!
-Whoa.

[Parsons] It's space! How bad
do you have to screw up an

installation for there to be
too much ambient noise?!

Fix it!
[message zapping out]

[distant engine noise]

[pleasant morning alarm]

[CARON] Good morning
Miss Wright!

Nooooooo!

[CARON] The time is 9:45am.

[Ayla] Hey CARON.
[CARON] Miss Wright?

Reset the clocks to...

Dubai time.

[pleasant chime]

[CARON] The time is now 6:45pm.

Oh, my!

Productivity today has been
significantly

lower than previous days.

Okay, CARON.

[alarm claxons]

[shrill buzzing and beeping]

[violent whistling noise]

[piercing alarm]

Okay!!

Shut up!

[alarms stop]

[CARON] Shall I play your
rise-and-shine playlist?

-No!

[CARON] Playing rise-and-shine
playlist.

-Whatever...

[heavy door opens]

[over PA] [Mozart's Symphony
no.40 in G minor]

[box scraping]

[door sealing]
[trash ejecting]

[news anchor] For the millions
of Americans struggling with

Airborne Chronic Hemorrhagic
Syndrome

just having the energy to get
out of bed

can be a struggle.

But some ACHES-positive
Americans find the energy

to supply all of the energy
we use daily.

[worker] Yeah it's rewarding,
you know, working the plant.

Cuz, I mean, without a non-
exposure license there's not

a lotta jobs I could get
doin' whatever else.

And here we're a family, like

whenever the cough creeps up
and someone needs time off

needs extra shifts to pay for
the hospital bills

we're all real understanding
of eachother.

This job's our way of, uh,
contributing, you know?

It's rewarding.

[anchor] With scientifically-
minded consumers to consider

Wrightcorp has continued
cracking down on the spread of

misinformation regarding
so-called "energy inequality".

Concerned citizens are
encouraged to report alleged

"info-crimes" to their local
corp-gov authorities.

Hilda Green. WPR News.

[Mozart continues quietly]

[ad spokesman] Earth.

Feel the native gravity of you
former home.

Swim in the waves of the blue
planet

on premier, sanitized beaches

that are as clean as they ever
were.

And enjoy

some of the planet's most
secure

infected-free nightlife

all without leaving the
non-exposure zone.

Schedule your safe

guided QuaranTour of our home
planet

and ground yourself today.

Revisit your roots on Earth...

a paradise lost.

This message brought to you by
the

Wright-Gov Tourism Association

"Imagine: Above And Beyond."

[ambient noise fading]

[Mozart music rising
triumphantly]

[airy whoosh]

[cracking whoosh]

[Mozart ends]

[gear rustling]

Alright, let's see what you're
doing in there

little miss Wright.

[typing]

Hello, onboard computer!

Yes I would like remote access.

Thank you for asking.

[access chime]
Credentials?

I think we can arrange that.

[access chime]
O.S. control. No. Processes?

Yep.

[menu sounds]
Wow.

That program's eating a lot of
memory.

[rapid typing]

[8-bit game theme music]
"Worldsim."

"Please create avatar account."

What is this, some kind of game?

Well, I wanna play.

[determined typing]

[access chime]

[digital burst of sound]

[over PA] [Symphony No. 4 in A
Major, Op. 90 by Mendelssohn]

Hello?!

[distant explosion]

[Mendelssohn continues closer]

[James] Hello!

[horrified shriek]
[notebook slams]

[digital error noises]

[symphony rising]

[symphony finale]

Who the hell are you?!

[James] Oh! [chuckle]

Hi there. Sorry.

I must have scared you, you

tore your headset off. [laugh]

Shut up.
-Okay.

[Ayla] What are you
doing here?

Answer me!

I can talk now? Or--?

[futuristic rifle cocking]
[James] Ok! Alright. Well um...

[James] Surprise! [chuckle]

-What?
-Happy belated birthday, Ayla!

[Ayla] My birthday was two
months ago.

[James] Two months and eight
days, yeah.

Okay?

[James] I guess time has no
impact

on a father's love.

My father sent you?

[James] In a sense, yes.

This is a private network!

[James] Correct, and that is why

Mr. Wright had to authorize the
installation.

What installation?

Me!

The name's Darion.

[bad Scottish accent] Just
Darion. Heh.

It's a--

Anyway I'm an artificially
intelligent software.

Repurposed and programmed to
keep you company

here within the, uh...

'Worldsim'!

[chuckle]

[mechanical engine ambience]

[James] [laugh]

[rifle activating]

Follow.

[Ayla] Now!

[over PA] [Wilhelmj's "Air on
the G String"]

[Ayla] Bullshit.
-Not bullshit.

You don't act like a computer
program.

Well then I'd say somebody did a
very good job.

I've developed A.I.

You don't fit the bill.
-How's that?

You're missing the "I".

[James] Oh! Haha! Good one!

[James] Well, I'm something of a
rarity actually.

I've been relegated to a normal,
human cognitive wavelength

and imprisoned here within your
simulation.

Yeah this whole simulation is
sort of like

robot jail for me.

I guess I got a little out of
control.

Out of control?

[James] But my memory banks were
wiped after whatever happened

so I have no recollection of the
incident.

[Ayla] Incident?
-Mmhmm.

But, like I said... [whooshing
noise]

[chuckle]

Man...

[James] You did all of this?

Y-- yeah.

Wow.

[snort] I like the little
wingdings.

Why do you look like that?

Look like what?

[James] Well this avatar was
just randomly assigned to me

by my programming but, uh--

If you'd like I can take the
shape of

whatever your heart desires.

Goat?!
-But--!

It is unlikely that I will be
randomly assigned this

particular avatar again, so...

Eh.

You can stay like that I guess.

Awesome.

So what is this supposed to be?

What does it look like to you?

Uh... Well, um...

It's kinda got me thinking...

I'm seeing a...

I'm feeling.

You know?

Mmm. Yeah.

[James] Mmmm.

-That's what I was going for.
-Oh. Good.

[Ayla] It's the transition
out of my blue period.

[James] Right. Naturally.

[Ayla] Honestly I haven't
worked on any of this in awhile.

Why, you've been working on your

big dangerous engine thing?

What are you really doing here?!
-Your father assigned me

the prestigious job of

keeping you company--
-[mock buzzer]

[Ayla] Wrong answer!

Would you like to play again?

Okay.

My alternate functionality is

[James] as a...

security monitor.

I knew it!

[James] Yes, my charming
personality and witty banter

serve as a fluffy cushion
surrounding my

anti-malware and digital
policing protocols.

[Ayla] Policing! [sarcastic
laugh]

Well that's fun.

Well hey, I think I deserve some
credit though.

-Yeah? Why's that?
-I am programmed

to lie to you about my
functionality.

Well that makes me feel so much
better!

[James] I just thought you
deserved to know the truth.

[Ayla] And how exactly are you
able to

circumvent your behavioral
programming?

I guess I'm a little fucked up.

[scoffs]

Yeah. I'd say so.

K Bye.

Oh! Uh...

Well it has been a pleasure
making your acquaintan--

[laser rifle arming]
[James] --nnce.

Okay.

Wait!

[Ayla] Where are you gonna be?

[James] Oh I donno. Just

around.

I live here now

so...

[grinding digital transition]

[surprised laugh]

[James] And she's adorable!

[Edgar] This is amazing.

A little on the angry side but
that's probably

just cabin fever--
-This is exactly

the kind of thing we're looking
for. Now we

can leverage this information--
-I know, I know

I need to keep building trust,
pick her brain

for information--
-You talked to her?!

You saw her picture

of course I talked to her.

[Edgar] What were you thinking?!

If Wright gets wind of
anything that we're doing

we're done!
-It's fine man!

I've developed a solid alter
ego.

I'm basically like

if James Bond was a phishing
scam.

[Edgar] The number of people
relying on you

not to fuck this up--

[James] [heavy sigh] Dude.
Relax.

[digital whoosh]

She thinks I'm her imaginary
friend.

Besides I think you're gonna
want in on this doohickey she's

developing in her VR simulation.
-Doohickey?

Yeah. Looks like she's doing
R&D on some

engine prototype.

Looks complicated.

[Edgar] [ironic laugh] Must run
in the family.

Billy Wright is perpetually
finding new ways to

suck the energy from under us.

Do you know how much fuel
my drivers deliver

to that goddamn station?
-Uh...

Fifty terrawatt hours of nuclear
batteries

and carbon biofuels every month?

[Edgar] Yeah that's exactly
right.

I know! Dude I'm going through
pages and pages of

data in there man.
-Of course.

Wrightcorp is covering up so
many flaws in its

fuel storage and delivery
protocols man, it...

[James] It's vile.

You're tellin' me.

[James] What's it like handling

fuel shuttle dispatch knowing
that

30% of your employees develop
acute radiation syndrome?

You learn to be very convincing.

[Edgar] You know what... I trust
you with the Wright girl.

You've been doing a good job so
far and...

I don't see any reason why
you can't handle it your way.

I appreciate that.

[Edgar] I just have one
question.

What's that?

Why are you helping us?

Uhhh, because you offered
to pay me six million dollars?

[Edgar] Right, but...

"Acheys"...

killed your family.

Yeah but...

It's not like they meant to.

And besides it's people like
Wright that made infected

citizens desperate enough to
ignore quarantine protocols

and riot, so...

[James] You wanna rob him?
Be my guest.

I'm happy I can use my non-
exposure privilege to help out

essential workers and

ya know--

people with A.C.H.E.

Money's nice too.

Money's very nice.

Well...

It's nice to have you on board.

[end-transmission chime]

[engine ambience]

[digital error noise]

[digital error noises]

[repeated error noises]
[slamming keys]

[hefty smack]

[computer calculating]

[sad failure noise]

[perforated paper tearing]

[James] "I am the only
being whose doom--!"

[Ayla] Jesus Christ!

[James] You have an Emily Bronte
poem

graffitied in your art
mausoleum.

I'm aware. Thank you!

[James] That part of your blue
period?

Ah, that was my Heathcliff
phase.

[James] I don't get it.

Wuthering Heights?

[James] Gesundheit!

[James] "I am the only
being whose doom

No tongue would ask,
no eye would mourn

I never caused a thought of
gloom

A smile of joy since I was
born."

What, do you have this
memorized?!

Uh, yeah.

I have lots of stuff memorized.

[Ayla] Well, I am not about to
take

literary criticism from a, um...

glorified firewall.

[scoff] Come on!

I like it!

It's misanthropic, depressing--

Emo.

Don't worry I've moved out
of my teenage years.

Man...

How long have you been up here?

Ummm...

I was eleven when I first
collapsed.

and everybody thought that I had
gravity sickness, and then

I was in and out of the hospital
until I was thirteen?

And that's when they discovered
that I

have a rare allergy to the

hybrid plants

they use to filter the air on
the main station.

Oooooh. Damn.

Yeah. So

rather than have me spend my
eighth grade

with my lungs on fire

My dad decided to

invest in a, um

remote facility.

[James] So eighth grade...

well, you know...

at least you got out
before your awkward phase.

[emphatic snorting]

[James] [laughing]

[Ayla] [giggling]

[James] [continued laughter]

[subtle chime]

[CARON] Miss Wright

you have an incoming call from

Wright Station.
[cheerful ringtone]

[ringtone continues]

[confirmation beep]
[electrical whirring]

[hologram zaps to life]
[Ayla] Hey Dad!

Nice sweater.

[Ayla] Oh yeah?

You like it?

It's just some, uh...

space garbage

that floated in.

Expensive space garbage.

Like me.

[Wright] [hearty laugh]

And what has my
favorite space garbage

been up to today?

Ahhh, the usual.

Pacing back and forth.

Sitting.

I argued with CARON for a bit.
[chuckle]

[Wright] Ahhh, busy day. Well
you haven't sent me a new

composition in a long time. Does
the music interest you anymore?

Or the painting?

-Eh.
-I can upload you a new module

for whatever hobby you like.

Yeah. I know you can.

And he's kind of become
a pain in my ass.

[Wright] What?
[watch beeping]

Nevermind.

I know it's for my own good.

I totally understand.

I'll let you know if I
need anything, okay?

Promise?

[Ayla] Promise.

Okay.

Hey guess what I brought.

What?

[childish game music]

Oh, no way!!

[8-bit game noises]

Are you sure? Do you...

have time

to be completely destroyed
today?

Please.

Alright, come on.

Give me a question.

You ready?
-Yeah.

What is the atomic mass of

Triton?

[Ayla] Come on! I thought you
were going to upload

a harder deck this time.

3.015501

[sad 8-bit tone]
[Ayla] Seriously this is easy.

[cheerful tone]
Are you ready?

-Yeah.
-How many moons

orbit the exoplanet of

Z5Q13

-That's the one with--
-[mocking] Uuhhhh--

No hints!

14.

Nice try.

It is.

-No it's not.
-It is!

It's not! It's 15!!

Ha-HAA!

[Wright] They don't count that
one as a moon.

[Ayla] They do!

-That's not a moon.
-It's a moon.

[James] No, I'm talking about an
isolated docking bay

connected to the pod

where Daddy sends her gifts

food, whatever.

[Edgar] Why didn't I know about
this? I don't remember

delivering anything to
a remote satellite.

He's probably using a private

courier from the main station.

He plays everything with her
pretty close to the chest. Hell,

for all I know I might be the
only person that has access to

her remote monitoring systems.
-This is very interesting.

[James] I know.

[James] So I had a thought.

Okay.
-And this is just me thinking

out loud here.

[Edgar] You usually do.

What if we sent her a package?
-Like a scented candle?

[James] Mmmm. I was thinking
more like...

remote access software?

What if we planted a rootkit?

Okay, that's not bad.

[Edgar] In that case I need you
to run an errand for us.

What, you mean like

leave the house?

Yes.

[toaster dinging]

Fuck.

Okay, what?

[Edgar] I need you to run
over to a Sani-Trade.

[incredulous laugh]

Oh come on man that's not still
a thing. Wrightcorp

scrapped all of its sanitation
purchasing proxies years ago.

There's no unauthorized trade
between infected and

uninfected citizens.
-The black market didn't

disappear just because the
government said so. Trust me.

It's still a thing.

[defeated sigh]

Alright, where am I goin?

I'm sending you the address
right now.

[fork slamming]

[rooster crowing] [chorus of
creepy voices]

[sleepy, creepy voice] Early
Grave!

[creepy voice] They're trying to
cut me!

[Nova] Y'all, I been smacked by
beat cops and beat by

smackhounds.

I been slapped by a hooker and
kicked by my own mama.

I spent years gettin' stabbed
and shot at

runnin' with all kinds of
shady characters.

Nova Grave has been around the
block

a few damn times.

So believe me when I tell y'all
that I ain't never seen

a single one of these

anti-corporate
militant socialist

'People's Army' yahoos
the mainstream corpo media

is always goin' on about.

They do not exist.

The People's Army graffiti?

Corporate scare tactics.

People's Army bombings?

Planned demolitions.

The Eastern Autonomous Zone?!
Shit, y'all that's just a place

for the corp-gov city police
to dump bodies

without havin' to file any
paperwork.

I hate to be a downer folks

but the people have no army.

There's no one comin'
to save us, folks.

And on that cheery note

let's get back to the music.

[jazzy music]
[outgoing dial tone]

[receiver clicks]
[Edgar] What?!

[James] Why are you sending me
to a residential district?

[Edgar] Most of the houses
are abandoned.

It's the perfect place to run a
middleman service like this.

There's a Sani-Trade vending
machine hidden in the backyard.

Infected delivery personnel
load the machine from

underground and
transactions are handled by

Black Market Buddha.

[James] "Black Market Buddha"?

[Edgar] It's the moniker for
the vending A.I.

[James] Sounds offensive.

[Edgar] Seems like it would be

[chuckling] but the machine's
programming is faulty and

it insists.

He's...

manageably insane.

[digital warble]
[jazzy music fades]

[digital clicks]

[wind chimes]

[airy button sound]
[mechanisms activate within]

[welcoming startup theme]

[Buddha][British] Have you come
for spiritual enlightenment?

[James] Uh, no.
No. Electronics.

[Buddha][British] Well, you
never know what you might find

when you're looking in
all the wrong places.

This isn't a Wrightcorp-run

Sanitrade proxy, is it? I--

[violent mechanical failure]

[Buddha][Demonic] Down with
Wrightcorp! Anarchy! Anarchy!!

[glitchy transformation]

[Buddha][British] [clears
throat] Pardon me. No no.

This facility has been
salvaged and repurposed.

And is now under the
management of a rather

different organization.

That's good. [nervous chuckle]

[Buddha][Cockney] You cheeky
bastard.

Okay. Um...

You sell electronics
though don't you?

[Buddha][Scottish] Of course we
sell electronics! Who's askin?!

Oh! I'm sorry. Uh--

Edgar! Edgar sent me.

[Buddha][British] Oh yes Edgar!
One of our very best clients.

Do send him our best.

[polite chuckle] I will. Thanks.
Umm...

So anyway I need three
variable-connect

Spydir-class remote patch units.

[Buddha][Cockney] And why do you
need three variable-connect

Spydir-class remote patch units?

Uh-- because Edgar needs them.

[Buddha][Cockney] Nooo but why
do you need

three variable-connect
Spydir-class remote patch units?

For Edgar.

I'm sorry I don't think I
understand the question.

[Buddha][British] My dear boy,
the man who embraces the leash

will one day find that he is
no more than a dog.

Uh, well I have no idea what
that means.

But thank you for the insight.

[Buddha][Cockney] [guffaw]
Woof!!

[labored sigh] Okay.

Listen, Edgar needs the three
Spydir units.

I can't have them mailed to my
current address

and this is the only place that
I can buy black market tech

without risking exposing myself
to ACHE

and coughing up blood until I
die, so--

[Buddha][Scottish] Ah, don't
worry! If you catch ACHE

you'll only probably cough up
blood until you die!

[hearty guffaw]

[polite, tired guffaw] I'll
pass. So, um...

Spy.dir units?

[confirmation tune]
[object dispensing]

[Buddha][British] Product
sanitized.

[Buddha][Scottish] Well are ya
gonna grab the thing

or ain't ya?
-Oh, uh. Yeah.

[heavy drawer opening]

[devices rattle]
[mechanical whirring]

[object drops]

Cute.

Thank you.

[shutdown tune]
Yum yum.

[lamp clanging]
Ahh!

[defeated sigh]

[massive door slamming]

[digital zapping]

Ayla?!

[birds and cicadas chirp]

[digital whoosh]

[another digital whoosh]

Uh... okay.

[Ayla] Ten...

[James] Ten what?

[Ayla] Nine...

Eight...
-Is this some kind of game?

Yes. Seven...

What if I die or get erased or--
-You won't. Six...

-How do you know?
-I programmed it that way.

Five...

[Ayla] Four...

Okay well what am I supposed
to-- am I--

[Ayla] Three...

[gun charging]
AYLA: Two, one!!

[laser gunshot]

[digital zapping]
JAMES: [gasp]

Hey!!

Come on!!
[Ayla] [imitating bird] Cuh-caw!

[distant laser shot]
[shot collision]

[Ayla] Where would you want to
live?

If you were a real boy?

Mmm. Probably Wright Station.

Oh god! Why?

I don't know.

It's safe.

There's good air.

Nobody's sick.

It's really bad isn't it?

I'm really lucky.

Well, you're a good person,

you deserve good things.
-It's easy to be good

when nothing bad has ever
happened to you.

[James] Well...

In my experience there aren't an
overabundance of good people.

So--
-Well I'm sure that

optimism isn't exactly
a useful tool

for a security system.

Touché

[Ayla] People change when
they're scared.

I mean, I haven't lived down
there.

All the history of the world
I've learned from

lessons on a screen.

which I'm sure has been colored
by some perspective.

But I'd imagine

that in addition to having a

chronic, life-threatening
illness...

it would be crushing

to live in a world where you are
told

where to go

what job you can do, who you can
see, where

everything that you do

is restricted to a bunch of
zones based off a diagnosis

that has labeled you for life.

I've spent a lot of time up here

by myself.

And when I first got here

I spent most of my time
doing things for myself.

Painting.

Composing. Playing video games.

Dabbling in poetry.

[Ayla] But after awhile

doing all those things for
myself

just made me feel way more
isolated.

I stare down at that huge, wide
world

this massive society that
doesn't even know I exist

and I want to do something.

Something good.

I have the time. I have the
resources...

I wish more people were like
you.

[James] [sniff]

Where would you wanna live?

I don't know.

Not Wright Station.

[soft computer alert]

[soft chime]

[glitchy disconnect]

[media removal alert]

[digital startup noise]

[digital keystrokes]

[dial tone]
[call connecting]

[James] Okay the Spy.dir I'm
sending should allow you remote

access to Ayla's pod. You'll
have full control so, you know,

you can gather whatever
information you want.

[Edgar] Great. Bring the devices
pre-programmed to

Black Market Buddha. And...

on the way, I need you to do
another job for me.

[digital window opening]

[James] Whoa whoa whoa, why am I
doing this?

[Edgar] You're the only asset
that we have with

a non-exposure license.

None of my people can even
enter the district

much less the building.

[James] Right, but... why?

[Edgar] Because there's another
two million in it for you?

[James] [labored sigh]

[Edgar] What's going on with
you?

Why are you suddenly asking
questions?

-I thought you trusted me, man.
-I do trust you, James.

[Edgar] I'm just trying to
protect you.

[James] Yeah. Woof.

[Edgar] Sorry what was that?

[James] Nothing.

[Edgar] Right.

Do your thing, get in and take
the

elevator to the lowest level.

You'll need priority clearance
to access the testing bunker

underneath the building.

[James] Ok, and what are they
testing exactly?

-Need-to-know.
-Of course.

[Edgar] Our guy inside was able
to leave the package for you.

It's located on one of the
weapons testing platforms.

[James] Oh sure, that's
a safe place to leave it.

[Edgar] Shouldn't be hard to
find.

Grab it, and bring it to Black
Market Buddha.

[door unlocks]
[Edgar] And don't drop it.

[A.I. voice assistant][over PA]
Welcome, employee number 15768!

Andrew Garnet! This week's
most valuable employee!

[elevator dings]

[shoes scuffling]

[case unsealing] [air releasing]

Whoa.

[door slamming]
[footsteps]

Hi.

Uh, hi?

Who are you?

Uhh... Andrew Garnet.

Physics technician. Employee
number 157--

[Man] Mmm. No you're not.

I'm not?

[Garnet] I'm Andrew Garnet.

Oh.

Yeeeeeah.

oh...

[sheepish chuckle]

[case slamming]

[Garnet] Hey!!

[intense scuffling]

[cloth ruffling]

[intense pull]

[missed swing] whoosh!

[Garnet] [grunt]
[James] No, no no! Alright!

Okay! Okay! Okay!
Hey hey hey! You're right!

You're right!

Here. You're right.

Here you go.

[plastic slamming]

[James] Agh!

[case hitting concrete]
[Garnet] AHHHH!

[Garnet] Agh!

[head colliding with mask]
[air pressure releasing]

[metal clicking]

[pistol slide cocking]

[James] Box.

Do you know what this is?

Uh...

Yeah it's a--

[Garnet] It's a compact
gravitational

matter condenser prototype.

Yeah. Right...

Obviously.

Who do you work for?

Ooooh. Ya know honestly I kinda

consider myself an independent
contractor, Andrew.

Just... gimme the grav--
Gimme the gravity thing.

You're not gonna shoot me.

I will too shoot you!

-No you won't.
-Yes I will.

You don't even know
how to fight.

[intense scoff] Look who's
talking!

[Garnet] Listen...

I can't let you leave here
with this.

Look just tell them I came in
here

guns blazing
overpowered you and took off.

I'll tie you to a chair or
something!

Look I'm sure your corporate
overlords will understand.

No. They won't.

I could lose everything.
My job, my pension

my insurance.

Oh?! You get insurance??

[Garnet] They can come
after my family...

What?

[Garnet] It's not unheard of.

There have been stories.

Jesus, man.

And these are the kind of people
you're gonna take a bullet for?

Listen, it's not just them.

It's this.

This is not a toy.

Yeah. I'm well aware.

[Garnet] No you don't
seem very aware!

If this thing is activated
under the wrong circumstances

it could implode a city block!

Really?

[Garnet] Really. But it won't
hurt anyone

if it stays in the right hands.

[scoff] Yeah.

And those hands would be
Wrightcorp's?

Look...

either way it's my job to fetch
that box

and one way or another

I'm leaving with it.

[James] You really wanna take
advantage of that

WrightTech insurance policy

just to protect a piece of
corporate hardware?

Come on, man.

No.

Alright.

[digital keystrokes]

What are you doing?

[intense digital glitch]
[Garnet] Ahhhh!

Ahhh! [painful groans]

[brutal hit]
[Garnet] Ahhh!

Just because you don't pull the
trigger doesn't mean your hands

are clean!

[painful exhale]

[massive door opening]

[wind chimes]

[airy digital button]
[startup tune]

[Buddha][Scottish] Well, it's
good to see ya James!

I hope you've had a pleasant
evening!

I have. Thank you.

I think I made a new friend.

[success chime]

[Buddha][British] Walking with a
friend in the dark is better

than walking alone in the light.

[chuckling] yeah. Woof woof.

[Buddha][British] Mm. Yes. Well
said, sir.

[James] Here's our...

first transaction.

Programmed spy.dir unit.

[heavy drawer closing]

[Buddha][British] Transaction
received. Would you like

a receipt?
-Uh, no. Thank you.

[mechanism ingesting
transaction]

[James] What does Edgar want
with this?

[Buddha][Cockney] Oh, well, I
don't even know

what that is, sir.
-It's a... uh...

rapid gravity condenser.

[Buddha][Cockney] Mmmmmm.
Sounds like fun!

Why do you work for Edgar?

[Buddha][Scottish] Oh, Buddha
doesn't work for the

People's Army! Buddha works for
himself!

[chuckle] Good for you.
Wait, what?!

[Buddha][British] I run this
kiosk as an independent A.I.

all are welcome to my services
so long as they--

No, no no. Shut up. Go back.

What about the People's Army?

[Buddha][Demonic] The People's
Army!

Rescuing the status quo
of tomorrow!!

[James] Edgar's with the
People's Army?!

[Buddha][Cockney] Oopsie.

They're a terrorist
organization!

[Buddha][Scottish] Well, one
man's terror is another man's

revolution.

Do you have safe deposit?

[Buddha][Scottish] Does a
one-legged duck

swim in a circle?

I need you to put into a
separate account.

[Buddha][British] Very well.

Under what name?

Darion.

[Buddha][Cockney] Alrighty then.

[heavy drawer closing]

[transaction ingesting within]

[Buddha][Cockney] Thank you
for your business!

[success chime]
[digital warble]

[Buddha][British] Friendship is
the only cure for hatred

and the only guarantee

of peace.

[shutdown tune]

[♪]

[dial tone]

[dial tone continues]

[answering machine] No one is
available to take your call.

Please leave a message. [beep]

Yeah, Edgar, we need

to have a talk about that extra
job you just sent me on.

Call me back.

[digital clicks]

[digital error alerts]

[loud thud] [locking noise]
[success chime]

[surprised gasp]

[success chimes beeping]

[machine whirring]
[charging up]

[machine charging continues]

[machine beeping]

[tremendous explosion]

[digital fire crackles]

[digital buzzing glitches]

[James] That was awesome!

[Ayla] Fuck.

[James] So what is that, anyway?

[Ayla] It's supposed to be a
fusion reactor.

[success chime]

[James] Oh.

A what?

[Ayla] [amused snicker]

[Ayla] It's fine.

I mean it just would mean free

clean energy for all of mankind.

[James] Why don't you just ask
your dad for a lab?

-Eeehh...
-Like an honest-to-god

laboratory module?

What is going on there?

[Ayla] What?

Between you and your dad.

[Ayla] Nothing.

He is the father of the century
everybody knows that.

Except nobody knows that

because nobody knows that I
exist unless he wants them to.

And your mom?

[Ayla] I could have been a test
tube baby for all I know.

That would explain so much!

[insulted scoff]

Shut up!

[James] [guffaw]

[♪]

[foliage rustling]

[laser blast]

[laser whizzing by]

[laser pistol shots]

[headshot thud]

[The Last Man on Earth (1964)]
[Price] All of you!

All of you, freaks!

Mutations!

[suspenseful music]

[spear hitting gut]
[Price] [gasp]

-Oh, shit!
[Ayla] [laugh]

[Price] You're freaks!

[Price] I'm a man!

The last...

man.
[body collapsing]

[Ruth] Robert!

[Price] They were afraid of me.

They were afraid of me.

They were afraid of me.

[Ruth] They didn't know.

[dramatic death score]

[Ayla] Can I ask you a question?

[James] Uh... yeah.

Anything.

[Ayla] When... you were
repurposed

after your "incident"...

they unplugged you, right?
Like...

they killed you?

[Ayla] You died?

Yeah.

I mean, I guess.

Sure.

What was that like?

[nervous laugh]

I-- I don't know

how to describe it, um...

Ah-- I guess I'll have to get
back to you?

Oh, okay.

K...

[♪]

Can you feel that?

It's not just me? You--

you feel it too?!
-Oh, um...

I meant physically.

The...

Oh, the...

the actual--

No.

Dang. [chuckle]

I, um...

I've never kissed anyone before.

Oh!

Well, uh...

Still haven't! [nervous laugh]

Right...

[heavy spaceship passing]

[♪]

[heavy door opening]
[pressure releasing]

[door clanging]

[garbage flushed out]

[James] [over PA] Ayla?

Darion?!

CARON are you messing with me?!

[James] No, uh...

I actually gave your charming,
repurposed

accounting software
the night off.

I hope that's okay?

I'll allow it.

[James] It's just that I thought
of an answer to your question

from earlier. About... you
know, what it feels like

to be deactivated.

Oh, yeah!

[James] Well...

I don't think being unplugged
is the same as what you would

experience. I mean I've been
rebooted and repurposed

countless times. It sort of
loses its novelty

after awhile.
-Oh, okay.

[James] But there's a lot of
stuff rolling around in my head

from previous jobs that I've
been put to

and I do have one outstanding
memory from my time as a

footage irregularity monitor

for a hospital security system.

Footage irregularity monitor?

[James] Yeah...

You know some A.I.s can be use
to sabotage or fake security

footage so another A.I. has to
be put in place in order to--

Got it. [chuckle]
-Right.

[James] Anyway... I have a
memory.

A... fragmented memory from
that job of a young man

Twenty-something maybe?

The dossier I got from his face
scan showed that he'd already

watched his father and sister
die from ACHE complications in

the same hospital that week.
-Jesus...

[James] And I watched as he was
talking to his mother remotely.

Just like the rest of his famiy
she had to be quarantined.

So anyway he's talking to her
from a computer

in the waiting room.

And I remember this kid

watching his mother

the last member of his family

die.

[James] He told her

I'm scared, Mom.

I don't want you to go.

And she said...

[sigh] Her vocal cords sounded
like razor blades, but...

She said, "I'm scared too
James."

And I don't want to go either.

But I know it's not me that's
going.

All that I am is all that I've
done

here on this planet.

I always wanted to leave this
place better than I found it

and when I leave
you behind...

I leave you behind.

And I can rest easy knowing
that.

I hope she can.

I love you, Darion.

I love you, too.

[sniff]

[incoming ringtone]

[ringtone continues]

[digital beep] Hello?
[Edgar] [violent coughing]

Don't you ever... I mean don't
you ever

talk to me like you're the one
in charge!

What?!

If I tell you to do a job then
you'd better finish it.

You put the box in the machine!
There is nothing to discuss!

Who do you think you are?!

I think I'm the guy who's doing
everything for you, so--

[Edgar] You're a gifted guy, but
there's a hundred people

talented as you who would bend
over backward to do the work

I handed you.
-Okay. Look--

[Edgar] And for what I'm
paying you, you prick...

So I send you on an errand,
you do it!

An errand?! I could've been
thrown in prison with acheys and

had my rights stripped away!

[Edgar] Oh, cry me a river.
-So I can put weapons in the

hands of terrorists?! Huh?!

[Edgar] [heavy breathing]

[violent coughing]

[choking sounds]

You sound like shit.

Thanks.

[James] You okay?

[Edgar] Yeah, I'll be fine. Look

you'll get your money and then
some.

Just hand over the gravity
condenser.

[Edgar] Besides, I have another
job for you.

No I'm not doin' another job for
you.

[Edgar] Stop the hardball shit,
kid, you're not good at it.

Besides, all you have to do is
not do something.

What are you talking about?

We're gonna ground the girl.

Ground her?!
-Think about the payday

when we ransom her.

No. No.

That was not part of the plan.

Oh no?

What was the plan, then?
[James] I don't know, you said

you wanted to steal from Wright!
Like a heist or something!

[Edgar] And you practically
bagged her up and brought her

to us.

[Edgar] Once the Spy.dir arrives
at her pod

we'll have remote access. We
can land her wherever we want.

[James] No, that pod wasn't
designed for that, okay?

[Edgar] No, but it was designed
to keep her safe

and that's all we want.

[Edgar] We'll rescue her

safe and sound from the crash
site

and you're not gonna tell her a
thing.

for both your sakes.

[James] No, you can't do this.

[Edgar] Why?

[James] Because she-- she's
working on a-- a, a thing.

[Edgar] You'll have to be more
specific...

She's building a fusion engine,
okay?!

[James] She's working on a
prototype for--

She's trying to make things
better for people down here!!

I'm trying to make things better
for people down here! We're

trying to make things better!

She's a Wright, James!

Okay, look...

I didn't get into this to hurt
people, okay?

That's not me.

[Edgar] Well that's the burden
of privilege, Jimmy.

[incoming ringtone]

You never learn to get your
hands dirty.

[digital chime]

Honey! I thought I told you not
to call me on this number

unless it was an emergency!
-I've done it!

-Done what?
-I got the simulation to

stabilize. Real world tech and
physics!

What?

I've built a working fusion
engine!

I don't think so, darling.

I sent you the tests!

[glasses activating]
[digital startup sounds]

[interactive noises]

[Ayla] So?

What do you think?

[Wright] Darling, I--

This is incredible.

You did this?

I did.
[Wright] But how did you--

[Ayla] Well I had access to all
the company's research up until

we stopped working on the
project in '54.

So I just

transferred everything to my
Worldsim program.

I didn't realize we were this
close

before I decided to pull the
project.

[Ayla] What?

We can't show anybody this

but I am proud of you.
-Well obviously we can't share

it with anybody yet, but--

[Wright] I love you

and you have to know I am so
proud of you.

Look...

I understand that it's too
important to go into production

based off of some sims, but

if we patent this process and we
prove that it works

on the ground in real life

then we actually have a chance
of moving forward with--

The problem is not your engine,
darling.

The problem is people--

[♪]

[error chime]

Your mother always thought of
our company as trying to win

some victory for all of
creation.

She loved people.

Often I'm glad she passed when
she did.

[Wright] Before Earth became
what it is today.

Before people showed their true
colors.

[Wright] But it's beautiful

seeing that same naive look
in your eyes.

Dad

people are just fighting to
live down there.

You can't paint everybody with
the same brush!

Honey, you just don't know.
-I do!

Darion told me! He told me all
about the suffering.

About how hard it was at the--
-Wait, wait wait wait.

Who's "Darion"?

The A.I.

[Wright] Your A.I. is CARON.

[Ayla] No! The--

The gift you sent me.

The A.I. that you embedded
in my simulation?

[Ayla] The security monitor!
-Honey, have you been

talking to someone inside of
your game?

It's a private network. No one
should be able to--

No I know but he said that you--
-If you've been interacting with

an outside user inside your
game, I have to disable your

account. And I need to wipe the
entire network!

No! Dad! You can't do that!

I will lose everything!

Well I can't lose you!

I'll call you later.

[disconnect chime]
[Ayla] No, Wait!!

[login chime]
[digital noises]

[♪]

Ayla!

Ayla, where are you?!

Come on, Ayla, we don't have
time for games right now!

It's important!

Ayla, you need to-- [gunshot]
Agh!

[digital zapping]

Ayla! You are not safe here!

I certainly don't feel safe.
-There are people coming for

you. You have to listen to me!

I don't have to do a god damn
thing you tell me to do.

[laser gunshot]
[fleshy impact]

[creeping digital glitches]

[door creaking]

[loud bootsteps]

[creepy digital glitches]

[♪]

[glitching intensifies]

[eerie digital noises]

[Ayla] It's gone.

My father deleted

everything.

[creeping digital glitches]

You took

everything from me!!

[zapping zounds]

[fleshy digital glitches]

[glitching intensifies]

[Ayla] Nooooo!!

[VR headset alarms]

CARON...

... give me access to my
Worldsim!

Now!

[CARON] I'm sorry.

Your login credentials are
no longer valid, Miss Wright.

[Ayla] [guttural roar]

[CARON] Is there anything else
I can assist you with?

[James] [over PA] Ayla?
[Ayla] [roaring] No!!

Go away! CARON, disable the PA
system! Turn it off!

[James] I turned off CARON Ayla.
-Go away!!

[James] Ayla, your pod has been
compromised.

I need you to help me
stop them.

-Stop who?
-There's people coming for you

They have remote access to you
satellite.

How?

[James] I'm sorry, Ayla.

-Listen to me--
-Go away!

[James] I didn't know who I
was working for

I can still
-Go away!

stop them if you help me.
-I hate you!

I need you to look around

for a small device. It could
-I hate you! I hate you! I--

[James] Probably won't matter
if we disable it, but if we

don't do something, they're
gonna--

[glitches] going to allow them
access to navigation

they're going to be able to
control your home remotely

and-- [glitching out]
-What?!

[James] [unintelligible
glitches]

Darion?

Darion?

[whimper]

[guttural screech]

[silence]

[James] [whispered] Oh, come on.

[distant glass breaking]

[backpack rustling]

[more distant shuffling]

[pistol slide cocking]

[gunshots] [bullets ricochet]
[glass breaking]

[wall debris falling]

[frantic bootsteps]

[James] [heavy breathing]
[bicycle clicking]

[gunshots]

[gunshots continue]

[door creaking]

[door slams]

[other door slams]

[body sliding down wall]

[digital swipe]
[digital warble]

[beeps]

[selection tone]
[digital loading noises]

[select tone]

[dial tone]

[digital warble]
[receiver answered]

[Edgar] I think we could have
been great friends.

I'm gonna kill you.

[Edgar] And how are you
going to do that?

You don't know where we are.

You don't have a plan.

You can't do anything by
yourself.

I trusted you!

[Edgar] I trusted you.

We trusted you.

While you were off in wondersim
playing peekaboo

with your pretend girlfriend.

You saw all that?

[Edgar] Shouldn't be that
surprised.

You gave us full access.

This was all your plan.

You're gonna hurt her aren't
you?

[Edgar] Not if Wright
cooperates.

While he's busy firing all his
private security and building

new firewalls, we'll land her
pod on Earth

and arrange a trade.
-No, Edgar, I told you

that pod was not designed
to reenter the atmosphere!

[Edgar] She'll get to Earth
one way or another.

This girl is more than a payday,
Edgar, okay?!

She's important!

[Edgar] She's up in a pod in
fucking space playing a video

game while billions of people
rot beneath her in an

apocalyptic soup.

You have nothing in common
with her, James.

Why don't you join us down here

in reality?

Your future is here

where millions of people
are starving and suffering

and dying for change.

You're not gonna choose your
own self-interest

over peoples' lives.

[James] I am not the one acting
own self-interest.

Helping Ayla would create real,
lasting change.

Her engine could basically
provide free energy for

everyone. It would upend
Wrightcorp entirely!

You could save every single one
of your employees from getting

radiation sickness, but instead
you're gonna choose petty

retaliation!

This girl is not her father!!

[Edgar] I don't care!

Change doesn't come from above.

And promises don't drain the
blood from your lungs.

The only path to justice is if
they realize

they are exactly the same
as us.

You're gonna give her ACHE,
aren't you?

That's the endgame here?

[Edgar] They need to see this
affect one of their own.

No. Edgar.

Wright is not gonna change
anything that he's doing. Not

for his daughter, not for
anyone.

[Edgar] Then we will expose him
to the world as the monster

that he really is.
-The world doesn't even know she

exists. He's just going to deny
it publicly, and then he's going

to come after you!
-Be done with this, James.

One day you'll see

that you were on the right
side of history.

Edgar, you-- [call disconnects]

[digital warble]
[loading noises]

[digital clicks]

[digital warble]

[metal clicks]

[refinery sounds]

[bicycle clicking]

[incoming ringtone]

[digital warble]

[ringtone continues]

[bicycle brakes squealing]

[incoming ringtone]

[digital button]

[digital warble]

Ayla?

I trusted you.

And you lied to me.

[James] I know, I'm sorry--

I don't want your apology. I--

I want you to be real.

[James] I am real, I--

What do you mean?

You were just using me to get to
my father.

I don't know what I was doing.

I-- I never know what I'm doing.

How can you 'not know'
what you're doing?!

That is a terrible excuse.

[James] I know. I know.

But I am real.

And I want to fix things.

My whole life's work...

was for nothing.

[James] No, Ayla, that's...

no...

no, I backed it all up.

What?!

[James] Yeah!

All your stuff about the fusion
reactor is here!

I made copies of all your
research, prototypes...

It's all gibberish to me but

I've got it!

Really?!
-And some of the paintings.

Most of the "blue period"...

Why did you save my work?

I was gonna sell it.

What's your name?

Your real name?

James.

My, uh--
My name is James Walsh.

You're too messed up

not to be real.

Right?

"James Walsh"?
-Oh, you bet I am.

[Ayla] [laughing]
-Look, I'm gonna fix this. Ok?

First you need to go to your
dad, tell them that they have

control of the installation.
They're gonna try and land your

entire station and it will not
survive reentry. So someone

needs to give you a lift
out of there.

Okay.
What are you going to do?

I'm gonna try and stop them.

[Ayla] By yourself?!

Yeah.

That's stupid!

Yeah.

[James] Listen, Ayla we have to
stop them, and I don't know

what else to do.
-Well then we're going to have

to figure out something else.

No. I'll take care of it. You
get to Wright Station and--

No.

My father decided to stop work
on the fusion engine years ago

because he didn't think that
people were

worth it.

And by locking that away,
he has profited off

the needless suffering of
millions for years.

He tried to erase everything
that I have ever done

because he was worried
it might cost him his empire.

Choosing

to believe in people

doesn't make me "naive".

I'm coming down there.

And you're going to come get me.

[massive door opening]

[wind chime]

[airy button]
[startup tune]

[Buddha][Cockney] Good to see
you again James!

Good to see you, too, Buddha.

[Buddha][Cockney] The People's
Army already left with today's

shipment.

What did they take?
-Why, the weapons, radar devices

and portable jamming equipment,
of course!

Of course.

Listen, I need access to my safe
deposit.

[Buddha][Scottish] Alright,
what's the name on the account?

-Darion.
-And the password?

Uhhh...

[Buddha][Scottish] [laughing]
I'm just messing with ya.

[chuckle]

[heavy drawer opening]

[Buddha][Scottish] Now laddie,
if you're lookin' to sell that

device I'll knock 15
percent off my commission.

No thanks. I've got something
special in mind for this.

[Buddha][Scottish] Mmm! Workin'
for ourselves now are we?

Woof.

What'dya got in stock?

[Buddha][British] Well we have
an assortment of off-brand

protein bars

which won't damage anything but
your digestive system.

-I'll pass.
-A litter of freshly sanitized

newborn kittens.
-Mmm!

[Buddha][British] And a
kinetic-assist, rapid

pulse rifle.

That I'll take.

[Buddha][Scottish] Okay, we're
sanitizing everything now.

[Buddha][Demonic] Hey!

Do you want me to put this on
the People's Army

credit account?

Rock on.

[Buddha][Demonic] Rock on!

[Buddha][British] Sanitizing
complete!

[heavy item dispensing]

[heavy drawer opening]

[heavy drawer closing]

Oh, and Buddha?
[Buddha][British] Yes?

I'm gonna need one other thing.

[♪]
I'm gonna need one other thing.

[♪]

[package ripping]

[leather flourish]

[labored sigh]

[James] Can you hear me alright?
[Ayla] Yeah.

[James] Okay. Now I need you to
look around for a little

piece of black tech. It's got
wires sticking out of it like

legs. It looks like an insect.

Could it get into the hardware?

[James] No it doesn't like
actually walk around or

anything. That would be pretty
cool, though.

It probably got delivered
with a shipment.

It works wirelessly, so

it could probably do that
from anywhere.

[Ayla] Okay. What are you gonna
do?

I'm headed to the Eastern
Autonomous Zone.

Achey territory.

Seems like the most likely place
to drop you.

[Ayla] It's not with any of the
deliveries.

Wait a minute!

I found it!

James, this has eight legs.

[James] So?

So it's not an insect, it's an
arachnid.

-What are you, twelve?
-What are you, dumb?

[James][laughing] God I love
you.

We don't have time for this
right now! What am I supposed

to do with this thing?!
-Okay, on the top there should

be some numbered toggles. I need
you to see

what it's set to and read the
numbers back to me.

3-4-3-4-4

[James] Okay, just flip any one
of the switches

and then read it back to me.
[grunting] [metal clang]

[Ayla] Ehhh...

4-4-3-4-4.

Okay, so...

What did I do this for?

[gravel crushing]

Because now I should be able to
connect to the Spy.dir unit and

see the list of all the vital
programs

the People's Army has control
of.

[startup chime]

[typing]

[failure chime]

Ah, yeah looks like they've got
control of gravity

life support, the whole nine
yards.

[typing]

And it definitely looks like
they're going to land you

in the Eastern Autonomous Zone.

What about the Liferaft?

-Liferaft?
-My escape pod.

My dad had it installed in case
of an emergency to

get me back to Wright Station.

Is that the big thing in the
kitchen?

Would you be able to use the
Spy.dir unit to reprogram the

Liferaft to get me to Earth?

Theoretically.

Yeah, I should be able to
program it to follow a beacon

that I send from my laptop!

[Ayla] Great! I can follow it to
your location .

Well, veer off a little.

[Ayla] Nah, I'll just land right
on you.

Heh. Do you know how to fly it?

Yes.

Do you know how to land it?

Theoretically.

"Theoretically"?!

[Ayla] I 'll figure it out!

How much time do we have

before the initial landing
sequence?

[warning claxon]
[CARON] Oh, um... excuse me

Miss Wright, but it appears the
emergency landing sequence

has been engaged!

Nevermind.

[large equipment shifting]
[creaking echoes]

[CARON] Please locate a
secure surface!

[disorienting warble]

Shit!

[♪♪]

[servos whirring]

[liferaft door stops]

[James] Alright, Ayla, what's
going on up there?!

[Ayla] L ooks like I am
good to go.

Whenever you are.

Alright I think I found a good
spot.

[James] In a few minutes, I'll
transmit the beacon. It looks

like they'll try to land you a
few miles away, so we should

be far enough--
[warning claxon]

[servos starting up]

[another warning claxon]

CARON!

Close the Liferaft and enable
manual override!

[error chime]

[CARON] I'm sorry, Miss Wright

But I am not authorized to
enable manual override.

CARON, I don't need you to
authorize anything. That's why

it's called "manual override".
[James] We have a problem. Looks

like they changed the landing
trajectory. It looks like they-

[glitch out] [negative alert]

CARON, put him back on.

CARON?

[glitching alert]
[CARON] Miss Wright

I have a pre-recorded message
from

The People's Army.

Would you like me to play it
now?

No.

[CARON] Playing now.

[Edgar] Hello, Miss Wright.

My name is Edgar Bane.

Founding member and acting
general of the People's Army.

As you may have noticed

we are currently in the
process of

commandeering your beautiful
apartment.

Yeah, no, it looks like
they've changed the LZ to

right here. Must be some kind of
mistake. I need to make sure

I'm not transmitting my own--
[Ayla] James CARON is cutting

you off--can't hear-- [static]
-Ayla?!

[trucks approaching]
[crunching gravel]

[men's voices shouting]

[truck doors closing]

[truck doors closing]
Oh, shit.

[unintelligible shouting]

[Edgar] Your brothers and
sisters on Earth

are not your enemies.

[pulse rifle firing]

[Edgar] We want nothing but
the best for you.

To remove you from that prison.

We will welcome you with open
arms.

We, the people

will illuminate the dark

by shining together.

[CARON] Warning! Onboard A.I.
hardware compromised!

Warning! Warning!

Hey, CARON.

[CARON] Yes, Miss Wright?
[circuits ripping]

Miss Wright! Please return my
central processing unit!

I'm afraid that without it I
won't be able to continue

our lovely friendship--

[silence]

[relieved sigh]

[James][static] --me try this
again! Ayla!

Can you hear me?!
-Yeah, James!

[James] Oh hey! What's goin' on?
-Oh, nothing.

[over PA] [gunshots]

What was that?
-Just reliving our first date.

Are you still at the apartment,
sweetheart?!

[Ayla] I'm running a little
behind. You know I just had to

do my makeup.
- I'm sure you look fine darling

Can we go?!
-Entering the atmosphere

requires a suitable ensemble.
Now, I'm going to lose you as

soon as I start the escape
sequence.

[James] [falling painfully]
-James?!

[James] [struggling] Yeah?

I'm gonna be down there in just
a couple minutes.

[James] Well, it's about time.

I can't wait to see you.

[machine starting]
[mechanical clicking]

[click]
[servos whirring to life]

[heavy door closing]

[swirling electrical hum]

[servos working]

[air compressing]

[airtight door seals]

[digital chime]

[atmosphere decompressing]

[pod ejection]

[internal mechanisms working]

[pod engines burning]

[digital alert]

[digital button]

[engines ramping up]

[♪]

[main thrusters ramping up]

[main thrusters firing]

[Edgar] Here, Jimmy, Jimmy,
Jimmy, Jimmy...

[pack rustling]

[gun tapping laptop]

[laptop closing]

James?!

Where are ya, James?!

Come on! I just wanna talk to
you!

Come on!

We can work this out, Jimmy!

[distant rifle shots]
[bullets ricochet]

He's on the eastern edge of the
perimeter!

[Edgar] Cover that area! Right
now!

[plywood scraping]

[Edgar] [distant] Don't let him
get away!!

[pipes rattling]

[case latches]
[air releasing]

[tech noises from within]

[holopad disconnecting]

[case clicking shut]

[frantic bootsteps]
[creaking wood]

[deliberate bootsteps]

[James] You were tracking my
laptop?

Obviously.

Where's Ayla?

Your people, downstairs

is that all of them?

You know, James

they're your people, too.

[Edgar] They're just like you.

[Edgar] She isn't like us.

She isn't like you.

[Edgar] You know what this world
needs.

[Edgar] I've seen it.

I've seen it in the decisions
that you've made.

[James] I'm asking you as a
friend.

We can work it out.

I can't let you go, man.

[James] This is wrong.

[labored sigh]

I don't have time for this.

[pulse rifle bursts]

[digital swipe]
[digital button]

[bassy hum]

[hum intensifies]

JAAAAAAAMES!!!

[♪]

[atmospheric suction]

[building collapse]
[electric hum]

[rending steel]

[electric hum strengthens]

[air displacement]

[ears ringing]

[ship approaching]
[high-pitched warble]

[engines failing]

[metallic impact]

[earth impact]

[metallic ricochet]
[bending metal]

[falling rocks]

[heavy slam]

[♪]

[James] [grunting]

[James] [more effort]

[velcro tearing]

[Edgar] What goes up...

[Edgar] Put her in the pod and
step away from there, James.

Do it!

Or I'll gun you both down right
now, I promise.

[♪]

[Edgar] Incredible to think,
huh?

Just a few moments ago, that
hunk of steel was

26,000 miles above our heads.

Reigning

over our heads.

Makes a man think he can reach

anything.

[Edgar] Take anything.

If only he has the will to grasp
it.

[Edgar] But look around you,
James.

The only way

they get up there, is by

stepping on those beneath them.

And eventually, the bodies and
wasted lives

will give way.

And all they will be left with
is a reckoning.

I-- I know how we got here,
Edgar.

I see what you mean--
-Don't patronize me.

[Edgar] You can't begin to
imagine.

[James] Okay.

You're right. I can't. I--
-Why can't you?!

Everyone you love is dead!

[Edgar] Your entire world is
falling apart around you

because of them!
-She's not one of them, Edgar.

[James] I mean...

[James] She's different, okay?
She want's to help!

They need to understand what
they've done.

[James] Please, Edgar, put the--
put the gun down.

They need to understand

what they've done!
-With more violence?

[James] Violence isn't gonna
solve this, Edgar.

That's all they understand is
violence.

[James] No, Edgar
I don't believe that, okay?

I don't believe that.

[James] We have to be better
than this.

You and I have to be better than
this.

No I don't.

I've tried.

I'm done.

Please put the gun down, Edgar.

[James] Please put the gun down.

[resigned chuckle]

[Edgar] Ah, James.

I tried.

[gunshot]

[birds scattering]

[cough]

[Ayla] Put the gun down!
[James] Stay down, Edgar--

[pulse rifle burst]

[body hitting dirt]

[birds chirping]

I...

I--
I told him to put it down, I--

I...

[Ayla] [rapid breathing]

[gravel footsteps]

[James] Hey. Hey, hey hey.

Look at me.

Look at me. It's okay.

It's okay. Okay, we're gonna get
you up. Come on. Come on.

Okay? You got that?

Alright. That's Earth gravity.

K?

Your mask...

[grunts]

Okay, that's mine.

[Ayla] [gasp]
[James] Ah! Look at me!

Keep your eyes on me.

Keep your eyes on me, okay?

You're gonna have to wear this
now.

K.

It's good!

You look good!
[Ayla] [relieved sigh]

[James] K...

[James] Okay.

Alright.

I'm gonna help you out, okay?

Come here.

There ya go.

Okay.

[Ayla] [heavy breath]

[James] What's going on here,
your dad can't afford shoes? Ok.

Look at me. Stay with me, okay?
Don't look anywhere else, just

look at me.

[grunt]

[♪]

[anchor] Violent protests
extending outward from the

Eastern Autonomous Zone over
allegations that

corporate peacekeepers

had a hand in the murder of

Edgar Bane

an apparent leader in the
underground movement.

[anchor 2] --claiming to
be the estranged daughter of

William Wright has declared
herself president of an

organization called the New
Wright Alliance.

She says she wants to work
with the People's Army

which until recently was
thought to be an urban myth

to develop a publicly-owned
energy company based on

fusion tech

that she says Wrightcorp has
been hiding for years.

[host] And if you're asking me,
she's painting a target on her

back. With the energy
market taking such a steep dive

infected citizens losing their
jobs!

If she's really got some
magic-bullet energy source

to share with the world...

Now's the time, sweetheart!

[anchor 3] And William Wright
is refusing to comment on

leaked company documents
proving

that NWA president Ayla Wright

is indeed his biological
daughter. The

documents paint a disturbing
picture of a father

imprisoning his child in a
private-- [digital static]

[beep]

[connection chime]

Get my shuttle ready.

I need to visit my daughter.

[confirmation beep]

[♪♪]

[♪♪]