The Outer Limits (1995–2002): Season 1, Episode 7 - Virtual Future - full transcript

Hook me in, Wayne.

Jacking you in, Jack.

I'm gonna try
a bite of your lunch.

I'm not getting zip
from the tactile wall though.

Boost the analog
simulation rate.

More. Don't hold back on me, Wayne.

So close I can almost taste it.

I'll be home soon.

I promise.

No, you won't have to
take legal action.

I'll see you in a little while.



I love you too.

It's from the board.
They've denied additional funding.

The analog rate increased
on its own. What did you see?

I'm putting dinner in the oven.

- I'll be home soon.
- Make that a promise?

- I promise.
- I'm considering that a verbal contract.

Don't worry.
You're not gonna have to-

It's from the board.
They denied additional funding.

He's gonna knock over the-

I'll see you
in a little while.

- I love you.
- I love you too.

Jack, what the hell
did you see?

I saw the future.

There is nothing wrong
with your television.



Do not attempt
to adjust the picture.

We are now controlling
the transmission.

We control
the horizontal...

and the vertical.

We can deluge you
with a thousand channels...

or expand one single image
to crystal clarity...

and beyond.

We can shape your vision...

to anything
our imagination can conceive.

For the next hour...

we will control
all that you see and hear.

You are about to experience
the awe and mystery...

which reaches from
the deepest inner mind to-

Man has always been fascinated
with the concept of going back in time.

The question is often asked...

"If you could go back,
would you do anything differently?"

But what if it
goes the other way?

We never hear the question,
"Would you do anything differently...

if you could go forward?"

You're positive it was real?

As real as you and I,
right here, right now.

Where did you watch from?

Right here.

You were an observer
of your own future...

several minutes before
the event happened?

That's about the size of it.

It has to be coincidence.

It was no coincidence.
We've tapped into something.

The Al module
can't cook up something...

that isn't programmed in or picked up
by the brain wave sensors.

But what if it did get it
from the sensors?

A future experience. How?

I don't know. That's what
we need to find out.

Izzy?

Izzy?

Oh, honey, I made the most amazing
discovery last night. Listen to this.

- I don't have time for excuses, Jack.
- But, honey.

I'm late for class as it is.

I'm sorry that I didn't
come home last night.

I think it would be in your best interest
to meet with him, Mr. Trenton.

Yes, well, I think
it's fair to say...

that your definition of my best interest
isn't always on the money.

- I think I found something useful.
- I see.

- I worked up an idea similar to this-
- Hang on.

It's official. Senator Avery announced
today that he'd seek another term.

Meanwhile, speculations still
scroll around Washington...

that Bill Trenton
has his eye on Avery's seat.

How does this afternoon
work out? 3:00?

You won't be disappointed, sir.

Wayne, take a look at this.

What have you got?

Jungian theory states that the brain
contains memories of past events...

even ones we haven't
yet experienced.

- The collective unconscious.
- Exactly.

Say our lives are stored,
past and future.

It's like identical twins
separated at birth.

They go on to marry women
of the same name...

drive the same car,
have identical jobs.

Genetic destiny.

Are you suggesting your telemetry suit
may have somehow accessed future memories?

Not only accessed
but processed it...

and sent it back to my brain
as a real image.

- Are they fried?
- They couldn't handle all the power.

I think we can have them up and running
by this afternoon.

It's a miracle we get
any results out of these things.

I'd give my left arm
for a state-of-the-art rig.

If we could amp up
the analog rate even more...

we could boost the distance
jumped into the future.

I don't know if we can even duplicate it
without frying out the system again.

Well, we're just going
to have to go for it.

A highly
commendable attitude.

After all, if you want
to discover new frontiers...

you must first
lose sight of the shore.

- Jack Pierce, I'd like you to meet-
- Bill Trenton.

It's a great pleasure,
young man.

No, no, the pleasure's
all mine, sir.

Your professor here
tells me that you've...

come across something
quite amazing.

I asked him to come down. Mr. Trenton
is a good friend of the university.

It's my way of giving
something back to society.

Today's young minds
are tomorrow's future.

And by the sound of it, this young mind
has been to that future and back.

Well, it's only six minutes.

Six minutes?

Even six seconds would
herald the greatest discovery...

since Oppenheimer
split the atom.

Would it be possible
to see a demonstration?

It's a little early
for another run, sir.

Oh, I see.

Afraid to lose sight
of the shore, Jack?

All right.

Lab. It's for you, sir.

Hello.

I'll call you back.

The phone's gonna ring.
It'll be for Mr. Trenton.

Lab.

It's for you, sir.

Hello?

I'll call you back.

Who knows about this?

Just Wayne and I.
And you.

I'm quite impressed.

With a little more work, I believe
we can go further into the future.

I believe you can with
the proper tools at your disposal.

And if you're willing to leave the nest.
Are you willing, Jack?

Oh, yeah.
Are you offering me a job?

No, I don't offer jobs.
I offer futures.

And yours
is standing before you.

And this I can promise you- it'll last
considerably longer than six minutes.

What's this for?

Oh, come on.
Do I have to have a reason?

No, but you do,
don't you?

Guess who came by the lab
to see me today.

- Who?
- Guess.

I don't know, Jack.
I hate guessing.

Yes!

The man who invented
the ratiocinative computer.

The man who started
CTY Industries-

- I know who Trenton is. What'd he want?
- Oh, I don't know.

Maybe to offer me
my own lab at his company.

He wants you
to come work for him?

I have a meeting with him
tomorrow to discuss it.

- I can't believe it!
- Why did he come to you?

Wayne called him and told him
what I was working on.

- The virtual reality suit.
- Right.

I don't know. Maybe he wants
to expand his VR division.

You don't seem
too excited.

I am.

I'm very proud of you.

Thank you.

- Shouldn't you be wearing a helmet?
- Only when I'm working, sir.

- I'm very pleased to see you, Jack.
- Me too.

Let me give you the tour.

Thank you.

- Nice place.
- I believe an aesthetically balanced...

working environment
helps focus the mind.

- Morning, Mr. Trenton.
- Morning.

We also have a fully equipped gymnasium
and a day-care center downstairs.

- Do you have children?
- No, not yet.

My wife wants to get
her law degree first.

It never hurts to have
a lawyer in the family.

Access granted.

And this is where CTY develops
its virtual reality system.

An optical neural net.

Yes, I like to call it my engine.
Seven years in the making.

Nobody's running optical processing.
I mean, it's only been talked about.

What other people talk about,
I make reality. Same with you, Jack.

When your university was lacking
a digital scanning array, you made one.

Yes, I've been doing my homework on you,
as I'm sure you've been doing on me.

But the point is that neural net
could be working for you.

Everything you see here
can be at your disposal.

Plus 200,000 a year.
Stock options. Company car.

But that's not
what's important, is it?

At least not to men
like you and me.

What's important is
the opportunity to excel.

Excel for me, Jack.

I couldn't believe it.
An optical neural net.

I mean, I never thought I'd see one,
much less have one to work with.

And the speed of the thing
was incredible.

I need to tell you something.

Do you remember last fall when I
worked at Bowman, Stiller and Webb?

Today I called a friend of mine
who still works there...

- and I asked her about Bill Trenton.
- Why?

Well, I remembered
this case involving him.

A competitor ofTrenton's
was attempting...

to bring him up on charges
of corporate spying.

It happens
all the time, Izzy.

But from this case file, Trenton outright
stole their idea and made it his own.

So, what happened?

The case was dropped.

They settled out of court.
That's how business gets done.

- I don't trust him.
- Well, trust me.

I know what I'm doing.

I understand
you made some progress.

Well, I am not used to
working with so much help.

I have gone further in one week here
than a year at the university.

You know, I envy you
this stage in your life.

Where I was 15 years ago.
Creating. Working with your hands.

If you ever want to get your hands dirty
again, I'd be honored to have your help.

- May I? Get my hands dirty?
- Sure.

I want to take a future jump.

- A future jump?
- Well, it's safe, isn't it?

Of course, but it's still
in its beginning stages.

It'd mean a great
deal to me, Jack.

All right, Mr. Trenton.

I'm gonna increase the analog rate
for a few minutes.

Put me into tomorrow, Jack.

Yeah, hi!
How are you doing?

Morning.

Good morning.

Here we go.

- Incredible.
- What did you see?

What I saw isn't important.

What's important is-

can it be changed?

- Do you feel it, Jack?
- Sir?

The rush.

The surge of energy flowing
through a man's veins...

when he's about to face the unknown.

It can become an addiction.

Sir, shouldn't we call the police?

Gimme your money.

- Don't shoot, man.
- Drop the knife...

or the next shot
doesn't go in the air.

It can change.

Hey, Wayne, how ya doin'?

- Hangin' in there.
- Good. Listen.

- Sorry I haven't called. I've been busy.
- Oh, that's no sweat.

I've been meaning to stop by
and see how you were making out.

From the looks of things,
you're making out pretty damn well.

- Thanks to you.
- Listen...

I was going over the algorithms
of the intelligence amplifying system...

- and I think I found something useful.
- Oh, like what?

I worked up an idea similar to this
back at NASA for molecular docking.

The trick about
timing future trips...

may be linked with
the sensory transducer.

Transducer? The transducer isn't wired
to the central power grid.

But that doesn't matter, you see.

Okay.

Boost the analog.

We have to talk.

How far?

It's a full 36 hours.

You were right about
the inverse square law.

You found the formula- quadruple the power
fed in doubles the time traveled.

It was weird.
I was upset about something.

Trenton was upset.

- What happened?
- You passed out. Sensory overload.

I think you should let
a doctor check you out.

I gotta figure out
what happened.

The transducer.
It's gotta be the transducer.

Jack, are you home?

- In here.
- Can you stop working for a minute...

and come into
the other room?

I have something to tell you.

You need to wait a second, honey.
I'm on to something really important here.

Yeah.

I guess it can wait.

We now go live
to the Trenton interview.

The ordinary citizen
needs to be involved...

whether it's about
crime or politics.

And America's
technological future...

is being jeopardized
by the present government.

This country must lead,
not follow.

Does this mean you've decided
to run for the Senate?

Yes, I have.
And given the economy...

I certainly think I'd make a better choice
in this election than Senator Avery.

So this means you can come in here
and listen to your hero?

He's not my hero.

I think you'll have a lot of support
from the ordinary citizen.

Thank you.

And now we return you back
to your scheduled programming.

- What's the matter?
- Nothing.

Nothing?

Jack, we don't talk anymore!

Izzy, I've had
a lot on my mind lately.

Yeah, well, I wish that
I was on your mind lately!

Look, it's not all my fault.

You've been preoccupied too.
You've been studying.

- Not anymore.
- Why?

Sweetheart, I just
passed the bar.

Oh, damn.

We have to talk.

It's come to my attention
that you passed out yesterday.

Yes, Mr. Trenton, but I believe
I've isolated that problem.

I've just future jumped with
no adverse physiological effects.

- It means unlimited distance.
- That's very exciting news, Jack.

But I believe that
you've been jeopardizing...

one of this company's most invaluable
assets, and I won't stand for it.

- I have?
- Yes.

You.

You're overworking yourself.

Fatigue can lead one to draw
to the wrong conclusions...

to make rash decisions.

A strong intellect is
useless without good health.

I'm okay,
Mr. Trenton, really.

But I need to jump again. There's
something else I need to find out.

What you have to do is to go home
and get some sleep. That's an order.

Unlimited distance.
I hope you're right, Jack.

A toast.
To CTYand the future.

Both of which belong to us.

- William Trenton?
- Yes?

We've been sent by
the Senate Commerce Committee.

I've already communicated
to Avery that I'm...

not interested in appearing
before his committee.

As a matter of fact,
I'm arranging to file charges.

He's been harassing me
ever since I lost the election.

This is not a request.
You've been subpoenaed.

As have all the records of CTYIndustries
and its subsidiaries.

If you fail to provide access to said
records, you will be placed under arrest.

As a matter of fact,
I'm arranging to file charges.

He's been harassing me
ever since I lost the election.

This is not a request.
You've been subpoenaed.

As have all the records of CTY Industries
and its subsidiaries.

If you fail to provide access to said
records, you will be placed under arrest.

He's gonna lose.

Jack, I thought
we had an agreement.

You were going home
to get some rest.

I did, but I couldn't sleep.

That's what happens
when I get an idea.

But it's a good thing
I stopped in because...

someone made a jump.

- It wasn't me.
- Are you certain?

The readout on the simulator read at
a different level than where I'd left it.

I'll speak to
Security immediately.

I guess I'll take your advice then
and head on home.

Good morning.

- Good morning.
- Coffee.

- What time did you get in?
- Oh, late.

Can you turn this up?

Sure.

...was killed in an early morning
robbery attempt as he walked his dog.

No word yet from police
about suspects...

but it is believed
to be a random attack.

Senator Avery
had recently announced...

he would run again for a seat
he had held for two terms.

Should've listened to you.
Oh, you were right.

What are you talking about?

The telemetry suit-
the virtual reality suit.

It doesn't just create
virtual reality.

It can... project you
into the future.

- Can you say that again?
- It can see into the future.

- You're serious.
- Yes.

- Why didn't you tell me this before?
- Because I thought-

Trenton thought
it needed to be kept secret.

From me too.

I'm sorry.

I went down to the lab last night,
and Trenton used the suit.

Is that a problem?

If he can see the future,
he can change it.

- What do you think he saw?
- I know what he saw.

He's not gonna
win the election...

and Avery's gonna
have him investigated.

I don't think that Avery's death was
random. I think Trenton had him killed.

Oh, my God.

I saw something else.

- What?
- Me.

My death!

That doesn't mean
it's gonna come true.

- We have to call the police.
- No, I have to get proof.

- How? Trenton is dangerous!
- Exactly!

I mean, what would
Hitler have done...

if he knew the where
and when of D-Day?

I have to destroy the research.
I have to destroy the suit.

- I have to get to the lab.
- I'm coming with you.

No, ifTrenton did kill Avery...

then he's not gonna think
twice about coming after me.

I know too much, and I'm not gonna
put you in that kind of danger.

When you saw your death,
was I with you?

Then I'm safe.
I'm not gonna die.

No, Isabelle, listen to me.

Jack, I'm going with you.

- They don't get it.
- I don't think so.

- I don't agree with that stance at all.
- It's policy.

Access denied.

- Access denied.
- Damn it!

- Trenton's locked me out.
- Now what?

I got an idea.
Come on.

I knew they wouldn't
change the locks.

It took them a month
just to issue me a key.

Okay, now...

I'm gonna hack my way
into the security system at CTY.

I'll lay down a virus.

And as soon as my card
gives me access...

the virus will shut down
the whole system behind me.

All right.

He limited my access.
I can't get to the lab or security.

- Well, can you hack past it?
- I don't know.

I'll go down to
machine code level.

Bull's-eye.

Not anymore.

Hey, hey, excuse me.
Can I see your I D?

Sure.
Here you go.

- Have a nice night, Mr. Pierce.
- Thank you.

Thanks.

Access granted.

- Jack, wait.
- What, Izzy? What?

Before you destroy the suit, you have to
use it to find out what happened to you.

That's impossible.
We don't have enough time.

- We can't take that kind of risk.
- But we have to.

Look, damn it, Izzy!
I am responsible for this!

We are responsible for this!

It is up to us to make sure that
the future isn't stolen by this thing!

What about our future?
Isn't our future important?

I love you, Jack!

And I'm not
gonna lose you.

Please.

- Good evening, sir.
- Evening, George.

Access denied.

Access denied.

Has something been changed?

Something's lockin' up
the whole system.

- Who's been here?
- Just Mr. Pierce.

Yes, sir.

I've got the neural net.

Through there. Quick!

I'm running down
the fire stairs.

Trenton and the guard
are right behind me.

Pauli jumped out at me.

Pauli, you okay?
Pauli?

Just leave him!
We'll come back later!

Pauli's out of commission.
I guess I hurt him pretty bad.

They're still on me.

I keep running.

I'm leaving the building now.

I'm headed for the pier.

- Shoot him!
- But, sir-

Shoot him!

- Sir, I don't think we-
- Gimme that.

Trenton's got the gun.

Shoot me,
and it goes in the water!

I'm sorry, Jack.

Now it's time to
lose sight of the shore.

It's an LT virus.
I should be able to stop it.

- There.
- We're in.

I saw it.

Okay. All right,
now listen to me.

- I left my card. Give me yours.
- Okay.

Come on.

Through there. Quick!

Pauli? Pauli?
Pauli, you okay?

Leave him!
We'll come back later!

- Shoot him!
- But, sir-

- Shoot him!
- Sir, I don't think we-

Gimme that.

Shoot me,
and it goes in the water!

I'm sorry, Jack.

Now it's time to
lose sight of the shore.

You were right.
Pauli had a gun.

Time is a river winding steadily
through the landscape of tomorrow.

There are those who would
steal a glimpse around the next bend...

and those who would
fight the current.

But the wisest are those
who turn their eyes...

from the waters and seek out
a fellow traveler...

to share in the journey.