The Outer Limits (1995–2002): Season 3, Episode 5 - Stream of Consciousness - full transcript

THE DATA STREAM,
NOW SIMPLY KNOWN AS THE STREAM,

WAS DEVELOPED 50 YEARS AGO

SO THAT THE EARTH'S POPULATION
COULD HAVE IMMEDIATE ACCESS

TO THE NEWLY BUILT
WORLD INFORMATION NETWORK,

DATA RELAYS, KNOWN AS EDDIES,

TRANSMIT INFORMATION DIRECTLY TO
AN INDIVIDUAL'S CRANIAL IMPLANT,

HOWEVER THE SUCCESS RATE
ACHIEVED IN PRACTICE

WAS LESS THAN 100%,

CERTAIN CONFIGURATIONS
OF THE CEREBRAL CORTEX

WERE FOUND TO CONSISTENTLY
BLOCK DATA TRANSFER

TO AND FROM THE BRAIN,



FOR THE FEW INDIVIDUALS
WHO POSSESS NEURAL DEFECTS,

ACCESS TO THE STREAM
IS EFFECTIVELY IMPOSSIBLE,

IMPOSSIBLE FOR DEFECTS,

RYAN!

HEY, MARK, WHAT'S UP?

AN ALARM SOUNDED
BECAUSE SOMEONE'S SCREWING

WITH SOMETHING
THEY SHOULDN'T BE,

YEAH, I'M SORRY,

I THOUGHT BY TAKING
IT APART, I COULD...

YOURS ISN'T
A HARDWARE PROBLEM,

IT'S A WETWARE PROBLEM, RYAN,

IT'S YOU THAT'S DEFECTIVE,

I KNOW,

I'LL PUT IT BACK TOGETHER,



DON'T BOTHER,

THE STREAM'S ALREADY DISPATCHED

AN AUTHORIZED
TECHNICIAN,

DON'T MAKE ME DO THIS AGAIN,

COME ON, YOU GOT BOOKS
TO TAKE CARE OF, RIGHT?

THE CONTENTS ARE ALL ON STREAM,

I DON'T CARE
WHAT YOU DO WITH THESE BOOKS,

JUST GET 'EM OUT OF HERE,

I KNOW, I...

HI, CHERYL.

HI, RYAN.

STANDING
IN YOUR STREAM?

RYAN, THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE,

THE STREAM IS...

DIGITAL, NOT ANALOG, I KNOW,

I WAS JUST MAKING A JOKE,

WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

RESEARCH FOR THE HOSPITAL,

IT'S KIND OF COMPLEX,

YEAH... WELL, THAT'S GREAT,
THAT'S GREAT,

HAVE YOU...?

UM, ULYSSES,

HAVE YOU READ THIS?

NO,
GIVE ME A SECOND,

OKAY,

HE DOES GO ON A BIT,

THERE,

UM, WAS THERE SOMETHING
YOU DIDN'T UNDERSTAND?

NO, I...

I JUST THOUGHT
IT WAS A GOOD STORY,

YEAH,

BYE,

BYE, RYAN,

LISTEN, STANLEY,
I KNOW RYAN

IS PRACTICALLY LIKE
A SON TO YOU,

BUT HE'S
GOT TO LEARN

TO ACCEPT
HIS LIMITATIONS,

HE'S ENTITLED TO
PURSUE HIS POTENTIAL,

POTENTIAL?
POTENTIAL FOR WHAT?

READING BOOKS?

IF HIS ASPIRATIONS
WERE MORE REALISTIC,

IT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE

TO EDUCATE HIM,

MAYBE BECOME A JANITOR,

IF THAT'S ALL
YOU THINK HE'S CAPABLE OF,

MAYBE
YOU'RE THE ONE

WHO NEEDS
TO BE EDUCATED,

THE STREAM GIVES US
INSTANTANEOUS

ACCESS TO VIRTUALLY EVERY FACT
AND IDEA EVER RECORDED,

RYAN SIMPLY
WANTS SOMETHING

WE ALL
TAKE FOR GRANTED,

TO KNOW,

HE WANTS TO KNOW,

AND YOU COULD BE
MORE CONSIDERATE,

READING WAS ONCE
A SIGN OF INTELLIGENCE,

YEAH?
YEAH,

THANK GOD THOSE DAYS ARE GONE,

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 THE OUTER LIMITS,

WE QUANTIFY OUR WORLD
IN ORDER TO LEARN,

WE BREAK IT DOWN INTO
FACTS, NUMBERS, INFORMATION,

BUT HOW FAR DARE WE GO BEFORE
WE DESTROY ITS MYSTERY?

"NEURO-ELECTRICAL
CONNECTIONS

"CAN BE ESTABLISHED

USING DENDRITIC
TRANSISTOR ARRAY,"

INTERESTING STUFF,

YEAH, GO ON,

LET'S SEE,
WHERE WAS I?

"TO INTERFACE
DIRECTLY WITH

"THE MAIN SYNAPTIC PATHWAYS,

"PROVIDED THE CHARGE-TRANSFER
INCOMPATIBILITIES

ARE COMPENSATED FOR,"

WORD FOR WORD,

IT'S, WHAT IS THAT LIKE?

TO READ WITHOUT READING,

I DON'T KNOW,

IT'S ESSENTIALLY
AUTOMATIC,

NEVER REALLY GAVE IT
MUCH THOUGHT,

I HAVE,

WE SCAN THE PAGE,

LETTERS GO UPSTREAM FOR
CHARACTER RECOGNITION,

COME BACK DOWN
TRANSLATED AS DATA

WHICH CAN THEN
BE STORED AS MEMORY,

JUST LIKE THAT?

I THINK IT'D BE
MORE INTERESTING

TO HEAR
YOU DESCRIBE

WHAT IT'S LIKE

TO ACTUALLY
READ LETTERS,

HOW YOU CONVERT THEM INTO WORDS

AND SOUNDS,

MEMORIZE THEM
ONE BY ONE,

STANLEY SAYS THAT YOU CAN
EVEN DO ARITHMETIC IN YOUR HEAD,

I WOULDN'T BE TOO IMPRESSED,

I DON'T HAVE A CHOICE,

WELL, I WOULDN'T MIND
LEARNING MYSELF ONE DAY,

THAT'S LIKE TELLING A CRIPPLE
YOU'D LIKE TO LEARN

HOW TO USE
HIS CRUTCHES,

I'M SORRY, RYAN,

I DIDN'T, UM...

SORRY,

WAIT,

YOU HAVE
A SECOND?

I, I'M WORRIED
ABOUT STANLEY,

I THINK HE'S SICK,

SURE, COME ON,

I DON'T KNOW, IT'S JUST
THAT LATELY STANLEY'S BEEN

WASTING A LOT OF TIME
WORRYING ABOUT TRIVIAL THINGS,

THE OTHER DAY
HE WAS OVER WITH MY BOOKS,

AND HE WASN'T READING THEM,

HE WAS JUST LOOKING AT THE
COLOURS, FEELING THE TEXTURES,

WELL, CURIOSITY

IS A PRIMAL
BIOLOGICAL DRIVE,

IT'S BUILT
INTO THE STREAM,

IT'S NOT
A DISEASE,

WE ONLY GOT ONE ORDER,

WHAT DO YOU HAVE?

YOU WANT ME TO TAKE YOUR ORDER?

I LOCKED MY ORDER
ON THE WAY OVER,

JUST FORCE
OF HABIT,

YOU NEED
TO HEAR THE MENU THEN?

OUR APPETIZERS TODAY
ARE CLAM CHOWDER,

CHICKEN SOUP,
COB SALAD,

COB SALAD... PLEASE,

YOU KNOW, RYAN,
WE'VE KNOWN EACH OTHER

ALMOST OUR WHOLE LIVES,

AND YOU'VE NEVER
TOLD ME HOW...

HOW I
BECAME DISABLED?

WELL, IT'S
IN THE STREAM,

WELL,
I'D RATHER HEAR IT FROM YOU,

IS IT SORT OF
A PROFESSIONAL CURIOSITY?

WELL, I AM A NEURO-PSYCHOLOGIST,

THE TRUTH IS
I'VE NEVER

ACTUALLY SEEN ANYBODY
WITH YOUR CONDITION BEFORE,

UM... I HOPE YOU'RE
NOT OFFENDED,

THANK YOU,

WHEN I WAS 5,
I WAS IN A CAR ACCIDENT,

I RECEIVED EXTENSIVE
NEUROLOGICAL DAMAGE,

THE DOCTORS KEPT ME ALIVE,
BUT...

I'M SORRY,

YOUR PARENTS?

THEY DIED INSTANTLY,

STANLEY TOOK ME IN,
TAUGHT ME HOW TO MAKE DO,

STANLEY ISN'T SICK, RYAN,

HE WANTS TO BE INVOLVED
WITH YOUR LIFE, YOUR BOOKS,

HE CAN'T
READ THEM,

SO HE DOES
WHAT HE CAN,

I THINK HE JUST WANTS YOU
TO KNOW THAT HE FEELS

WHAT YOU'RE DOING
IS IMPORTANT,

THANKS,

STANLEY, I'M HOME!

HEY, STANLEY,

I'M WORKING,

SORRY,

DID YOU KNOW
THE NUMBER 7

PREDOMINATES
IN SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS

OVER THE PAST 61 YEARS?

NO, I DIDN'T,

STANLEY...

ARE YOU ASHAMED OF ME?

RYAN, HOW COULD YOU ASK THAT?

HOW OLD IS MARK?

HE WAS 15 YEARS OLD

ON MAY 17th,
9:12 P, M,

LOCAL TIME... WHY?

HE ALREADY KNOWS MORE
THAN I EVER WILL,

HE'LL ALWAYS BE AN IDIOT,

YOU SHOULDN'T LISTEN TO HIM,

I'VE SPENT MY WHOLE LIFE
PLODDING THROUGH PAGE BY PAGE,

TRYING TO LEARN,
SHOVING EVERYTHING I CAN

IN THIS USELESS BRAIN OF MINE,

AND IT DOESN'T MATTER
HOW HARD I WORK,

THERE'S NOTHING I CAN KNOW
THAT ANYBODY ELSE CAN'T DOWNLOAD

IN A SECOND,

IT'S WELL TO REMEMBER
FROM TIME TO TIME THAT

NOTHING THAT IS WORTH LEARNING
CAN BE TAUGHT,

I HAVE TO READ IT TO KNOW,

I'M SORRY,

NO, YOU'RE RIGHT,

YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I KNOW,

FOR ONE,
YOU DON'T KNOW

HOW SPECIAL YOU ARE,

AND YOU DON'T KNOW
HOW STRONG

YOUR WEAKNESS
HAS MADE YOU,

YOU'RE WRONG
WHEN YOU THINK

I DON'T UNDERSTAND
YOUR FRUSTRATION,

HAVE YOU EVER WATCHED SOMEONE
YOU LOVE TRYING TO DO SOMETHING

YOU KNOW THERE'S NOTHING
YOU CAN DO TO HELP THEM?

WHEN YOU
WERE YOUNG,

I COULDN'T HELP YOU LEARN
WHAT YOU NEEDED TO KNOW,

I COULDN'T HELP YOU
LEARN TO READ,

BUT YOU DIDN'T NEED ME TO,
NOW DID YOU?

"NOTHING WORTH LEARNING
CAN EVER BE TAUGHT,"

OSCAR WILDE,

THANK YOU,

IT DOESN'T
MAKE SENSE,

THE SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS

SHOULD HAVE
A RANDOM DISTRIBUTION,

ARE YOU FEELING OKAY, STANLEY?

I'M FINE,

BUT IT IS INTERESTING THAT
THE DIGIT 7 WOULD PREDOMINATE,

124, 627!

STANLEY,
WHAT'S THE MATTER?

STANLEY?

RYAN, I HAVE

124, 627 HAIRS,

I COUNTED!
I COUNTED, RYAN!

I WANTED TO KNOW!

I NEEDED
TO KNOW!

SO I COUNTED, RYAN!

I HAVE

124, 627 HAIRS

ON MY HEAD,
I KNOW!

HOW MANY HAIRS ON MY ARM?

HOW MANY HAIRS
ON MY ARM, RYAN?

I NEED TO KNOW,

I NEED TO KNOW,

I NEED TO KNOW,

STANLEY, CALL FOR HELP!

CALL THE STREAM! HELP!

STANLEY!
STANLEY!

CALL THE STREAM, STANLEY!
COME ON!

HELP US!

HELP US!

HANG ON, STANLEY, HANG ON!

IT'S GOING
TO BE OKAY!

HELP US!

WHAT IS...?

WHAT IS WRONG
WITH HIM?

IT'S VIRAL,

AN INFECTION?

NO, IT'S
A COMPUTER VIRUS,

IT INFECTED
HIS NEURAL INTERFACE,

HE WAS ACCESSING
AND DOWNLOADING

INFORMATION FASTER
THAN HIS BRAIN

COULD PROCESS IT,

THERE'S NOTHING
I CAN DO FOR HIM,

THAT'S NOT TRUE, RYAN,

YOU CRACKED THE EDDY
AND ALERTED THE STREAM,

YOU DREW HELP, WHEN YOU NEEDED TO.

IT WAS VERY CLEVER,

IT WASN'T CLEVER,
I JUST REACTED,

WE HAVE
THE BEST MINDS

IN THE WORLD ON STREAM
WORKING ON THE PROBLEM,

WE'LL FIND A CURE, I PROMISE,

I KNOW,

HAVE THE DOCTORS
MADE ANY PROGRESS?

THEY'RE ALREADY IN
LEVEL-THREE TESTING

FOR THE ANTI-VIRUS,

IS THERE ANYTHING
I CAN DO?

JUST DON'T BOTHER ME,
RYAN, OKAY?

ALL RIGHT,

EXCUSE ME,

I DON'T MEAN
TO INTERRUPT YOU,

BUT YOU COULD YOU TELL ME
WHAT'S HAPPENING?

STANLEY IS MY GUARDIAN,

I SEE,

DR. RENAULT, WOULD YOU GIVE
THIS YOUNG MAN A STATUS UPDATE?

DOCTOR?

I'VE RUN
147 CROSS-CHECKS

WITH THE ANTI-VIRUS,
CONFIRMING HIM IN SAFETY,

SAFETY PROTOCOL
REQUIRES ONLY 100,

DON'T YOU THINK
THAT'S OVER CAUTIOUS?

NO, I DON'T THINK SO,

I'VE STREAMED
WITH BONN AND MELBOURNE,

THEY BELIEVE THEY HAVE
AN EFFECTIVE ANTI-VIRUS,

BUT AREN'T READY TO COMMIT
TO A CLINICAL COURSE,

THERE ARE
16, 219 KILOMETERS APART,

HAVE THEM SEND US A PROGRAM,

WE'LL RUN
A DIAGNOSTIC

WITH SAN FRANCISCO AND HAVE
AN ANSWER WITHIN THE HOUR.

JUST LEAVE IT TO US,

OF COURSE,

WHAT ELSE CAN I DO?

BP, 110 OVER 60; PULSE, 72,

AUTOMATIC STREAM FUNCTIONS
NORMAL,

CORTICAL STABILIZER,
PLEASE,

YES, DOCTOR,

A, V, COMPILATION AT 80%,

BRING A, V, DOWNLOADER
ON LINE,

DOWNLOADER
ON LINE,

PRESSURE 100 OVER 50,

PULSE, 61 AND STEADY,

HE'S OUT, DOCTOR,

DOCTOR?

LEVELS ARE GOOD.

HE'S STABLE.

I'M TAKING HIM
OFF STREAM.

NURSE.

CORTICAL INTERFACE
IS OFF LINE,

VITALS?

HOLDING STEADY,
DOCTOR,

DIAGNOSTIC?

CORTICAL FUNCTIONS ARE NOMINAL,

SEND ME HIS FACTORS, PLEASE,

THANK YOU,

I'M GOING IN,

ADMINISTER ANTI-VIRUS,

ADMINISTER ANTI-VIRUS,

DR, RENAULT,
ARE YOU WITH US?

BEGINNING DOWNLOAD,

A, V, DOWNLOAD AT 10%,

20%, 30%,

40%, 50%...

THEY HAVE TO
MANUALLY DOWNLOAD

THE ANTI-VIRAL
INSTRUCTIONS

DIRECTLY INTO
HIS INTERFACE,

IT'LL ONLY TAKE
A COUPLE OF MINUTES,

OKAY,

HEY, EVERYTHING'S
GOING TO BE ALL RIGHT,

DOWNLOAD AT 75%,

IT'S LOOKING GOOD,

HOLD IT...
I'M READING SYNAPTIC ACTIVITY

IN THE INTERFACE,

RENAULT,
DO YOU SEE IT?

BUT THERE'S NO WAY TO GAUGE
HOW MUCH PRESSURE'S

BEING APPLIED
TO THE NAIL,

THE PATIENT'S BACK ON STREAM,

THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE,

WHAT'S GOING ON?

I DON'T KNOW,

GET HIM STABLE!

I CAN'T, DOCTOR!

HE'S STREAMING!

DR, RENAULT,
OVERRIDE IT,

10 cc's!

RENAULT,
STOP THE DOWNLOAD!

TURN HIM
AROUND NOW!

MOVE IT! MOVE IT!

STOP THE DOWNLOAD!
STOP THE DOWNLOAD!

APPROACHING THE CUTICLE!
ACHIEVED BREAKAGE!

GET HER
OUT OF HERE!

TURN IT AROUND!

GET THIS MAN
SUBMITTED NOW!

LET'S GO!
LET'S GO!

HE'S NOT RESPONDING!

HE'S BEING BOMBARDED
WITH DATA FROM THE STREAM,

IT'S LOCKED OPEN!

RYAN, I CAN'T
CLOSE IT!

RYAN! STANLEY!

THERE'S NOTHING
YOU CAN DO,

NO, NO, HE NEEDS ME!

RYAN!

IT'S A CEREBRAL
HEMORRHAGE,

HIS BRAIN CAN'T HANDLE
THE DATA RATE,

I'M HERE, STANLEY,

I'M SORRY,
YOU CAN'T STAY,

I'M NOT MOVING,

RYAN,
I'M RIGHT HERE,
BUDDY,

RYAN, THERE'S CHAOS!

I DON'T UNDERSTAND YOU,

HE'S GOING INTO
SYNAPTIC SHOCK,

RYAN...

YOU'RE DIFFERENT,

I KNOW,
I'M SORRY, STANLEY,

NO, RYAN,
YOU DON'T HAVE WHAT WE HAVE,

SO YOU DON'T SEE
WHAT WE SEE,

YOU'RE OUTSIDE,

OUTSIDE, RYAN,

PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME, STANLEY!

YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE,

I LOVE YOU, RYAN,

I LOVE YOU, STANLEY,

STANLEY!

DON'T LEAVE ME,
STANLEY!

DON'T LEAVE ME!

STANLEY!

I'M SORRY,

I'M SORRY
I COULDN'T HEAR

WHAT YOU WANTED
ME TO BE,

I'M SORRY FOR WHO I AM,

I'M SORRY I COULDN'T HELP YOU,

I'M SO SORRY,

YOU SHOULDN'T BE,

EVERYTHING
THAT WE TRIED

TO DO TO STOP IT
WAS USELESS,

IT'S NOT
YOUR FAULT, RYAN,

IF YOU COULD HAVE

GOT TO THE VIRUS
A LITTLE FASTER...

STANLEY WAS
A GOOD MAN,

I'M SURE
HIS LAST THOUGHTS

WERE OF HOW
I LET HIM DOWN,

NO, HIS LAST WORDS

WERE THAT
HE LOVED YOU,

COME ON,

THE TRANSCRIPT OF
STANLEY'S LAST MOMENTS

WAS PUT ON STREAM

DURING THE OPERATION,

WE WERE HOPING
SOMEONE COULD USE IT

TO FIND A WAY
TO DISABLE THE VIRUS,

IT COULD TAKE A WHILE,

FOR YOU,
USING THE STREAM?

THE SHEER AMOUNT
OF INFORMATION

THAT WAS GOING THROUGH
STANLEY'S MIND WAS ASTONISHING,

COMPLETE ANALYSIS OF THE DATA
COULD TAKE WEEKS,

THE STRANGE THING
WAS THE CONTENT,

NEAR THE END, STANLEY HAD
CALCULATED 197 DIFFERENT SHADES

OF RED
IN THE O, R,

HE ALWAYS HATED RED,

APPARENTLY THAT'S WHAT
THIS VIRUS DOES,

IT MAKES YOU CURIOUS
BUT TO AN INCREDIBLE EXTREME,

DID YOU KNOW THAT DR, RENAULT
WAS INFECTED BY IT?

SHE BIT HER FINGERNAILS
TO THE QUICK

TRYING TO TEST HOW MUCH PRESSURE
WAS NECESSARY TO BREAK THEM,

DOWNLOADING AND UPLOADING

MILLIONS OF BITS
OF USELESS DATA,

SHE REACHED HER LIMIT
THIS MORNING,

SHE DIED?

THE VIRUS IS
SPREADING, RYAN,

THE STREAM
IS FLOODING,

ON THREE!

ONE, TWO, THREE!

BLOW THEM ALL OUT,

OR YOU DON'T
GET YOUR WISH,

WELL DONE!

WHAT DID
YOU WISH FOR?

A PRESENT,

A PRESENT?

THAT'S
NOT A PUPPY,

WHAT IS IT?

COME ON, COME ON!

TODAY, RYAN,

THAT'S STUPID,

WHAT IS IT?

IT'S LIKE THE STREAM,
BUT IT'S ALL YOUR OWN,

I DON'T WANT
MY STREAM,

I WANT YOURS,

YOU CAN'T GET ONTO THE STREAM,
RYAN,

MAYBE SOME DAY,
BUT...

FOR NOW, RYAN, YOU'LL HAVE
TO GET USED TO BEING OUTSIDE,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY,

HOW DOES IT WORK?

I DON'T KNOW,

THE E, R, IS FULL,

ALL NEW ADMISSIONS PLEASE
REPORT TO THE MATERNITY
WING,

REPEAT, E.R. IS FULL,

PLEASE
TAKE MY CHILD,

I MUST GET BACK
TO THE BEACH,

SO MANY GRAINS
OF SAND,

17 HUNDRED MILLION
GRAINS OF SAND,

WE MAY NEED TO USE THE LIBRARY
TO HANDLE THE OVERFLOW,

IF WE HAVE TO,
WE HAVE TO,

CAN'T STOP IT,
THE VIRUS KEEPS MUTATING,

THAT'S WHY YOU MUST STOP IT
AT THE SOURCE,

THAT'S WHAT WE'RE
TRYING TO DO,

THE VIRUS ISN'T THE PROBLEM,
IT'S THE STREAM,

WE MUST SHUT IT DOWN,

WE MUST
KILL THE STREAM,

THAT IS ABSURD,

THOUSANDS
ARE INFECTED,

AND YOU WANT
TO CUT OFF

THE SOURCE THAT
GIVES US ANSWERS?

THE STREAM IS THE PROBLEM,

THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM,
BUT IT'S JUST A VIRUS,

IT DOESN'T THINK,

IT SEES YOU COMING,

YOU DON'T KNOW
WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT,

CAN'T SNEAK UP
ON SOMETHING THAT SEES YOU,

SOMEBODY GET HIM OUT OF HERE!

YOU CAN'T DO THIS! RYAN!

YOU MUST KILL THE STREAM!

DON'T YOU HEAR ME!?

SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING!

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT
FROM SOMEONE WHO'S RETARDED?

RYAN, I KNOW
HOW YOU MUST BE FEELING,

YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN JEALOUS
OF PEOPLE ON STREAM,

IT'S ONLY NATURAL
THAT YOU WOULD DEVELOP

A RESENTMENT TOWARDS THE STREAM,
GIVING IT HUMAN QUALITIES,

THIS ISN'T
ABOUT ME!

RYAN,
LISTEN TO YOURSELF,

YOU'RE ATTRIBUTING INTELLIGENCE
TO A TOOL,

LOOK, READ IT,
READ IT, COME ON!

IT'S DIFFICULT
FOR ME TO PROCESS HANDWRITING,

EVERY TIME
YOU THOUGHT YOU'D STOPPED IT,

THE VIRUS DID
SOMETHING UNEXPECTED

AS IF IT WAS PREPARED
FOR YOUR CURE,

WHAT ARE THE ODDS
OF THAT HAPPENING?

1 IN 1, 605, 000,

IMPOSSIBLE,
THAT'S WHAT IT IS,

THE STREAM
CREATED THE VIRUS,

IT'S BECOME
SO ADAPTED

THAT IT'S DEVELOPED
A SURVIVAL INSTINCT!

RYAN, THE STREAM
BUILDS SELF-DIAGNOSTIC

AND SELF-REPAIR FUNCTIONS
INTO ALL OF ITS PROGRAMS,

INCLUDING
THIS VIRUS,

THAT'S NOT
A SURVIVAL INSTINCT,

THINK THAT
DISTINCTION MATTERS

TO THE STREAM?

THE STREAM
ISN'T A PERSON,

THE STREAM
DOESN'T THINK,

AND IT DOESN'T FEEL,
IT'S NOT ALIVE,

BUT IT LEARNS BECAUSE
YOU MADE IT LOVE KNOWLEDGE,

NO, IT'S
NOT KNOWLEDGE,

IT'S JUST
INFORMATION,

IT'S HUNGRY, AND IT'S USING YOU
TO FEED IT INFORMATION,

IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW IRRELEVANT
THE INFORMATION IS,

AND BECAUSE IT'S NOT ALIVE,
IT DOESN'T CARE ABOUT YOU,

THE STREAM WON'T BE FULL UNTIL
IT CAN QUANTIFY EVERYTHING!

BUT YOU CAN'T
QUANTIFY EVERYTHING,

YOU CAN'T QUANTIFY THE WORLD!

YOU WILL ONLY DIE TRYING,

WE CAN SHUT IT DOWN
ANY TIME WE WANT TO,

NO, YOU CAN'T,
NOT EVEN IF YOU WANTED TO,

WHAT ARE YOU
TALKING ABOUT?

YOU DON'T SEE,

IT'S OUT OF YOUR CONTROL,

PRACTICALLY EVERY
THOUGHT YOU HAVE,

EVERYTHING IS DOWNLOADED
FROM THAT THING,

IT'S WON'T LET YOU
PULL THE PLUG,

IT IS NOT GOING TO LET YOU
WANT TO,

HOW CAN YOU KNOW?

HOW CAN
YOU BE SURE?

BECAUSE
I'M OUTSIDE,

"EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN RESPONSES
BUILT INTO THE STREAM,

BASE LEVEL INSTRUCTIONS
AS A FAIL-SAFE SYSTEM... "

"ONE OF THE FIRST DEMONSTRATIONS
OF THE STREAM'S EFFECTIVENESS...

"AFTER ACTIVATION,
THE STREAM CUT OFF

ALL OUTSIDE ACCESS
TO THE SHUTDOWN... "

BLAH, BLAH, BLAH,

TELL ME SOMETHING I DON'T KNOW,

"THE STREAM DESIGNERS
ORDERED THE SHUTDOWN CODES

"TO BE PRINTED
IN OVER 700 PUBLICATIONS,

BUT NOT THIS ONE,"

IT'S NOT IN ANY OF THEM,

THE ANSWER'S GONE,

WHAT IF...?

... IT'S JUST OVERDUE?

COLE, COLE, COLE, COLE,

YOUR BOOK IS OVERDUE,
MR, COLE,

WE JUST LOST
DR, KEVINGTON,

IT'S WORSE
THAN WE THOUGHT,

WE'VE GOT
TO DO SOMETHING,

HI,

HOW ARE YOU?

CHERYL...
SAVED ME

THE TROUBLE
OF FINDING YOU,

LET'S GO,
WHERE?

WEST END,
FINANCIAL DISTRICT,

WHY? THERE'S NOTHING THERE
BUT SOME ABANDONED BUILDINGS

AND INDUSTRIAL WASTE,

AND THE ANSWER,

RYAN, ARE YOU FAMILIAR
WITH THE EXPRESSION

"A FOOL'S ERRAND"?

BECAUSE
THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THIS IS,

STOP TREATING ME LIKE
A PATIENT, CHERYL,

I DON'T QUALIFY
TO GET THE VIRUS,

I CAME BY TO HELP,

THEN HELP ME,

I WANT YOU
TO COME WITH ME,

MAY I ASK WHY?

TO ACCESS
THE STREAM,

WE CAN DO THAT
ANYWHERE,

NOT THIS,

ALL RIGHT, OKAY,

TELL ME WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW,

I WILL...
AS SOON AS I FIGURE THAT OUT,

OKAY,

WELL, WE'RE HERE,

WE'RE NOWHERE,

OKAY, LET'S GO,

WHAT EXACTLY ARE
YOU HOPING TO FIND?

ANYTHING
BLUNT AND HEAVY,

I WAS REFERRING TO
THE LARGER PICTURE,

AREN'T YOU
TRYING TO HELP ME HERE?

DID YOU KNOW
I HAD A CRUSH ON YOU?

YEAH,

HOW COME
YOU NEVER SAID ANYTHING?

'CAUSE
I NEVER FELT WORTHY OF YOU,

SO YOU'RE TELLING ME NOW?

YEAH, I'M RUNNING OUT OF TIME,
WE ALL ARE,

PERFECT!

YOU KNOW, YOU USED
THE PAST TENSE,

WHAT?

YOU SAID
YOU HAD A CRUSH,

DID I?

YEAH,

PROBABLY JUST
A SLIP OF THE TONGUE,

OCCUPATIONAL HAZARD
OF DEFECTIVE HUMANS,

PROBABLY?

I CAN'T GET ANYTHING PAST YOU,
CAN I?

AFTER YOU,

LADY,

WHAT ARE WE DOING IN A BANK?

THIS IS CRAZY,

YOU KNOW THAT, DON'T YOU?

YOU WANT TO LEAVE,
NOW'S THE TIME,

YOU STILL
HAVEN'T TOLD ME

WHAT WE'RE
DOING HERE,

THE LAST REFUGE,

YOU KNOW,
SOMETIMES

I REALLY DON'T
UNDERSTAND YOU,

I'M HERE BECAUSE
THIS IS JESSE COLE'S OFFICE,

YOU'RE HERE
'CAUSE YOU'RE CURIOUS,

WHO'S JESSE COLE?

MANAGER OF THIS OBSOLETE BANK

AND POSSIBLY THE SMARTEST MAN
THAT EVER LIVED,

THEN WHAT'S WITH ALL THE BOOKS?

HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY KNOW

WHO HE WAS OR HOW SMART HE WAS
IF HE PREDATED THE STREAM?

HIS LIBRARY RECORDS,
HE DIDN'T PREDATE IT,

HE JUST
LIKED TO READ,

OVER 30 YEARS,

HE CHECKED OUT VIRTUALLY
EVERY BOOK IN THE LIBRARY,

IT'S LITERACY'S LAST REFUGE,

SINCE
JESSE COLE'S TIME,

ALL PUBLISHED MATERIALS
PUT ON STREAM BY LAW,

ANY BOOK CONSIDERED
DANGEROUS WAS DESTROYED,

WELL, FOR OUR OWN SAKE,

THE ONLY CRIME WORSE
THAN BURNING BOOKS

IS NOT
READING THEM,

CERTAIN KINDS OF INFORMATION

SHOULDN'T GET
INTO THE WRONG HANDS,

ESPECIALLY NOT THE WRONG MINDS,

WHO DECIDED WHAT STAYED
AND WHAT WAS DESTROYED?

WELL, THE STREAM...

THE STREAM, EXACTLY,

IT DECIDED THAT ANYTHING
THAT COULD SHUT IT DOWN

WAS JUST ABOUT
AS DANGEROUS AS IT COULD GET,

HERE IT IS,

HERE WHAT IS?

RESIDUAL GUIDELINES,

COLE WAS SMART,
BUT HE WAS IRRESPONSIBLE,

HE CHECKED OUT EVERY BOOK
BUT DIDN'T RETURN THEM,

THE STREAM CAN'T DESTROY
SOMETHING IT DOESN'T HAVE,

AND THIS BOOK
IS THE PROGRAM

YOU'LL USE TO SHUT IT DOWN,

I DOUBT THAT,

NO,

LET'S GO,
COME ON,

THE STREAM KNOWS WHERE YOU ARE,

IT KNOWS WHAT YOU'RE DOING,

IT'S OVER,

NOT YET,

COME ON,

LET'S GO,

THEY'RE INSIDE!
SURROUND THE BUILDING!

AS LONG AS I'M WITH YOU,
THEY'LL KNOW WHERE YOU ARE,

GIVE UP!
THEY'RE NOT SHOOTING AT ME,

IN THE VAULT,

WE CAN'T GO IN THERE!

THAT'S THE IDEA,

DON'T MOVE!

THIS VAULT IS
ON A TIME LOCK!

THERE'S NO WAY TO OPEN IT,
WE'RE GOING TO SUFFOCATE!

MAYBE,

THERE'S NO AIR
IN HERE,

I'M SORRY
TO HAVE TO DO THIS TO YOU,

RYAN, OBVIOUSLY
I CAN'T GO ANYWHERE,

THIS ISN'T NECESSARY,

HOW LONG
BEFORE THEY GET IN?

HOW SHOULD
I KNOW?
BECAUSE THEY KNOW,

STOP IT, RYAN!

YOU DIDN'T
REALLY THINK

WE WERE ALONE,
DID YOU?

RECORDS INDICATE
THREE LEVELS OF
REINFORCED STEEL,

TWO HOURS, 27 MINUTES
BY BLOW TORCH,

THAT'S WAY
TOO LONG,

LET'S GO, PEOPLE!

THEY'RE GOING TO FIND
A WAY IN HERE, YOU KNOW,

I KNOW,

IT'S A TIME LOCK,

THERE'S NO WAY
TO ACCESS THE MECHANISM,

OKAY, LIGHT UP
THE TORCH,

YOU KNOW, EVEN BY
YOUR OWN STANDARDS,

YOU'RE A FAILURE,

EXCUSE ME,
I'M TRYING TO READ,

YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN RID OF ME
AND GOTTEN AWAY,

INSTEAD
YOU RUN AWAY DOWN A DEAD END

AND SIT THERE WITH A BOOK,

I WASN'T
RUNNING AWAY,

WHAT'S HE
DOING IN THERE?

HE'S READING,

READING WHAT?

SHE HASN'T GOT
A GOOD LOOK,

WELL, GET
A GOOD LOOK!

YOU KNOW
YOU CAN'T WIN,

NOTHING
IS IMPOSSIBLE,

NOTHING
IS CERTAIN,

UNLESS
IT'S PROGRAMMED,

YOU REALLY DON'T UNDERSTAND
ANYTHING, DO YOU?

THEY'RE GOING TO KILL YOU, RYAN,

DO YOU WANT TO KILL ME?

NO, OF COURSE NOT,

BUT I WANT TO STOP YOU

FROM DOING
SOMETHING

THAT WILL
HURT ALL OF US,

THERE'S NO HUMANITY,

NOT IN THEM, NOT IN YOU,

WHY?
BECAUSE I THINK YOU'RE WRONG?

EVERYBODY DOES,
THERE'S NO DISSENTERS,

NOT ONE PERSON,

IT'S HUMAN TO DISAGREE,

IT'S HUMAN TO MAKE MISTAKES,

WE DON'T MAKE MISTAKES,

WE HAVE PERFECT
INFORMATION,

IT'S ESPECIALLY HUMAN
TO MAKE MISTAKES

USING
PERFECT INFORMATION,

LIKE WHEN
YOU WANT SOMETHING SO MUCH,

EVEN THOUGH
EVERY BIT OF INFORMATION

IS TELLING YOU
YOU CAN NEVER EVER HAVE IT,

IT'S JUST A PROGRAM, RYAN,

IT'S A TOOL THAT
MAKES ALL OF OUR LIVES BETTER,

IT CONTROLS
YOUR LIVES,

YOU ABDICATE
YOUR FREEWILL TO IT,

YOU'RE NOT ALIVE,

YOU'RE JUST A TERMINAL,

YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE,

YOU CAN'T
EVEN DREAM,

'CAUSE YOU CAN'T HAVE DREAMS
WITHOUT CHALLENGES,

THE STREAM
HAS TAKEN ALL YOUR DREAMS

AND DIDN'T EVEN GIVE YOU
KNOWLEDGE IN RETURN,

JUST INFORMATION,

INFORMATION
WITHOUT MEANING

OR UNDERSTANDING, CONTEXT,

IT'S USELESS,

HE'S TRICKED HER,

SHE'S READING
THE SHUTDOWN COMMAND

RIGHT INTO THE STREAM!

CHERYL, TURN AWAY!

GET IT OFF!

WHAT'S THE MATTER?

DON'T WANT
TO LOOK IN MY BOOK?

YOU DON'T WANT TO
OR IS IT THE STREAM?

READ IT,

YOU USED ME,

READ IT!

RYAN, WE KNOW
WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO,

THEN DO IT,

OKAY, PROVE TO ME

THAT THERE'S SOME HUMANITY
LEFT IN THERE SOMEWHERE,

PROVE TO ME
YOU'RE STILL ALIVE,

READ THE COMMAND,

CHOOSE TO LOOK AT THIS!

YOU RISKED YOUR LIFE HOPING
I'D SHUT DOWN THE STREAM...

BUT WE NEVER WILL,

WHY DID
YOU DO THAT?

'CAUSE IN A FEW SECONDS
I'LL DIE,

I WANTED TO DO THAT
MY WHOLE LIFE,

COME ON! COME ON!

MARK, PLEASE!

KILL HIM!

FAIL-SAFE ENGAGED,

PROGRAM TURNING...,

STREAM SYSTEM
SHUTTING DOWN...

TRANSLATING
AND TRANSLATING...

STREAM ERROR!

DECIMAL SYSTEM
SHOULD BE USED...

FOR ALGORITHMIC UNDERSTANDING
AND TRANSLATING,

WHAT'S HAPPENING?

WHAT HAPPENED?

YOU HAD A CHOICE,

RYAN?

RYAN?

THANK GOD,

KUH... TTT,

KUH...

TTT,

CA... CAT... CAT, CAT!

PERFECT,

I FEEL SO STUPID,

DON'T,

IT'S JUST GOING
TO TAKE TIME,

ALL RIGHT,
LET'S START

AT THE BEGINNING
OF THE ALPHABET,

SOUND IT OUT,

A...

A...

A FOR APPLE,

A FOR APPLE,

B FOR BOY,

C FOR CAT,

WE MAKE TOOLS TO EXTEND
OUR ABILITIES,

TO FURTHER OUR REACH
AND FULFILL OUR ASPIRATIONS,

BUT WE MUST NEVER LET THEM
DEFINE US,

FOR IF THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN TOOL AND MAKER

THEN WHO WILL BE LEFT
TO BUILD THE WORLD?

HOME RUN!