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Alterscape (2018)
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(TENSE MUSIC) (DRONING MUSIC) (ROTORS WHIRRING) (RADIO CHATTER) (ZOOMING) (ZOOMING) (CAMERA CLICKING) Goodbye with their families before leaving for a strange and distance shore. At this very moment, they serve together with Arabs, Europeans, Asians and Africans in defense of principle and the dream of a new world order. And that's why they sweat and toil in the sand and the heat and the sun. And if they can come together under such adversity, (SOMBER PIANO MUSIC) (CROWD APPLAUDING) if old adversaries like the Soviet Union and the United States can work in common cause then surely we, who are so fortunate to be in this great chamber, democrats, republicans, liberals, conservatives, can come together to fulfill our responsibilities here. There is something noble and majestic about the pride, about the patriotism that we feel tonight. (PHONE RINGING) So to everyone here, everyone watching at home, think about the men and women of Desert Storm. Let us honor them with our gratitude. Thank you, goodnight, and God bless the United States of America. Yeah? (SIGHING) I don't, yeah, it's hard to say. It's just, you know. Today was Ray's birthday. I don't know about that, I can't, not today. (CLACKING) (PHONE RINGING) There's probably no more time. I don't need to do this anymore. I don't know. I'm sorry. I have to go. (SIREN SOUNDING IN DISTANCE AND CARS HONKING) I'm crystal and exact. I have no preconceptions. Illusions fed, lo and behold. My mind is free forever. I burn with fire and ice and then I melt. My thoughts in dire reflection. But more than anything I know, the moment's final terror. (WIND BLOWING) (EERIE MUSIC AND VOICES) (BEEPING) The doctor'll be right in. Could be fun. John? Yes, Sam. What's happening? Everything's fine, you're safe now. Where am I? What's that smell? You don't remember anything? Why are you here? You're not my doctor anymore. I'm your friend and you need help. I don't need anything. That evening when I called. Ray. It was my brother's birthday. Good, you remember. I know how much your brother meant to you. You were close. No. But I wish we were. Why did you leave my care? I could have helped you. We were making such good progress. (COUGHING) You call this progress? We call it life, Sam. A precious gift which you threw out of a window. (TENSE MUSIC) I feel like I haven't seen you in years. It hasn't been that long. You haven't changed a bit. We'll get through this. You get a second chance. (TENSE MUSIC) They asked me to take you back under my care. I said yes. (SOMBER MUSIC) (DRIPPING) Sam. Here. How are you feeling? How do you think? This place is suffocating. I have some good news. I spoke with Irving and we made a deal. As long as we continue our treatment together, you can go back to work. Took a little bit of convincing, but, (GARBLED SPEECH) you are their best engineer. I told him you need a couple more weeks. (HORN BLOWING) (MYSTERIOUS HUMMING) (WATER SPLASHING) (TENSE MUSIC) (INDISTINCT VOICES HISSING) Star Force with no relay protection on grounds whiskey. They gonna light themselves up every time. MAN: Well maybe they like it. The fireworks stuff. Oh yeah. And I'm sure the investors just love dishing out a quarter mill every year. Idiots. So what? More work for us, that's the way I see it. Who cares how many times they black out? As long as they call us for replacements. Whatever, man. They can blow themselves to shit for all I care. (VOICES WHISPERING INDISTINCTLY) Take over. Zack. Hey, screw it. They don't even have a quarter of the market. Sam. Mr. Irving wants to see you. SAM: Who? Speaking of blow, look. Hey, Miller. Nice of you to join us from time to time. Hey, what's up with you, man? Switch up the juice today or what? (LAUGHING) Let the man trip in peace. Poor bastard might be crying, look at him. (SCREAMING) (SHATTERING) (BASHING) Hey, chill! I said calm the fuck down! What the fuck, crackhead, you ready to hit me or what? What the fuck? Everybody just chill and relax. All right, just stop. Let him go. Gills, let him go. Damn lunatic. The hell's going on here? Jesus, Sam, you okay? Come on, you okay, huh? Come on, get up, get up. Get up, come on, come on. Get down to my office. The hell's wrong with you guys? Hey, he came at us. He's losing it, boss. (GRUNTING) (THUNDER RUMBLING) (RAIN PATTERING) (GLOOMY MUSIC) Sam! What are you doing? You'll get pneumonia that way! I got your message. And I spoke with Irving. I'm sorry. Come on. Let's get you inside. Talk to me, Sam. There's nothing to say. Okay, well then we'll forget about it, okay? Frankly, I'm glad this happened, I am. This'll give you a chance to reboot. A fresh start. There's no more time, John. No more second chances, no restart. That's not what I meant. The symptoms won't go away until we find the cause. Cause? What cause, there's no cause. It's just me! There is always a cause, Sam. We just need a different approach. And I have found exactly what we need. What are you talking about? A new treatment called affective plating. A multistep program that deals with the neurochemistry of emotions. A cognitive harmonization if you will, completely non-invasive. These guys are ahead of their time. I'm glad you're finding this so exciting. It's not for me, I'll pass. Besides, it's not like I can afford it anyway! No, Sam, this one's on me. I am doing studies for the patent holders and they have agreed to cover your sessions. You won't have to spend a dime. Why are you doing this for me? Let's just say that it's not just for you. It's for me too. I can't let myself fail you. Not again. You didn't fail me, John. I failed myself. And the question is, Sam, what are you gonna do about it? (DEEP DRONING MUSIC) Hello? May I help you with something? SAM: I'm here to see Dr. Nash. Your name? That elevator, sub level D. (CREAKING) (LIGHT BUBBLING) Hello? Sam Miller, right? That's right. We've been expecting you. Please, help yourself. I'm Dr. Nash, Roland Nash. (SOMBER MUSIC) Nice place. What kind of doctor are you? Affective Science. Never heard of it. The study of emotions. Well, the underlying neuroscience of emotions, to be exact. Sounds involved. It is. You came to the right place at the right time, Mr. Miller. What's with all the water? Memory. We used ionized water for storage and access. There's no way to disseminate so much data without it. Data, what kind of data? We'll get to that in a bit, Mr. Miller. Please have a seat. (KEYBOARD CLACKING) So, when do we start? We already have. How do you mean? Water, Mr. Miller. Aside from it's obvious refreshing qualities, it has one other function, imprinting. (CHUCKLING) It's pure water, nothing more. Its molecular structure changes as it enters your body. The water copies and stores everything that you're going through at the highest degree of accuracy. The world's most advanced memory chip. We're able to access and read that imprint with this. SAM: What's that? This is our magic wand, Mr. Miller. A controlled affective plating unit, or simply CAP. The visor emits harmless photons that interact directly with your visual cortex. Your nervous system reacts by creating an emotional response that we can immediately capture and analyze. The point is to have a complete topography of your perceptive range. It'll give us an eagle eye view of your emotional spectrum. May I? Yeah. To treat something, we first must have a clear picture of what we're dealing with, right? Whatever you say, Doc. Here you are, Mr. Miller. Perfect. Please try to keep still and your eyes open. Here we go. (MACHINERY WHIRRING) (INTENSE MUSIC) (WHOOSHING) (BUZZING AND BEEPING) (BEEPING) Pheromones? What in the world happened to you? What? You don't remember, do you? You have to regroup. Bend yourself. (BEEPING) Mr. Miller. Mr. Miller, can you hear me? (GASPING) How do you feel? (SOMBER MUSIC) I'm not sure. Any discomfort or other sensations? I think it was a feeling of weightlessness or flying. I felt light, very light. There's a tingling sensation in my hands. That's normal. Anything else? I saw something. Yes, your brain was emulating the visual input. No, no, no, it was more than that. It was like a memory or deja vu. Something very familiar. A lifetime in a split second? Yeah. Or something like that. I did pick up something interesting. Interesting? Yes. High synaptic elasticity. SAM: Huh? In other words, your nervous system is extremely reactive. Hypersensitive, actually. A small amount of stimuli leads to a massive neuro response. I've never seen anything like it. Dr. Loro. Dr. Nash. Mr. Miller. Julian Loro, this is my facility. I've been monitoring your session and I have to agree with Dr. Nash. Your neurological profile is quite rare, quite rare indeed. Too bad I can't sell it, huh? No, you can't sell it but you can shape it. Tell me about it. I've been shaping it for years. Let me see those. You don't need these, Mr. Miller. Your emotions are the key. They're a biproduct of your neurochemical codex, a codex that can be resequenced, controlled. Controlled? By what? Ah. Dr. Nash. Your mind's a magnificent construct. Its potential is actually beyond its own ability to comprehend. It's magnificent. Round two? You'll enjoy this. Trust me. We cannot change your mind, Mr. Miller but we can change your mood. For example. Take your pick. Is this some kind of a joke? Well, let me do that for you. How about elation? The feeling you get when you embrace and kiss someone you care about. Tranquility, that feeling of warm sunshine on your face. And grace, a state of pure grace, would you like to feel that? Yeah, I would. Dr. Nash. ROLAND: Yes, sir. What's with him? Oh, Dr. Loro? He's all right, just, a bit into his work. I'll say. This is going to feel a little different. The interval is much shorter this time. I'll be counting 10 seconds. (MACHINERY WHIRRING) 10, nine, eight, seven five. Two. One. (SOFT MUSIC) Well? How do you feel, Sam? It's something, isn't it? I think I'd like to go now, Dr. Nash. Of course, Mr. Miller. I'm sure we'll see each other soon. (CHILL ELECTRONIC MUSIC) Do you live it up Makes me feel emotion You hold my hands for so long As ever lay To get into the motion You used to say Only one (KEYBOARD CLACKING) (HISSING) (TENSE MUSIC) (SPLASHING) (SOMBER MUSIC) (SOBBING) It's a beautiful day, isn't it, brother? It's always a beautiful day for you, Ray. You're just like mom. It can't be any other way. There's nothing that can bring us down. Remember that. Watch your six out there. Affirmative. You, I'll see you when I get back. SAM: Remember what she used to tell us? I feel, therefore I am. Stay true, brother. (PLANE WHOOSHING) Pheromones? (SHOUTING) (PANTING) (MACHINERY HUMMING) You get several neural pathways like this. The hell do you think you were doing? What does it look like? What's the status on the application strands? I'm going as fast as I can. We're down to the last quadrant. There is no last quadrant! The range is boundless. We don't have time for these inter-trade permutations. I thought I made that clear the last time. Yes, but sir. Patient Miller. He's different. There were delta waves during the draw. I believe we found a... I don't care what you believe. I just want you to do as you're told. Yes sir. They're sending a review team down here next week. And these goons don't give a shit about anything except applications. They don't negotiate, they just don't negotiate. With all due respect, Dr. Loro. We don't even have the map yet. I don't give a shit if you use chipmunks. You get me that application. Have I made myself clear? Yes sir. Have I? Yes, you have. Oh so high Looking around my surroundings I think of all How it all began (TENSE MUSIC) (ELECTRONIC MUSIC) Safe we're never made (COUGHING) Fucking junkie. Look at this piece of shit. I can't believe this. (OMINOUS MUSIC) (PLANES WHOOSHING) (ELECTRONIC MUSIC) (COUGHING) Are you really gonna let this garbage in here? Get him out of here! (SHATTERING) (SOMBER MUSIC) Sam, listen, you need to bend. Come on. Get in. (INTENSE MUSIC) (REVVING) John? What's going on? What are we doing here? Saving your life, Sam. Good morning, Mr. Miller. Morning? JOHN: Yes. You passed out on the way here last night. You've been asleep ever since. Can you tell us where you've been the last four days? What? We've been trying to find you all week. I called. I stopped by your apartment several times, you didn't answer. Do you remember what you did all this time? No. Mr. Miller, it's important that you under... Who was that other guy that was here? I've seen him before. He's been following me, hasn't he? I don't know what you mean. This spooky guy with the shades. The guy who drove us last night. I drove us here, Sam. Nobody else was in the car. Why did you bring me here? JOHN: The treatment, Sam. It must have continuity. Large gaps between the sessions will lead to regression, paranoia, hallucinations. It's only the beginning. This could get a lot worse. You need to regain control, Sam, bend yourself. You have to trust us. So what's on the menu today? Well we do have a special today. It's the new you. Right. Lifetime in a split second? You got it. Ready? (MACHINERY WHIRRING) (RUSTLING) (BOOMING) (WHOOSHING) Did I not make myself clear, Nash? He's been under only a few seconds. We're not gonna find anything at these levels. We have to set a new threshold. Sir, he's already scraping the bottom. Who says that's the bottom? His endocrine system is almost out of phase. Are you sure this is a prudent move, Julian? Prudence has nothing to do with this, John. Wait, Dr. Loro. You need to see this. Look, that first cap registered a strong delta. Now this is odd because deltas appear only when unconscious or during deep sleep. Sam was neither. Then, I saw this. What the hell is that? The cap couldn't identify it either. 370 Megahertz in amplitude. We're talking a radio reach of at least 30 feet. I ran it by our external and got a match. A primer class pheromone. Maybe. He's emitting behavioral hormones. Correct. Airborne hormones. (CHUCKLING) And you guys were gonna tell me this when? I tried telling you. This is exactly what we've been looking for. ID the source, now. (KEYBOARD CLACKING) (WHOOSHING) (RATTLING) We need to pull him out, his blood pressure's spiking. Not yet. He'll go into cardiac arrest! Julian! JULIAN: Look, look look, whatever. You're killing him, can't you see that? Will you shut up? If you can't handle this, get out! He won't be much use if he's dead. There! There's your new threshold. He's cold. ROLAND: You almost killed him! You watch your mouth. We found it. Mr. Miller? Look at me. Are you okay? Yes. (SOMBER MUSIC) How do you feel? I don't know. Are we finished with the session, doctor? Yes, sure, but first we need to, Mr. Miller? Let him go. Keep an eye on him. Yeah. We're on the move. Get me five. Are you sure about this? I didn't like the look on his face. JULIAN: Yeah, just follow him. Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. Now go on. (SOMBER PIANO MUSIC) (DRONING MUSIC) (MACHINE WHIRRING) (TENSE MUSIC) (GRUNTING) (ZAPPING) (STEAM HISSING) (PHONE BEEPING) Dr. Loro. Yes, yes sir. The lock code is, it's system wide, yes. No, the source code is inaccessible. Yes sir, I'm afraid the backup is useless for that, the program's indexing protocol. I understand. Yes sir. Hello? Piece of, (GRUNTING) (BARKING) (OMINOUS MUSIC) (WHIMPERING) (ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC) Are you always so serious? What's your name? Hey, come here. (CHILL ELECTRONIC MUSIC) (WOMAN GIGGLING) I want your love I want your love I want your love I want your love (GIGGLING) I want your love I want your love I want your love (MOANING) Do you hear that? No, I don't. No, stop, don't. (OMINOUS MUSIC) Sam, wow. I hardly recognized you. You look different. You look good. Good to see you. Sit down, sit down. How's it going? Did you find a job yet or, SAM: No. Well, how can I help you? There have been some changes in my life, Mr. Irving. Big changes. There won't be any more problems. No more slipups, no misunderstandings. I'm sorry, I, I don't think I get what you're driving at. Yes, you do. You can put me on probationary terms if you wish but I need to be reinstated. You could do that, can't you? Look, that's not how things are done around here and you know that. Besides, you and I both know what the other guys would think when they hear about this. It's just not gonna happen. It has to. The board listens to you. I've worked here for eight years, more than most of the other people in your department. I am truly sorry for what happened to you. It's simply not going to work. The damage has already been done. Your reputation is really regrettable. Regrettable? Look, um, I can write you a letter of recommendation. Anything that you need for help, but, Now you have something to regret. What the hell is he doing here? ZACK: What the fuck? I don't know. I guess he just slowly sleepwalked and made it in here. Irving should have canned his ass a long time ago. God, guy's always given me the creeps. Didn't his brother go wacko in Iran or something, butchered four of his own then slit his throat? CRUZ: In Iraq. Yeah, whatever. Guess it runs in the family. Bunch of damn crazies. Oh, shut up, Gills. He's just a doper. Hey, hey, what you doing here, man? You miss your meditation spot? (MEN LAUGHING) Miller. Can we help you with something? What, you forget your pencil or something? CRUZ: Maybe he's deaf now. ZACK: Jesus, you really are wired, aren't you? (DEEP RUMBLING) (OMINOUS MUSIC) (GROWLING) (GROWLING) (GROWLING) Was Miller in here? Did he say anything? What did he say? (RAILS CLACKING) (TENSE MUSIC) (SOBBING) (MUMBLING) Honey? What's gotten into you, honey? Talk to me. Go away. (MUMBLING) What did I do? (SOBBING) Did something happen at work? Is it work? Walter, talk to me. Leave me alone! I don't matter no more. There's something in there. I know it, I know it. I can hear it. It's getting close. (SOBBING) (MUTTERING) You Cruz? Yeah, yeah. (OMINOUS MUSIC) I need it! Where's the money, sucker? (COUGHING) Where's the shit, where's the shit? (TRAIN CHUGGING) You need to come with me, Sam. The treatment must be completed. Sam. We can still help you. You're not well. (GROWLING) (GRUNTING) You don't know what you're doing. Stop, please stop. (SHOUTING) Let me out, let me out! (LAUGHING) Hold on, baby. You just have to calm down. Shh! It hears everything! (SHATTERING) (SOMBER MUSIC) What in god's name is happening? Please let me in. Let me help you. (SOMBER MUSIC) Let me out! MAN: Synaptic activities can become extremely unstable. (GROANING) (SCREAMING) (OMINOUS MUSIC) (SOBBING) (KNOCKING) Open the door. (GRUNTING) DEEP VOICE: (mumbling) crazy, crazy. Let me in! Jesus. WOMAN: 911, what's the emergency? Hello? I need help. My husband, he's very sick. I don't know, he just. I'm afraid he's gonna hurt himself. (OMINOUS MUSIC) (DEEP VOICE MUMBLING) Work, work. Come on, fuck, work. Come on, come on. (DEEP VOICE MUMBLING) Ah, ah, work! (SQUISHING) Ah, (SCREAMING) (CRASHING) (SIREN SOUNDING) WIFE: Hold on, whatever's going on, just please, please let me in. Just hang on baby, they're coming. They're coming right now. Oh my god baby, what's happening? Please, let me in. Let me help you. Open the door, baby. I'm sorry. (DEEP DRONING MUSIC) (THUDDING) (CAR ALARM BLARING) (CHUGGING) (GROANING) (LAUGHING) (DEEP VOICE MUMBLING) (SCREAMING) (CHUGGING) (WAVES CRASHING) A lot of strange things have been happening around here. Local PD are standing on their heads trying to figure it out. All the same though, very impressive. What do you want? What do I want? Well. Did you think you could actually just wander around randomly killing people, hmm? The only reason why there isn't a SWAT team standing on your chest right now is because of me. You are my property now, Sam. I don't want you to have any illusion as to who's in control here. Are you sure about that, Dr. Loro? Ah, you know the good Dr. Nash took quite a liking to you. He seemed to think you were some kind of prodigy, that you had the key to hidden emotional scapes. Well I don't believe any of that. I believe in technology. You see reality is nothing more than a reflection of our minds. Me, all I did was build a better mirror. Everything you are, everything you feel is because of me. Is that right? Oh that's right. You know, you're not gonna last long out here. One phone call from me and, come on. Come back with me. Without me, you're as good as dead. It's the only way. There's another way. You can get the hell out of my sight while you still have a chance. Your brother was so much more compliant. What did you say? What you think your choice for this program was totally random? Huh, you're that gullible? Your brother Ray was one of my first battlefield applications, one of my favorite. I mean this guy could endure just about anything. I own you. Same way as I own that halfwit compliant brother of yours. (GROWLING) (GROANING) WOMAN: Sam. (WAVES CRASHING) (DEEP TENSE MUSIC) (OMINOUS MUSIC) (CLACKING) (BODY THUDDING) (BEEPING) Go ahead, struggle, go on. The more you struggle, the tighter it's gonna get. You know, our little episode down there by the water's edge. Huh, you crossed a very, very distinct line. A line that there's no coming back from. Oh yeah, go ahead, try. Come on. Your little mind games aren't gonna work in here. My lab, my rules. You know, you have no idea what's at stake here. You just happen to be the last piece in a puzzle. A very complex puzzle. And I'm about to plug you in. (MACHINERY HUMMING) (THUNDER RUMBLING AND HEARTBEAT PULSING) (BOOMING) (ETHEREAL ZAPPING) (BOOMING) (TENSE MUSIC) Well, well, well, look who's back. I would have thought you'd be a vegetable by now, Dr. Nash. What an unpleasant surprise. You realize how many years of work you would have cost me if it wasn't for freak boy here, huh? What are you doing to him? What am I doing to him? I'm doing what should have been done but wasn't. This isn't your post graduate dissertation on potions for unhappy housewives. We're making weapons here. You're delusional. You have no idea what you're dealing with. This is a non-scalable strand, an aberration. And you sir, your services are no longer necessary. The armament division will never approve something you can't even understand! They already have! What do you think freak boy was doing while he was wandering around out there? He's got himself one hell of a body count. You're killing him. I am not doing anything he wouldn't eventually do to himself. I can't let you do this. Well you just, (BASHING) (GRUNTING) (TENSE MUSIC) (BASHING) Sam. Sam! Can you hear me? (GASPING) Sam, breathe. You need to breathe. Stay with me. Did I mess up, doc? No. You saved my life. No. Not me. It was Ray. It was you, Sam. You all along. Everything else is just memories. Whoah, we need to get you to a hospital. But no, I don't want. Don't want? What do you mean you don't want? I'm so sorry I got you into this. I truly am. I've done such horrible things. I remember everything. I feel everything. All of them, emotions. I feel them all. I'm always, blinding, there's no more pain. I'm free. I feel, Therefore I am. (SOMBER MUSIC) (ALARM BEEPING) (STATIC HUMMING) Sam, Sam, bend! Sam! You need to bend! You need to bend! (SPLASHING) (CALM MUSIC) (BEEPING) TALL DOCTOR: As expected, he turned out to be more responsive than all the others. We're bringing him out soon. Can't believe how long he's been under. I've never seen anything like it. Way below the E quadrant. TALL DOCTOR: He's something all right. Yeah. What was he mumbling when you came in? His brother. Ray? The poor guy never made it. But this one's sure to set a new record. Whatever he set, this man just got a second chance at life. (ETHEREAL WHOOSHING) (ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC) Ooh Ooh Stars are my favorite show Just go outside and let fly Stars are my favorite show Just go outside and let fly The universe is getting on You might as read your tech tron The universe is getting on You might as read your techno tron Stars are my favorite show Just go outside and let fly Stars are my favorite show Just go outside and let fly Stars are my favorite show Just go outside and let fly Stars are my favorite show Just go outside and let it fly (ELECTRONIC MUSIC) And vanished Remember you and me in the moment Dancing on a beach of oray Photographs of wine in the morning Chasing words and sadness away Look at me and don't be a stranger People tree but not an array Let me find a way to the razor And vanish once again in a way And vanish And vanish |
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