The Peripheral (2022–…): Season 1, Episode 8 - The Creation of a Thousand Forests - full transcript
In our timeline
Flynne Fisher no longer exists.
It's fairly
straightforward, gentlemen.
We advance from floor to floor,
killing or disabling
everything we encounter.
- What's your biggest fear?
- The past.
If you try to double-cross me
again, I will carve you up.
We got a situation on our hands.
I need that old man alive.
Technology that's been
stolen from you?
It can be a deadly weapon
in the wrong hands.
Hey.
I-I-I've been thinking.
Yeah?
Lying here.
About you and your sims.
How you can go back, reboot.
Wishing I could do it.
Go back to that level
with the dog again.
Shoot that bitch
this time.
That's the thing about chess.
Checkmate...
and you're fucking done.
That's what makes life so hard.
No rebooting.
Unit 204,
requesting immediate backup
to 27 Bateville Road.
I got three parties down,
suspect at large,
presumed armed.
I repeat: suspect at large
and presumed armed.
Copy that, 204.
10-52. Ambulance being
dispatched. Over.
I really wouldn't worry
about it at this point.
Do the best you can, maybe get
back to it in the morning.
Deputy?
EMT's got a pulse.
For who?
Dispatch, shots fired
at Clanton Urgent Med. 10-52...
10-52. Requesting backup.
Mm-hmm.
- What is it?
- Uh, shots fired.
Clanton Urgent Med.
It's got to be our perp.
Reece is dead.
I heard, on the ride over.
They said that man
killed the sheriff, too.
And the Picketts.
Corbell's still hanging on.
But he killed Sheriff Jackman?
Tommy?
Yeah, he did.
Shot him dead.
If Dr. Nuland has
her way,
your friend won't be the last.
I assume you'd like to stop her.
Yeah, of course.
I'd like to propose an alliance.
I have resources that
could prove quite empowering
to you in your world.
And it appears you have
the capacity to act in mine
in ways that might be beyond me,
considering the factors
at play here,
which I've only
just become cognizant of.
What do you mean?
You have much more than
Cherise Nuland to deal with,
as daunting as
the good doctor undoubtedly is.
Your world is on a threshold
of its own Jackpot.
I believe, in my own way,
I can help you navigate
the coming storm.
If we're coming
towards an agreement,
now might be the ideal moment
for you to issue
any ultimatums
or demands you might have.
My mama.
She's blind again and sick.
I need you to heal her,
like you promised you'd do at
the start of this whole thing.
Ma'am?
She's consulting the Aunties.
I'm very sorry.
It appears
Mr. Zubov's technicals have
already attempted
everything possible.
What, so you can't... help her?
I'm afraid not.
The Aunties' best estimate is,
your mother has
another 554 hours to live.
Approximately 23 days.
I'll go talk to her.
Please do.
Flynne.
They promised us, Burton.
They promised us.
I know you're sad,
Flynne, but...
I had a strange feeling
when I first found out
about the glioma,
concerning you.
I was lying there
in that exam room,
just kind of
letting it wash over me.
And I found myself thinking,
"Well, maybe it's not all bad.
Maybe Flynne will really get
to live her life now."
I've been living my life exactly
as I want to, Mama, okay?
I wouldn't have chosen
any otherwise.
I know, and don't think
I don't love you for it.
You've been keeping us
all afloat for a long time now,
but you deserve more.
I thought...
"Maybe they can sell the house,
if they want.
There'll be some money there."
"Burton will go on being Burton,
for better for worse, but..."
"...who knows
what Flynne might get up to?"
And it made me sort of excited
to think on it.
You having the chance
to become whatever you want.
Where are you off to?
I think
your pills are kicking in, Mama.
I was just gonna let you rest.
Your father used to call you
our little acorn
when you were a baby.
Why?
Because even though
you were just a tiny thing,
he could sense the power
and strength inside you,
waiting for its chance to grow.
Just like a big old oak tree.
I miss him, Mama.
Me, too.
Promise me, Flynne.
You'll let that power grow.
Maria Anathema Ash.
Intriguing résumé.
How on earth did you end up
in Lev Zubov's employ?
It's a complicated story,
and not particularly relevant
- to what's prompted me to reach out to you.
- Which is?
The data Aelita West stole,
I know where it is
and how to get it.
It's in Flynne Fisher's brain.
Lev Zubov knows this,
so the Klept will soon have
everything Aelita stole.
I don't want to live
in that world, Doctor.
Okay, well, Inspector Lowbeer...
Clearly has her own agenda.
I don't know what it is,
but you can't depend on her
to fix it.
You have to stop him.
Can you?
I can.
But it will require
a drastic step.
More drastic than
I had hoped would be necessary
and come at an unspeakable cost.
How much time do I have?
Very little.
I suppose
you'll be expecting a reward
for bearing me
these ill tidings?
I want you to kill him.
Who?
Zubov.
May I ask why?
A breach of etiquette.
Well, it's not so easy,
what you ask,
given his Klept status.
Unless...
...you'd be willing
to use your presence
in Mr. Zubov's household
to assist in the endeavor?
I would, with pleasure.
Excellent.
I'll be in touch.
Your drastic step...
What is it?
I'm afraid I will be forced
to alter conditions
in the stub
in a manner that will destroy
or invalidate
decades' worth of studies,
vitally important research.
But I will cut off a limb
to save the whole body.
I don't understand.
The Jackpot.
I'll push it
to the next level,
thus removing the girl
from the equation altogether.
Along with her home,
town, family,
the whole benighted region.
Welcome back.
How's your mother?
Dying.
Which I guess you suspected
all along, huh?
I'm sorry, Flynne.
I presented a possibility
as a certainty
to get you to do our bidding.
It was wrong.
You think
we can still find your sister?
She's dead.
I can't see any way around it.
Wilf.
I'm sorry, Wilf.
I keep feeling like
I'm missing something obvious,
that I'm just
too close to see it.
Aelita told me I had a home
when I was young.
She said
I used to talk about it.
A lawn sloping down to a pond.
But my first memories are
of the transit camp.
The food queues.
Rain falling on the blue tarp.
A woman's face...
...who I've always chosen
to believe was my mother.
Though it's likely
that's just fantasy.
What about your father?
They took
all the men early on.
I have no memories
of the raids on the camps,
but Aelita told me
how they burned us out.
She took charge of me.
I would have died without her.
Where'd you go after that?
The streets, the ruins.
For almost three years.
And then?
I did something stupid.
Wolf! Wolf!
We were captured.
Cleaned up.
Aelita fought
to keep us together.
She always pined
for that life, though.
"When we were free,"
she would say.
So we ran off a few years
after we were adopted.
Aelita planned it.
Squirreled away supplies,
mapped our route back.
We lasted for eight months or so
in our own little kingdom.
We even made a flag for it.
The hand missing a thumb.
Why?
Aelita used to say we'd
all lived in a paradise once.
Before we evolved
into what we are.
- Hmm.
- She claimed
every sin of ours originated
with the opposable thumb.
The ability to grip...
...tools, weapons, throats.
What happened
after the eight months?
I fell sick.
I would have died.
Aelita brought me back in.
She gave up everything,
once again, to save me.
She really loved you, Wilf.
Inspector Lowbeer's asked me
to have a word...
...about her proposal.
But I'm afraid I'm not
quite certain what to say,
because one must always assume
she can hear us,
should she choose.
Is there something
you want to tell me?
You feel like you can't?
I wouldn't put it
quite that pointedly.
It's more of a shading
than a specific thing.
Well,
why don't we link up again?
Why?
I can ask you questions.
You don't have to say anything.
I can just, I don't know,
draw my own conclusions
by the way that you feel.
How do you feel about Lowbeer?
I'd like to propose
an alliance.
Lev?
You will never be
fully yourself
until you embrace
that part of your soul.
Aelita?
The individual
you know, his overture...
or whatever you want
to call it...
it's gonna make me happy,
is it?
Flynne Fisher?
Wilf Netherton?
You're all rainbows
and unicorns, Ms. Fisher.
Wait.
Where was it?
What?
The hand with no thumb,
your secret place.
Christ.
I'm such a fool.
Should we call Zubov?
No.
We serve a new master now.
- You sure this is where it is?
- But it wasn't like this.
It was forest,
trees as far as you can see.
Wilf.
What took you so long, Wolf?
No more games, Aelita.
Where are you?
Follow me.
But not her.
No, she's the heart of this.
She's coming.
Eyes and ears, Wolf.
She shares hers with others.
Isn't that right, Ash?
She can leave of her own accord,
or I can send her myself.
Your choice.
- But...
- Go home.
I'll tell you everything.
I give you my word.
Look familiar?
This is where the camp was,
where we first met.
You don't remember, do you?
I was too young.
You were seven, Wolf.
It was too young
for many things,
but remembering isn't
one of them.
The reason you don't remember is
'cause you're not supposed to.
Aelita.
Our implants, turns out
they're rather complex devices.
And one thing that they do
do best is suppress memory.
Everyone knows that.
They blunt trauma.
Well, do you want to know what
happened when I ripped out mine?
You lost your immunity boost,
among other things,
which I suspect
you'll soon come to regret.
No, I started
to remember things.
Everything.
There's bodies here,
under this beautiful green turf,
thousands and thousands
of bodies.
Dig a hole, love.
Your mother's here,
and your sisters
and your little brother.
And you'd remember them
if you'd just cut yourself free.
My family, too.
All slaughtered.
Give it to him.
Are you just gonna stand there
with your hands in your pockets?
Fucking pick it up.
Do you want to know
who killed our families, Wolf?
The Klept.
Your mate Lev's father
and his sort,
'cause they were
running things by then.
There was contagion
in the camps,
and they wiped us all out
for fear of it.
And not just here,
all over England.
It was
a little coordinated effort.
Five million people
in under a fortnight.
Now, that's quite
an achievement, isn't it?
Don't you think?
So, yeah,
they suppress our memories
because they still fear us.
Us?
I'm gathering them.
A little army
of the dispossessed.
You know, render justice.
What could you possibly plan
to accomplish with this rabble?
Shatter a few windows?
I'm sure the Klept
and the R.I. will be terrified.
- All we need are the proper tools.
- Which are?
The secrets to every wonder
that the R.I. have ever built.
Infinity
in the palm of your hand.
And where would you possibly
get that?
Inside the girl's head.
That doctor give you
a probability or anything,
Jasper? You know, like,
ten percent chance of survival,
something like that?
He just said I should
prepare for the worst.
Well, I'm real sorry
for your loss.
You know, we all are.
But, uh, he died
like a warrior king, didn't he?
- He's not dead yet.
- You know what I mean.
He went out fighting.
And we owe it to him
to carry on his legacy.
So, uh, guess
I'm next in charge, right?
How you figure?
Well, I was always
his number two.
- The fuck you were.
- All right, all right.
Let's say
we approach this thing like a...
uh, what do you call it?
That thing that the Romans did
when, uh,
there were three emperors?
Fuck, what was it?
Uh, a, uh...
A triumvirate.
Yeah, that's it.
Yeah, but there's four of us.
Aw.
You can still drive for us,
Jasper.
Wash our cars and shit.
Oh, absolutely, you-you do
a great job with them cars.
Now...
Let's get a fresh one of these.
Go on.
♪ I need your help...
Oh, and, um...
put it on your uncle's tab,
if they're still honoring it.
♪ You're the only one
who can save my soul ♪
♪ Save my soul ♪ ♪
Open
the fucking window.
What?
Open the fuck...
You're gonna have to
clean that up now, Jasper.
Who should I drop off first?
Jasper?
You remember that fight
we had about Monopoly?
What time is it?
It's a little after 2:00.
We were playing Flynne and
Burton and Ella on Thanksgiving.
And, uh, I was way ahead,
and I was sort of
feeling bad about it,
so I kept letting people
borrow money
when it seemed like
they were about to go bust.
And then,
in the end, Burton came back
from nothing to win.
Hon, are you drunk?
You got mad at me after.
You said...
I'd never amount to anything
if I didn't stop mistaking
weakness for kindness.
Oh, Jasper.
I-I didn't mean that.
Yes, you did.
No. No. I really didn't.
The whole reason I married you
is 'cause of how kind you are.
Why'd you say that, then?
I guess I just wanted
you to win for once.
I felt like you deserved it.
Why are we having
this conversation?
I was about to make
a huge fucking mistake.
How do you mean?
Nothing. I love you.
I'll be home soon.
Atticus!
Fuck! Atticus!
Atticus, wake up, man!
Atticus!
Fucking wake the fuck up.
Atticus! Atticus!
Cash, Cash, Cash, Cash!
Atticus!
Hey.
Atticus! Atticus!
Atticus, wake up!
Wake the fuck up.
Atticus!
What the fuck?
Oh, fuck.
I heard about
that train crash, Tommy.
That's not why I'm here.
Look, I know you've been
keeping secrets,
- Flynne.
- Tommy.
Ain't no need to give me a line.
I get it.
I got a, uh, phone call
from Homeland Security.
Right-wing militia chatter.
Serious enough for Homes
to sound the alarm.
Given all the weird things
that've been swirling around
you and Burton,
I need to know
if you know anything about it.
What is it?
They say they're planning
to blow up a missile silo.
And, you know, there's
that new, uh, Air Force silo
down towards Spring Creek,
the big one.
Flynne, if you know
anything about this...
I don't.
I got to go, Tommy.
Macon...
get the headset ready.
I got to go back.
Ash, Ash.
Where's Wilf?
Why are you back?
That silo explosion,
the one we saw
in the Jackpot museum.
Cherise is trying to
make it happen in my timeline.
I'm sure of it.
You already knew?
What the fuck
have you done, Ash?
The data you and Aelita
stole from the R.I.,
it's stored in DNA.
It's the shit in my head,
isn't it?
The reason I've been having
these fucking seizures.
What is it?
The entire library, I suspect.
Enough to wreak havoc
in your world and mine.
And now Lev knows about it.
You have to understand,
if the Klept got hold of it...
I told Cherise Nuland.
I had to.
And now she's gonna vaporize
my entire fucking state
just to make sure
that Lev doesn't
get his hands on the data.
My life, my family.
Everyone that I love.
It's just a fucking game to you,
isn't it?
Winner takes all.
Where are you going?
I'm gonna win.
This is
the real London.
At least the part
they haven't rebuilt yet.
They got their work
cut out for 'em, don't they?
Why are we here?
So we can talk
without being overheard.
Cherise Nuland,
she's planning on blowing up
that silo over in Spring Creek.
Wiping all of us out,
just to make sure that I'm dead.
So I came up with an idea
to open up a new stub.
You saying what I think you are?
You want to reboot?
Like in a sim?
It could save us, Conner.
But I'm gonna need your help
and Lowbeer's, too.
It's a black hole.
In a sim,
you can get to a level
where no matter what you do
you end up dying,
over and over,
'cause you made some mistake
earlier in the game
without even realizing it.
You're trapped.
I'm sorry, my dear.
I wish it hadn't come to this.
When we first met, I asked you
if you had the power
to sever the connection
to my stub.
Do you?
No.
What about opening a new one?
I'm afraid the delicate balance
of power that governs this world
would make
such a step on my part
an outright declaration of war.
But I am aware of
how one might do it.
I need you to open a new stub.
If I understand this correctly,
you're proposing
a rather radical plan.
Cherise will think she won
and that you helped her do it.
We'd have access to
all the data that Aelita stole,
which would save my world
from the Jackpot.
You do realize
how daunting the odds are?
Perhaps an ally
might benefit you.
Your brother, for instance.
Burton can't know.
If he finds out,
he's never gonna let me
go through with it, okay?
Conner said that he'd help.
Are you absolutely certain?
Yeah.
The R.I. has several ancillary
sites at undisclosed locations.
Stub portals, they're called.
Even the guards don't know
where they are.
They're Peripherals,
piloted remotely.
The Peripherals guarding
the facility will be
just as strong as you are.
Send me to one.
I've arrived.
May I be of assistance?
Maybe.
Can I ask you a question?
Is it still queasy
when you get back?
Or did they fix that?
When you wake up
in your real body,
after your shift
in this Peripheral's done?
Damn it.
You really think
you could escape me so easily?
You have a bad habit
of taking control
of dying things, Cherise.
You have no idea
all you're putting into peril.
They're all here,
aren't they?
All these other lives?
And all I got to do is
choose where I want to begin.
Wait.
I will find you.
I give you my word.
Oh, I wouldn't be so sure,
Cherise.
I think I want to be
the hunter now.
You see,
I know exactly where you are.
And you have no idea
where I'm gonna be.
Not without the coordinates.
No, no, no.
You saying
what I think you are?
You want to reboot.
Like in a sim?
It could save us, Conner.
But I'm gonna need your help
and Lowbeer's, too.
If I can pull it off,
there'll be
whole new versions of us there.
Ones that Cherise
will have nothing to do with.
We'd be safe there.
But dead in our own world.
Unless I'm already gone.
Then she'd have no reason
to blow up that silo.
Fuck.
Burton said in Texas
you once shot somebody
two kilometers out.
Burton's full of shit.
It was at least three klicks.
This thing
that I'm talking about...
...it'd have to look
like Lowbeer sent somebody
as a favor to Cherise,
solving her problem for her.
You understand
what I'm asking you, Conner?
Yeah.
I get it.
What about this world?
We done with it?
No, we'll be back.
Why?
'Cause I'm gonna
kill that bitch.
Yeah?
Yeah.
I know it's a lot, Conner.
But if it helps any,
I've made peace with it.
I'll just take a walk
out past Hawthorne Creek.
And I'll count back
from ten in my head.
Ten.
Nine.
Eight.
Seven.
Six.
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
So...
shall we get to work?
Yeah,
you promise every time,
but you end up
spending the whole meal
talking with your father,
while I'm trapped
with your mother.
My mother enjoys
your company, Dominika.
Which is lovely and
extremely flattering, I'm sure.
But as you're well aware,
the sentiment
isn't entirely reciprocated.
So if you could just
spare me a moment of your...
Oh, Lev. What have you done?
Nothing. I swear.
I love you.
I'm sorry, gentlemen, there seems to be some...
Have a seat.
I was supposed to meet
my father...
Your father sends his regrets.
Wasn't feeling well.
Not in the best of health.
You understand.
As such,
he asked us to speak with you.
About what?
Accepted practices
here in London
since the Putin diaspora.
Mm, how we get along, survive.
Did I do something wrong?
The Research Institute,
placing us at risk.
It's unacceptable.
Absolutely.
There's a price, son.
Listen, gentlemen.
My recruitment of an asset
inside the Research Institute
was nothing outside of the norm.
I was trying to exploit
an opportunity.
But I deeply regret
if I did anything
that you feel could
jeopardize our standing.
I assure you
that was never my intent.
I, uh, sincerely apologize
and can only hope
that you forgive me.
Should see your fucking face!
We get it.
It is always in our interest
to keep tabs on the R.I.
Not only for
moneymaking opportunities
but to protect
our own interests.
Business, otherwise.
None of that matters now.
Time to cut bait.
Do whatever you have to do.
Just cauterize
the wound.
Your asset, any affiliates
come back to you,
they need to vanish.
All of them?
When there's a blight
on the branch
and it threatens
the other trees,
what does the orchard keeper do?
Chops the fucker down.
Burns it.
Not just the branch
either.
The whole fucking tree.
Your wife looked lovely, Lev.
And the children?
This here is us warning you.
You understand?
Cauterize the wound, son.
Or the orchard keeper
will be coming for a visit.
With an axe.
You hungry?
Hmm? Where's that
fucking waiter?
Salud.
Flynne Fisher no longer exists.
It's fairly
straightforward, gentlemen.
We advance from floor to floor,
killing or disabling
everything we encounter.
- What's your biggest fear?
- The past.
If you try to double-cross me
again, I will carve you up.
We got a situation on our hands.
I need that old man alive.
Technology that's been
stolen from you?
It can be a deadly weapon
in the wrong hands.
Hey.
I-I-I've been thinking.
Yeah?
Lying here.
About you and your sims.
How you can go back, reboot.
Wishing I could do it.
Go back to that level
with the dog again.
Shoot that bitch
this time.
That's the thing about chess.
Checkmate...
and you're fucking done.
That's what makes life so hard.
No rebooting.
Unit 204,
requesting immediate backup
to 27 Bateville Road.
I got three parties down,
suspect at large,
presumed armed.
I repeat: suspect at large
and presumed armed.
Copy that, 204.
10-52. Ambulance being
dispatched. Over.
I really wouldn't worry
about it at this point.
Do the best you can, maybe get
back to it in the morning.
Deputy?
EMT's got a pulse.
For who?
Dispatch, shots fired
at Clanton Urgent Med. 10-52...
10-52. Requesting backup.
Mm-hmm.
- What is it?
- Uh, shots fired.
Clanton Urgent Med.
It's got to be our perp.
Reece is dead.
I heard, on the ride over.
They said that man
killed the sheriff, too.
And the Picketts.
Corbell's still hanging on.
But he killed Sheriff Jackman?
Tommy?
Yeah, he did.
Shot him dead.
If Dr. Nuland has
her way,
your friend won't be the last.
I assume you'd like to stop her.
Yeah, of course.
I'd like to propose an alliance.
I have resources that
could prove quite empowering
to you in your world.
And it appears you have
the capacity to act in mine
in ways that might be beyond me,
considering the factors
at play here,
which I've only
just become cognizant of.
What do you mean?
You have much more than
Cherise Nuland to deal with,
as daunting as
the good doctor undoubtedly is.
Your world is on a threshold
of its own Jackpot.
I believe, in my own way,
I can help you navigate
the coming storm.
If we're coming
towards an agreement,
now might be the ideal moment
for you to issue
any ultimatums
or demands you might have.
My mama.
She's blind again and sick.
I need you to heal her,
like you promised you'd do at
the start of this whole thing.
Ma'am?
She's consulting the Aunties.
I'm very sorry.
It appears
Mr. Zubov's technicals have
already attempted
everything possible.
What, so you can't... help her?
I'm afraid not.
The Aunties' best estimate is,
your mother has
another 554 hours to live.
Approximately 23 days.
I'll go talk to her.
Please do.
Flynne.
They promised us, Burton.
They promised us.
I know you're sad,
Flynne, but...
I had a strange feeling
when I first found out
about the glioma,
concerning you.
I was lying there
in that exam room,
just kind of
letting it wash over me.
And I found myself thinking,
"Well, maybe it's not all bad.
Maybe Flynne will really get
to live her life now."
I've been living my life exactly
as I want to, Mama, okay?
I wouldn't have chosen
any otherwise.
I know, and don't think
I don't love you for it.
You've been keeping us
all afloat for a long time now,
but you deserve more.
I thought...
"Maybe they can sell the house,
if they want.
There'll be some money there."
"Burton will go on being Burton,
for better for worse, but..."
"...who knows
what Flynne might get up to?"
And it made me sort of excited
to think on it.
You having the chance
to become whatever you want.
Where are you off to?
I think
your pills are kicking in, Mama.
I was just gonna let you rest.
Your father used to call you
our little acorn
when you were a baby.
Why?
Because even though
you were just a tiny thing,
he could sense the power
and strength inside you,
waiting for its chance to grow.
Just like a big old oak tree.
I miss him, Mama.
Me, too.
Promise me, Flynne.
You'll let that power grow.
Maria Anathema Ash.
Intriguing résumé.
How on earth did you end up
in Lev Zubov's employ?
It's a complicated story,
and not particularly relevant
- to what's prompted me to reach out to you.
- Which is?
The data Aelita West stole,
I know where it is
and how to get it.
It's in Flynne Fisher's brain.
Lev Zubov knows this,
so the Klept will soon have
everything Aelita stole.
I don't want to live
in that world, Doctor.
Okay, well, Inspector Lowbeer...
Clearly has her own agenda.
I don't know what it is,
but you can't depend on her
to fix it.
You have to stop him.
Can you?
I can.
But it will require
a drastic step.
More drastic than
I had hoped would be necessary
and come at an unspeakable cost.
How much time do I have?
Very little.
I suppose
you'll be expecting a reward
for bearing me
these ill tidings?
I want you to kill him.
Who?
Zubov.
May I ask why?
A breach of etiquette.
Well, it's not so easy,
what you ask,
given his Klept status.
Unless...
...you'd be willing
to use your presence
in Mr. Zubov's household
to assist in the endeavor?
I would, with pleasure.
Excellent.
I'll be in touch.
Your drastic step...
What is it?
I'm afraid I will be forced
to alter conditions
in the stub
in a manner that will destroy
or invalidate
decades' worth of studies,
vitally important research.
But I will cut off a limb
to save the whole body.
I don't understand.
The Jackpot.
I'll push it
to the next level,
thus removing the girl
from the equation altogether.
Along with her home,
town, family,
the whole benighted region.
Welcome back.
How's your mother?
Dying.
Which I guess you suspected
all along, huh?
I'm sorry, Flynne.
I presented a possibility
as a certainty
to get you to do our bidding.
It was wrong.
You think
we can still find your sister?
She's dead.
I can't see any way around it.
Wilf.
I'm sorry, Wilf.
I keep feeling like
I'm missing something obvious,
that I'm just
too close to see it.
Aelita told me I had a home
when I was young.
She said
I used to talk about it.
A lawn sloping down to a pond.
But my first memories are
of the transit camp.
The food queues.
Rain falling on the blue tarp.
A woman's face...
...who I've always chosen
to believe was my mother.
Though it's likely
that's just fantasy.
What about your father?
They took
all the men early on.
I have no memories
of the raids on the camps,
but Aelita told me
how they burned us out.
She took charge of me.
I would have died without her.
Where'd you go after that?
The streets, the ruins.
For almost three years.
And then?
I did something stupid.
Wolf! Wolf!
We were captured.
Cleaned up.
Aelita fought
to keep us together.
She always pined
for that life, though.
"When we were free,"
she would say.
So we ran off a few years
after we were adopted.
Aelita planned it.
Squirreled away supplies,
mapped our route back.
We lasted for eight months or so
in our own little kingdom.
We even made a flag for it.
The hand missing a thumb.
Why?
Aelita used to say we'd
all lived in a paradise once.
Before we evolved
into what we are.
- Hmm.
- She claimed
every sin of ours originated
with the opposable thumb.
The ability to grip...
...tools, weapons, throats.
What happened
after the eight months?
I fell sick.
I would have died.
Aelita brought me back in.
She gave up everything,
once again, to save me.
She really loved you, Wilf.
Inspector Lowbeer's asked me
to have a word...
...about her proposal.
But I'm afraid I'm not
quite certain what to say,
because one must always assume
she can hear us,
should she choose.
Is there something
you want to tell me?
You feel like you can't?
I wouldn't put it
quite that pointedly.
It's more of a shading
than a specific thing.
Well,
why don't we link up again?
Why?
I can ask you questions.
You don't have to say anything.
I can just, I don't know,
draw my own conclusions
by the way that you feel.
How do you feel about Lowbeer?
I'd like to propose
an alliance.
Lev?
You will never be
fully yourself
until you embrace
that part of your soul.
Aelita?
The individual
you know, his overture...
or whatever you want
to call it...
it's gonna make me happy,
is it?
Flynne Fisher?
Wilf Netherton?
You're all rainbows
and unicorns, Ms. Fisher.
Wait.
Where was it?
What?
The hand with no thumb,
your secret place.
Christ.
I'm such a fool.
Should we call Zubov?
No.
We serve a new master now.
- You sure this is where it is?
- But it wasn't like this.
It was forest,
trees as far as you can see.
Wilf.
What took you so long, Wolf?
No more games, Aelita.
Where are you?
Follow me.
But not her.
No, she's the heart of this.
She's coming.
Eyes and ears, Wolf.
She shares hers with others.
Isn't that right, Ash?
She can leave of her own accord,
or I can send her myself.
Your choice.
- But...
- Go home.
I'll tell you everything.
I give you my word.
Look familiar?
This is where the camp was,
where we first met.
You don't remember, do you?
I was too young.
You were seven, Wolf.
It was too young
for many things,
but remembering isn't
one of them.
The reason you don't remember is
'cause you're not supposed to.
Aelita.
Our implants, turns out
they're rather complex devices.
And one thing that they do
do best is suppress memory.
Everyone knows that.
They blunt trauma.
Well, do you want to know what
happened when I ripped out mine?
You lost your immunity boost,
among other things,
which I suspect
you'll soon come to regret.
No, I started
to remember things.
Everything.
There's bodies here,
under this beautiful green turf,
thousands and thousands
of bodies.
Dig a hole, love.
Your mother's here,
and your sisters
and your little brother.
And you'd remember them
if you'd just cut yourself free.
My family, too.
All slaughtered.
Give it to him.
Are you just gonna stand there
with your hands in your pockets?
Fucking pick it up.
Do you want to know
who killed our families, Wolf?
The Klept.
Your mate Lev's father
and his sort,
'cause they were
running things by then.
There was contagion
in the camps,
and they wiped us all out
for fear of it.
And not just here,
all over England.
It was
a little coordinated effort.
Five million people
in under a fortnight.
Now, that's quite
an achievement, isn't it?
Don't you think?
So, yeah,
they suppress our memories
because they still fear us.
Us?
I'm gathering them.
A little army
of the dispossessed.
You know, render justice.
What could you possibly plan
to accomplish with this rabble?
Shatter a few windows?
I'm sure the Klept
and the R.I. will be terrified.
- All we need are the proper tools.
- Which are?
The secrets to every wonder
that the R.I. have ever built.
Infinity
in the palm of your hand.
And where would you possibly
get that?
Inside the girl's head.
That doctor give you
a probability or anything,
Jasper? You know, like,
ten percent chance of survival,
something like that?
He just said I should
prepare for the worst.
Well, I'm real sorry
for your loss.
You know, we all are.
But, uh, he died
like a warrior king, didn't he?
- He's not dead yet.
- You know what I mean.
He went out fighting.
And we owe it to him
to carry on his legacy.
So, uh, guess
I'm next in charge, right?
How you figure?
Well, I was always
his number two.
- The fuck you were.
- All right, all right.
Let's say
we approach this thing like a...
uh, what do you call it?
That thing that the Romans did
when, uh,
there were three emperors?
Fuck, what was it?
Uh, a, uh...
A triumvirate.
Yeah, that's it.
Yeah, but there's four of us.
Aw.
You can still drive for us,
Jasper.
Wash our cars and shit.
Oh, absolutely, you-you do
a great job with them cars.
Now...
Let's get a fresh one of these.
Go on.
♪ I need your help...
Oh, and, um...
put it on your uncle's tab,
if they're still honoring it.
♪ You're the only one
who can save my soul ♪
♪ Save my soul ♪ ♪
Open
the fucking window.
What?
Open the fuck...
You're gonna have to
clean that up now, Jasper.
Who should I drop off first?
Jasper?
You remember that fight
we had about Monopoly?
What time is it?
It's a little after 2:00.
We were playing Flynne and
Burton and Ella on Thanksgiving.
And, uh, I was way ahead,
and I was sort of
feeling bad about it,
so I kept letting people
borrow money
when it seemed like
they were about to go bust.
And then,
in the end, Burton came back
from nothing to win.
Hon, are you drunk?
You got mad at me after.
You said...
I'd never amount to anything
if I didn't stop mistaking
weakness for kindness.
Oh, Jasper.
I-I didn't mean that.
Yes, you did.
No. No. I really didn't.
The whole reason I married you
is 'cause of how kind you are.
Why'd you say that, then?
I guess I just wanted
you to win for once.
I felt like you deserved it.
Why are we having
this conversation?
I was about to make
a huge fucking mistake.
How do you mean?
Nothing. I love you.
I'll be home soon.
Atticus!
Fuck! Atticus!
Atticus, wake up, man!
Atticus!
Fucking wake the fuck up.
Atticus! Atticus!
Cash, Cash, Cash, Cash!
Atticus!
Hey.
Atticus! Atticus!
Atticus, wake up!
Wake the fuck up.
Atticus!
What the fuck?
Oh, fuck.
I heard about
that train crash, Tommy.
That's not why I'm here.
Look, I know you've been
keeping secrets,
- Flynne.
- Tommy.
Ain't no need to give me a line.
I get it.
I got a, uh, phone call
from Homeland Security.
Right-wing militia chatter.
Serious enough for Homes
to sound the alarm.
Given all the weird things
that've been swirling around
you and Burton,
I need to know
if you know anything about it.
What is it?
They say they're planning
to blow up a missile silo.
And, you know, there's
that new, uh, Air Force silo
down towards Spring Creek,
the big one.
Flynne, if you know
anything about this...
I don't.
I got to go, Tommy.
Macon...
get the headset ready.
I got to go back.
Ash, Ash.
Where's Wilf?
Why are you back?
That silo explosion,
the one we saw
in the Jackpot museum.
Cherise is trying to
make it happen in my timeline.
I'm sure of it.
You already knew?
What the fuck
have you done, Ash?
The data you and Aelita
stole from the R.I.,
it's stored in DNA.
It's the shit in my head,
isn't it?
The reason I've been having
these fucking seizures.
What is it?
The entire library, I suspect.
Enough to wreak havoc
in your world and mine.
And now Lev knows about it.
You have to understand,
if the Klept got hold of it...
I told Cherise Nuland.
I had to.
And now she's gonna vaporize
my entire fucking state
just to make sure
that Lev doesn't
get his hands on the data.
My life, my family.
Everyone that I love.
It's just a fucking game to you,
isn't it?
Winner takes all.
Where are you going?
I'm gonna win.
This is
the real London.
At least the part
they haven't rebuilt yet.
They got their work
cut out for 'em, don't they?
Why are we here?
So we can talk
without being overheard.
Cherise Nuland,
she's planning on blowing up
that silo over in Spring Creek.
Wiping all of us out,
just to make sure that I'm dead.
So I came up with an idea
to open up a new stub.
You saying what I think you are?
You want to reboot?
Like in a sim?
It could save us, Conner.
But I'm gonna need your help
and Lowbeer's, too.
It's a black hole.
In a sim,
you can get to a level
where no matter what you do
you end up dying,
over and over,
'cause you made some mistake
earlier in the game
without even realizing it.
You're trapped.
I'm sorry, my dear.
I wish it hadn't come to this.
When we first met, I asked you
if you had the power
to sever the connection
to my stub.
Do you?
No.
What about opening a new one?
I'm afraid the delicate balance
of power that governs this world
would make
such a step on my part
an outright declaration of war.
But I am aware of
how one might do it.
I need you to open a new stub.
If I understand this correctly,
you're proposing
a rather radical plan.
Cherise will think she won
and that you helped her do it.
We'd have access to
all the data that Aelita stole,
which would save my world
from the Jackpot.
You do realize
how daunting the odds are?
Perhaps an ally
might benefit you.
Your brother, for instance.
Burton can't know.
If he finds out,
he's never gonna let me
go through with it, okay?
Conner said that he'd help.
Are you absolutely certain?
Yeah.
The R.I. has several ancillary
sites at undisclosed locations.
Stub portals, they're called.
Even the guards don't know
where they are.
They're Peripherals,
piloted remotely.
The Peripherals guarding
the facility will be
just as strong as you are.
Send me to one.
I've arrived.
May I be of assistance?
Maybe.
Can I ask you a question?
Is it still queasy
when you get back?
Or did they fix that?
When you wake up
in your real body,
after your shift
in this Peripheral's done?
Damn it.
You really think
you could escape me so easily?
You have a bad habit
of taking control
of dying things, Cherise.
You have no idea
all you're putting into peril.
They're all here,
aren't they?
All these other lives?
And all I got to do is
choose where I want to begin.
Wait.
I will find you.
I give you my word.
Oh, I wouldn't be so sure,
Cherise.
I think I want to be
the hunter now.
You see,
I know exactly where you are.
And you have no idea
where I'm gonna be.
Not without the coordinates.
No, no, no.
You saying
what I think you are?
You want to reboot.
Like in a sim?
It could save us, Conner.
But I'm gonna need your help
and Lowbeer's, too.
If I can pull it off,
there'll be
whole new versions of us there.
Ones that Cherise
will have nothing to do with.
We'd be safe there.
But dead in our own world.
Unless I'm already gone.
Then she'd have no reason
to blow up that silo.
Fuck.
Burton said in Texas
you once shot somebody
two kilometers out.
Burton's full of shit.
It was at least three klicks.
This thing
that I'm talking about...
...it'd have to look
like Lowbeer sent somebody
as a favor to Cherise,
solving her problem for her.
You understand
what I'm asking you, Conner?
Yeah.
I get it.
What about this world?
We done with it?
No, we'll be back.
Why?
'Cause I'm gonna
kill that bitch.
Yeah?
Yeah.
I know it's a lot, Conner.
But if it helps any,
I've made peace with it.
I'll just take a walk
out past Hawthorne Creek.
And I'll count back
from ten in my head.
Ten.
Nine.
Eight.
Seven.
Six.
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
So...
shall we get to work?
Yeah,
you promise every time,
but you end up
spending the whole meal
talking with your father,
while I'm trapped
with your mother.
My mother enjoys
your company, Dominika.
Which is lovely and
extremely flattering, I'm sure.
But as you're well aware,
the sentiment
isn't entirely reciprocated.
So if you could just
spare me a moment of your...
Oh, Lev. What have you done?
Nothing. I swear.
I love you.
I'm sorry, gentlemen, there seems to be some...
Have a seat.
I was supposed to meet
my father...
Your father sends his regrets.
Wasn't feeling well.
Not in the best of health.
You understand.
As such,
he asked us to speak with you.
About what?
Accepted practices
here in London
since the Putin diaspora.
Mm, how we get along, survive.
Did I do something wrong?
The Research Institute,
placing us at risk.
It's unacceptable.
Absolutely.
There's a price, son.
Listen, gentlemen.
My recruitment of an asset
inside the Research Institute
was nothing outside of the norm.
I was trying to exploit
an opportunity.
But I deeply regret
if I did anything
that you feel could
jeopardize our standing.
I assure you
that was never my intent.
I, uh, sincerely apologize
and can only hope
that you forgive me.
Should see your fucking face!
We get it.
It is always in our interest
to keep tabs on the R.I.
Not only for
moneymaking opportunities
but to protect
our own interests.
Business, otherwise.
None of that matters now.
Time to cut bait.
Do whatever you have to do.
Just cauterize
the wound.
Your asset, any affiliates
come back to you,
they need to vanish.
All of them?
When there's a blight
on the branch
and it threatens
the other trees,
what does the orchard keeper do?
Chops the fucker down.
Burns it.
Not just the branch
either.
The whole fucking tree.
Your wife looked lovely, Lev.
And the children?
This here is us warning you.
You understand?
Cauterize the wound, son.
Or the orchard keeper
will be coming for a visit.
With an axe.
You hungry?
Hmm? Where's that
fucking waiter?
Salud.