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Lawnmower Man, The (1992)
Timms,
they've got to understand. My treatments are making him smarter... at an incredible rate. It's more important than training him for war. You know our funding comes from The Shop. They want this animal trained in virtual reality... to use the infrared battle helmet, not recite the ABCs. I won't increase the dosage of aggression drugs. He's already been exhibiting behavioral instability... in the virtual battle simulations. What you're suggesting could destroy his mind. There is no choice, Larry. They don't care about his intelligence enhancement. They want his primal rage centers fully stimulated. He is to be battlefield ready. Fucking screw the political assholes. He's the best chimp I've ever had. Battlefield simulation engaged. Primate response optimum. Threat. Kill complete. Let's go check out sector 10. OK, level two. Threat. Targeting. Acquire. Acquire. Acquire. Attack. Kill complete. Evasive. Security breach inside Sector 14, Level 5. 14, Level 5. Threat. Evasive. Threat. Clear. Check the upper building. Go! Go! Get over there. Get over there on the double. Evasive. Non-threat. Exit clear. We have no visual indication... that any incoming artillery have arrived... or, indeed, are on the way. We can report the air raid sirens are going off. The military has been silent, though a couple of hours ago... we heard a huge noise... and it was confirmed that four KC-1... KC-135 supertankers had left the area. These are the planes that refuel... other fighter planes and bombers... American bomber planes over the area... so they're in the air. I'm trying to sleep, Larry. I had a bad nightmare. Really bad. God, I hate it when you smoke in bed. Oh, Jesus. What did you do that for? What the fuck is wrong with you? Larry, what are you doing? Answer the phone. Yeah? Hello? Larry, it's Timms. Your chimp's dead. It tried to escape. When? It wasn't a robot we were building, Timms. It was a living organism. As the project supervisor and the government liaison... it was my responsibility... to use the strongest measures available. Listen, I've warned you about the aggression factors. He just ran the program we embedded. Five years of research down the drain. We'll get you another chimp. That chimp was the key to moving on to a human subject. Come in. We'll talk about it. I've had it. I want to make something better than a military weapon. I'll just find funding in the private sector, that's all. You're not thinking straight, Larry. You signed ironclad nondisclosures. VSI owns it all. Besides, it might not be the healthiest thing to try. You're talking about The Shop? The puppet masters who pull all the strings? What, they own me? They'll rub me out... The Shop... if I don't comply? You're being paranoid. Your intelligence enhancement work was brilliant. No one's saying stop. I am. Larry, relax. I know you're upset because of what happened with the chimp. Relax? They want to suppress my work! The potentials for human advancement are endless! Virtual reality holds a key to the evolution of the mind... and that's my focus. This is something... and we haven't had something for a while. There will be time for all this, Larry. You just have to play the game a little longer. That is how everything finally gets done in this world. Why don't you take a hiatus and we'll restructure around here? You can use the rest. Take a hiatus. Another hot one. It's going to be a killer. It's a long way up here. Jobe! Jobe, lad! Ah, Jobe! I feel like you live in the top of a tree. Come on, boy. Let's go. Grass is waiting for you. Oh, no. Did me brother have you doing penance all night again? What did you do? Nothing. OK, well... It's OK, Jobe boy. It's OK. It's me, Terry. Come on. Here. Go get a shirt on, then we'll go, OK? What have we got here? Well... Oh, no. Oh, my God, would you look at this? You finished Big Red. Yeah. Aye, you're magic with a machine, boy. Look at this. Could we try it... try it today, Terry? I don't see why not. Go fill up the gas can, Jobe. Get me a candy bar. Hey, Pop, could you move that shit before Christmas? Fill her up. Hey, Jake, that's dangerous. You forget who you're talking to, half-wit? That's dangerous. Jobe, boy, go ahead and finish what you're doing. He's smoking, Terry. That's right. I'm smoking. Why don't you shut the fuck up and fill your gas tank? Jake, he don't mean no harm. One of these fucking... Jake, how's your old man doing? Worse than ever! Angelo is like all brilliant types... erratic. But we tolerate them at The Shop as long as they perform... and Angelo has certainly done that. Project Five is very impressive. Mr. Director, without Angelo, there is no Project Five. Well, he'll be back... one way... or another. Falling. Rapid descent. Flying. God damn it, Caroline. Never unplug a program when I'm engaged. You just ruined the whole effect. Falling, floating, and flying? So, what's next, fucking? What are you pissed off about? You said you were going to take me to the city... but as usual you're hooked up into that machine. Well, why didn't you remind me? I did. Oh, babe, I'm sorry. Oh, Caroline. I'm sorry. This is not a good time for me right now. I'm really sorry. Get ready. We can still get a hotel. We don't need to go anywhere. I'm ready right now. Larry, I want to go. I don't feel like being around people right now. I don't feel like going to the city. You never want to go anywhere. Caroline... I need your support. I'm going through a lot of changes right now. Well, I'm going through a lot of changes, too. You're too obsessed with your work to even notice. I'm young, Larry, OK? And I'm not going to become a recluse just for you. I'm into reality reality, not this artificial reality. This technology is going to change the world. This is the future... and you're afraid of it. Yeah, well, it may be the future to you, Larry... but it's the same old shit to me. I give up. Hey, Jobe! Hi, Peter! You've finished Big Red. Hi, Jobe. Hi, Mrs. Parkette. Come over and have some Kool-Aid with Peter when you're done. Thanks, Mom! Peter, look what I got you. The Nuke Masters special edition! Yeah. It's 3-D, too. But where are the glasses? Glasses? That's OK. I've got a pair of my own anyway. Look at the blades, man. If you boys listen real careful, you can hear the panpipes... of the little people in the grass there. Right, Terry. I hear them all the time. Hi, Dr. Angelo. Can we play Cyber-Boogie today? Yeah, sure. That would be fine. Damn. Peter! Get your ass over here! I got to go. Hi, Dad. I told you not to leave that fucking bike in my way! Didn't I? Sorry, Dad. What is wrong with you? Didn't I tell you not to play with that moron anymore? You want to get stupid? Get in the house. I'm tired of this shit. Come on. That boy was told to take care of this. He constantly shirks his duties. Can't have these godless little creatures at the altar. It's sacrilege! Where are you, boy? You're never here where you should be. Four times in as many weeks... he's forgotten his duty to the parish! He brings the wrath of the Lord on himself... just like his namesake. Jobe, are you in there? Answer me, boy! God saw fit to make you a ward of this church... and you must earn your keep. I've tried to teach that stupid mind responsibility... since you were five years old. Which of God's lessons helps you to remember best, Jobe? I'll remember my chores, Father, I promise! Journal entry, May 1. Work, marriage, life... what a joke. I'm going now, Larry. My plane leaves in an hour. It's better for both of us this way. Drinking all that whiskey isn't going to help your depression. It's probably going to make it worse. Yes, you're right, Caroline. It is probably going to make it worse. Well, don't blame me. You have no idea of what I'm going through, do you? My work is falling apart, and you decide to leave me. It's dead for both of us, so why don't you give it up? Good-bye, Larry. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. Mother of God, pray for us sinners... now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Big Red. Booting audio journal. May 10 entry. Recording. Oh, Jesus... this hiatus is driving me insane. When I think of what I might have accomplished... with a human subject. I've got to find a way to continue the work on my own. There's so much to do. I can't wait any longer. Full. Hi, Jobe. Hi, Dr. Angelo. How are you? Looks like you're working hard. Yeah. I'm a real hard worker. Jobe, do you like to play games? Yeah. Peter says you have the best games. I have a game in my house that you might like to play. Would you like that? OK. Remember, one of the 4 shapes on the bottom row... You see them down there? Matches one of the shapes on the top row. So put your finger on here... and move that shape to the question mark, all right? Incorrect. Try again. OK, here we go. There. There. Incorrect. Don't worry. Take your time. Here we go. Correct answer. You did it. Very good. Let's play another game. Come here, Peter. Come here! I'm going to get you, Peter. All right. Look at that! Let's go. Watch out! Holy moley! Come on, Peter. Slow down. I'm going to hit the wall. I'm getting dizzy. Peter, wait! Come on, Peter. Come on back. Peter, I'm getting scared. Game over. Why don't you go upstairs and get some drinks? Hey, Jobe. It's OK. It's just a game. I was really bad. Well, you'll get used to games. Thanks, Peter. Hey, Jobe. Hey. I was flying upside-down, Dr. Angelo. Come on. Hop up. Come over here. Sit down. You know, Jobe... I have other... different games. I even have one that could help make you smarter. I was born dumb. But... you would like to be smarter, wouldn't you? I don't know. Well, if you were smarter, people wouldn't be able to... take advantage of you. Do you understand what I mean, Jobe? - Yeah. - And? Sometimes they do. They do. Can you keep a secret? Well... I'll tell you one. I can make you smarter... but only if you want. And you must never tell anyone. You mean a secret for just you and me two? That's right. Well, I bet you already know, don't you? So don't you tell anybody, OK? OK? Well, you're as healthy as a mule. When can we play the games? Soon, Jobe. I need to give you a shot of vitamins first. I had a shot once, Dr. Angelo, and it hurt. This won't. Trust me. I'm very good at this. That looks like a gun. OK, just relax your arm. Relax your arm. Relax. Look over there. Look over there. It didn't hurt. Just relax. Your head's going to be a blank for a while. All right? Yeah. Just breathe now. Too dark. No, it's not going to be in a while. Just breathe and relax. That's it. In a while, it's going to be like... being up there with the stars, Jobe. Like going to another planet. You're going to feel a tingling sensation in your hands... but don't panic. It's OK. I'm right here with you. It's all part of the game. OK, here we go. Cortex stimulation engaged. Brain stem strobe enabled. Is that my hand? It's going to hit me! No, it's not going to hit you. Just relax. Just breathe. Strobe velocity increasing. Journal entry, May 10. The electrochemistry of his brain... has responded better than I'd expected. I'm going to step up the virtual treatments... and increase the dosage of nootropic drugs. I should see escalations in his brain patterns... by the end of the week. It's too late to turn back now. Jobe, what's the matter? I'm hungry. Well, go eat. His mind is like a clean, hungry sponge. Synaptic activity has increased 400% in less than a month. His human brain is responding to the nootropics... and virtual stimulation more rapidly than my animal subjects. Go on! Go faster, Peter! Go on! I can catch you right now! Come on and get me, Peter! Come on! I'm going to get you now! You better not get too excited 'cause I'm getting you! Look right there! Come on! I got you! Game over. Yes! You nailed it, Jobe! You nailed it! Whoa, that was sketched. Finally some real competition. Yeah, he got you that time, didn't he, Peter? Congratulations. You just graduated to the next level, Jobe. Hi. You got a horse? What are you doing? Why are you standing there half-naked, exposing yourself? What sort of perverted behavior is this? You should knock before you come into somebody's house. This is my house. I pay the rent, and I want to cash my checks now... because I want to buy some new clothes. And I'm going to buy some cowboy boots... and I'm going to make this place a ranch. It's that Dr. Angelo, isn't it? He's been feeding the Devil in your head! No, he hasn't! I'll see to that. You know, you shouldn't hit people. You shouldn't hit people like that. Very impressive. Did you use the Project 5 formulas on this subject? As a base. But I've totally reconfigured... both the nootropic and the cyberlearning programs... without aggression factors. Of course. That only makes sense. I can't believe you went ahead and did this, Larry. Look at the comparisons. It works with a human subject, Timms. It's incredible work, Larry. So... what do you say? I've gone as far as I can in my lab at home. I need access to the main lab to go further. There's no telling how far I can take Jobe. I can't do this without your help. What's it going to be, Ms. Burke? Would you check my fluids, Jake? Do I know you? I mow your lawn. No. You're not the Lawnmower Man. Well... wow. You've certainly changed. I don't know how you did it, but I approve. Ms. Burke, I filled her up with trans fluid. No charge. Thanks, Jake. You're welcome. Well, I'm looking forward to having my lawn mowed... soon. She's got the hots for you, Jobe boy. You got to be kidding me. She's just teasing this half-wit. Look at him. You got him dressed up like a fool. I've known her ever since her husband died. She's been kicking up her heels with all the young studs. And I tell you, she wants this young fella. Don't you call her no whore around me, old man. Whores do it for money. She's got money. She's young. She does it 'cause she likes it. I told you to shut up. Hey, Jake, don't do that. OK, Lawnmower Man. Dr. Angelo, I think people can tell that... that I'm changing. Just don't draw attention to yourself, OK? Just keep doing the lawn job for now. It's not going to last forever. I like doing the lawns. That's good. I always liked doing them. That's good. You're cleared. Go ahead. Why is this place so far from town? The work here at VSI is government classified. Top Secret. Good afternoon, Dr. Angelo. Looks like a dungeon in here, Dr. Angelo. You see this, Jobe? Holy moley! Come on. It's OK. Look. This is some of the most advanced computer equipment... in the world, Jobe. In these gyrospheres, we wear full cybersuits... which allow us to enter into virtual reality and move. Your entire nervous system and endocrine system... will be in sync with the brain expansion. Endocrine? Endocrine: it carries secretions of certain glands... like the thyroid, adrenal, and pituitary... which regulate growth. Sometimes... I think I've discovered a new planet... but one I'm inventing instead of discovering. I've just sighted the shore of one of its continents. Booting biology systems readouts. Bio-monitors on. Choice. Graph 5... engage. Change brain wave parameters. Brain wave pattern altered. Prepare brain stem injection. Initiate brain stem. Insertion complete. Let me off! Dr. Angelo! Synaptic reaction positive. My head, Dr. Angelo! I like it! Change brain wave parameters. Initiate second level. Insertion complete. Lemonade. Think he likes lemonade? It's so hot today, Jobe. Why don't you come up for a cold glass of lemonade? Oh, Jesus, Mother of God, would you look at that? Go on, you dolt! Go on! Jobe, have you ever kissed a girl before? Really? Give me your tongue. Give me your tongue. Soft. Hard. He absorbed Latin yesterday in less than two hours. It took me a year just to learn the Latin alphabet. God damn, Larry, I am speechless. I think it's time we brought this out of the closet... and report these results directly... to the Department of Scientific Intelligence in Washington. DSI is bound to offer you both tits. The timing isn't right. There's some factors that need ironing out. Iron them out. I'm not going to be able to keep this quiet much longer. The historical perspective of expressionism, as typified by Van Gogh and Gauguin... Rhythm and blues. You like it? Yeah, sure. I like it. Classical. You should try listening to a whole tune once. You might like it. Too much to hear. I get it all by sampling segments, anyway. Who taught you how to drive? Me! There you go. Enjoy yourselves. Jim, you need anything else? Hi, Dolly! Hi, Jobe. I'll be right with you. Don't you want to check out the comics first? I gave them up, Peter. No way! Matter of fact, I got my whole collection in that crate... and I'm giving it to you. Whoa, awesome! Dudical! Order me fries and a Coke, all right? Are you all right? I don't got time for this. I hope he doesn't puke on the counter. What's wrong with that fool? He's probably been taking dope. Look at that guy! Weirdo. Whatever the hell's his problem? Probably dancing with the booze lady. He's having a breakdown. Oh, man! Are you all right, Jobe? Peter, I got to go. The things that people think. I had to use all my concentration to block it. I don't want it to happen again... because if it does, I think I would go crazy. It's amazing. Even with the treatments stopped... your abilities continue to change and grow. I speculated that if psychic powers existed... this research would be the key to unlocking them. But this is beyond anything I ever expected. I mean, like the accelerated learning. The results are completely unexpected. Completely. Well... don't worry, Jobe. I'll sort something out. I've got to keep this psychic development quiet... especially from Timms. Who's Timms? I'm preparing Angelo to present his results to you personally... as you've requested. He's met with incredible success. Precisely why we feel it's time for you to guide his efforts... in a specific direction. Which direction is that? We're most anxious to see what effect... the original Project 5 formulas will have... on this subject. Mr. Director, the aggression vectors in Project 5 caused... That was an ape, Timms. We want to know what effect it will have on a human subject. It's an essential step for us to determine... certain covert sector applications for Angelo's work. It will be difficult in the extreme... to convince Angelo to reinstate the original formulas. Then you'll have to be persuasive in the extreme. Run batch 505. Program change initiated. Initiate brain stem. Brain wave pattern altered. Can you hear me, Jobe? Relax. Shut down theta stimulation. I'm coming over. Stay there. Warning. Endocrine, adrenal, increasing to fatal levels. System shutdown. I saw God! I touched God! I was pushing. I didn't even think of Jobe's safety. That amount of brain swelling should have killed him. Instead, it completely disappeared, leaving no lesions. Somehow the experiment is out of my control. I'm stopping the treatments... until I can figure out what went wrong. Confessions. Eavesdrop on real people... telling their innermost secrets, darkest desires. I saw this woman today. I couldn't help myself. God, he smells good. I want to get him up for something strange tonight. I can read your mind. Oh, right. You sure have some strange fantasies. Come with me. Let's live a little... Jobe, it's so huge in here. This will be the best ride of your life, Marnie. You're the best ride of my life. In here we can be anything we want to be. I'll see you on the inside. Wow! It's my hands! Look at this! Oh, my God! Jobe, where are you? I'm right here, Marnie. Come over here. You're beautiful. I'm stuck. I'm stuck in this stuff, Jobe. It's from our primal mind. I don't like it, so let me up. Jobe, let me up! Now! Nothing can hurt us in here. Jobe, you're scaring me. I want out! I know what you really want. Watch this. Oh, my God! What are you doing? Jobe, what are you doing? What are you doing? Oh, my God, let me up! Oh, God! Warning: brain pattern abnormal. Automatic system shutdown. Marnie, are you OK? Marnie, I couldn't stop. Dr. Angelo said nothing could happen. I didn't mean to hurt you! What did Dr. Angelo do to me? I have to find out. I can't fly to fucking Washington tomorrow! I told you... I have to resolve some problems before presenting my work. This is premature. I'm not ready. You're ready enough. Oh, shit. Be reasonable. I can't keep this secret any longer. We can't cut ourselves off from the hand that feeds us. I thought you were doing lawns today. I wish I were. Mind over matter, Dr. Angelo. Not a miracle. A fact. I have to run some tests. Get a clearer picture. This is all so new. It's not new. I realize that nothing we've been doing is new. We haven't been tapping into new areas of the brain. We've just been awakening the most ancient. This technology is simply a route to powers... that conjurers and alchemists used centuries ago. The human race lost that knowledge... and now I'm reclaiming it through virtual reality. You're moving too fast. Even with all these new abilities, there are dangers. Man may evolve a thousandfold through this technology... but the rush must be tempered with wisdom. You're trying to get inside my head, Jobe. I can feel you pushing. You realize, Dr. Angelo... that my intelligence has surpassed yours... and I can't allow your fear of what you don't understand... to get in the way of this work. The treatments have to continue. We have no choice. I was terrified of him. I'm sure he knew it. He surpassed me, all right. But his insights seem... twisted. I fear for Jobe's sanity. This Washington trip couldn't come at a worse time. So as you can see, the results with this one human subject... indicate unlimited applications for mental disability alone... such as retardation, Alzheimer's. And the possibilities for education are staggering. With the proper funding, we could perfect this... within the year. Right. Any questions? The Director wants to know... if you've noticed any significant changes... since the Project 5 formula was reinstated. We only reinstated those formulas a few days ago. Not enough time for any findings. Wait a minute. What are you talking about? I was going to speak with you about this after the meeting. The Shop requested that we resume... the original Batch 5 with Jobe. You idiot. You goddamn idiot! Do you know what you have done? There is no telling what the Project 5 abstract... will do to a human being. Do you understand me? What Project 5 will do to a human... is exactly what we want to find out. You know what it did to Roscoe 1138... and he was the most advanced chimp we ever had! Before that, there were two other chimps... who got into fits of rage so severe... they tore each other apart! That's it, isn't it? It's always like that with you guys. It only leads to one thing: war. Why didn't you include the development... of Jobe's other abilities in your report, Larry? Don't look so shocked. You may have tried to hide it... but I have witnessed what your new formulas, not Batch Five... have done to your human subject. I've had enough. Make sure he goes back to the hotel. What other abilities? Your behavior cost us a lot of ground tonight. I had to talk for hours to repair the damage. My behavior? You fucking sycophant. You've been lying to me all along. For security reasons. Piss off! Look, without The Shop's financial involvement... this project wouldn't exist. Then maybe it shouldn't. I hate to be the one to break it to you, Larry... but the concept of dirty money went out... when the Catholic Church got into banking 300 years ago. It's all dirty money. For Christ's sake, don't let some juvenile ethics problem... get in your way. Your research is too important. You'll be more realistic in a few days. They're going to pick up Jobe and bring him here. The Director wants a personal demonstration... of his... progress. They're not going to get Jobe. There's no walking away, Larry. All right. Let's get him. Yes, sir. Shit. They're here to pick me up as well. Right, Timms? You can't leave! You're integral to the project! Oh, shit! Go check the other wing. You forgot your messages. No, it's too much! I'm Shop, Dr. Angelo. You're going to have to come with me. Oh, excuse me. Here. Here, take that. What do I do with this? Cover him. Devil in your head. Who you talking to, half-wit? Which of God's lessons... I told you not to play with that moron. Devil in your head. Shit! There's no need to panic, Timms. We know where he's going. We'll send a grab team in tomorrow... and pick them both up at once. I want you to get back there. Cancel Angelo's clearance at VSI. We don't want him stealing his work, now, do we? I'll let you know what the next step is... after we've had a chance to examine Jobe Smith. Give me strength, that I might prepare the way... for those who will follow. Who's there? Hail, Mary, full of grace... Who is it? Who's there? The church is closed for the night. Come back tomorrow. I'll hear your confession. I've come for your confession. I don't want you here tonight, Jobe. Leave me alone. Get out. The good Father McKeen. Took in the poor idiot nobody wanted. What have you done? The Devil's taken you. Judgment Day is here! Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. They're impatient for you. I have unclean thoughts, but deliver me. In hell! I've used thy name in profane fantasies. I have committed cruel acts of molestation. Be done! What are you doing here? What, you going to do some night mowing? You're a strange motherfucker... and I am too tired for this, Lawnmower Man. So why don't you take your silly ass... and go trick-or-treating or something? Shit! Fuck! Get away! Don't hurt me. Please. Lawnmower Man's in your head now, Jake. There's no escape, ever. Stop taking his side, Carla! You're treating him like a little girl! Damn! I'm so sorry, Peter. Why is Dad getting so bad? I don't know, baby. He's sick. Damn kid's toys. lf, in fact, that occurs, it would mean... he is one of the select few... who has been in every Wrestlemania... all seven of them. Talk about talented! How long would Bobby last south of the border? What's that noise? Help me! You are going to die! Hold on. All right. Come on through. Hell of a thing. Hello, Lieutenant. I'm Dr. Angelo. I live next door. What's happened here? Thanks for coming over. You saved us a trip. We're just taking statements from all the neighbors... just to see if they saw or heard anything unusual. There's a little boy. His name is Peter. Has anything happened to him? Oh, no, he's fine. It's just his dad... Excuse me, Lieutenant. Where's the rest of him? Birdbath. Did you say the birdbath? Birdbath. Lieutenant, the wife and the kid... they're getting ready to go down to the station. Said they slept through the whole thing. Didn't hear or see anything. Didn't hear anything. The lab boys tell me that somebody chased Parkette... through the house with a power lawnmower. I would have thought that would have made some racket. Crazy with the heat. Schiz-o-fucking-phrenia... all over town last night. What else happened last night? Well, somebody torched poor old Father McKeen... with a flame-thrower or something. Must have been a Satan cult or something. Either that or that weird human spontaneous combustion thing. That really happens sometimes. Hell of a thing. My God. That's not all. Marnie Burke was found wandering around stark naked... laughing her ass off, flipped out. The psychiatrist figured she'd probably witnessed... one of the murders, and she's just in shock... but I've seen people flipped out before... and this girl is flipped out for good. I don't believe she'll ever stop laughing. Two bizarre murders in one night. This world is chock-full of nuts, Cooley. Don't forget that. Weirdos, schizos, bozos. Well, accidents happen. That's all there is to it. Two bizarre accidents in one night. Accidents? You were just calling them murders. We'll just file a routine report. Just clean and tidy. Oh, Peter, come here. Come here. It's OK, son. It's OK. How did this happen? Jesus Christ. Jobe, come on. I gave myself a boost, Doctor. Virtual reality is not just a simulation. It's a whole other world... a new electric dimension. Utopia, Doctor. The utopia that men have dreamed of for a thousand years... and I'll be the conduit. You want to create monsters. You killed two people, Jobe. Why? You've got to let me help you. Help me? I'm going to help you, Dr. Angelo. I'm going to help all of you... cleanse this diseased planet. This technology has peeled back a layer... to reveal another universe. Virtual reality will grow... just as the telegraph grew to the telephone. As the radio to the TV. It will be everywhere. You're having delusions, Jobe. Struggle for reason. I'm going back to VSI... to complete the final stage of my evolution. I'm going to project myself into the main frame computer. I'll become pure energy. Once I've entered in the neural net... my birth cry will be the sound... of every phone on this planet ringing in unison. Listen to what you're saying. The first sign of psychosis is a Christ complex. Cyberchrist. Please listen to me, Jobe. The Project 5 abstracts that you were exposed to... were never meant for the human mind. You've had a psychotic break. Let me try to reverse that. What are you blocking? You can't hide anything from me, Dr. Angelo. So The Shop is coming to pick me up... and you've betrayed me, haven't you? I'd like to proceed to Angelo's residence, sir. Very well. Leave the van's cameras on transmit. I want to monitor from here. Yes, sir. Now you can witness the impossible, Dr. Angelo. Let me pull the curtain back so you can watch. We'll check the house. What the hell... I'm going back to VSI now... and once I'm inside the main frame... I'll have access to over 5,000 other databases. And from those 5,000... I can reach out again and again and again... eventually inhabiting the entire planetary network. By the year 2001... there won't be a person on this planet... who isn't hooked into it and hooked into me. I'm sorry you hate what you have created. Right, Jobe. I'll be right there. Dr. Angelo has been working on something else... behind our backs. He's developed a fantastic new energy weapon. I've observed a demonstration. It's very advanced. I want you to gather his research... all disks, hard copies, everything. Erase the files from the main frame there... then transport it all here personally. I can't believe it. Not Angelo. Not a weapon. He is totally opposed... Believe it, Timms. He took out two of my men in a way I've never seen before. I sure have been missing you, Jobe. Peter, where are you going? I want you to come right back. Jobe, wait up! I told him to come down here and pick me up after work. What's going on here? What the fuck? What did you open the gate for? We didn't. Some kind of malfunction. That's it. The back. That's it. Can you do it? Did the same guy that killed my dad get to you? Yes, Peter. I'll explain it all later. Go upstairs and tell your mother to call the police. Don't worry. Go on quickly, go. Erasing 261Y8K. Confirm erase? There's a little problem at the main gate. It opened by itself, and it won't close. Send everything you've got down to the main gate. Right. Now! Welcome to VSI main frame. Please enter pass code. Analyzing. Pass code cleared. You have access to the network node. File 15 blocked. What's happening? Someone's hacking the main frame from the outside. They're in, and they're running a computer virus... that's placing triple key encryption codes... on all outside access and network connections. What the fuck does that mean? We're being cut off. The main frame will be totally isolated... in less than two minutes. Off the net. Something's wrong. I can't even get an operator. Explosives. Come on. You hear something? What? It sounds weird. Fuck you! Holy shit! I have to go now, Terry. Well, OK, Jobe. What are you doing here? Leave me alone. I'll wait for you down the road. I want you out of here as fast as you can. But I want to go with you to find Jobe. I understand, Peter... but I want you to stay with your mother, OK? Peter, get in the car. Larry, be careful. We'll wait here, OK? I'm in. I'm in. System overload. Automatic shutdown inoperative. Oh, my God, Jobe. I can't believe this. Outside terminal activity control. Now to get out of here. Simple combination. Oh, Jobe, what's happened? He really did it. Denied? Denied! I must find a way out. I can't believe this! I must find a way out! I can't let you do it, Jobe! You! Yes, me. You did this! You cut the network connections, but I'll find a way out. All this power... isn't meant to be in the hands of one person. You're wrong. You need to be led, just like everyone else. It's a basic need. This technology is meant to expand human communication... but you're not even human anymore. What you've become terrifies me. You're a freak! Your naive idiocy makes me very angry! Human! This universe is mine. I am God here. I sense your thoughts. What are you hiding? The bombs. Jesus, the bombs. Bombs? You forced me to. So you were willing to die? I'll stop them. You can't defuse the bombs, can you? You lost all your power over the physical world... once you transferred in here. Stop! So you've given me one final game to play. I find a way out, or I die in this diseased main frame. But that's not my destiny. I have things to do, people to see... a billion calls to make. You will die in the explosion. You're trapped. You're trapped in here, aren't you? You're trapped right here. Peter is here. Jobe, he's in here. He's going to die. Jobe, please. Please, Jobe! Don't sacrifice Peter. You and I have been responsible... for so much destruction. What's happening? I don't want more death. Go. Save him. Jobe, come back with me. Hurry! Go! Access denied. Help! I'm lost! Somebody! We've got to get out of here! The whole building's going to blow up! The door's locked! It won't open! Open. Run, run! Access denied. Get down, Peter! Quick! Get down! There's got to be one. Let me in! Come on, Peter, quick! Peter, come on. Where is it? Access denied. Maintenance line access granted. A back door. Get out of here! Go now! July 10. Last journal entry for a while. I won't let Jobe's death be for nothing. What happened to him is my responsibility. For some reason, I've been given a second chance... so I'm taking my work underground. I can't let it fall into the wrong hands again. If we can somehow embrace our wisdom... instead of ignorance... this technology will free the mind of man... not enslave it. We're ready. Good. They'll be here soon. OK. Let's go. |
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