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Orbiter 9 (2017)
ORBIT 9
Oxygen level at one percent. The capsule will arrive in 17 hours. I know. You'll breathe better soon. You're going to meet the first human being in your lifetime. The third. Don't be angry, Helena. It depends how you count. I'm not angry. Your mother and I have discussed it a thousand times. We've repeated the calculations over and over again. It's the best solution. The three of us on the ship would have oxygen for a little over a year. But if you travel alone, the levels would last four or five times longer. Helena, I wish I could have hugged and kissed you one last time, but I know you. And I know you wouldn't have let us do it. Please, be strong. Hang on until the engineer arrives. I know you'll make it. We love you very much. Time to get up, Helena. Day 7,409 of your voyage. Reserve oxygen activated. Weekly medical check-up waiting. Cardiac cycle correct. The ankle fissure has almost closed. Don't push it the next few days. Coupling initiated. Maneuver completed. Opening outer lock. Robotics engineer 11 beta 57. Helena. Nice to meet you, Helena. I only have 50 hours of autonomy. It's that way, right? We never found out why the oxygen matrix got misconfigured. It was sudden, not even the Rebecca unit found an explanation. Right. It's rare but it happens sometimes. Even in bigger ships than this one. Can you fix it? Yes. I'm the only one left. Three years ago... my parents left so that I could survive. I'm sorry. What's it called? It's called Kubic. It's a defective connection tracker. It'll help me work faster. Let me know if you need anything. Thanks. What's your name? Alex. Shall we have dinner together, Alex? No, I can't. I have too much work. It's just that... I've never had a guest. Or eaten with anyone besides my parents. You have to have dinner, right? In half an hour? They did the navigation calculation and realized that traveling alone was the only way to make it here. Where someone could come and help me. Actually you were lucky, Helena. Yes, if the failure had occurred at any other point in the journey, nobody would have heard our distress call. That's right. You've really never been curious to see Celeste? I don't have the strength you colonists have. I've never seen anything else. I came on the ship as a baby and if everything works out I'll be over 40 years old when I get out. Sometimes I think it makes no sense. Spending half your life cooped up trying to get somewhere. But then I remember that my parents were colonists. And that I am too. And that I have to reach Celeste, even if it's only for the sacrifice they made for me. Time to get up, Helena. Day 7,410 of your voyage. Oxygen reserve deactivated. Hi. I can breathe better. I'm almost finished. It'll be ready tomorrow. I don't understand a word you say. Hi, Helena. I wanted to say I can't have dinner tonight. Why not? I have 2 or 3 more hours with Rebecca and I need to rest. Of course. Good night. Good night. Cardiac cycle correct. Pulse slightly high. Arterial pressure normal. What are you doing? Looking at you. Why? I've never kissed anyone. Helena... I'm going to spend the next 20 years in here. By myself. But if you want me to leave, I will. You're leaving without saying goodbye? I didn't want to wake you. I'm sorry about what happened last night. I'm not. Opening outer lock. AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY ORBIT PROGRAM HEADQUARTERS Base code in hangars 1, 4, 7, 11, 12. The turbine matrix reached 100 in the scale model. You know what that means, right? That with a little luck we'll see the first ships take off in 20 or 30 years. With a little luck and some care we'll probably still be alive and see it with our own eyes. I thought you'd be more excited. I am excited, Hugo. You don't look it. What's wrong? I don't now. What? We've never wondered about the passengers in the simulators... All the time. That's why we have the data from their biowitnesses. But those are numbers. Yes, numbers. The most precise language that exists. - But we're talking about something else. - What? We're talking about people. We've always talked about people. But not about ten people. We're talking about 8 billion people. Alex, I've dedicated half of my life to this project. And although you've only been with us for 5 years, I know this is just as important to you as it is to me. Pick up the Orbit 10 dossier, go home and get some rest. You have only one simulator left. When you've closed that last door, you'll see everything differently. Clean! The Ministry of the Environment announces that next week it will create more artificial storms in all the northern districts of the city. They will be nocturnal rains that will occur every Wednesday next month. Temperatures tomorrow... Why don't you take this to Monica? I don't think she'll like it. Come by the 99 one of these nights. We miss you, man. The test results came in yesterday. Come by the clinic anytime to pick them up. Why don't you save me the trip? Your bones are fine, the analytics too. You have radiation in your body but within normal parameters. You shouldn't have entered the simulators, but you're a lucky bastard. Why don't you come over for dinner tonight? - Monica will be happy to see you. - I can't tonight, Chao. Don't worry, I promise I won't turn on the TV. Today is the 5th anniversary of the first civilian flight with a completely android crew, a catastrophe that left 207 people dead and a shadow of doubt over new industry trends. We tried to contact Alex Rojas, the Spaniard who created the since-decommissioned Icarus 3000 pilots, but we were unable to locate him. Tonight we have several experts who will analyze what might be the keys to making the new generation of android crews 100% reliable. We'll speak to them after this commercial. I don't understand a word you say. You know what? I should be happy because Alex fixed the problem, but... I don't know why, but I'm not. I wish it would have taken him longer. The first ships to Celeste could take off in 15 years, but the boarding protocol remains confusing and must be validated by participating nations. Depending on the reproductive capacity of the individual... Good morning. Good morning. - Hi. - Hi. Silvia will be a while, she still has a couple of customers. I'll wait for her. You've lost weight. Is that a compliment? It's a warning. Silvia, how many sessions have we had? 197 including today. That many? Well, that's what this screen says. Then it's time to be straight with each other. I thought we were from the beginning, Alex. That's what this therapy is about. There are passengers inside the simulators. I already know that. No, you don't. I'm not talking about the scientist couples we all know. They put babies inside. Babies that are adults now. They've been in there their whole lives. They think they're going to Celeste. I don't follow you. Human guinea pigs. Did you know all along? Yes. Coupling initiated. What's going on? What is this? Is there an assembly request? Origin unknown, Helena. Opening outer lock. Maneuver completed. I know this is going to sound crazy to you, but we're not where you think. This isn't a ship, Helena. It's a simulator. On the other side of that door... is Earth. We have to get out of here right now, Helena. Leave. Go back to your pod. It's been recording since you were a baby. There are two more in this corridor and another in the decompression chamber. I disconnected them. We have to go. I told you to leave. It's a biowitness. They planted it inside you when you were born. They check your vital signs. Let me take it out. It won't hurt. Helena. Helena... Helena! I want you to see something. We're going to send your vital signs in a remote code. Cardiac cycle correct. Pulse normal. Arterial pressure stable. Rebecca? Rebecca is a navigation robot. She doesn't communicate with the outside. Are you ready? Opening outer lock. Let's go. Come on, Helena. Don't be afraid. Come on. Helena, give me your hand. Good, Helena. You're doing great. This way. That's it. We're almost there. I need you to ride inside here, okay? Simulation center, grid clean. Affirmative, check the next one. The levels are higher than normal. It's the suit. You left it outside. Gate! The same thing happened with the other ships. It was all agreed. Since when? Since before you were born. And you coming to the ship? That too. The oxygen was only an excuse. - It's checked in remote code. - Then why did you go in? Technical inspection of each Rebecca unit. I want to see them. Nobody can know you're out. But they're my parents. Nobody, Helena. Especially them. Why? Because they're military scientists. They've dedicated half their lives to this project. - But they're my family. - No, they're not. They're not. - What is that? - Thunder. It's going to rain. Come on. I HAVE A MEETING BACK IN 2 HOURS WE LIVE HERE, BUT DON'T GO OU WITHOUT ME! IF SOMEONE RINGS DON'T OPEN DOOR DOWNSTAIRS SHOWER DOESN'T WORK REMEMBER, I'LL BE BACK IN 2 HOURS PLEASE DON'T MOVE THE PIECES What if they find out? There's no reason they would. That's not an answer, Alex. What if something goes wrong? It's too dangerous. I'm willing to take that risk. Right. That's what worries me. Alex. Don't look at me like that. Did you really think I was a wolf? No, but we're not supposed to see each other. My cell phone. I have an apartment I never use in Isaura District. If for any reason you need to disappear for a while, you only have to call me. And please don't talk about this subject in the booth again. Sometimes they record the conversations randomly. Thank you, Silvia. Really. Go on, get lost. Hi. It's weird, I've always had the same clothes but in every size. So, where do you want to go? What do you want to do? I don't know. What's your favorite place? Sometimes the simplest mechanisms are actually the most complex. I could spend my whole life looking at them. They're weird, but pretty. Is the sea far away? The sea isn't like you imagine it anymore. The acid tides destroyed everything. If nobody fixes it, soon they'll only be able to live in places like this. Did you ever go in the water? Yeah, when I was six or seven. But I didn't like it. I can't imagine you at six or seven years old. I was practically like I am now. Shy... Look. I was antisocial, Coke-bottle glasses... A freak. A freak? What's a freak? A freak is... different. Then I'm a freak too. You have to hold the chopstick with this finger. Why do you use chopsticks? You have to use this finger. - Why do you eat with sticks? - Open your mouth. Good morning. What's in the room downstairs? The one I can't go in. There are no cameras in the bedroom or the common areas. Only the ones you saw in the corridor and the entrance. I only had to hack the first one. And when they see I'm not getting older... or that I always do the same thing? We'll record your signal from here and send it whenever we want. It's easy. What will they do with the rest of the passengers in 20 years at the end of the voyage? The Rebecca unit will inform them of a supposed error in the navigation chart and it will be extended indefinitely. What for? To study their vital signs longer. How much longer? The simulators will only open the doors when the biowitnesses confirm that each passenger is deceased. How... How could you get involved in something like this? I'd like to show you something. Hugo came into my life shortly thereafter. When he explained the experiment to me, I guess I only wanted to see the positive side of the project. With the Earth-Celeste voyage simulation we can save millions of lives across the world... when the trips become a reality. That's all I took into account. So... you put it all on a scale and didn't mind sacrificing ten people? No. I didn't at the time. - I love it when you're upset. - Oh, Marta. It's true. That's the reason I married her. - I'm being serious. - So am I. 12 hours with no water every day. And we're the lucky ones, in other sectors it's worse. So you two met in Spain when you were kids? That's right. I had no idea Alex worked here. When I ran into him at the lab, I couldn't believe it. Of course. What a surprise! Helena's a brilliant computer technician. No wonder they went over there to find her. And you're like Alex, right? You can't talk about the Orbit program. Confidential information. What do you think, Chao? Alex said you're not convinced about the trip to Celeste. Well, I think at some point we'll have to make a decision. Either go back to being the cavemen we once were, or travel to Celeste. But you still think things can be fixed here. I wish we weren't throwing in the towel on Earth. I also don't like the idea of my son having to spend half his lifetime in a ship to reach a planet we don't even know. I don't even consider it. Marta and I would get immediately rejected by the boarding protocol. The reproduction criteria is crap. There you go. We're a disgusting species and we deserve the planet we've got. But our kids don't. Everything went fine. The ten simulators are in order. The inspection phase was a success. I'll take care of it. See you after the committee. Alex! Can you come for a second? - Does it hurt? - No. It wasn't the sun this time. I'm going to call Chao. Don't worry about the prick, you won't even feel it. Laura will take care of you, she has hands of gold. Laura, please treat her like family. We'll see you in the office. Good. Alex, over here. Then it's serious? No, I don't think it's serious. We have to wait for the results. I just find it striking how delicate and white her epidermis is, like she's never been in the sun. You know, computer geeks are like vampires. Is that it? Alex, where did you get her? GENETIC ENGINEERS ORBIT 04 SUBJECT STUDY ORBIT 04 CONFIDENTIAL GENERALITIES CLONE 04 25 years ago you gave us access to the cloning bank, a brave gesture which clearly sets us apart from the other four cities where the Orbit program is currently being developed. GENERALITIES CLONE 09 The biowitnesses offer us real data about the voyage's impact on not only the physical but also mental health of our future passengers. CURRENT RESIDENCE This allows us not only to stay ahead, but also to prepare ourselves. It's not a question of race or borders. It's not even a political issue. The fact is, we're a species peering over the edge of its existence. We've obviously been unable to protect and take care of the Earth's limited resources. Nevertheless, one morning planet GJ909 appeared in half the world's telescopes. At first we thought it was unheard of, but over time it has become our only, hear me well, only... chance of survival. As you can see, its existence gives us the chance to dream of a better future. And I'm not talking about us, but our children and our grandchildren. I'm talking about the chance we have to start over as a species. The cloning bank only works with samples from people who died at least two generations back. Helena, you're unique. Like everyone else. No, not like everyone else. Helena, you're genetically-exact copies of very healthy people. You're actually better than most people. What good did that do me? I'll get some coffee. It was the engineer, wasn't it? How could you leave me like that? Come on, pick it up. Where's the coffee? What are you doing? Dad...? She has to go back to the simulator. I'm going to call security, they'll be here in five minutes. No, wait. - Then we have to talk to Hugo. - No, wait. Please, wait. Please! Helena? Helena! Go to the main road. Get in the first taxi you find. Dad will call the program and I won't be able to stop him. Do you think like he does? Hurry. I'm on my way. Are you okay? Why didn't you tell me? You went to see your parents. - Why didn't you tell me? - We have to go, Helena. - We have to go. - Alex! You're all I have. You lied to me. I'm sorry. Well, that's why I need help. Does Katherine know? Of course she does. Katherine gave the order! Okay, we'll see you tomorrow. All right. - Thanks, Silvia. - Be careful. What did she say? She'll give us the key when she leaves her job. It's worse, isn't it? A little, yes. It's very important that you catch them. Hopefully alive, especially her. Are you okay? What if we're wrong? What about the other nine passengers? Why should I be different from them? Now I understand this whole mess. You're beautiful. Thanks. When my parents lived in the Isaura District it was poor, but normal, not the mess it is now. If you don't bother anyone, no one will bother you. I don't know how to thank you, Silvia. Really. Probably a colleague who forgot something. Stay here. Nobody can see you here. What are you doing? Lower your voice, ma'am. We closed over an hour ago. Shut up. Do you know him? No idea. The membership log says he comes here often. Well, it's the first time I've seen him. What are you doing here at this hour? I'm doing a software check. They're selected randomly, today it's my turn. I was leaving in five minutes. Could you show us your booth, please? Of course. Who is that? It's Hugo. Why isn't it connected? I was closing in five minutes, I told you. Could you turn it on, please? Don't move, don't even blink. Sure. They're default projections. They don't move? No. Never? Never. And like this? - Like what? - Like this. It moved. - That one? - Yes. Are you sure? It can't move, it's impossible. Why not, ma'am? Because the sensors are off. It's not impossible, I saw it. It's your fucking imagination! They can't move! Take it easy. Tell them to come out. Ma'am, tell them to come out. Son of a bitch! Son of a bitch! You see? I saw them in there! Alex, let's go! Come on, we have to jump. Let's go! You go first. I need to see how you do it. Please, go first. Come on! Come on! Don't shoot! Don't shoot! Take her to the van. We don't need him. Alex, what the hell is going on? They almost destroyed my clinic. I'm sorry. I told them I hadn't seen you, that I didn't know her. - Why didn't you answer my calls? - It's too dangerous. The phone could be tapped. Don't call me again. - Did you read my message? - Yeah. That's why I'm here. Okay. I did a biopsy of Helena's skin sample and the results aren't good. She has a very strange mutation in her epidermis. She's like a butterfly that can't live outside, in this cesspool. They took her. She's not with me now. Better for her. The only place she can live right now is in there. Her skin got used to the pressurized environment inside the ship. You don't understand. The analytics chain is broken. I have to get her out of there. There's something else. Let me go back inside. You can't. Why not? Because you can't. Why not? Because we disconnected Orbit 9. Then connect it. That's not how things work, Helena. I'll try to be clear. You're of no use to us anymore. Leave Alex alone. Please. I can't leave her outside the simulator. And now I can't put her back in the simulator. Alex. I'll offer you a deal. A deal. You're offering me a deal? Yes, but first I want to see Helena. Stop fucking with me, damn it! You're a scientist and you fell in love with the mouse. Do you hear how ridiculous that sounds? Hugo, if anyone has something to gain here, it's you. Will she suffer? She'll get sleepy. It's quick, one or two minutes after we inject her. She won't even know what's happening. Stop, you bastard! Code 3 at main entrance. I just talked to Hugo! Beige vehicle has stopped. I said stop! He's expecting me! He's expecting me! Stop! No! Lower your weapons. He's an engineer. Everyone stop! Alex, you're in worse shape than I thought. I'm offering you what you've wanted your whole life. But you could be lying too. And you could shoot me. And I will. Like you did Silvia. But if I'm telling the truth, you'll keep your word. I want to be inside that ship with Helena. POSITIVE - 6 WEEKS SEX - FEMALE But the board isn't here now. The only ones here are Katherine and Hugo. Speak. I have one condition. |
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