01x08 - Playtime

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: Previously on Continuum...

Police! Freeze!

Kiera: My suit is damaged.

What did you do to it?

Carlos: Let's make a pact...

No more secrets from each other,

100% honesty.

What do you think?

Sometimes you have to do the wrong thing for the right reason...

The piece of the time travel device is missing.

Kellog...

The revolution starts here.

This just got a lot more complicated.

In the current round of testing, we are focusing on ways to use light spectra to neutralize aggressive behavior in criminals.

Man: How far advanced is the product?

Advanced.

We found soldiers to be the ideal test subjects due to their elevated levels of aggression.

And since they're indentured to SadTech for 20 years of service, we have many eager volunteers.

Show them how it works.

(ELECTRONIC BEEPING)

(GRUNTS)

No freaking way.

Argh!

Hold your fire Now you can fire.

Just kidding.

Every tiger can be instantly tamed or made to att*ck.

All that's required is to identify and then stimulate the corresponding neurons.

By stimulating the brain with repetitive patterns and vibrations, we have found that you can actually control a person's state of mind and implant specific thoughts.

Observe.

Stand on one leg.

(GRUNTING)

Stay back!

Stay back!

(ELECTRICITY CRACKLING)

(STAMMERING) We still have a few kinks to work out.

But I can assure you this will be as safe as a baby lamb.

(APPLAUSE)

(MEN TALKING INDISTINCTIVELY)

MAN 1; Go, 90, 90!

Man 2: What are you doing?

Stop, man!

Man 3: sh**t him, man, sh**t him!

Man 4: What are you doing?

Man 2: Come on, man.

Man 5: Hey, what are you doing?

Greg Moritz!

Man 5: Hold up, hold up, wait!

Are you nuts?

What are you doing out here without eye protection?

Sorry.

No!

Man 3: What the hell, man?

MAN 4; Go, 90, 90!

Mmm...

Okay, I'm here.

What was so urgent it couldn't wait?

I made you some breakfast.

What do you want, Matthew?

Okay, I've been thinking about...

About you, about you and me.

There is no you and me.

Yet, here you are.

So...

I thought maybe you called because you wanted to return something you stole.

Your heart?

The segment from the time travel device that brought us here.

I have no idea what you're talking about.

Hmm, I'm sure.

Now, let's just say I did take it.

Why would you want it?

It's just a useless piece of junk that won't work by itself.

Why don't you let me worry about whether it works or not.

Oh, I see.

It's like a promise, right?

Like a small piece of metallic hope.

Don't lie to yourself, Kiera.

Even if you figured out a way to get home, who's to say it's gonna be the same as the one you left?

You don't know that.

Maybe you took it because you don't want me to leave.

Well, now that does sound like something that I would do.

Hmm. Okay, enough.

If you're not gonna give it to me then what am I doing here?

Well, I wanted to see you, spend some time.

The only time I wanna spend with you is when you get me information to help stop your former comrades.

(CELL PHONE RINGING)

Oh!

Carlos: Hey, Dillon wanted you to see this.

This may not be g*ng-related, but it definitely falls into the interesting case category.

The sh**t walks right into a corporate paintball game, murders the CEO and then sh**t himself.

What are they covered with?

Paint. Paintball?

Companies wanna promote team building so they run around with g*ns and sh**t each other with paint, blow off a little steam...

You've never played paintball before?

I completed several hundred hours of simulated combat training.

Well, you should try paintball some time, it's fun.

Maybe not.

Hey John, we got it from here, thanks.

This is Mr. Copeland, he's one of our witnesses.

Can you tell us what happened?

He just walked up to Greg and sh*t.

He wasn't part of your group?

I've been with the company since we started, I've never seen him before.

What kind of company?

Tech, visual effects software.

Can you think of anyone that might've wanted to harm Greg?

No, he was a really good guy.

Who would do something like this?

I've got buyers lined up from Frankfurt to Dubai, so either he wires the money by day's end or I'm cutting him loose.

Cole Bartley?

Miss, get away from the edge.

(SCREAMING) Whoa!

Kiera: 2077.

My time, my city, my family.

When t*rrorists k*lled thousands of innocents, they were condemned to die.

They had other plans.

(expl*si*n)

A time-travel device sent us all back 65 years.

I want to get home, but I can't be sure what I will return to if history is changed.

Their plan, to corrupt and control the present in order to win the future.

What they didn't plan on was me.

Well, here's the registration on the sh**t's car.

Mark McGwinn, 25...

Yup, he lived alone, he worked as a beta tester for a company called Tendyne Systems.

Got no priors, clean record.

No indication that he was gonna wake up today and m*rder someone.

Carlos! I've got another unusual m*rder-su1c1de.

Female assailant at the light rail station in False Creek, pulled the victim with her in front of the express train.

First responders ID'd her as Yvonne Ducelle, 22, from the driver's license in her wallet.

Apparently, her face was pretty much unrecognizable.

She also worked as a beta tester at Tendyne Systems.

Same as McGwinn.

What kind of company is Tendyne?

It specializes in massively muiti-player first-person sh**t and real-time combat simulations.

Start-up in '03, made the SV150 index in '07, double-digit growth ever since.

The CEO Gabrielle Cosgrove is one of my heroes.

Well, I highly doubt that this was a coincidence.

I mean, two beta testers at the same company going off the rails on the same day?

Soto speak.

You think maybe it was a lover's su1c1de pact?

I think there's only one way to find out.

So you're going to Tendyne?

I could come with, I kinda know about these sorta things.

It's okay, I think if, uh, we need your help we can...

Actually, I think it's a great idea.

Great!

I'll grab my stuff.

Team building.

No paint required.

Okay... I got my tautic circuitries intact, processors on board are linked to my computer...

All I gotta do is transfer the control to my auxiliary panels and we should be online a week ahead of schedule.

Presto.

Presto?

Damn it.

What am I not getting about you?

Mark and Yvonne were both beta testers.

I didn't know them well but they both were hard workers, conscientious...

I have, um, grief counselors coming in to help where they can.

Did Mark and Yvonne know each other?

I don't know.

But I can have HR send you what information we have on them.

And of course, feel free to talk to my employees.

Fred!

Fred Nettinger is our lead programmer.

Fred is... Was, um, Mark and Yvonne's direct supervisor.

Mark and Yvonne were working on our newest product.

A game?

Not just a game the next generation of gaming.

The perfect balance of RPG and SLG elements.

Was it violent?

The game had nothing to do with what happened.

I have over a dozen beta testers working on it, no one else has had a reaction.

Not yet, anyway.

We need to see Mark and Yvonne's desks.

(SCOFFS) They were beta testers.

They worked from home, they don't have regular desks.

Yeah, they'd come in here periodically, but it was always in a group setting.

Is there other employees that we can talk to, then?

Yeah, of course.

Irene?

Irene works as a module designer in our GWAP division.

Games with another purpose.

I'm wondering if you could, uh, tells us anything about Mark and Yvonne.

I didn't know 'em very well. Sorry.

Look, anything can help, even if you don't think it's important.

Were they friends, enemies, uh, possibly seeing each other?

No, I doubt it.

Mark was into younger chicks and Yvonne was a furry.

Liked to dress up as animals.

Charming.

Carlos: Okay.

Look, here's my card.

You call if there's anything else that you can think of.

You seem anxious, Mr. Nettinger.

I just lost two testers, I have a right to be.

Mr. Nettinger, um, Fred?

Maybe you could show us this next generation game you were talking about.

Of course.

Follow me.

He's hiding something.

Uh-huh.

Look, buy me some time, I'm gonna take a look around, talk to a few other people.

Sure.

You know, beta testers can be real losers, bottom feeders.

Not like programmers.

Programmers are of the highest echelon.

And here we are.

Hmm, good call, Betty.

Wow, it's like virtual LARPing.

Live action role-playing.

We prefer calling it cyber-LARPing.

Yeah, it responds to your own cerebral evoked potentials.

You see, it feeds an impulse beam into your retinas, which then bounces off the back of the amyg...

Maybe we should just get a demonstration.

Yeah.

Zack, uh, run simulation 429.

I still haven't figured out that glitch.

No, it's fine for a demo.

Do it.

Okay, now make sure those visors are down, pull that trigger to fire, and playing will teach you the rest.

Mine actually feels cold in my hands.

Oh! Tangos! Game on.

Kiera?

Kiera?

What's going on, are you okay?

I told you we shouldn't have let them in here.

This is not our fault.

Are you all right, Agent?

Yeah, I'm okay.

I just... I just... Air.

Air. I just need air.

Alec?

Alec?

Alec, can you hear me?

I've got nothing, all my systems are down. Alec?

Oh, God!

What the hell?

Kiera?

Kiera, are you...

(PHONE RINGING)

Alec, I tried calling your cell Kiera, what happened?

All my monitors are down.

I can't get through to you on your CMR.

I know. I was playing a virtual reality simulation.

What kind of simulation?

Immersive.

I had on a helmet, um...

There was a jolt of pain in my head, and my vision blurred.

Are you okay?

Yeah, thanks.

Um... Can you tell me what happened?

Uh... Something must've shorted out your CMR, maybe there was some interference with the interactive circuits on the VR helmet.

I may need to reboot you.

H ow?

I'm not sure, let me see what I can do from this end.

Thank you.

(WHIRRING)

Thanks. Okay, I'll call you back.

So, the ME said both su1c1de K*llers had amphetamines in their system.

Okay, interesting.

How'd they get there?

They were both gamers.

I saw cans of Torsion at Tendyne, it's popular with the set who go online and play games all night.

There have been a lot of media reports lately about 20 year olds with severe heart issues, because it's worse than cr*ck and it's legal.

So, consumed in large enough quantities, it can cause psychosis?

If you believe the reports, it can cause hallucinations, paranoia, delusions...

So delusional they could become psychotic?

Amphetamines, violent video games...

It could be a pretty potent mix.

Okay, Kiera, you wanted information about the g*ng?

You are about to get it.

Ha! Good old Lucas.

He always did have a thing for pugilists.

Here.

Keep it running, okay?

(MURMURING)

(BELL RINGING)

Kellog!

How'd you find me?

Oh, it's not like that.

I come here all the time, I didn't know you came here.

I don't believe you.

Seriously, I just like this place.

I guess I'm gonna have to find another place.

Kellog, come on, man.

Now that you're here, have a drink. My treat.

What do you want?

Jack and Coke.

Excuse me? Jack and Coke and a scotch on the rocks.

Make 'em doubles, please.

Thank you.

(PHONE RINGING)

(CLEARS THROAT) So I got an update.

I hacked into your CMR and I found a system restore mode.

The good news is that it gave me an idea about how to activate your suit.

What's the bad news?

There's still a lot of encrypted files and firewalls up the yin yang.

I should be able hack it but I'm gonna need to meet you and reboot you physically.

Okay, uh, can we do it at my apartment?

Yeah, that'd be a lot better than you coming here and having to explain to my mom and Roland who you are.

Actually, that might be kinda fun.

Oh, Alec, just figure it out, please.

Yeah, sure.

Thank you.

You betcha.

If I were me, and wanted to hide something, I'd have a contingency route...

Wow, that was surprisingly easy.

Okay, password.

Password, uh...

I should know the password, I designed the thing.

Of course!

(BEEPS)

Uh-oh...

No way!

(CHUCKLES) Man, I forgot how much you drink You know, I miss having you around.

All the others are so serious.

Not me.

Not you.

I envy how you embrace living in 2012.

Hey!

It's an exciting time to be alive.

And it's about to get more exciting.

Yeah?

Kagame has got us working on something that's gonna be a total game changer.

Yeah?

We can, we will, rewrite history.

Well, What is it?

I've said too much already!

Yeah, what the hell, man.

It's nice just to be here throwin' back a few with an old friend.

Oh!

(PHONE RINGING)

Shh.

Hello?

I'll see you there tonight.

I was never here.

Hey, man...

(CHEERING)

(BELL RINGS)

Your secret's safe with me.

Let's get outta here.

Take care of yourself, man.

Yeah, man.

See you around, eh?

All right, my man.

Follow that cab.

Oh, there's no texts, emails or calls between Yvonne and Mark.

There's no connection between either of them or the victims.

You got anything?

Nothing aside from inter-company emails that they were both CC'd on, at least not in the last four weeks, anyway.

I did some digging on Torsion...

The product was supposed to have been destroyed after the FDA pulled it from the shelves.

Supposed to have been?

Yeah, there's an underground market for gamers who are hooked on it.

Stories of stockpiles hoarded away, stashes in people's garages you could only purchase if you had a contact... Betty.

I called some friends in the hacker world who live on the stuff.

Legend has it the remaining inventory was secretly bought up by someone.

Gabrielle Cosgrove.

Looks like we're gonna have to talk to Ms. Cosgrove again.

Okay, Betty, I know she's your hero, but...

I know. I'll get all the dirt on her that I can.

Carlos: Thank you, Betty.

Good work, Mr. Nettinger.

Well I must admit, I wasn't sure my program would yield such powerful results.

But when both Mark and Yvonne responded so well Yes, now the hard drive if you“.

And when she put the helmet on, Agent Cameron...

The circuitry specs you gave me were magnificent.

I was able to capture the coordinates of her internal chip...

Hey!

You've been very instrumental in helping us out, and now it's time for your reward.

Circuitry specs for a liquid chip technology.

Is this as good as you say?

Mr. Nettinger, this is so beyond what you've done.

You can easily inject this in someone's head, and combined with their code, feed them instructions in real time.

You become the puppet master.

Om (LAUGHING)

No one else has this information?

All yours.

Gonna make you a fortune.

What about Special Agent Cameron, won't she try to stop me?

The information that you've collected on this hard drive holds the access code to agent Cameron's chip.

I can pull her strings now, and let me assure you, she won't be around much longer to stop anyone.

You gave your employees a banned substance with harmful side effects.

My client has done nothing to break the law.

So, you just scooped up all the Torsion you could get your hands on as a public service?

My client found it increased productivity and reduced fatigue without compromising the quality of work.

Each employee knew the risks, they partook of the substance on their own and signed a waiver which we can produce in court.

I'll be sure to tell that to Greg Moritz and Cole Bartley's families.

Look, I may be guilty of poor judgment but that's all I'm guilty of.

Are we done yet?

Unless you're charging my client, this interview's over.

Go.

So the coroner said that there was no abnormalities in the K*llers' brains and that blood levels from modified ephedrine were way below anything that could cause psychotic behavior.

So it wasn't the Torsion.

Back to square one.

(PHONE RINGING)

Hi...

Sadler: You forgot, didn't you?

Yup.

I will be right there.

I'm gonna go check with my contacts at Section 6, they might have some answers.

Want me to come along?

Another time.

Hey, you know what else contributes to team building?

Telling your partner what you're doing, what you're thinking.

Found the connection between Gabrielle Cosgrove and both victims.

Between the victims, not the K*llers? Yeah.

Gabrielle knew the first victim, Greg Moritz.

He was the CEO of a rival gaming company.

A few years ago they were caught up in a nasty lawsuit.

Greg came out on top.

Second victim, Cole Bartley, used to work with Gabrielle at a dot-com start-up in Silicon Valley.

Seems Gabrielle was fired for apparently being difficult to work with while Bartley went on to get promoted several times and make a small fortune.

Nice work!

Looks like I'm on my way back to Tendyne.

How long is this gonna take?

It'll take as long as it takes You're in a great mood.

(WHISPERS) That was sarcasm.

Sorry, I'm just a little distracted here.

So you're working on a case?

Yeah, two beta testers both decide to k*ll someone and then take their own lives.

What's your working theory?

Theory?

I'm a little short on theories these days.

Although...

What?

In the future, scientists will create a program that produces a pattern of light frequencies that controls part of the brain.

It makes the subject suggestible, controllable.

What, like hypnotism?

I thought you couldn't hypnotize someone to do something they normally wouldn't do, like commit su1c1de or m*rder.

Right, you can't.

But this is way beyond hypnotism, this is about radically shifting neuronal patterning.

Hijacking the mind.

Sounds like a brain/eoftware interface.

It's kinda like what I'm trying to do here.

Question is, could someone in this time be doing that?

Apparently I can.

(PHONE RINGING)

Cameron.

Gabrielle Cosgrove knew both victims, I'm going to Tendyne.

I can meet you in 45 minutes?

WeH, I guess I'll have to start without you.

Are we done?

Yeah, as done as we can be when we're operating on the cutting edge of pseudo-science.

Sorry.

Uh!

My HUD isn't up.

Yeah, it takes some time for it to reboot.

How much time?

I don't know, I've never done this before but, uh, your mitotic circuitry seems to cycle itself once every hour so probably no longer than that.

Okay, so once I'm back online, I need you to see if you can find any encrypted files in Tendyne's game code, and lock the door when you leave, and, oh, yeah, no snooping, please.

Wait, um, I should tell you...

What?

Uh, nothing, just be safe.

Yeah?

Don't I know you?

Me? Uh, no.

No, I definitely know you.

University kitchen, g*n to your head, happen to ring any bells?

Right, yeah.

Uh, listen, about that...

Who are you?

I'm, uh...

I work with Kiera You're Section 6?

Section 6...

She told you about Section 6?

No, no, she doesn't tell me anything.

Detective Carlos Fonnegra.

I, uh, I'd tell you my name but, you know, Section 6.

Okay, I get it.

What are you doing here?

Kiera said she needed to see me.

She brought you in on this case?

Right, yeah.

Listen, is she inside?

No, no, I'm meeting her at Tendyne Systems.

Of course, Tendyne Systems.

Hey, I'll see you there.

Okay.

Okay.

Wow, uh...

Tendyne Systems.

(PHONE RINGING)

Come on, Keira.

Okay, I'm in.

Can you control her?

Not yet.

Accessing her CMR code must've shorted her circuitry.

Her system's rebooting, but in less than an hour she'll be back online, and then her mind is ours.

You knew both victims, Greg Moritz, Cole Bartley.

My client has nothing further to say.

Of course I knew them.

The software development world is small.

I know or have worked with most of the players in this field.

Cole Bartley I hadn't given a thought to in years, and as for Greg Moritz, I was in the process of buying his company.

We have documents to back that up.

Okay, and why didn't you mention this to us the first time we questioned you?

The terms of the sale were confidential.

I had advised her not to say anything about her association with Greg Moritz until we knew the fallout from his death.

So, now that he's dead you can just pick over his corpse at cut-rate prices.

Now that he's dead I'm sure the deal's off.

We were finalizing details of the sale, but now that he's dead, everything's up in the air.

Check with the CFO, he'll confirm everything.

Okay, I'll be sure to do that.

Still doesn't prove anything.

Tendyne had millions to gain by this sale.

Greg's death will put an end to that.

Believe me, losing this deal is the last thing I could've wanted.

Okay, I'll check your story and get back to you.

Thanks for your time, ladies.

Hello, Tendyne.

For a high-tech enterprise, your security is surprisingly lame.

All right, let's take a look at these codes.

What? What are you?

No way!

Old school VR with a brand new CP?

All right, let's try this baby out.

Oh, my God!

(TIRES SCREECHING)

Alec, are you there?

Oh, you're back online.

I was just looking at Tendyne's game codes and you won't believe...

Alec, my head really hurts again.

Yeah, sorry, it should settle down after the reboot.

Hold on, stay with me.

Ingram: Almost there.

And we're in!

(DIALING)

Carlos.

Hey, where are you?

I thought you were meeting me at Tendyne.

Did you talk to Cosgrove?

Yeah, her and her lawyer.

It's a dead end, it looks like we need to dig a little deeper.

Okay, uh, I'll meet you back at the precinct.

You still there?

Is she talking to us?

Yeah, I'm still here. Um...

I was trying to tell you that I was looking at the beta testers' source codes for Tendyne's new game, there are some pre-processor obfuscators, somebody's deliberately concealing executables within the application.

Someone is hiding code within the code.

Who is she talking to?

I don't know but she's using her bio-upgrade comps.

Could another protector have gotten through?

Run a trace, find out.

I was able to parse it and then when I looked at it, I completely blanked out.

Next thing I know, 27 minutes went by.

It's like you said, my mind was completely h*jacked.

So Gabrielle Cosgrove did intend to k*ll Bartley and Moritz?

No, it's not Cosgrove.

My money is on whoever wrote the code.

Cosgrove is just the businessperson.

Let me guess who wrote the code.

Fred Nettinger.

(PHONE RINGING)

Hey, what's up?

Change of plans.

We go back to Tendyne...

I think it was Nettinger.

They know about Nettinger.

He's become a liability.

Did your contacts at Section 6 tell you that?

Kiera: I'll explain everything when I see you.

Stop her.

You said you had her under your control.

She's still spooling through reboot.

A few more minutes.

I have a message for Agent Cameron.

If you could just...

I'm sorry, if you don't have any ID...

Mr. Nettinger!

Excuse me...

Yes.

Just the man I wanted to see.

Brad Anderson from In Code magazine.

We're thinking about doing a feature article on you.

I was wondering if I could have a few moments of your time.

Okay, so what's the plan?

They've figured out how to brainwash people that play their game.

We need to find Nettinger and the program files.

And I'm in.

Carlos: You okay?

Kiera: Yeah.

It's...

It's just a headache, it'll pass.

Have her eliminate Mr. Nettinger, then her partner and then herself.

Kiera?

(BEEPING)

Whoa, whoa, whoa, what's going on here?

Kiera?

We need to talk to Nettinger.

Uh, yeah.

That's kinda the plan.

Shall we?

Kiera?

Kiera, can you hear me?

Kiera!

Oh, no, this is bad.

This is really bad.

(PEOPLE SCREAMING)

What the hell?

Get out of here!

(g*n FIRES)

Man: Get down!

Get over here!

You're being hacked.

(ALARM SOUNDING)

So am I...

No, no, no!

(GRUNTING)

What are you doing?

Is this you or them?

Controlling her! I know about your deal, is this you or them?

No, this isn't me.

I'm not the one doing it.

Can you deprogram her?

I gave the codes away, I sold them.

I have no idea how to stop her.

(BOTH GRUNTING)

Ah!

Damn it!

What is he doing there?

You got me.

Interrupt the subprogram, introduce the disruption factor...

I've lost her!

How?

Someone else is connecting to her and rewriting her code.

(SIGHS WITH RELIEF)

Got her back.

Target the partner and have her k*ll herself.

Oh, come on! Come on!

Kellog: Kiera...

Come on!

Listen to me...

Hey.

Listen to me.

Damn it!

Don't do this.

sh**t him!

He can't hack her if I turn her off.

Oh, God.

I've lost her!

Who da man?

I'm the man!

Yeah! Uh! Uh! Uh!

Are you okay?

Are you done?

What just happened?

Nice job.

How do you explain this?

Whoever is accessing her has advanced coding skills.

It's like he was anticipating my every move before I did it.

More advanced than you?

Which is impossible, especially in this time.

There is one person...

Well, yes, but he is just...

Just a kid.

That is the only logical explanation.

So Nettinger confessed to writing a code that creates a visual wave pattern.

It, uh, brainwashes a person so that they k*ll somebody and then commit su1c1de.

Must've been what happened to you, right?

Yeah.

Okay.

Well, my question is when were you exposed to the pattern?

Was it, uh, when you were playing that game with Betty?

It must've been.

Okay, I'm gonna have Betty checked out also, just as a precaution.

What about Cole Bartley, Greg Moritz?

Well, Nettinger believed that k*lling them would throw the suspicion for the murders on Cosgrove.

Two birds with one stone.

Gets to test out his software and take out the woman standing in the way of his advancement.

Clever.

Yeah, your, uh, friend had the same assessment.

My friend?

Yeah, your buddy from Section 6.

He was there at Tendyne.

Right.

And if it wasn't for him, you would've put a b*llet in me.

About that...

Carlos, I don't remember anything.

Kiera, listen, forget about it.

Despite what you want people to believe, I know you're only human.

Besides, I know you were brainwashed like Mark and Yvonne.

That reminds me, uh, Dillon wants you to get checked out by a specialist.

I know just the person.

Okay, good.

And when you do see your buddy...

Tell him that I owe him my life, huh?

You might wanna say thanks also.

Go home, get some sleep.

(PHONE RINGING)

Alec.

Hey, you all right?

Yeah.

I think I need another reboot.

Yeah, and then I'm gonna beef up your firewall so nobody can hack you again.

Can we do it tomorrow?

Yeah, sure, you must be tired.

That's an understatement.

Hey, Kiera...

Yeah?

When I was going through your diagnostics, I found a hidden file.

Did you open it?

It was full of old memory traces, stuff that you thought you've deleted but is still there.

I'd be curious to see what you find.

Or it could just be broken code.

Yeah, I know.

Fill me in tomorrow, okay?

Yeah, sure.

Good night, Alec.

Good night.

(SLOW SONG PLAYING)