[Light clicks]
[Alarm chiming]
-[Joe groans]
[Groans, sighs]
[Sniffles]
[Chiming continues]
Okay, okay.
I'm awake.
[Grunts]
[Sighs]
-MEL:
Good morning, Joe.
You have several items
on your calendar today.
Would you like me
to read them to you?
[Water running]
-No. I'm good.
[Message chimes]
-You have a request
from Ash's assistant.
Coffee at Old World Roasters.
9:30 a.m.
-Confirm that
and send a note to Maxine.
Ask her to mine the fort
till I get in.
-Reconfiguring.
All set.
[Water continues running]
[Indistinct chatter]
-Man: Yeah.
[Door opens,
bell jingles]
[Traffic passing]
[Indistinct conversations]
-Hm.
-First time in a bookstore?
-Yeah.
No.
Beautiful detail.
-[Chuckles]
I was joking.
[Clears throat]
[Indistinct conversations]
-I mean,
personally, I prefer
what's written
inside on the pages,
but, uh, you know,
to each their own.
[Book thuds]
-Do you like coffee?
-Oh, everyone likes coffee.
-What's your name?
-Uh, Joe.
Yours?
[Indistinct conversations]
[Chuckles lightly]
-Coming?
-Now?
-You got a better time?
-No, uh...
[Chuckles lightly]
Oh, Maxine, are you,
uh, okay if I, uh...
-Yeah.
-It's Ash, by the way.
-Ash.
Okay.
[Bell jingles]
-So you've read that stuff.
-I have. Yeah.
Makes you think.
Without man in his potential
for moral progress,
the whole of reality would be a
mere wilderness thing,
in vain,
and have no final purpose.
-Hm.
Final purpose.
I don't know about that.
Maybe we have what we have
and you do your best
with it day by day.
-Yeah. Yeah, sure.
Oh, for me,
it just makes things feel...
richer, somehow.
-Take a picture,
it'll last longer.
-Oh, that's --
that's actually a good idea.
-Hm?
-This the way I'll have proof.
-Proof of what?
-Of a beautiful woman
hanging out with me.
[Electronic whirring]
[Camera shutter clicks]
-Okay, MEL. I'm out.
[Electronic warbling]
-System is now armed.
You have 30 seconds to depart.
-Have a great day, Joe.
-You, too, pal.
-My brother!
How are you this beautiful day?
-I'm doing well, Oliver.
Yourself?
-Eh, no complaints.
-I'm off to see Ash.
-Ah! Lucky man.
-Yeah.
Don't I know it?
-There you go.
-Oh, I'm supposed to guess who.
-Mm-hmm.
-Okay.
Well, it's either
my beautiful girlfriend
who I'm meeting
on this wonderful morning.
Or...
it's my other,
sexier girlfriend
from the bad part of town.
-[Laughs]
-Oh, you! Hi.
-Hmm.
-What can I get for you?
-I'll have a cappuccino,
please.
-You got it.
-You have to work after?
-Yeah.
-You know, I would love
to know what that is.
-You know what they say
about curiosity.
-No.
-Really?
Oh.
-You adore me.
-I do.
So...
...I want you to know something.
-About?
-You.
About you.
-[Grunts] Hey!
I love you, Joe.
-Hey, hey, hey, hey.
[Chuckles] Ash...
Ash, you surprised me.
That's all.
-I need to tell you something.
-Anything.
I'm not from here.
-I know.
You're from Bridgewater.
-No. I mean,
I'm not from...here.
No.
-Do you two know each other?
-Don't.
[g*n c*ck]
-[Voice breaking]
No, no, no.
[Siren wailing]
[Alarm chiming]
-MEL, shut everything down.
-This is your second week
without leaving
the apartment, Joe.
Are you unwell?
Should I call for assistance?
-Can you call Ash?
-I am not
currently able to do that.
-Hmm.
Well, then f*ck off.
Just let me sleep.
-You have a visitor.
-Don't answer.
-It's Oliver.
This is the third time
he's been by.
-Fine.
-Joe, are you there?
-I'm here.
I'm here.
-Hey, man.
Uh...got the good stuff.
Let me up?
I hear it's better hot.
-Good?
-I can't taste anything.
-What?
-Taste. I can't -- I can't.
-I'll get it.
Where do you keep the towels?
Joe?
I know it doesn't feel like it,
but you're gonna be okay.
-She's gone.
-I...
Maybe she's in a better place.
-Oh, don't patronize me.
Just...don't.
-Well, look, you, uh...
You take mine.
Come back tomorrow
with more coffee.
But, uh, eat something, okay?
Joe.
[Sirens wailing]
-Hello, Joe.
-See you soon.
Or I won't.
Either way.
f*cking...
[Inhales sharply]
[g*n clicks]
[g*n clicks]
[g*n clicks]
[Groans]
[Breathing heavily]
-A weapon has been discharged.
Are you safe?
Please respond, Joe.
I am contacting
the authorities.
-No, no, no, no!
-No, no, wait, wait, wait.
It was an accident.
[Groans]
[Shouts]
-Joe!
[Wind whistling]
[Glass tinkling]
[Breathing heavily]
[Gasping]
-Good morning, Joe.
You have a new message
from Ash.
Would you like me to play it?
You have another new message
from Ash, marked urgent.
Should I play it?
[Lock beeps]
[Cellphone beeps]
-In here.
-You okay, brother?
[Cellphone beeps]
-You see that, right?
-Oh.
Have you checked
any of those?
Well, maybe it's, uh,
a message for you
in case anything happened
to her.
-I-I thought of that,
but the screens and the, um...
-Well, what?
-You know, nothing.
It's, uh...
shock, maybe.
-Look, go home.
Get some rest, and then
you check the message --
messages.
You might get some closure.
-Would you mind
if I checked here, actually?
I'm not sure
I want to go back yet.
-Mi casa!
It's all yours.
[Cellphone beeps]
-Hey, Joe.
-Hey.
-If you're seeing this,
something's happened to me.
And I might not see you again.
For that...
I am so, so sorry.
I need your help.
It's important.
It might not make sense
right away,
but I need you to get
something for me.
Your bookstore --
there's a special order there
waiting for you.
Will you help?
-Yes. Of course.
-Thank you.
Details are downloading.
I planned for this.
Not -- Not for...everything
that's happened,
but for this.
Bring the package back
to your place.
I'll talk to you again later.
I love you.
-We have further contact.
-We should leave it alone.
Track him.
Let me know what he does next.
-Copy.
-Hey, boss,
are you doing okay?
-Was something
delivered for me?
-Uh, right. Yeah.
This one's a prize.
-Thank you.
-I'll see you tomorrow?
-Uh, yeah.
Yeah, I'll let you know.
[Groans]
[Gasps]
-He has...
-Something.
-Take him down.
Retrieve whatever that is.
Backup incoming.
-Copy.
[Elevator dings]
-Floor?
-Same.
[Elevator dings]
-What is happening?
MEL, someone's trying
to break in!
-Should I call
the authorities?
[g*nshots]
-Knock, knock.
-Yes!
-Contacting authorities now.
I'm sorry, Joe.
I appear to be offline.
Reattempting.
[g*n c*ck]
-Oh. Uh, uh, uh...
[Panting]
Oh, f*ck.
-Something's wrong.
Help me up.
-Who are you talking to?
-MEL.
-f*ck off!
-I don't understand.
-You and me both, pal.
[Lock beeps]
-Joe.
-MEL, pause Ash's message.
-I'm sorry,
I don't understand.
Could you rephrase?
-Joe?
Hey.
-MEL, is this real?
-I'm sorry, could you
rephrase the question?
-Jesus!
-I'll explain.
-Where are you?
-I didn't mean
to be mysterious.
It just took me a while
to hack a connection.
And time works
a bit differently here.
-"Here"?
-Where I'm from.
There's, uh...
The technology,
it's almost impossible
to get access, but I did.
-No, no, no, no, no, no.
I saw you die.
I saw someone k*ll you.
-I know.
I know, I know, I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
Oh, there's so much
I have to tell you.
So much -- So much
I want to say.
I just need to explain
a few things first.
Is that okay?
Okay.
Years ago, technology
made several rapid jumps --
machine learning,
behavioral modeling,
artificial intelligence,
ultra-realistic rendering.
A lot of it was driven
by the entertainment industry.
Gaming, streaming,
deep learning,
and AI brought others --
intelligence agencies,
special interests.
Those interests saw
where the tech could go,
recruited hungry young minds
like Anthony Hunter,
a brilliant software engineer.
He worked for Sentech,
one of the big firms.
His day job was
data acquisition,
gathering as much information
from the real world
as possible,
feeding the machine,
building models
to analyze process control.
On the side, he was working
on his own project.
From what we can piece
together,
Hunter was trying
to incorporate
all of this data into a true
virtualized reality,
something alive,
fed by a constant stream
of information.
It was too big for him
to put together on his own.
He couldn't get to
a stable build until...
...he met someone,
another coder,
apparently with
similar interests.
A new mentor
who helped the final pieces
fall into place.
The first DU.
-DU?
-Digital Universe.
He made a world,
a fully realized population.
The corporations had
been trying for years
to harness machine learning
to their advantage.
What was missing?
People -- billions of them,
with their own emotions,
desires, agency.
Hunter began to use
the system for advanced R&D.
He realized he could test
anything on his pet universe.
High-risk surgical implants.
Advanced weaponry.
Mass testing of cutting-edge
pharmaceuticals.
Within an impossibly short
amount of time,
he became Sentech's CEO.
Then things moved even faster.
What better testbed?
What better way
to prototype anything?
Human beings may be cheap,
but simulated ones were
even cheaper.
He had a world of his own
to play with, no consequences.
He tried version...
after version...
after version.
Hunter kept going.
He spent almost a decade
testing,
fine-tuning, restarting.
-I'm in one of those versions,
aren't I?
How many?
Before this,
how many versions?
-497.
As far as we can tell.
-So, what does that make me?
-A man.
One I love.
-A virtual man.
[Sighs]
This is a f*cking nightmare.
Where are you, exactly?
-Home.
I just need to show you
a bit more.
It got out, what Hunter
and Sentech were doing.
Even if you didn't believe that
the people in the DU were real,
the ethical implications
were too much to ignore,
and the power that came
with being able to test
any conceivable possibility
on unwitting populations?
-Us.
-The tech was outlawed.
The DU system was supposed
to be spun down for good.
It wasn't.
He just hid it,
both physically
and on the network.
But I found a way in.
I found...
...you.
-Wait. That --
That's the man who shot you.
-Hunter.
-How come he didn't disappear,
like when you...
-When I died?
-Yeah.
-Okay. You needed admin-level
access for that.
The control teams
don't even like doing it.
It throws major checksum
errors, risks corruption.
It messes with the analytics.
The more you break
the physical laws
that are coded in...
-The less the system works
as a tool.
-Exactly.
So, the goon that attacked you,
when you k*lled him,
it hurt, bad.
It needs to be real
for the system to function.
No cheating,
or the data devalues.
-So, what is this?
-Now? Just a book, but it
carried another layer of data.
Data we need to get out, soon.
-Wait.
Who's that next to Hunter?
-That is
the enigmatic Oliver Cox.
After he saw
what Hunter was doing,
he disappeared
from public view.
He hasn't been seen in years.
-Holy sh*t.
-What?
-I know him.
-What do you mean,
you know him?
-You know him! The --
The newsstand near my building.
-He must be masking himself
from other users of the system.
Like me.
This newsstand,
it might be a kind of
hidden observation post.
Joe, he could help.
-How?
-If there's anyone
who can get me back in,
help get that data out,
it's him.
I need to meet him.
-He -- He knows you're dead.
-I don't think
that'll faze him.
-Wait. How did --
How did you stop me from...
-I was watching you.
I tried everything, Joe.
The best I could do
was send messages,
hack into some displays.
Otherwise, I was locked out.
It wasn't me.
-Then who?
-Erica, What can I do for you?
-We need to spin it down.
-"We." Huh.
Okay. Sit.
-We're having masking issues.
Security holes.
I can't patch in time.
-Well, I patched up one of them
for you. [Chuckles]
-You shot a woman in plain view
at a coffee shop.
-Yeah.
Stress relief.
Besides, it's your job to make
sure no one else gets in.
Right? That's -- That's you?
That's your job?
-The only way to do that
is to isolate it completely
from global networks.
-Well, if I do that,
then I can't feed it,
and it doesn't work
as effectively, so...
-It can function
as a simulator.
We have excellent analytics.
-It doesn't work
as effectively.
-We should have spun it
down with the court order.
We're risking exposure, Anthony.
We had another incursion.
A huge amount of data
just moved around.
I'm tracking it, but --
-Okay.
The world is sh*t.
You get that, right?
Like...what are we?
Collectively,
billions of idiots,
decimating the only home
that we have.
But we have a way.
We have way
to run any conceivable test
to find out what happens
before it happens,
before we have to hand over
the keys to the environment
to the fossil fuel
conglomerates,
before we go down
the same path as version 16
and elect an autocratic,
malignant narcissist
to high office.
Remember that f*cking mess?
Him and his mob
almost cost us
half the globe in seven years.
Before millions
of more people die
in senseless conflict
based on primitive ideologies
born out of ancient
superstitions,
mass manipulation,
targeted disinformation.
The world is sh*t!
But I'm going to fix it.
I am fixing it.
-You're k*lling people
to do it.
Billions of people.
-Algorithmically generated
population units.
-The rest of the world
doesn't see it like that.
Nor do the courts.
-The courts can go
f*ck themselves!
They will legislate us
into a burning cinder.
Keep it hidden.
Keep it connected.
Figure it out.
Erica.
My globe.
Um...
find that girl I shot...
...here in the real world.
[Computer chiming]
-What can I help you with,
dead girl?
-It is you.
-And you found me,
through my firewalls, no less.
Hey, talking is risky,
so I can give you
another 30 seconds.
-I need to know where it is.
Can you help me find it?
-Find what?
-The DU.
The physical system location.
And I need a valid network key
to get back in.
-It's distributed. It could be
anywhere. Everywhere.
Oh, and are you out
of your freaking mind?
What makes you think
I can help?
Or would?
-When I first started, I was
trying to get it shut down.
Now things are --
-Complicated. Yes.
Joe.
-Seems like
you're using it yourself.
What are you doing in there?
-We'll be in touch.
[Beeping]
-Missed her.
Can't be far.
Scan the place.
Turn it upside down.
Yeah. Requesting your support.
[Chime]
-You armed?
-Nothing smart
or network-connected.
Inert non-metallic
nano-graphene blades.
[Beep, lock disengages]
-That isn't standard issue.
-It's personal.
-Spring-loaded?
Well, it can't be legal.
Coffee.
There you are.
-You like things analog.
-Mm.
Well, you're welcome to borrow
something if you like.
Mmm.
Ahh!
I long ago learned
that I retain things better
when I read from the hard copy,
absorb works of art
from the original source.
It's just --
it's less ephemeral.
Digital, it can be gone
like that.
-Like you.
-What do you know about me?
-I know that you worked
with Hunter.
Some kind of partnership.
You disappeared.
-Mm, it's more like
a co-dependency
and not the whole story,
but probably enough for now.
-He's after me.
-Did, uh, getting yourself
k*lled give it away, did it?
-Out here, I mean.
-What were you doing in
the system in the first place?
-I'm freelance.
Intel for a while before that.
I'm good at tracing data,
making connections.
-I've seen.
You don't just hack
into proprietary systems
like this by googling.
You're impressive,
Miss Solway.
-I was recruited out
of college,
trained 10 years as an analyst.
I went out on my own
with a small team
when all of this
started with Sentech.
We were convinced Hunter wasn't
following the court orders.
Sentech was growing too fast,
becoming too powerful,
as were his corporate pals,
a few oligarchs
he did business with.
Some fringe nations
with money to burn.
-Using data
from DU iterations.
-We were just trying
to confirm what we already knew,
really, deal with it.
-And you just
stuck around after hours?
-I saw what I saw.
What it was.
It wouldn't have been right
to shut it down
or let Hunter restart it.
These...
These are people.
-Just going about their lives.
-So, what are you doing
in there,
selling newspapers and candy?
-I knew Hunter
would keep it running.
There's just too many benefits.
It's like a-a digital
crystal ball.
There is so much the DU
can -- can show us,
can teach us,
without outside interference.
-That's not an answer.
-It's the one I can give.
-It was you, wasn't it?
Saving Joe,
changing things to help him?
-[Sighs]
-I'll take that as a yes.
Why?
-Maybe there's more to him
than meets the eye.
I think you know that already.
-[Chuckles]
So, will you help me?
I need to get Hunter
off my a*s,
find somewhere safe,
see Joe.
-Go back in?
-Yes.
Please.
-You really love him.
-I get that he's not...real.
-But we are way past real
as an easy definition.
-Are you making fun of me?
-No, no, no, I'm not.
I-I'm saying there's
nothing strange
about the way you're feeling.
That was the whole point
of the design.
-So, you'll help me?
-I will.
But first things first.
I need to get you
somewhere safe.
Not here.
There's an autonomous
hotel downtown.
I'm part owner.
You can lay low,
log in if you must.
I'll get you a network address
and a new encrypted key.
Long term,
I'm not sure
how to handle Hunter yet.
Never mind save this iteration
of the system,
which means stealing it.
-Yeah, I have a plan for that.
-But right now,
I'm not on Hunter's radar.
I like not being on his radar.
-Hey.
-You're here.
-Oliver.
-Bellamy, this iteration's run
its course.
Time to archive it
and study it offline.
-It was k*lling me every day,
knowing that you were in pain,
thinking that I was gone.
All I wanted to do
was reach out to you.
And when Hunter k*lled me,
he k*lled my access.
It had taken me months
to find a way in the first time.
I love you.
-I wish I knew
what to do with that.
-You could tell me
you love me, too.
-But if I do, is that just...
programming, talking?
My whole world view's
kind of broken.
How would you feel...
if you found out you were
just a character in a game?
-It's not a game.
-You sure?
-It's not a game.
This is as real
as anything I know.
Maybe my other life is a dream.
Maybe this is the one
that counts.
-But you have a choice.
-So do you.
-No, I don't.
You can leave this.
This is all I have.
I need a drink.
-Joe.
Please come back.
-[Scoffs]
[Whoosh]
-[Gasps]
-I pulled you out.
-You can do that?
-Not now. Listen.
Hunter is onto you, and he's
throwing a hell of a lot
of compute your way.
It's time to move.
-I just need to get
a message to Joe.
-Ash! Get out!
-f*ck!
-Oliver!
-Joe! How goes the day?
-Ash -- she...
-I know, I know.
-No, no.
No, not -- she was here.
I was speaking with her,
and she just --
she disappeared.
She -- She left.
-I...
-Look, man,
I don't know how this works.
Help me. Please.
-sh*t, sh*t, sh*t, sh*t,
sh*t, sh*t.
I don't know how
to deal with this --
with anything.
She's alive!
But what does that mean?
Am I?
If I love her,
is that even real?
Does anything I feel even --
-Joe!
-She's in trouble, isn't she?
Alright. Alright.
Then that's all that matters.
How do I help her?
-Have a seat.
This world won't be
worth the risk much longer.
Understand?
-He'll shut it down.
-This iteration, anyway.
He's probably already started
the process.
He could just spin it back up
when the heat's off.
But for you,
it's the end of the line.
Everything you know, gone.
You, gone.
It's not just
about you and Ash.
It's about billions of people
and their right to live.
-I'm just a fish in a tank.
-You're so much more
than that.
Get the data
you're carrying out.
-How?
-Years ago,
software designers used to leave
stuff behind in the code.
-Easter eggs?
-In a manner of speaking.
They're usually tied
to a specific place
in the environment,
somewhere to stock up,
get cheat codes,
transfer things in and out.
Developer mode.
-There's a place like that here.
How do you know?
-Because I built it.
-What's in it?
-A way for you to upload
the data you're carrying.
-Which is?
-It's an instance.
A backup
of the entire digital universe
from the moment
you opened that book.
That's the data Ash is trying
to get out.
-Holy sh*t.
-Indeed.
So, get there, upload.
-Then?
-Sit tight.
-No, I can't do that.
I have to find Hunter,
help Ash.
-I don't think you're stupid,
Joe.
And that?
That is stupid.
He can literally flick a switch,
and you are gone.
Gone like you never existed.
-Why hasn't he?
-Because every time he cheats,
he acts in ways that don't abide
by the coded physical laws
of his universe.
-Checksum errors.
-Exactly.
-Ash explained.
-Errors. Inconsistencies.
Fidelity goes out the window.
-Bad data.
-Bad data has no value.
Joe, upload, then go home.
I'll try to help where I can.
It's one of a kind.
Please don't lose it.
I will send the location
of the room to your phone.
Load it with what you need.
Now, that is
hardware decryption.
It'll open the door,
but the phone will need
to trigger what happens next.
You need to find the comm panel.
If you touch it,
it'll start the data upload.
Don't touch anything else
while you're in there.
-Okay.
What else is there?
-Find the panel.
Upload.
Enjoy the day, Joe.
-[Gasps] God.
-Hello, Joe.
-Hey, MEL.
I hope you're happy.
-My systems are now operating
at full capacity.
-Listen,
if I don't see you again,
thanks for everything.
-My pleasure, Joe.
Have a great day.
-[Groaning]
It won't work.
It's keyed to me.
[Groans]
-Seems like it works okay to me.
-You're messing --
You're messing with something
you shouldn't be.
-Your boss is doing that.
Where's the DU?
Where?!
-You're already dead
in one world.
Not long here, either.
b*tch.
[Groans]
-Morning.
So, Ash...
...what now?
-You going to k*ll me again?
-Not yet.
-Why did you do it
the first time?
-You know why.
-Because I found
your private playground.
-Uh, my multi-billion-dollar
analysis tool, you mean?
-You say tomato.
You were supposed to stop.
-You seem to be enjoying it.
-You as*h*le.
What gives you the right
to play with so many lives?
-[Scoffs]
What about you, huh?
-What were you doing
in that bookstore,
if not playing with lives?
Just browsing the wares
yourself?
A couple of books
and a boy to go?
-It's different.
You know it's different.
-Yeah. Okay, enough of this.
I have to, uh, catch up
with an old friend.
So...
You're cool to just hang here
for a few minutes, right?
-[Whistles]
-I didn't take you
for the nostalgic type.
Surprised to hear from you.
-Always good to see you,
old friend.
-[Chuckles]
-Why are you messing
with my universe?
-Oh, see, there's your problem.
-My problem?
-Your need to possess,
your possessiveness.
-f*ck you, old man.
-Worked on that.
-You did it to yourself.
Everything was moving
along just fine.
-Well,
it's a matter of perspective.
The billions of dead
in your last little test
would beg to differ.
-Our test, you mean?
-I had no idea what you were
planning until it was too late,
and you know that.
-[Scoffs]
-Always pushing the limits.
You know, breaking things
intentionally, like a child,
you know, pulling the legs
off of insects
just to see what happens.
If I was being honest --
-Mm, yeah.
By all means, be honest.
-You're a psychopath,
old friend.
And I think you know it.
I'm just...trying to do
my own thing,
which includes staying out
of your way.
-I want to believe that.
-I may have made this
with you,
but it's your playground.
I am down with that.
-Whew.
I'm glad to hear that.
-Hmm.
Ow!
-Uh-oh.
-No.
How did -- How did you --
-Your problem,
if we're being honest,
is that your curiosity
or your, uh, empathy
gets a better view every time.
Once you agreed to meet,
once we interacted,
I found you.
-Safeguards.
-Huh?
Yeah, you're dying.
Gonna be over
in a couple of minutes.
Um, if you want, I can back up
your avatar
for old times' sake.
I, uh, wrapped up
some of the loose ends.
-Fancy.
[Cellphone beeps]
sh*t.
[Exhales sharply]
[Beeping]
[Computer whirring]
[Groans]
[Alarms blaring]
-Some kind of transfer initiated
from inside the system.
-What?
-I think your guy
is transferring code out.
It's lighting up a city block.
-Stop him. Now.
-[Gasping]
sh*t.
[Beep]
-Hello, Joe.
Please select
required options.
-Oh.
[g*n c*ck]
How many times do
I have to k*ll you?
-Okay. Enough.
[Clock ticking, chimes]
-Hello, Joe.
W-W-Wait.
Okay. Easy, easy.
Let me just --
Let me explain.
There's only one you right now.
You -- You get that, right?
There's only one you.
This one.
So if I were to, like,
I don't know, sh**t you...
-[Groans]
-...you'd feel it.
And if I were to k*ll you...
...you wouldn't just wake up
somewhere else.
This -- This is
kind of all there is.
-[Gasping]
-I made you.
And I unmake you.
-[Groaning]
-Everything you are,
everything you do,
everything you love...
...nothing more than digital
dust, my man.
Except for Ash, of course.
But, hey, don't worry about her.
She's in great hands.
-[Screams]
[g*nsh*t]
-I don't like your boyfriend.
-He doesn't like you much,
either.
-What the hell?
-Erica, stand down.
Geddes.
I don't know how he's doing it.
But it doesn't matter.
It's time for a reboot.
-No, please!
Please.
-Close the door.
[Chuckles] None of this makes
any difference.
And you're not even a memory.
Not even a ghost.
[Laughs]
Enjoy the end, my man.
-Please, at least
let me say goodbye.
-You actually love him.
[Chuckles]
And...on to the next.
[Cellphone rings]
-Ash. Ash!
Ash, are you there?
-I'm here.
-Are you okay?
-Yeah. I'm okay.
-Good.
Good. That's good.
That's all that matters.
Look, I don't know
if I'm real.
Doesn't seem like it.
But I know you are.
And I know what we have is.
It's the most real thing
I've ever experienced.
I love you, Ash.
And that's not code.
That's not programming.
That's real.
[Beep]
-Well [Sighs] that was a lot.
So...
we're kind of in
a sticky spot here
because, uh,
I'm just not sure I know what
I'm supposed to do with you.
-Don't twirl your mustache,
you piece of sh*t.
You know.
-Fair enough.
It's just it seems so valuable,
you know?
Shame.
-Don't do this, Hunter.
-So, look.
I'm sorry.
-Go f*ck yourself.
-Hey, don't be like that.
You are forcing my hand,
and you know it.
I got no choice.
-Don't you, old friend?
-Oh.
-You're dead.
-It's a matter of perspective.
-I k*lled you.
-You always had trouble
thinking outside the box,
didn't you?
I'm sorry for that.
True disappointment.
-[Stammers]
What is happening?
-Levels within levels, Anthony.
To quote a favorite
from this iteration,
there are other worlds
than this.
-Drop it.
Kick it over to me.
You okay?
-Yeah.
-You hurt her, no?
You destroyed everything.
-Everyone.
-[Grunts]
-Take him down.
Erica!
-I'm done.
-No, no.
None of that was real.
-Like me.
-Please.
[g*nsh*t]
-You're real.
-So are you.
-I don't understand.
-And that makes two of us.
Am I supposed to guess?
-Mm-hmm.
-Ah, I'd know those hands
anywhere.
You want to sit for a bit?
-Yeah.
-It's weird, right?
Meeting here.
I don't know, everything.
-I know you wanted to see.
-Yeah. Nostalgia, maybe.
-Lovebirds, good to see you.
-You too. Hey.
Here.
-So...how does it feel
to save the world?
-Honestly,
I'm not sure I understand.
How are you --
-Still here? Alive?
Same way you are.
-How many levels are there?
Ah.
Uh, okay.
So...
-That's supposed to be me?
-No.
Well, this is your world.
Your entire universe.
Created by Hunter with more
than a little help from me.
Okay?
-I'm still getting
my head around it,
but yeah, following.
-Okay, now the cup...
-Is the real world.
-A world.
Ash's world.
-Ash's?
-It's a world.
Who knows how many levels,
how many universes?
There could be
an infinite number.
I'm not sure it's
even important.
-So, Joe and I are the same?
-You brought me up a level.
-From the sugar crystal
to the cup.
I did, indeed.
-And you're from the saucer?
-Well, the metaphor wears
thin, but, uh...
...yes.
-But I still don't understand
how you did that with Joe.
-Well, not to put
too fine a point on it,
but it was simply a matter
of migrating code
from one system to the next.
-Ouch.
-No, it's semantics.
Not a declaration of value,
but a flesh, blood code.
Code that creates
flesh and blood.
Who knows?
Who cares?
You're just as human as I am.
Look, we're all free
to continue
to wonder about our creators.
You just happen to have
an inside scoop
from a guy who's simply
a level up.
You feel me?
-I feel you.
-Look, Ash.
Hunter was born of my hubris,
my meddling.
He had all the tools
to create something good,
something positive.
But he lacked the one thing
I was looking for,
the one thing I was --
I was testing for.
And that emptiness,
it almost destroyed everything.
-The one thing?
-It's empathy.
And you showed up.
The surprise,
the -- the unknown variable.
And where Hunter failed,
you -- you didn't.
You stepped up.
You and Joe.
You -- You restore my faith
that we can be good,
caring, kind,
which is what we need to be
to survive in the end.
It seems the code
gets there...
eventually.
-That's not so bad, right?
-It isn't so bad.
-Look, Ash.
I created a simulation that is
indistinguishable from reality.
It is your reality.
It's everything
you've ever known.
And now it's yours, too, Joe.
But at some point soon,
this world will reach a
high enough level of technology
that it creates
its own simulation.
So, you see, it's unlikely,
if not impossible,
that my own reality isn't
also a simulation.
But chances are we are nowhere
close to the original real.
So, enjoy each other.
Enjoy what life has to offer.
Here. Up there.
Does it matter?
Really?
There you go.
[Clock ticking]
[Bells ringing]
Ohh.
[Sighs]
This, we got right.
Welcome to our World! Where we serve you cookies to ensure you get the best viewing experience on our site.
Did you know that you can remove censorship board-wide, use our advanced search functions, be notified when new content is posted, join our memberships, set episodes to show in any order you want & more if you are logged into your account?
Register or sign in here: ucp.php?mode=register
Did you know that you can remove censorship board-wide, use our advanced search functions, be notified when new content is posted, join our memberships, set episodes to show in any order you want & more if you are logged into your account?
Register or sign in here: ucp.php?mode=register
Levels (2024)
Moderators: Maskath3, GabrielAlejo2341, sidolanters, Maskath3, GabrielAlejo2341, sidolanters