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96 Souls (2016)
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Do you use Ketamine? No, Pentobarbital. The first injection will induce sleep. So any pain sunny-girl is experiencing will stop. The second injection will slowly shut down her functions. Then she can have a blessed eternal rest. Are you a professional or a psychic pet whisperer? There's not much that can be done because of her age, Mel. Her stomach's flipped. The surgery would be too stressful. She just... she wouldn't survive. Oh, Jack. Goodbye, proud girl. I appreciate you getting sunny-girl and me. I know this is killing you inside. Take the time. Let it play out. Do you want that box of notebooks still in the hallway? I'll get it when I pick up the rest of the stuff from the garage. Which will be? I've got a review tomorrow. The Alfa needs a battery. And I'm sleeping on a couch in my mother's studio. That's why I haven't collected the rest of my things. I see your follow-through outside the lab hasn't changed. I'll speak with you later. Jack. Don't shove it aside, ok? It'll come back and kick you in the ass later. Morning, Medina. Cheers, ram. Sunny-girl? She went last evening. Arey. I thought she would have a couple months. I know. It's so sad. Is Dr. Sutree ok? When you think of smell detection, it's the nose interacting with the brain. Olfaction. We are the only research group seriously looking into the molecular basis of olfaction involving sight. Does this liquid emit an odor? How would you know? Its molecules have to be wafting through the air, and our noses have to be fairly close. But if you could see odors, think of how helpful that would be. You'd know something about the contents without the unpleasant experience. A major gas leak could be detected from miles away. I probably even know which one of you had coffee brewed from robusta beans this morning. This is quite a departure from the original study, Jack. I mean, insects carry a large number of debilitating diseases. Stopping that spread has always been about using traditional methods to identify what attracts them. Don't underestimate light. Light. It's a food. It nourishes our bodies with vitamin d. It has mass. It occupies space. We now know it can be slowed and stopped. Yes, stopped. It actually behaves differently when it's being observed, almost like it's imbued with a consciousness. Multiple wavelengths of light mixed together give us white light, a mixture of frequencies, all processed by our cortex. But odors... the cortex must process different chemical structures and match them to a stored database of known odors. I think current methods to understand this limit us. They limit all olfactory-based research, every single project in the world. If we can use light to visualize specific pheromones, we've taken it to the next level. Will your work also show us why people near death see a white light? One concept our learned colleagues in this room are familiar with is that the near-death experience comes from the cortex returning to full function after the body's gone through a trauma. Sometimes our neuroscience escapes those of us from the pharmaceutical industry. Is a Bigfoot discovery also imminent? I thought we agreed to keep the work involving your wife's genetic code confidential. At least I know where to find my wife... at home, at night. That's assuming you left her inflated. Gentlemen. Thanks, Dr. Sutree. We will immediately review your latest findings. We need to get to that scheduled luncheon with the rest of the committee. You appear as if you've come up empty-handed, then you feign a new discovery and bite one of the hands that feeds the institution? He obviously slipped through the evolutionary sieve. That's what I'm talking about, Jack. I mean, no one is expecting blind ass-kissing. But these insults... Ass-kissing isn't the issue, Billy. Everyone knows Redfield got on the board because he's in bed with the pill companies. And you can come up with the millions necessary to run this branch of biochemistry? Kowtowing to a special interest portends a myopic approach and a lack of respect from our colleagues throughout the world. At least create the appearance of respectability, especially when the work is questioned. Ram is a neuroscience graduate from Yale. Medina is from the Rockefeller university. Physics and mathematical biology are her specialties. Do you seriously think they'd be wasting their time with crackpot research? Where are you guys with this? The evidence that Dr. Sutree has uncovered is very compelling. Definitely exciting. My colleagues were impressed with the potential correlations discovered here. How close are you and your team? Could there be something concrete by the end of the quarter? It's difficult to say. I'm going to see what I can do. But no more detours. Here are the latest ORNs. Anything interesting? It confirms you're on the right track regarding odor discrimination. Good. I'll take it from here. How late you staying, boss? Just want to finish prepping these detector compounds. Tomorrow. Thanks, ram. Are you and Mrs. Jack still on for dinner? Of course. Hey. I'm having a send-off for sunny-girl tomorrow afternoon. You can join me if you'd like. I'm there. I'm very saddened with your loss, Jack. Sunny-girl was very special. She would certainly have been honored by the Nepal Hindus. Don't worry, I'm not going vicar on you. There was something unique between you and sunny-girl. It was more than friendship. I'd call that spiritual. I'm sad. But spiritual? We are scientists. We compare one thing relative to another. We connect to them in a linear, rational way that makes sense to our brains. Could sunny-girl speak words with you? No. Could she tell when you were sad? Yes. She's gone now. Where do you feel it more... Here or deep inside here? There is a special kind of intelligence inside here too. It's a spiritual intelligence... A spiritual energy. It was more than friendship. It was spiritual. I appreciate the kind thoughts, ram. I'm bringing a young lady friend who caught my eye to dinner. Let me know if you think I have a chance. What? Ram, something's happening. He didn't even see me come in. He's been at it for over an hour. My gosh. He's been here all night. All night? Making breakfast for everyone? I think we got something here, ram. I plugged in the discrimination factors, and they seem to have taken things to the next level. Are we talking practical or theoretical? I'm saying the cat's in the bag. But it appears the bag may be too small. Ram. Hit the lights. Wow. Medina! Hang on. Don't rub, don't rub. You ok? Say something, Jack. Aah. Just keep breathing. Jack, doctor, say something. Are you ok? Ok. Here you go. Here you go. Here you go. Ugh! All right. Come on, this way. This way. I'm going to shut down the experiment. All right. I'm going to check your eyes. Lean back, please. What? How do you feel? Like I was just shot through the "2001" star gate. Wow, my eyes felt like they were on fire. You were here all night, Jack. Well, after you left, I plugged in the ORN data you gave me. It fell right into place with the theoretical values we set up. When I saw that, I didn't want to stop. I needed to see if it could actually work. Did it? I didn't get to test all the wavelengths. But so far, no. Close but no cigar. Thanks, both of you. I know I can be a taskmaster at times. And I appreciate you going with the change in direction. We support your work, Jack. The other things, well, just have a bit more faith in your staff. Mhm. You want some, Jack? No. But try to keep sunny-girl's ashes curry-free, will you? Heh. Your eyes... is it the spices? You know, they've never affected me before. Photophobia maybe? I don't know. Well, Jasmine is in bloom. Maybe allergies. Ram, roll down your window. Jack, are you ok? I feel a little dizzy. Jack? Jack, are you ok? You ok, Jack? Jack? I saw it. I saw it all. What did you see? The scent of the oranges. The flowers' attractants. The burnt hydrocarbons. I could see it, ram. It was all there. What did you see? Colors. Even your curry in your container and on your breath. I could see the aromas swirling, naturally flowing in the air. It was astonishing. You saw this without the apparatus? Are you sure? Yes, yes, yes, of course. The gases I mixed in the lab must be some residue. Why can you see this now? I don't know. You ever have a song change your life? There's one from a while back. You might not be familiar with it, ram. My dad used to play it all the time. A song describing stardust and billion-year-old carbon. Those words connected who we are here to the stars in the universe. And I wanted to be a part of that. That's why I went into science. Now I'm about to scatter this very special collection of billion-year-old carbon into the sea. Bye, girl. Ugh! Thanks, ram. Let's get back to the lab. The compounds must have gone through some sort of change when the gases distilled. We can begin a full analysis. Just prepare everything in the morning and wait till I get back. Tomorrow morning. Tomorrow morning. I have to see my mom and... oh, damn, that freaking deposition. Billy, great. Whoa. What... Oh, it's nothing. There's been a breakthrough. We have proof. Scents, smells can be visualized. They can be seen without any special instruments. Seriously? We're about to give every institution researching Chemoreception a run for its money, man. Can you see them now? It was only temporary. But I could see them flowing out like hundreds of fountains and at different rates. Graham's law of effusion seen with the naked eye. It was uncanny, illuminating, a radical shift in our understanding of the visual senses. Imagine an app on a smart device that you move over a patient, and then it points you in the right direction. Well, I'm glad I took action. What do you mean? The regents... they moved to pull the funding. Oh. I came here to tell you there's a separate fund I can tap. It's used for emergencies. It will allow you to continue for a while. A while? Through next month. Christ, do me a favor. Smear some testosterone cream between your legs and grow a pair. Don't you realize what we have here? They're walking all over you! It will have to do for now, Jack. And if what you're saying is true, the funding will happen. All we need is the proof. Ram, let's keep this quiet for now. Even from Medina? Yes. I'll lock up. See you at dinner. Damn. All right, there's got to be a better way than this. Oh, hey, ram. Something came up. Melanie can't make it. Everything ok? Well, we're working some things out. I've been staying at my mom's house. No, no, I meant your eyes. You're rubbing them. Is it the same sensation as earlier? Probably a latent effect. Something came up with my dinner date as well. She brought a friend. How long have you been with the university, Dr. Sutree? Sorry. Over a decade. And ram tells me that your lab is involved with world health. Yes, practically every university research group is trying to eradicate the spread of malaria and dengue. Studying the odors our bodies give off could be a way to help do that. Mosquitoes seem to be attracted to these odors. Wouldn't improving the infrastructure so that cleanliness wasn't an issue keep them away? It's more complicated than that. Our bodies also give off natural pheromones, regardless of our cleanliness. Sounds like there is more to attraction than just wearing aftershave or perfume. Oh, I daresay pheromone detection would even be able to tell when a woman is ovulating. Dr. Sutree, has your department tapped into the data mining modules that Brenda's group has developed? Not that I'm aware of. John is an amazing programmer. He's been assisting me on the voice-pert project. The goal is for workers throughout the state health care system to be able to instantaneously search any database via voice recognition. She's just impressed because I'm really sensitive to semicolons and parentheses. So John, will you be staying and ordering food or just having a drink? Yeah. I haven't eaten. I only ask because when I invited Brenda to dinner, I didn't know that an expert in parentheses and semicolons would be joining us. Oh, I apologize, ram. I just thought it would be good for John to meet Dr. Sutree. We'll take care of our part. No problem, dude. I can cover myself. How about some oyster shooters? Yeah. We're doing studies on parasites that cannot survive without their host or hostess. Cool. Did I miss something, Dr. Sutree? Oh, I was just thinking, it's a bold man who first ate an oyster. Tell me about it. Well, that was one of the most interesting dinners I've ever had. Do you think I have a chance with Brenda, Jack? Ram, there's a western expression that associates potential romance with an ocean of sea life. You may want to swim yourself over to a different section of the sea. This pair seems a bit small, ma. I've always been a size 7. I guarantee you not one part of my body has grown with that food they give me. Grown with? I thought you were a proud grammarian. Being chair-bound for a year could have something to do with it, don't you think? Nonsense. There we go. If it feels too tight, I don't want you wearing them, no matter how good they look. You sometimes have to suffer for beauty, hon. You're already beautiful, and it wasn't from any suffering. Your father wouldn't have agreed with that. I'll take them. Ok. One, two, three. Are you comfortable, Katie? I'm ok. Nurse? Why did the doctor add these three new medications? Your mother was complaining she wasn't able to get to sleep. Ma, how do you feel? I'm tired. Ask the doctor not to be so liberal with the medication. Shoe shopping is exhausting, even for a young person. I got to go now, ma. I'm heading downtown. A new one? I finished it in art class a few days ago. Beautiful. I love you. Rest. Do you know him, Mr. Sutree? I thought I did, but no. Why are you taking his picture? How does he look to you? He wasn't doing well last evening. But he's stable now. You ok? I'm late for a meeting. Dr. Sutree has arrived. Thank you. My apologies for the delay. Just be seated, Dr. Sutree, and we'll begin. We appreciate you agreeing to be an expert witness. Sure. Could I have some water, please? This is the videotaped deposition of John Benjamin Sutree taken by counsel for the plaintiff in the matter of "Karin Honeygrove versus Bioren pharmaceuticals," held in the offices of Tromo, Gatelitt, Roberts located at 304 Broadway, los Angeles, California. If counsel would now please state their appearances starting with the party noticing this deposition. Marsha tweed, representing the plaintiff. Van Tromo, representing Bioren pharmaceuticals. Please state your full legal name. And John Benjamin Sutree. And Mr. Sutree, what is your present home address? 815 garden road... sorry. 1956 victory Lane, Los Angeles. How long have you lived there? Um, two months. Please raise your right hand. Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you will give here in this deposition proceeding be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? I do. Are you here today under subpoena, sir? Yes, I am. Let's start with your medical background. Are you a medical doctor? No, I'm a doctor of science. I have a PHD in biological sciences from Stanford. Any other degrees? A bachelor's in physics and a master's in medical biochemistry from the university of Chicago. Doctor, what is your current occupation? I'm employed as the head of olfactory research at city university. Did you attend the meeting at Bioren pharmaceuticals December 17, 2010? I did attend the meeting, but I'm not sure of the date. Why did you attend the meeting? Specifically to do a detailed analysis of the ingredients for a new aerosol spray that permitted the user to inhale rather than digest vitamins. We were there to present our take on the ingredients. At this meeting at Bioren, sir, was there discussion as to any possible ill effects from the vitamin spray? That meeting encompassed a number of findings, but none that I recall discussed Noxae gradients. Spell that please. N-o-x-a-e. And does that mean? It's the plural of noxious. It refers to a poisonous substance. I object. We're beginning to get into what sounds like protected materials. I'm instructing you not to answer, as this information violates a confidentiality agreement with Bioren. I further object under paragraph 9 of the case management order. On the contrary, he must answer. You are required to answer the questions, sir. Just a moment. Maybe it's time we make a phone call to judge Renfrew to discuss the terms of the case management order. This entire line of inquiry is in violation of a confidentiality agreement and may violate the case management order. Sir, I don't know of anything in the previous order that permits you to call judge Renfrew when we're conducting the deposition. It's not fair to the witness. He hasn't finished his answer. Please complete your answer about the Noxae ingredients. I'd like to call an end of this for today. I told you, from what we analyzed, the ingredients were fine. If you wish to draw other conclusions, get them from someone else. But you can't just leave. You're here under a subpoena. Jack, please sit. I'm assuming you people have put in the time to study the analysis, the results we all gathered. If you haven't, you're all fools. I could get the research and read it off to you if you like. Pretty exciting stuff. Was that a yes or no? It's a fuck you. Get yo' ass outta here! What you care? Leave him be, stalagmite! Yo, go somewhere else and do some throw-ups or something. I'll get Remey to whoop your ass. Sheeit. Busta lickin' punk! Bitch! You all right, mister. Holy shit. Yeah. You come running out that building swatting the fuzzy or something like that. You're kidding. All I remember is I was on my feet running. Now I got this pain in my head. Starts in your feet then goes to your head. Just 'cause you feel it means your roots aren't dead. La da Dee, la da da. La da Dee, la da da. Hey, don't worry. Nothing's missing. I made sure. Please. Please. What? You in love? My name's Jack. Bazemint. Bazemint tape. Bazemint tape? Yeah, what about it? No, no. Nothing. A musician, right? Better believe it. Well, I want to thank you for watching over me. I got to go back to work now. How'd you know? What? I was into music? Easy... your name. You going to be able to keep it real? Yeah. I just lost myself a little earlier. Not normal for me. Yeah, I know what that's like. But you know what? There is nothing stranger than a normal person. Thank you again, Bazemint. You're very kind. Just don't be normal. Jack, what happened? Nothing. What are you doing? Measuring quantities from the experiment. I thought I made it clear to let things be until I returned. Dr. bleu instructed me to organize our work. But look what I found. Based on the quantities that we started with and what was left, 60 milliliters were expended. So it didn't take much to have an effect. How much is left? 2.82 liters. That's 92 more applications. Pardon? The effect diminishes with time, ram. We need to make more. Everything's documented, so it shouldn't be a problem to formulate. What's bleu want with the information? He didn't say. If your eyesight was any better, you'd be able to see through people. What's that supposed to mean? Your vision's fine, Jack. Why so testy? I'm sorry, Hugo. Everything's hitting at once. What's new in your department? We have a few clinical trials going on for Redfield's group. One's on lowering blood glucose levels with prednisolone acetate, eye drops for diabetics. Is there no escaping the wake of his pharmaceutical swill? I don't follow. He's smothering the firewall between research and commerce. Ah, it's the times we're in, Jack, with funding and all. He's got programs throughout the county health system, in the prison system, even at the state hospital. Teargarden? Limited liability risk. Testing new drugs on the insane. I didn't say that was going on. Oh, you don't have to. It's the Redfield way. Thanks, Hugo. Jack. Here, I can't seem to open this. Come in. Surprised I'm here, right? In a church nave, yes. In my home, not at all. Well, I appreciate you getting together on such short notice. You know, back in my teens, I experienced one of the best flavor sensations ever to hit my tongue. It started with a short crunch followed by sweetness and then a zap of slight burning. You continued chewing. And when the combination moved further into the mouth, oh, it was like a wave of flavor breaking on the back of my tongue. And now, decades later, I plan to recapture that experience. French, Vietnamese, Italian? Onion rings. You know, where the onion doesn't get lost in the ring but still doesn't overpower it. I think they're ready. Right. Now, you and I are going to experience a little bit of heaven on this beautiful earth. There. Your meals always give faith a good name. Stuart, something's happened. I can't for the life of me explain. There was a lab accident that affected my eyes. Your eyesight ok? Yes. I don't know how to tell you with a straight face. I'm seeing things. While I'm awake, in broad daylight. You're serious? I'm dead serious. My dog just passed away. But after the lab accident, I saw her. She was there, so vivid in the room, so real it hurt my heart. I was visiting my mother in her nursing home. When I left, I saw an elderly man in another room. Floating above him, I saw a younger version of that man. I was just at a deposition today. Sitting opposite me was an executive I've never met. Then a separate lurid vision of him appears. Maybe you have an explanation. Or am I losing it? Oh, I know you. You're not crazy. But to see something, you have to believe in it, right? I look over there, and I see an onion, because I believe it's an onion. I don't believe in magic or pious spirits. Why the visions? Maybe you need to approach this phenomenon in a different manner. The onion, please. Go ahead. Now, forget that you know it's a bulbous, yellowish, brown vegetable, ok? Try to meet it on its own terms. It's a sphere, right? Well, look closely. Look at the bottom and follow it up. It's not really a sphere. As a man of science you might see that it's actually a bloom of linear vectors pushing upwards. Now, peel off the outside layer. Go ahead. Notice how it's dry. But how dry? It's not of powdered dry or an old crusty dry that crumbles. No, it's a fresh type of dry. In fact, compared to other dry things in this world, you could say its dryness is actually exquisite. Now, here. Slice it open. Go on. Ah, look at that. You've opened the floodgates of being. Life inside of death. Now, how do we know it's alive? Try to put the two halves back together. You can't. The pieces of its being were held under compression, as are all living things. Now, notice we can't escape the aroma that fills the air released from its flowing juices. Just seconds ago, there was very little smell. It was contained in that exquisite dryness, if you remember. Shit, I'll never look at an onion the same way again. When you see one of those visions, forget any previous associations that may come into your mind. Focus your consciousness deeply. Forget what you don't believe. Look at what it means to you. You're all fools. I can get the research and read it off to you, if you like. Pretty exciting stuff. Would you like me to do that? Because if you want me to, I will. Was that a yes or no? It's a fuck you. Jury profiling begins tomorrow. Jury selection is around the corner. And you, our expert witness, leave a deposition that could lead to us losing the entire case. Listen, I'm exhausted. The pressure to produce results has become almost unbearable. But I just can't stress enough the importance of what we've stumbled onto, especially now, because it's taken a new twist. What are you talking about, Jack? The vision enhancements have deviated away from odor signatures. What is it? What are you talking about? Personality traits. Scientific results are governed by perception. You know this better than anyone here, Clayton. A drug is developed to relieve chest pain. It fails. But someone looked at that failure differently. It turns out it inhibits an enzyme allowing blood to flow to the penis. It becomes the most successful drug in history. Well, what we discovered in the lab, the ability to see the aromas a substance gives off, has shifted to the ability to see what an individual emanates. You know how we describe someone like, he beams confidence, or, she has a glow about her? There's now a way that can actually be seen. It can be physically observed and described in detail. Jack. This is a university biomedical research department. We have 24 faculty Emeriti who conduct ongoing research into cancer, infectious diseases, physics, often in collaboration with the heads of laboratories and hospitals around the world. They all stay in high esteem, because they back up their work with confirmed experiment. You yourself... you yourself... loudly proclaim that magical thinking can't solve problems. But you continue to make outrageous claims. The perception is that the university's money and resources are being wasted. I think this has gotten out of hand. You're right. What I've experienced has to be formalized. I just wish you could see it for yourself. Redfield, what's the most important part of a court trial? It's happening within days... jury selection. Clayton, what do you want done with this project? Give me some additional time. That is no longer an option. Your dependability has come into question. Can you give the baronial attitude a rest and listen? Just one day. If I can't show you something convincing by the end of tomorrow, I'll do whatever you want. End the research. Give it to someone else to continue. Anything. Come on, Clayton. 24 hours. Do you see this button here? When you push it, it will be similar to the burst of air you get when an optometrist tests for glaucoma. Clever Medina. Now there won't be any waste. Thanks to Dr. Machado. Do I have enough for three or four applications? Easily. Ram added the solution to this small capsule here. Be sure everything is recorded. Got it. This enhancement in your vision you described... Why the sudden change? Did something happen at home? It's strange, ram. I was working. I dozed off. I woke up. Then I saw sunny-girl. Sunny-girl? Perhaps there is an additional factor we are not considering... The mix of our emotions and consciousness. We work in the representational world defined by formulas. Yes, emotions can be an obstacle to rational thought. But we also know extreme emotional grief affects every part of the body. Stress can alter the body chemistry. You're getting at what happens with something like serotonin. Serious bereavement can cause serotonin levels in the brain to drop. Hallucinations are associated with neurotransmitter disturbances. Not a hallucination. The brain is more than electrical and chemical reactions operating in a chunk of meat. Consciousness is also in there. And this combination helped to alter your perception from enhanced observations... fragrances... To informed visions. Objective, persistent, and timeless... those are the principles any phenomenon needs to be held to. If your theory holds up with those in mind, I'm willing to pass through any doors of perception you're attempting to open. Yes, Jack. But we must also remember the lesson that you taught us. Honor the elders, embrace the new, and applaud the impracticable. Let's keep thinking about it. I've got to go. Hi. I'm Dr. Jack Sutree. I work with Dr. Redfield in the university biosciences department. Trixie Tao. A pleasure. Is Dr. Redfield attending today? No. I'm here to observe the jury profiling. Why is that? I'm going to note any characteristics that may not be obvious to others. Hopefully it will provide some help for your process. I assure you we don't need any assistance in what we do. Oh, I understand. It's sort of research for a new approach Dr. Redfield wants to explore. Do you have a way different from ours to predict whether or not a prospective juror may be dangerous to a case? Because we already cover life experiences, predisposed attitudes, and believes. We go below the surface. Let's just say our approach focuses on what's behind the person. Is there an area where I'll be out of the way? Through that door. There's a small room with a one-way glass. You'll have all the privacy you need. Thanks Ms. Tao. Here. These are the evaluation guidelines that our social scientists have developed for each candidate. I'll make notes for each one. Knock yourself out. So as I was saying... What do you feel is important about having laws? Everyone knows laws were established for people's own good. It's dangerous when laws are not obeyed. Is there ever a time when the law should not be obeyed? Never. If people don't obey the law, we would have total chaos. Whoa. Someone implies something about you that is not true. How does that affect you? It doesn't. It doesn't affect me at all. We can't help it if someone gets the wrong idea about us. Hmm. Can we help it if someone says something about us that isn't true? Which us president do you admire most? Why, our current president. Oh, really? Have you ever worked as a janitor, been a business owner, or worked in a hospital? In college, I worked part time as a janitor. Well, that's refreshing. Do you play the lottery? That's one vice that I don't have. You sure about that? Do you feel drugs should be legalized? They already are. What do you expect when, as you're approaching a parking spot, another car races by and takes it? The driver is in the wrong to do that. And it makes me angry. Thank you. Candidate 14, please. What was the name of the last book you read? "Four past midnight." Thank you. Roger? Roger. Call 911. What happened? You passed out and were rushed to the hospital. No. What happened to us? Your walking shoes. For a moment, I thought we were back in Paris. Rest, Jack. You're still out there. Could you close that cabinet drawer? Now you're back. Mm. I'm serious, Mel. What happened to us? Answers would be nice. I'm just busy doing other things now, just like you. Hi, I'm Jim Erlandson. Mrs. Sutree? Yes. Mr. Sutree, I understand you were at a jury selection procedure. Why were you there? I'm an expert witness in a case. Was there any stress or trauma that occurred during the process? None, no. What about at work? Would you say the stress level there is above normal? Where you going with this, doctor? I'm a boring research scientist at cu. You appear to be a normally healthy individual. But your cortisol... 18, no more than 23 micrograms per deciliter is ok. You came in here at over 50. Really? What is it now? It's ok. You're normal. It's just if it had stayed that high, it would have started attacking your brain. Eventually you would have gone into cardiac shock. Look, does your work expose you to drugs or stimulants? Cut the crap. We don't abuse our privileges. Jack. Ok. You need to review your last few days for anything unusual, anything you reacted to, anything that caused emotional distress. Because if what happened today happens again, your wife is going to visit you on a slab. He came in like Dr. Jekyll. But wouldn't you know? He's Mr. Hyde. Could you hand me my phone? What happened today? I've stumbled onto something, Mel. I don't understand it all yet. But it seems to be something that will make some noise and change things. You are lying in a hospital bed with your vital signs on display. Haven't things changed enough? He said I'm fine. What's on the other side? I'm not chasing the cat this time. Your work is removed from real life. And I know what happened to us. Your work removed you from our marriage. Dr. Sutree? Hold on, ram. Why do you do it? I guess for the same reasons you and I walk together along the left bank. It's exciting. And it makes me happy. Sorry, ram. Sutree showed up during jury profiling yesterday. Why? How would I know? He became sick and was hospitalized. What? What happened? Where is he? Oh, he's discharged. We should think about shifting gears. He has good predocs working with him. We should put them to better use. There's a decline effect, ram. How do you mean? I lost the ability to see into people yesterday. Even after repeated applications, the effect never came back. And I've run out of time. Any idea what might have changed? The effect first happened within an hour, when we were driving. It came back later that evening at the restaurant. And then when I went home, I experienced it again. No. No, it went away at that point. I could no longer see aromas. The condition progressed to the visions. I still think it's related to one subjective consciousness. Emotion was part of it. The first vision was sunny-girl. But the man at the nursing home, the lawyer, the deposition, the jury pool... none of them meant anything to me. No, no, Jack. The trigger. I'm talking about a triggering agent. It sets things in motion. You were so distressed when we scattered sunny-girl's ashes. Sunny-girl. Ram, sunny-girl. Billion-year-old carbon. The song? Hey, you tell your students that using your formula app is cheating. It's my app. Sweet app. The most important element in life. The thing that ties everything together. It was added when her ashes flew into my eyes. After a few hours, it altered the effect. Bazinga! Ashes! Activated carbon. A purifying agent. I'll wager my life it's the triggering agent. Billion-year-old carbon! Yes! Careful. It's super... get it all on the plastic. Go ahead. Ok. Ok, here we go. Are you ok? Wow. It feels robust. Damn. Too many variables are at work. We need a subject to properly document this, or it remains a theorem without any proof. The psychology department has the biggest research pool. Do you want me to get someone from there? No. I have someone in mind. I'll be back. Listen, mister. I don't turn tricks, if that's why you wanted to meet me. No, no, nothing like that. I'm from cu. Speak English. The university down the road. You a teacher? More of a scientist. Bioscience. I study ways to improve life. Look around here. You got your work cut out for you, playa. Those supposed to mean you cool? What, these? You may be a professor, but you in need of some serious streetcreducation. Do you remember when you helped me the other day? Yeah, when you was running like a mad scientist? Very good, yes. Well, you struck me as a possible subject for our study. You want to study Bazemint? What for? I'll be honest. I don't know. But when we first met, I saw potential. And I think there's value in pursuing that. Are you sure you're not trying to mingle me? Mingle you? Yeah, because I don't do that. Anymore. Look, I'm not planning any tricks here. I assure you my intentions are strictly scientific. And the cheese? I can get you a couple hundred dollars for your time. What you looking for, professor Jack? That, Bazemint, is precisely what I hope you can help me find out. This gonna be on YouTube? Scientific experiment or cat video... I wonder which will get more hits. Y'all got al-Gore-rhythms? Algorithms? Yes, we use them. That shit really gone change the world? They already have, for sure. What's your name again? Ram. You named after a goat? My full name is ramble. You named after a goat taking a stroll? My father's name is Penku Tambel. He's a big Creedence fan. So he named me after his favorite song, "ramble tamble," except mine is spelled with an e-l, not an l-e. Jeez Louise. Sorry I asked. We're all set, Jack. You ready? What I'm supposed to do? Just relax. You all right? I don't know what it is about you. Yeah, I get that a lot. How does it look, ram? There is a lot here, Jack. The good news... your heart rate stayed normal. You were never at risk. Are you all right? Yeah. Was that ok? Why did you hold my shoulder? You looked like you needed help. Did I screw up already? No. No, you were fine. We've had a good start. I need to study what we did here before we do more. Can I call upon you in another day or so to do another session? Ok. But I need something else. Well, my funds are limited. Don't trip off that. I don't want more cheese. I want you to find someone for me. Find someone? That's not what we do. But you full of science swag here. I mean, look around. You got some serious, ginormous science swag. We wouldn't be the best people to help locate someone. I don't even know where to begin. You a scientist? Yes. You a scientist, in a big-ass school. And you got al-Gore-rhythms, right? Algorithms, correct. Listen. You got computers. You got a way to do it. No one else has ever cared to help me with this. There are missing persons organizations that can help. Don't you think I seen them already? They couldn't do nothing. It's different if you give it a try. Look, you says you want to improve life. Start with me. Start with this life. I can't promise we'll succeed, but I tell you what. We'll give it a shot. Who do you want to find? Well, it's hard to talk about, because it ain't no one's business. It's your mother. How did you know i... I want to know where's my mama? Is she still in the area? Did she move away? It's been so long. And she was always sick. But I think she's around here. Can you help me find her? We'll try. Thank you. Professor Jack, when you were staring at me, what did you see? I still need more time to understand things. But I can tell you this. Don't ever deny yourself and your ability to do things, Bazemint. You know your friend from dinner? Brenda? Yes. She's working with the county health administration. Ask if she can check if Bazemint's mom ever turned up in the system. What is her name? Nina. Nina Orleans. And what name did your mother give you? Simone. Simone. Redfield. Dr. Redfield, it's Trixie Tao. We had enhanced background checks done on all the prospective jurors. It's unbelievable. What's unbelievable? I'd understand if he was correct about two, maybe three, people. That's the norm. But he was spot on with every single person. We've never seen that before. Details, Ms. Tao. Who is he? Your colleague, Dr. sutree. He flagged several of the potential jurors as not trustworthy before he became ill. They all had passed the initial standard screening that was done. But when we went back and fed the info into our new security tap, six of the individuals had enough in their backgrounds to make them ineligible. I just sent the results to you. By the way, how is he? I need to contact him. Do you know what this means for any challenge that ends up in front of a jury? Yeah, don't worry. I'll set something up. Here's what we came up with. There is a Nina Orleans in the system. Committed to Teargarden 15 years ago. An addict. Apparently the addiction took her over the edge. She had a daughter. And the daughter was taken away and placed in foster care. That's who we're looking for! Is she still there? Oh, there's an issue with Teargarden. They've never kept good records. They've since cleaned house. About five years ago, the times ran an expose. Unfortunately, there's a gap in the information. Is there another place we can look? Well, I would suggest going right there. There's piles of handwritten case records that have never been entered. I wouldn't know where to begin to look. Oh, I can help you with that. Brenda, I wanted to let you know how wonderful it is that you have been of such great assistance. I'll call Blythe Bowlby, and I'll set everything up. John can accompany you. He is familiar with the data interface, and he'll know who to speak with. Great. And thank you very much for the gift, ram. You're very welcome. It says it all, doesn't it? Predocs work so many hours in the day that we're always pooped. So what kind of music you into, man? I really don't know how that is of importance. It can be. Depending. Depending on? Well, when I slam through coding, listening to grizzly bear helps. But that's an exception. I don't like lame-stream. Fascinating. Or when I'm clubbing, MC boy, "transmission of love." I like something more intense. These groups don't play at the clubs near campus. Not here. At hung Lo's, on the Westside. Never heard of it. You should check it out some time. If you're into guys. What? What would make you say something like that to me? Hung Lo's, it's a gay club I like. Oh. I'm so happy. I thought you were talking about that Chinese restaurant, hung Lao's. No. No, hung lo. It's a place to get down and let loose. Get loose. Would you like to hear a song I'm thinking in my head? She's not your girlfriend. She's not your girlfriend. It's ok, man. Relax. Gentlemen, please come this way. That's mine. That's mine. It's mine. Thank you. No problem. Thank you. Gentlemen. You see that row of records here? Our people went through them in preparation for digitization. We did not find any records of what happened to Nina Orleans. Nothing. What was most likely her outcome? Most likely, she wasn't discharged. That rarely has happened. She probably passed on. She was pretty bad off. Someone in her condition doesn't have a long life. I'm sorry I couldn't have more definitive news or happier news for that matter. It's ok. Thank you for your generous time. Anything to help Brenda's group. Her modernization of the state's health services system is most appreciated. Some people were here for years, and no one even knew who they were. You lose your mind. They lose your identity. This suck... oh, sorry, dude. It's ok. It's ok. She might be with the lost souls. What's that, my friend? She might be with the lost souls. Well put. Downstairs, in the library of ash. It used to be, when someone died here at Teargarden, sometimes there was no one to claim them. They were cremated. And their remains were stored here. Those are the lost souls. In the cans. They call it the library of ash. This is extraordinarily generous, Clayton. I don't understand. How is this possible? There's a sword of Damocles hanging over the entire pharmaceutical industry. It's being kept quiet. But the therapeutic power of drugs has been steadily waning for several years now. We're losing the battle to help the mind, William. There's a worldwide scramble for the next psychoactive. Yes, but how does this tie into Jack's research. He may have stumbled onto a gateway to a major advancement. Please, sit, Dr. sutree. You and I are alike in some ways. We both started with a childhood fascination with the sciences. It came from observing the things in life that are full of whimsy. It's very seductive, especially to a young mind. And you and I, unlike the average Joe, we took things a step further. We observed the whimsical, but we backed it up with facts. That's what science is. So here's where we are. I've secured all the funding you'll ever need to continue your research. You'll have the time and the supplies required. What's he mean, Billy? It's right here, Jack. It's the largest amount ever granted in the history of this department. But because of the, let's say, mercurial behavior that's been reported, there are conditions. Ah. Conditions. Does it matter? You practically have carte Blanche to finally understand what you discovered. But where does this lead? What's the end result, Redfield? Everything will be under your direction. You will receive full credit. Who owns the polio vaccine? What? The polio vaccine... Who owns the patent? No one. It wasn't for filling the coffers of some giant multinational. It was given to the world. And it made the world a better place. You know, for such a brilliant man, you can be very naive. That's occurred because it was determined that the national foundation for infantile paralysis could not obtain a patent. The real irony is that Jonas Salk's discovery would have benefited man even more if it had been patented. Why does every discovery have to be motivated by a cash grab? Jonathan swift said it best. Money is useful. Love of it, hazardous. There's nothing new here, Jack. You know this is the way it works. Your hero, swift... you know he had Meniere's disease. Untreatable in his day. Now we have meclizine and Diazepam to help people cope with it. There's no denying drugs have benefited mankind. But I've been in the trenches of your broad marketplace, the nursing homes where your miracle drugs are administered. You know what? It's not working out too well. We have zombies lying in hospital beds. Basic cable their caregiver. Those poor people. Desires that have been neutered. The system has become a legitimized Pablo Escobar, and you unflinchingly supply them, because it's big money. You've replaced cups of hot tea and warm kisses with millions of plastic pill organizers demanding to be filled. What really caused the great social shift that we have witnessed? It's time the windfalls were more human and less financial. Don't avoid the question. Who put all the people in the homes? The families. Brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and the children. They are the reason for the avalanche that has uncontrollably spilled into countless rest homes. But you will never in a million years find an individual snowflake ever taking responsibility for their part in that avalanche. You have a mother in a nursing home, don't you? Can't go crying to your mommy about this letdown. You, Dr. sutree, are one sorry, sanctimonious snowflake. Jack, don't! Don't, Jack! You, sir, have just assaulted a university board member. Your boy. Hi, Mel. My car just stranded me about a half mile from our place. I know we agreed to our separate spaces, but I got to stop by and get something out of the garage. I promise I'll leave as soon as I'm done. [Music - Marie Baraton and Pierre Andre Athane, ["a Paris les Jours sans"] I'm done, Mel. I've lost everything. What? Maybe the job. The discovery. My colleagues. I remember when I visited Notre dame. We had the sight of the cathedral on our right. And on the left, we crossed a bridge. And we ended up on the ILE Saint-Louis. And further down on the left, you took me to the best crepe shop I have ever been to, filled with locals. Neither one of us knew anything about where to eat in Paris. But you had a sense, Jack. You had a natural instinct about things. I don't know, you followed the sense in the air and tracked the movements of the locals. You observed the looks on the faces of the people exiting the bistros. And you processed all of that to discover exactly the right places for us to go to. Who wouldn't fall in love with a scientist who could muster his abilities to provide his woman with a decent meal? Who wouldn't fall in love? Thanks. Still there. My other charger's in the Alfa. Your Alfa Naufrago. You finally ready to get rid of that hunk of metal? Hey. I always like things that look good. Any relapses from the other day? It's under control. You saw the dresser. You're not crawling the walls. There's hope for mankind yet. If we're lucky. Forget the rumors. We are not ceasing operation of this lab. The department feels that, even with Dr. Sutree's absence, the importance of the work demands that we continue. The last thing any of us want is for the research community to perceive that we have dropped the ball. Ram, call me when you hear this. I'll be visiting my mother. Thanks. What's that on the board over there? Ram. We formalized what Dr, sutree was doing at the time of the lab accident. This formula is for a gaseous substance that he created. Once it distilled, it cooled into a liquid. Was the liquid used to coat special lenses or something like that? Dr. sutree applied the liquid directly into his eyes. Where's this liquid now? It's gone. It used to be in the cabinet. Any idea who might have taken it? We know it wasn't Dr. sutree, because the door is open. I don't follow. He can't stand anything left open... doors, drawers, or anything out of its place. This is a backup pair of the goggle we developed as a delivery mechanism for the liquid. They're used to apply small dosage directly onto the eyes. How long before it takes effect? Within an hour. Here's what I want the both of you to do. Immediately create a new batch of liquid. Follow the formula and procedures exactly. I take it you have all the necessary supplies. Actually, it's ready to go. Then we'll have something by day's end. Agreed? Ok. If you need help or anything else, just ring me up. Sabahu al-Khayer. Alaikum wa salam. Mr. Tambel. Could I have a word with you, please? I understand you and Dr. Sutree had a close working relationship. I guess so. He's been very supportive. You're near the completion of your doctorate. I want you to know there is no reason to be concerned with any interruptions that might impede your goal. You have the full support of this department. That is very much appreciated. So the department can depend on a 100% commitment from you. 105%. Good day, Mr. Tambel. Keep up the good work. What did he want? Directions to Nambla. Mr. sutree? Morning. Where is she? We left so many messages. I'm so sorry. When? She was extremely nauseated and experiencing a great deal of pain the day before yesterday. Her feet and ankles were swollen. Dr. Walters here rushed her to the hospital. It was her chronic infection. It finally shut down her kidneys, and that was it. If it means anything, your mother was so proud of you. She told me she was blessed to have a son who worked hard, who was honest, who looked for ways to help people. What is this? It's time to do something about the 50-ton elephant in the room. Sutree has suffered a major breakdown. This is bellicose, even for you, Clayton. I've never heard of this happening to a faculty member. We live in bellicose times, William. Whenever something is amiss, you need to take action fast. Yes, but this sets a serious procedure in motion. A psychiatric ward? Dr. Doodnaugh agrees. This is a serious matter. Azro, don't you think this is an overly aggressive move? Based on the video that Clayton shared with us and the depositions of the witnesses, this is indeed a serious matter. This man appears to be a danger to himself and to people around him. Depositions? Depositions are already in place? There's too much potential on the table to hesitate one second. Where does this leave Jack? He'll have some of the best care available. The most important thing is this procedure protects the university's interests in the authorship of the research. Jack? You're freaking me out. You're here in my chapel? It was my mom's favorite place. Oh. My friend, I'm so sorry. Dear, departed one. Requiescat in pace. Please, come this way. You shouldn't be standing here alone. It's ok. I'm good. Plus, I asked my research assistant to meet me here. So I should stay inside. Listen, something's happened. Maybe a breakthrough in this thing I'm struggling with. Ram, good. Your mechanic said this replacement part should work. Thanks. Do you know reverend Halloway? I do now. Namaste. Namaste. Follow my thinking, Stuart. Consider your reflection in the mirror or the sight of a rainbow in the sky. Neither is really there. But the image is projected on the back of your retina. You can take a picture of them with a camera. But the things I'm seeing cannot be photographed. They only exist here, in my head. Why in your head? Remember the onion you talked about? What defines why we see it? Waves. Light waves. Waves from all sorts of directions. Where they interfere defines that onion. You show me it's cosmic and intimate, all at once. A beautiful, mysterious thing full of query. Light waves are a form of visible energy. Somehow, through the lab accident, I've become sensitive to other forms of invisible energy. You're saying you can see the very energy of life? Jack, may I? When you saw sunny-girl, what did you see? She was happy. Very happy, the way she always was. That's her essence, Jack. You were seeing her essence... the energy of the essence of what she was. Reverend Halloway, Jack has this very special connection with one subject we met. He had one test session with her. A homeless musician, Bazemint. When we first met, I had an unusually strong vision with her unlike all the others. During the session, she touched my shoulder. That's when I saw even more than her essence, if that's what we're calling it. I started seeing things that affect her essence. Our senses are the gateway to our mind. Perhaps now, the gateway to the soul. Is a final theory of consciousness at hand, a way to translate and study the metadata of the soul? The girl you were studying... when will you work with her again? It's not possible now. Dr. Redfield has taken over the lab. With everything that's happened, it's imperative that you come up with solid substantiation, indisputable proof, of what you have. Or you're going to be gorged by a pack of hungry wolves. How bad is it at the lab? I can't get in without Medina or Redfield. No, I have to get in somehow. I need to retrieve the flask. But it's missing from the cabinet. Oh, I didn't leave it in the cabinet. Dr. sutree, huzzah! Go pick up Bazemint. I'm going to drop the starter in my car. Stuart, can you get us into a lab? Ram can let you know the specifics on the monitoring equipment. I'll make some calls. Let me know when you're ready. Great. Like... like this? Yes. Now we wait. Did you want to go through any of the analysis on the drives? We have them. Were there any handwritten materials generated? Those are filed back here. You find her? Problem, Jack. I gave Bazemint the news about her mother. What do you mean? She's a bit upset. I think you need to come here and speak with her in person. All right. Shoot me your location. On my way. Bazemint, I'm really sorry about the news of your mom. But you agree, it's better that you know what happened, right? It's not the news. It's the respect. My mama never got no respect, not even when she died. I don't understand. You weren't there. How would you know she was disrespected? Not then. Now. That woman's ashes are sitting on a punk-ass shelf in a closet in a goddamn closet. That's no way to leave a person. My mama needs to be respected. She needs to be buried. Ram, will they allow that? It's going to be difficult, Jack. None of the canisters are IDEd. They're all grouped by date. It's a lack of records. Bazemint, what if I petition the institute to bury all the canisters? Would that be ok with you? She needs her own space. She needs her own respect. She weren't perfect. I know that. But my mama should have her final respect. It's tough, Jack. There are hundreds of cans. No, there's a way. Bazemint, I promise you, I will find which canister has your mom's ashes. How can you do that? I'm asking you to trust me on this. Ok. How you gonna do that? Don't forget. We got al-Gore-rhythms. Just me, Clay. Bleu? You're still here? Yeah, I was coming to bring you the signed hospitalization form. But wouldn't you know? It's in the other bag. I double-checked the formula and the methodologies. We followed everything exactly. Well, nothing happened. It appears this phenomenon is specific going to sutree. I fear he holds some missing information. Yes? I see. Ms. Hamid, tell me what business does Mr. Tambel have at the Teargarden institute. So many visions to psychoanalyze. The politician screaming the bleedin' lies. You burn down the highway, leaving no place to run. Hey, shake, babe. Shake off your demon and watch that angel go. This is going to take a while. We'll find her. Ready, Jack. Come out. All of you, please. What's up with Mr. clean? This is Dr. Redfield, Bazemint. Do you both realize that you are assisting a man who is in serious trouble? Careful, Redfield. I assault board of regents members. Redfield! Why did he lock the door? There's no way out! Redfield, please. You need supervision. Get the guard to open this door. Clayton! Redfield, please, you need supervision. Redfield! We need to do further testing. Clayton, please. Clayton, listen to me. Do not use the goggles. There are side effects. Think, Clayton. Clayton! Do not use the goggles. We need to do more testing. There are side effects. Clayton, please. You gotta listen to me. Redfield... Oh. Oh. Back. Back. Stay back. Ma... mama? Oh, you're my mama. I know it. Clayton! Get one of the doctors, now. Get his buttons. Stay with us, Clayton. Are you... are you ok? What can I do for you? Oh, my child. Would you look at that? It is. Are you real? You better believe I'm real. Bee never moves without being led by someone. Oh, mama. Oh, my child. Oh, my little child. What is that woman's name? She's patient 108. But everyone here calls her bee. Bee minor. She's only ever played one song on that piano. Professor Jack. That's my mama, that's my mama. I knows it. Are you sure? I knows it in my bones. That's how sure I am. Ok. This patient's records were lost years ago. Anything that you have that can help us with her identity will be helpful. I'm from cu. Bazemint is working with us on an important study. We can help confirm this woman's identity. Just let us know what you need. Coming through. What happened to him? Too many drugs. Stand here, please. Ok, thank you. Stand there. Good. The test program seems to have caught on. We can handle maybe 30 more candidates. Has Jack had any progress on expanding the formula? Not yet. We haven't found a substitute for what he calls the sunny-girl factor. Stay with it. May I? Bazemint says you a mover. Talking about freeafying the mind and shit. You're always looking for something. Everyone is. But there's one thing you really want... the truth. Man, who don't want the truth? It sure would make things a lot easier rather than all the bullshit. The thing is you already know the truth. You just never had the opportunity to express it. Damn straight. It's time you try another way to speak. Who's going to listen to someone like me? Give this to the person at the table out there. Hey. You, me. We get our grounding from wherever we can find it. Good luck. This is the address of the Williams art center. Tomorrow, they will be expecting you at 10:00 am. Why? You'll begin your new class. Just show up. Everything else... supplies, lunch... has been taken care of. What class? Canvas painting. The connection you have with each person. Pretty intense. I saw a vet earlier today. He was a hostage in Iraq. He asked his captor when he would be free. The captor, the person in control, said, when you are free, I will be free. The captor and the captive. The rich and the poor. The educated and the ignorant. Every minute, day, and night, we're putting something out there. Naked truth. Hatred. Intense passion. Jealousy. Smarts. Dominance. Submissiveness. Indifference. Love. It's all that undying energy Einstein described moving, clashing, merging. That's why we can never escape the effect we have on each other. Give it a fly beat that will dance down the street. Uh-huh. There you go. There you go. It's starting, Jack. Let's go. She wakes up early every morning just to do her hair now, because she cares, y'all. Her hair wouldn't be right without her makeup. She's never out of makeup. She's just like you and me. But she's homeless. She's homeless. And she stands there singing for money. La-da-Dee, la-Dee-da. La-da-Dee, la-Dee-da. La-da-Dee, la-Dee-da. La-da-Dee, la-Dee-da. In my sleep, I see her begging, reaching, please. Although the problem's not mine, I ask god, why? God, oh, why? She's just like you and me. But she's homeless. She's homeless. And she stands there singing for money. La-da-Dee, la-Dee-da. La-da-Dee, la-Dee-da. La-da-Dee, la-Dee-da. La-da-Dee, la-Dee-da. La-da-Dee, la-Dee-da. La-da-Dee, la-Dee-da. La-da-Dee, la-Dee-da. La-da-Dee, la-Dee-da. La-da-Dee, la-Dee-da, la-da-Dee, la-Dee-da. La-da-Dee, la-Dee-da. La-da-Dee, la-Dee-da. La-da-Dee, la-Dee-da. La-da-Dee, la-Dee-da. La-da-Dee, la-Dee-da. La-da-Dee. |
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