03x05 - Men Against Fire

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Black Mirror". Aired: 4 December 2011 – 5 June 2019.*
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British anthology television series based on The Twilight Zone.
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03x05 - Men Against Fire

Post by bunniefuu »

Okay, my people! Rise
and shine. Get up, Stripe.

Hey. You awake yet?

- Sure as sh*t ain't dreaming no more.
- Company!

Something went down
last night in Her Falls,

a village about three miles east.

We've got reports of a food
store broken into, sh*t stolen.

Locals think it's roaches.

Roaches!

We head out in five minutes. Let's go!

Hey, so, it looks like you're getting
your first real-live roach hunt, huh?

Hey, new!

New!

It's Stripe.

Here's a little tip just in case
you get your first toe-to-toe

- with one of them roaches today.
- Uh-huh?

When you see one right here,

try not to sh*t your pants.
It's only gonna piss them off.

- I'll try.
- Try to ignore Len.

His aim's so bad, he's
the only guy on Earth

who could sh*t his own pants and miss.

- f*ck you, farm girl.
- Farm girl?

Yeah. Hunting's in my blood.

Some of us are naturals.

Moving out!

Whoo! Yeah!

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Okay.

You can speak now.

- It must have been roaches.
- Roaches, you see them? You see?

I didn't see them.

I heard them. All the mess.
It must have been them.

Want a cookie?

- Here you go.
- They've been in the food.

We'll have to destroy
everything they left.

No one will eat it.

We can replace that, okay?

They destroyed the cooler.
Broke it and took the parts.

The cooler? They stole
parts from the cooler?

Which way did they go?

There were footprints in
the dirt leading that way.

Parn Heidekker.

Parn Heidekker.

Heidekker? Is that a name?

Stop them coming. Please, you must stop.

Okay.

I have child who is scared.

I will. I promise.

Stripe!

Okay. Our friend here
thinks that the roaches

went in the direction of
Parn Heidekker's place.

Local oddball, seems to be
some kind of religious freak.

Anderson, Hague, I want you to stay
here and help them torch the food,

keep them calm and reassured.

The rest of you, we're
gonna drop in on Heidekker.

Ask some questions,
sniff around the place.

If there's roaches, we show
we're ready for them. Let's go.

So Mr. Heidekker is not exactly what
you call a socialite or a mingler.

Seems like mental health issues.

He's got some interesting views
on roaches, by all accounts.

I'm putting his info
in your Mass system now.

Been complaints lodged
against him going months back.

Locals claim that he let roaches
cross his land, left food out for them.

Could be just sh*t talk from
the local villagers though so...

Yo, how many roaches
we got left out here?

A couple of thousand? A
couple of hundred, if that?

I mean, back home we had millions, man.

It only took two years
to get sh*t back on track.

Out here you got rustic
fucks throwing them scraps.

No wonder it's taken
so long to mop sh*t up.

But how can anyone be dumb
enough to help a f*cking roach?

Hell, yeah.

Portals front and rear.

Windows blacked out.

Chimney smoke. Someone's home.

Lennard, you use the boomer.

Okay, Mass check.
Everyone got the layout?

- Check.
- Check.

Check.

Aikin, Valcon, Coach, you
check the outbuildings here.

Take them one at a time and slow.

Stripe, Raiman, you
come with me and Lennard.

We go in here.

Len and I will talk to Heidekker,
you check the rest of the house.

Okay.

Optimal outcome, no sh*ts fired.

Except on a roach.

Except on a roach.

Morning, sir.

There's no need for this.
I speak your language.

Okay.

- What is it you want?
- Just to talk.

That's what we're doing.

Be a little more neighbourly
if we did it inside.

Check the upstairs rooms.

Relax. I'm not your enemy.

Where are they?

Where are who?

You know, we got a whole bunch

of frightened, angry
people in that village.

Roaches have been breaking into
the food stores, stealing supplies.

You know anything about that?

No.

See, it's not just what they stole.

All that food left
is gonna be destroyed.

- No one's gonna eat it.
- Stripe.

Makes life harder for everyone.

Cross on the wall there.
You got principles.

Think all life is sacred. And I get it.

I agree. All life is sacred so...

you even got to protect
the roaches. Right?

It's not their fault they're like
that. They didn't ask for this.

I get it. We get it.

Mm-hmm.

There's sh*t in their blood
that made them that way.

The sickness they're carrying.

That doesn't care about
the sanctity of life

or the pain about who
else is gonna suffer.

We don't stop the roaches, in
five, ten, 20 years from now,

you're still gonna get kids born that
way, and then they're gonna breed.

Bingo.

And so it goes on. That cycle of pain.

That sickness, and it
could have been avoided.

f*cking roach nest.

You check in there.
I'll take the stairs.

Every roach you save today,

you condemn God knows how many
people to despair and misery tomorrow.

You can't still see them as human.

Understandable sentiment,
granted, but it's misguided.

We gotta take them out if humankind
is gonna carry on in this world.

That's just the hard truth.

Gotta make sacrifices.

What the f*ck?

Help me out here!

f*ck!

♪ Try to shame me and still I'll care ♪

♪ You can run around, even put me down ♪

♪ I'll still be there for you ♪

Rai!

We gotta listen to Mr. Sunday
School all the way back to base?

You can cover your ears.

Yeah, or, uh.... I'll
just hit permanent mute.

Lower your w*apon.

Roach lover counts as a k*ll too, right?

He's a civ, right?

You sh**t a civ, that's gonna stay
with you the rest of your life.

Yo, Stripe, why don't you, uh...
pull the stick out of your ass?

Because I'm f*cking with him, not you.

I guess I had you both going, right?

All right!

Let's torch the place.

Hey, you okay, man?

Yeah.

- I heard you popped one in there.
- Two.

Wait, two?

- I got another one, with my Kn*fe.
- With your Kn*fe? Holy sh*t!

- Pretty good, right?
- Yeah, you f*cking Terminator.

Damn! First time out, he gets two.

You lucky m*therf*cker, man.

Sweet dreams for this assh*le.

Gonna get a treat tonight.

Whoo-hoo! Whoo!

I love you.

Whoa! Miss Sharp sh**t.

Patronising f*ck!

_

Ruthless! You're the Grim Reaper.

Yeah, well, no roach
gets away next time.

Are you still sweating that?

Well, I grew up tracking
deer. You never give up.

I don't like it when they get away.

_

Nice.

Yeah, if that fucker
made it to the forest,

probably made it to the
border, gone for good.

Yeah. It's all right for you.

You popped two of 'em.

It's been a while for me.

You know, the gal is getting twitchy.

Come on, Rai.

You sleep good?

Yeah, I slept OK.

What, that's all you're gonna give me?

Okay? You know, if I got two in one go,

I would want to come for like an hour!

All right, shut up.

All right.

Ah! That's the way.

Hey, you okay, man?

Yeah, think I'm tired is all.

Uh-huh? All right, so
you did have a good night.

39, 40, 41....

42...

43, 44, 45, 46,

47, 48, 49,

50, 51, 52,

53, 54, 55,

56, 57, 58, 59...

Strong and pure.

Strong and pure.

- Hey, Stripe, you okay?
- Yeah.

I mean, I... don't know.

I feel a little off.

I mean, I ain't sick or
nothing. It's just, uh...

Report to the sick bay.

Running diagnostic.

What do you see?

A cube.

- Rotating?
- Yeah.

- And now?
- A tree.

- Like an apple tree.
- Touch the apples for me.

Full marks.

- So you say you had like a headache?
- Yeah, but just quick.

Nothing big, just...

Well, everything looks okay.

No sign of any malfunction or
dropout with your Mass implant.

And physically, you're
in exemplary shape.

You've just seen combat, you can
expect some sort of side effect.

There was this, uh... this thing...

with a light on it at the farmhouse.

- Roach had it.
- A roach had it?

- Kind of like a flashlight.
- Flashlight?

Kinda.

I don't know.

Seriously, you're fine. Your Mass
is fine. Blood's fine. It's all fine.

Okay. Yeah.

Maybe you should speak to Arquette.

Who's Arquette?

So, you must be Koinanchey?

Koinange. Folks call me Stripe.

Why would they call you that?

Couldn't pronounce
Koinange either, I guess.

- That's funny.
- Thank you.

At ease, son. Sit down.

So you recently logged your first kills?

- Two roaches?
- Uh-huh.

First time out. It's impressive.

Yeah, I guess.

So what happened?

- What, with the kills?
- Mm-hmm.

Oh. I'm in this, uh... farmhouse.

There's this, like,
hidden room or something.

We go in and there they are.

First one, I just... It was
a*t*matic. Just pop-pop, you know?

Right. Just like in training.

Yeah, just like that, yeah. Yeah.

- And the second?
- I mean, he was on the ground with me.

He?

It was a he.

Oh.

So, this was close quarters then?

Yeah, he's on top of
me. Struggling, I mean...

I couldn't reach my r*fle
so I had to stick him.

Stick it. With my Kn*fe.

And how did that... feel?

- What, like...?
- Emotionally.

I didn't. I mean, it was
quick. It was self-protection.

I guess all I felt
was, you know, relief.

- Just relief?
- Uh-huh.

It's not unusual to
experience other feelings too.

A moment of euphoria even.

Yeah, I guess.

I don't know, I thought
maybe I'd feel...

I don't know.

- Something else?
- Yeah, like...

Regret. Something like that,
but that just wasn't there.

Hmm.

So you'd do it again?

Yeah, sure.

So... why are you here?

I don't know. I mean...

I had a few weird moments.

My Mass looked like
it was glitching out.

But your implants, I mean,
they passed every diagnostic.

- There is nothing wrong with that?
- Yeah, they said it's fine.

I don't know, I think I just...

Felt like something was up with it.

- But there's not.
- No.

You did a big thing. You
should be proud of yourself.

Okay?

It'll pass.

Let's get you a good sleep tonight, huh?

A real good sleep.

f*ck me.

Way to go, f*ck fingers.

It seems Heidekker didn't stay silent
too long once we got to work on him.

He's given up a location, someplace
the roaches have been scavenging.

Well, all right.

It's a housing project that's
been empty since the w*r.

It's not far from here.

So control wants us to do
recon before we go back to base.

Can we hurry it up here?

We ought to burn the
whole forest down, huh?

Give those roaches nowhere to run.

Okay, you see that?

Solar panel looks cleaner than the rest.

And there are some cables.

- There's got to be roaches leaching power.
- Why here?

Christ knows.

All right.

Better dial it in.

Control. This is Medina.

Positive ID. Signs of activity here
at the housing project location.

Sighted one solar panel, looks
recently wiped clean and some cabling.

Roger so far.

- You all right there?
- Smell the grass.

We can't usually smell nothing.

- You ever noticed that?
- No, I never noticed that.

Requesting course of action.

Didn't read. Please repeat.

Okay.

Control says we should
fall back and await comm...

sh*t!

Medina.

Oh!

Medina.

Stripe, get back! She's dead. Come on!

Okay. Ready? Cover me.

Rai! Rai, come on.

Okay.

Oh, f*cking roach got
a r*fle. Jesus Christ.

f*ck. Piece of sh*t.

Okay, Stripe.

Stripe, come on. Get it together, dude.

He fired six sh*ts. His
r*fle looks old, bolt action.

- Should take him ten seconds to reload.
- We go in?

We go in and take him
out. Are you with me?

- I'm with you.
- Let's go!

Follow me!

Ready? Okay, three, two, one. Cover me.

Come on, man! What the f*ck?

What the f*ck is this sh*t?

Let's go.

Stripe!

Whoa, whoa! It's okay. Hey. Hey.

Calm down. Calm down. Calm down.

It's okay. It's okay.
I'm not gonna hurt you.

I'm not gonna hurt you. Okay?


Go on, get out of here. Go on.

It's not safe. There's roaches here.

Go on. Get.

Come on!

- Rai, what did you do?
- Shut up! Come on!

What did you do, Rai?

Got ya.

Rai!

No!

- Run!
- What the f*ck are you doing?

- You're k*lling them!
- They're roaches!

You're f*cking k*lling
them, Rai! f*ck you!

What the f*ck's wrong with you,
man? You got some blown sh*t.

- Pull it together!
- No.

Are you all right?

You gotta get out of here. Come on.

Come on!

f*ck!

You better run.

Shh. Shh.

Here.

I'm all right.

You see me as I am.

Of course I see you.

You don't see roach?

You ain't a roach.

Roaches is all...

f*cked up?

Roaches don't speak.

You just can't hear us.

- What the f*ck are you talking about?
- Your implants. Your army implants.

The Mass system?

They put it in your
head to help you fight,

and when it works, you
see us as something other.

One of us, Luka, was
making a... a machine.

Light flashes. Said it can
interfere with the implant.

You're roaches?

But I've seen roaches.

I've seen them, they're
f*cking... They're like, uh...

- Animals?
- No, they're monsters. I've seen them.

The implant made you see this.

f*ck. The villagers... Huh?

The locals, they... they ain't army.
They got no Mass in their heads.

They're scared of the roaches.

- They hate the f*cking things.
- Everybody hates us.

Well, what the f*ck do they see? Huh?

The f*cking civs, when they look
at a roach, what do they see?

What you see now.

They hate all the same because
it's what they've been told.

Ten years ago, it began.

Post-w*r.

First, the screening
programme, the DNA checks,

then the register,
the emergency measures.

And soon everyone calls us
creatures. Filthy creatures.

Every voice. The TV. The computer.

Say we have... we have sickness in us.

We have weakness. It's in our blood.

They say that our blood cannot go on.

That we cannot go on.

My name was Catarina.

He was Alec.

Now we're just roach.

But now...

Now you see me.

Now you see me.

Rai?

Rai, no!

Tell me I shouldn't k*ll you.

- None of it's true, Rai.
- What the f*ck got you?

None of it's true.

f*ck you.

Get up. Back against the wall.

Get up!

You want me to come in there?

It's all right. I can just talk to him.

Thank you, Briley.

Stripe.

We owe you an apology. We didn't
spot the fault in your Mass.

I got you a coffee.

The device you found in the farmhouse,
you mentioned it to the doctor.

Is this the thing?

We found it on an old block that
you and Raiman were searching.

Looks like they reverse engineered it
from some of our drone parts and so on.

The light here transmits
a code. It's like a virus.

It burrows into your Mass, trying
to shut it down from within.

I tell you, those roaches
are getting more ingenious

than we give them credit for.

The whole thing is a lie.

I understand why you'd say that, yeah.

Roaches.

They look just like us.

Of course they do.

That's why they're so dangerous.

Humans. You know, we
give ourselves a bad rap,

but we're genuinely
empathetic as a species.

I mean, we don't actually
really want to k*ll each other.

Which is a good thing.

Until your future depends
on wiping out the enemy.

Come on, sit down.

I don't know how much
history you studied in school.

Many years ago, I'm
talking early 20th century,

most soldiers didn't
even fire their weapons.

Or if they did, they would just
aim over the heads of the enemies.

They did it on purpose.

British Army. World w*r I.

The brigadier, he'd walk
the line with a stick

and he'd whack his men in
order to get them to sh**t.

Even in World w*r II, in a firefight,

only 15%, 20% of the men
would pull the trigger.

The fate of the world at stake
and only 15% of them fired.

Now what does that tell you?

It tells me that that w*r would
have been over a whole lot quicker

had the m*llitary got its sh*t together.

So we adapted.

Better training. Better conditioning.

Then comes the Vietnam w*r,

and the sh**ting
percentage goes up to 85.

Lot of b*ll*ts flying.
The kills were still low.

Plus the guys who did get a k*ll,

well, most of them came back
all messed up in the head.

And that's pretty much how things
stayed until Mass came along.

You see, Mass... Well, that's
the ultimate m*llitary w*apon.

It helps you with your intel.

Your targeting. Your
comms. Your conditioning.

It's a lot easier to pull the trigger
when you're aiming at the bogeyman, hmm?

It's not just your eyes, though.
Takes care of your other senses, too.

You don't hear the shrieks.

You don't smell the blood and the sh*t.

They're human beings.

Do you have any idea the amount
of sh*t that's in their DNA?

Higher rates of cancer.

Muscular dystrophy.
MS. SLS. Substandard IQ.

Criminal tendencies. Sexual deviances.

It's all there.

The screening shows it.

Is that what you want
for the next generation?

Don't feel bad about doing your job.

The villagers won't do it.

The folks back home won't do it.

They don't have Mass.

Mass lets you do it.

You.

You're protecting the bloodline.

And that, my friend, is an honour.

There's no honour here.

It's just k*lling.

- Lying and k*lling.
- No one lied to you.

You knew all of this. All along.

What are you talking about?

You agreed to have your
Mass implant put in.

Set up. Every soldier does.

We can't just embed it and feed you
a dream. Your mind would reject it.

You have to accept it. Willingly.

It's exactly what you did.

So you see the terms
and conditions there?

Yeah, that's like a whole essay, man.

What is that?

That's your consent video. From
when you signed up six months ago.

Basically, it says you agree
to Mass implant activation.

- I didn't do this.
- Yes, you did.

- Works kind of like hypnosis.
- Yeah, all right.

Part of what you're
agreeing to is not realising

you've been put in this state.

If you follow me. You won't
recall this conversation.

That's kind of funny, man.

Turn it off.

- So for you to register consent...
- Turn it off, man.

I'm gonna need your thumbprint there.

- Right here?
- Yes, please.

That's dope.

I didn't do that!

- I don't remember that!
- Just like the man said.

- I know you're upset.
- f*ck you!

- What's happening?
- We control what you see, Stripe.

- I can't see nothing.
- Because we control it.

Give me my f*cking eyes back.

- Let me lay out your options.
- Give me my f*cking eyes back, man!

Let me lay out your options!

Option one, you agree
to have your Mass reset.

All the recollections
of the past few days,

including this conversation, erased.

No way.

Option two's incarceration.

- I'd advise you to consider.
- f*ck you!

Mass is a friend.

Without it, you will remember
everything that you did.

I ain't having this Mass sh*t.

No more. No way.

Okay.

Well...

Maybe you should see what
life would be like without it.

What's happening?

Where am I?

Heidekker's ranch. Three days ago.

I have it all logged, Stripe. We
can feed you everything that you did.

Hey, no, no, no. No.

Please! Please don't sh**t.
Please! Please! Please don't sh**t.

- Please! Please!
- No! No!

No. Make it stop.

No! Please.

Make it stop!

Please!

No! No!

No!

f*ck off! Stop it!

No!

You'll see and smell and feel it all.

Is this what you want?

On a loop? In a cell all alone?

We can make that go away.

This conversation goes away too.

All of it.

But you gotta say the word.

Just say the word, Stripe.

And it all goes away.

Just say the word.
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