I can't imagine a time where you could walk into a store, shelves were full,
- And you could buy whatever you needed. - Yeah.
If you ran out of toothpaste, you'd buy some.
Try this.
Baking soda and peppermint oil. Does the trick.
Thanks.
I don't understand this whole economic breakdown thing.
We have this huge toothpaste shortage, yet you can buy peppermint oil.
If you know the right people.
How do you spell, uh..."poly-merase"?
P-o-l-y-m-e-r-a-s-e.
Except it's pronounced "polymer-aze" with the Z like in enzyme, which is what it is.
Responsible for the duplication of the DNA molecule
by allowing the oligonucleotide primers to bind to the separated molecular strands.
- You're such a goofball. - What are you workin' on?
Got a gig temping for this Japanese doctor who's in town giving a paper.
"Gene resequencing", "manipulation of RNA nucleotides".
Don't ask me what any of it means. All I know... is I'm getting paid.
- Excellent. - Actually, it's kinda dope.
This doc-his name is Tanaka-took this crack baby born three months premature.
The kid had the IQ of broccoli.
The doc goes to work on him. Six years later, he's a boy genius.
Isn't he a cutie-pie?
So they fixed him by futzing with his genes after he was born?
I guess.
- Can I look at this? - Long as I'm not late for the conference.
Got you covered.
- They're puttin' you up here? - Not a chance.
Too bad. I was hoping we could score some towels.
If I get invited to shower with anyone, I'll see what I can do.
(door opens)
Anybody home?
Logan!
Logan.
- Hi. - Hi.
Hard of hearing or somethin'?
Actually, one of my faculties that's still intact. I was just thinking.
Oh.
You have that "I need a favour" look.
Don't I always? I mean, isn't that the only reason why I come around?
There's a conference at the Steinlitz Hotel.
A scientist, Dr Tanaka, is presenting a paper on genetic research.
Yeah, I think l, um... heard something about that.
- I wanna check it out. - You have my blessing.
It's one of those things where you can'tjust walk in off the streets.
- You gotta have credentials. - I'll see what I can do. Why d'you wanna go?
I read this guy's paper. He claims he can cure you by moving your genes around.
- You think he can help with your seizures? - Worth lookin' into.
You oughta come down there with me.
Dr Tanaka says if you use the body's genetic blueprints, it can re-engineer itself.
If he's on the level, you'd be walkin' around in no time.
Max, it's hard enough dealin' with the here and now.
You wanna listen to the pie in the sky Dr Feelgood's hustling, be my guest.
Just leave me out of it, OK?
- OK. I was just... - Just don't.
I'll call you if I can swing the conference thing.
- How was everybody's weekend? - Good, good.
Speak for yourself. Original Cindy had a tragic Saturday night.
Finally got to kick it with my lickety-boo.
- Chrisette? - Check it.
We have a couple of beers, shoot some pool.
- Sister girl drop she go both ways. - Aren't all women basically bisexual?
- Idiot. - I can live with bisexual.
It ain't perfect, but at least she halfway there.
But then sugar tells me she has this big affair with another lickety-chick,
which ended badly, so her heart is broken.
So now... she is celibate.
- Why be bisexual if you're celibate? - Thank you.
- So now they two broken hearts. - Yes, but it's all good.
It is not all good! All good would be her and me chillin'.
It unfolds according to the will of the Most High, notjust your desire, my sister.
Whatever.
But you might wanna try gettin' her really drunk.
(coughing)
I'm gonna have to take the afternoon off. Medical emergency.
Yeah, all right.
I'm clammy and achy with chills. I got a fever. Feel my forehead.
No, thank you. Get a note from your doctor.
(pager rings)
Can I use your phone... please?
Just don't breathe on it.
- Hi. - Affiirmative on the press credentials.
You are Rachel Glasser from BioTech Frontiers magazine.
- I'll leave them with Bling if I'm not here. - Thanks.
Sorry for gettin' pissy before.
No big dealio.
Hi. Rachel Glasser, Dr Tanaka.
Nice to meet you. BioTech Frontiers.
- (speaks Japanese) - Excuse me.
- How do you do? - I'm curious.
You know when you resequence nucleotides, you always end up with one stray intron?
Have you considered using plasmids to transfect the new base-pair vectors
directly into the codon sequence, so that won't happen?
One bad intron can mess up everything.
Interesting. I never considered that.
(PA) Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats.
Please excuse me. Perhaps we can talk more later.
Yeah. I would like that.
- What are you doing here? - You don't know me.
My name's Rachel Glasser. I'm ajournalist.
- Don't ask me how I got here. - Your rich boyfriend, it's obvious.
- He's not my boyfriend. - Yeah, yeah.
This isn't exactly your crowd.
Shall we?
This is Jude Thatcher at birth. He weighed just three and a half pounds.
He needed oxygen because his lungs were underdeveloped.
He had no swallowing reflex, so had to be fed intravenously.
He was addicted to crack cocaine.
His mother, incarcerated for drug abuse and prostitution,
could not afford the most basic health care.
Jude was heading for an early and unlamented grave,
until our foundation stepped in and took over the health management of the child.
We began an intensive course of surgical, pharmacological and genetic intervention.
The results were encouraging.
This is Jude at two years six months.
This is Jude at four years.
And this is Jude today.
Living proof that there are no limits to what the human body can achieve
with the right training and environment.
Konichiwa.
(speaks Japanese)
(speaks Spanish)
We hope you find the proceedings informative.
- Hello, Dr Tanaka. - Konichiwa, Jude-san.
Why don't you play something for us?
(? Classical sonata)
At Manticore, Lydecker used to tell us the same thing. "There are no limits."
The mind can conceive, the body can achieve,
with the right training.
Only we could still get shot and killed like Eva,
starve to death, or even drown.
I've often wondered why we didn't just turn on him.
We were stronger, faster. Any one of us could have snapped his neck before he knew it.
But we were too scared, and he knew it.
Is this seat taken?
No.
(echoing) You're not leaving?
Dr Tanaka's barely scratched the surface. You can't possibly have gotten your story.
Excuse me?
I said "You're not leaving? You can't possibly have gotten your story."
- No. - It is amazing, isn't it?
To think that we can fix nature's mistakes.
Yeah.
Donald... Lydecker.
- Rachel Glasser. - BioTech Frontiers.
I can't say that I've heard of that.
- It's new. - I'll have to check it out.
Nice to meet you. Excuse me.
- Max? - It's Rachel. I told you.
Right. Are you OK?
Yeah. Why?
Was that guy hitting on you?
What?
You gotta watch out for the older ones. Less testosterone and more charm.
But it's still all about bangin' the gong. You bailing?
Not a chance.
- He's never done music before. - Oh.
Is this your area of specialty? Genetics?
I've done some work in the field.
- Really? - With children, gifted children.
- How gratifying. - I guide them as best I can.
But mostly I provide a framework in which they can flourish.
- Must be a challenge. - Oh, it is.
It's always the highly intelligent ones who most lack discipline.
Maybe they're smart enough to think for themselves.
Ah, they're still children. They don't always act in their own best interest.
What do you think of this so far, the conference?
It's hard not to be impressed.
Tanaka's recombinant technology is groundbreaking. It's why I'm here.
The children I work with... their genetic anomalies make them gifted,
and they also make them flawed.
Have we met before?
I don't think so.
You seem awfully familiar.
I get that a lot.
(PA) Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome back Jude Thatcher and Dr Yukio Tanaka.
Thank you. Thank you so much.
Jude is an extraordinary boy, a singular creation,
whose very life is the culmination of decades of genetic research.
Jude is also a messenger, bringing good news to each and every one of us.
"How?" you ask.
You, sir. Will you please stand?
- Me? - Yes. I see you wear glasses.
Yes.
- How long have you worn them? - Few years. It was fine until I was about 43.
Next thing, I couldn't live without them.
- Do you know why that is? - I'm no ophthalmologist,
but I think it has to do with the hardening of the crystalline lens,
which doesn't contract the way it used to.
That's right.
Now, what if I told you that what you referred to was already written in the genetic code?
And that if I... snipped here,
grafted here, and used some of your own RNA to seal the graft,
you could throw away your glasses?
- You would be my hero. - Thank you. You may sit down.
This same technique also allows us to treat and cure far more distressing conditions,
such as congenital blindness, deafness,
even severe neurological conditions, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, epilepsy.
All these can be remedied by manipulation of their genetic code.
A minor rewriting...
Go, go!
Everybody, stay calm. We are the May 22nd Movement.
(man) What are you doing?
We are the May 22nd Movement. We are here to liberate the boy.
Stay calm, and you will not be harmed.
Take this. Hide it. They won't search you.
Trust me.
No. You're not gonna hurt the boy.
- Let him go. - No.
Max...
You're OK. Come with me.
(alarm bell)
We're comin' down. Bring the van.
Not possible. Hotel security is blocking the entrance. They're evacuating the place.
Disable the elevators, seal the stairwells. No one gets on or off the floor.
- Everyone on the ground! Now! - Do it!
Hey! No riding inside.
That's what's wrong with everything. No respect.
- What you eatin' on? - Tomato with endive and watercress.
How come I don't see any tomato, endive or watercress?
Where's he gonna find that stuff, even if he could afford it?
We interrupt this broadcast to bring you breaking news.
This is the Steinlitz Hotel, where an armed group,
identifiied as the outlawed May 22nd Movement,
stormed a scientifiic conference being held there.
Police arrived moments ago and are...
Too much negativity in the world, man.
Which is why Jah want us to hold a higher vision of things,
like the both of you and your feast here.
Herbal, it's one thing for us to play pretend gourmet cos we broke, but that bitch for real.
No, no. It's the very same thing, you know, knowing that it's all good all the time.
Right, right. Somebody gonna get their ass blown off, but that's all good?
All the time.
I love you like a brother, my brother, but that is just wack.
It's unclear, but notable scientists...
Do the words "Bip-bip-bip" mean anything?
The May 22nd Movement takes its name from the birthday of terrorist Theodore Kaczynski,
known as the Unabomber, who for three decades in the late 20th century
waged a violent campaign...
Logan. You should see this.
...which movement founder Jon Darius praised as "a call to arms..."
Jon Darius. Interviewed him a few years back.
...blowing up a biotesting laboratory, TVrelay stations.
We are now receiving unconfirmed reports...
(Logan) Where is this?
The Steinlitz Hotel.
That's where Max is.
We don't wanna hurt anyone. Cooperate and you'll be all right.
- All we want is to free the boy. - Free him? From what?
From you and your freak show. He's a poster child for your morally bankrupt technostate.
What are you gonna do with him?
Give him a home, a family, where he'll live like a real human being.
And grow up to spout slogans and shoot people.
- This boy is my family. - He's your lab rat.
(phone rings)
The police, calling to negotiate.
This is Jon Darius. We're May 22nd. We're armed and we're holding 35 hostages.
Detective Sung, Seattle PD.
If you try anything, if you come anywhere near this building,
hostages will die. You got that?
I understand.
We want transport and safe passage for ourselves and the child known as Jude.
If you don't meet our demands, we'll kill one hostage every hour.
For what you ask, we're going to need more than an hour.
First hour's already up.
Terrance.
Jude, be brave.
They're just tryin' to scare us. They're not really gonna kill him, are they?
- What are you doing? - Just showin' you the city, Doctor.
No!
No, no, no!
59 minutes. Then another one goes after him.
If she's hot, what's Original Cindy gonna do?
Wait to see if this celibate thing is just a phase?
If it was meant to be, it'll be.
Listen to Doris Day over here!
Hey, the Steinlitz is right down there.
- Yeah, so? - So let's check it out.
Maybe we'll catch a shoot-out or something.
Somebody's gotta make sure he don't get into trouble.
See that? Now, don't even try tellin' me that it's all good.
All the time.
- No, that is evil. Straight up. - Yes, it's evil.
So if it's all good all the time
and you acknowledge that whatjust happened is evil,
- Aren't you sorta saying evil is good? - Yes. Now you overstand.
You have to forgive evil, all right? But love in spite of evil.
You need to put down the spliff. It is clouding your mind.
I have to more or less agree with Original Cindy on this one, Herbal.
And I ain't no stranger to stoner logic. The guy looked pretty dead.
Matt! Detective Sung!
- We gotta talk. - He's OK.
A friend of mine was at this conference.
- A few got out at the start. What's the name? - Glasser. Rachel Glasser.
Unaccounted for. I'm sorry.
- Who's runnin' the show here? - Military's takin' over.
Guy behind May 22nd, Darius, I know him. Maybe I can help.
45 minutes. Are they just gonna wait until they kill someone else?
Give me the gun.
Carefully.
It's OK.
How do you know this clown Darius?
I interviewed him for a story a few years back, and he's no clown.
He's very serious and very dangerous.
If you'd turned him in, you'd have saved a lot of trouble.
- I'm ajournalist, not a policeman. - And you're in the way.
I need an ETA on those sharpshooters.
- Hour away, sir. - What's takin' so long?
- Let me talk to him. - You have no involvement in this.
You have no credibility with a man who's holding innocent people.
- As a soldier, you're everything he despises. - As a soldier, I will do my job.
- He might listen to reason. - You can't reason with terrorists.
- I can offer to get his message out. - You wanna give him a bigger audience?
You and I both want the same thing. To free those hostages.
How can we kill a person an hour? I never agreed to that. It's crazy.
- Are you questioning me? - Yes.
(phone)
You better be calling to say our transport is ready.
Mr Darius. This is Logan Cale.
Logan Cale? It's been a while. How'd you get drafted into this?
That's not important. What is important is the safety of your hostages.
You have 33 minutes, or there'll be one less.
You should be aware this isn't a police operation.
The military's involved, and they're very anxious to do their thing.
That's no surprise. They've been hunting us down for ten years.
Then you know they're just waiting for an excuse to come in and take you out.
If they do, they'll have a lot of dead hostages on their hands.
As long as they get you, they don't care.
Nothin' like a good massacre to stir up public opinion.
People need to know what they've done to this country,
the human race, the entire planet.
What century are you livin' in? Nobody will hear about this.
Your martyrdom will be a nonevent. History that never happened.
Is that what you want? Because it doesn't need to be that way.
If you can guarantee the hostages' safety, I can help you get your message out.
How?
I have contacts who'd tell your story and no one could stop it. You have my word.
But first... I need you to release the hostages.
They'd storm the building in a second and you know it.
Why not show the world you're more compassionate than your enemy?
Release the women and the child.
I'll give it some thought.
Nice try, but it's not gonna work.
We'll see.
- You OK? - I'm thirsty.
Come on. Let's go see if they'll let us have some water.
- He's a good little soldier. - He's a scared kid.
Fear accomplishes nothing. I hope he learns that now if he hasn't already.
Is that what you teach those kids of yours? To shake it off like nothing happened?
Sit down!
You look like you were around in the days before the Pulse.
Your parents brought you over to visit your friends,
carpools to soccer games, art schools.
Do you think, Miss Glasser, that your childhood
prepared you for the life that you have to live now?
My childhood wasn't quite like that.
In a way... the Pulse had some positive aspects.
Toughen the world, strengthen the species.
- Pretty grim view of things. - Not grim. Realistic.
We can't pretend the world runs on love. It's survival of the fittest.
Yeah, it's all about survival.
I do hope that boy gets out of this in one piece.
Hope? That's a strange word coming from a man with your take on things.
Anachronistic... language.
I wish I could speak digitally.
The point is, it'd be a shame to see Tanaka's work go to waste.
I'd like to observe the boy for my own research.
Maybe you should do something with that gun, before someone else gets killed.
It's tactically premature.
Things are going to get worse... before they get better.
Get me Cale.
(rings)
Logan Cale.
OK. I'll see what I can do.
- I go in, he releases the women. - What about the other hostages?
He wants transport to an airstrip before handing them over.
No way.
One step at a time. Let me go in there, talk to him face to face.
You need to be clear on two things:
we don't have to honour any deals you make and I don't guarantee your safety.
I'm not askin' you to.
(helicopter overhead)
Because we're fighting for humanity, we're making a gesture of humanity.
The women are free to go. You'll be escorted to the lobby.
Any games, you'll be shot.
- We're taking him with us. - No, you're not.
Then I'm gonna stay with him.
I don't think so.
Come on, Jude.
(man) Move it.
- Wasn't that...? - Yeah. I'm gonna say hi. Don't tell.
We meet again.
Accident? Or sticking your nose where it's not wanted?
Somethin' like that.
You'd think you would've learned your lesson.
You'd think.
- Ow! My ankle! - Keep moving.
I'll take care of it.
I think I twisted it.
- Here. - You're such a gentleman.
Too bad I'm not a lady.
Pretty chivalrous, offering yourself in place of the ladies.
I'm old-fashioned.
Also a little crazy,
gettin' yourself mixed up in this.
This way! Hurry, hurry!
Come on!
Anybody gets a shot, take it.
Aerial units, jump-off position. Await my command.
(gunshot)
What the hell!
Kendra!
- (Sketchy) It looks like she's OK. - Max is still in there.
- Did I hear that right? - Max is inside there?
That's bad. That's very bad.
"It's all good" goes out the window when someone you know is in trouble.
This is a dangerous area. Please get into the truck.
(helicopter)
Darius, come in.
What the hell's goin' on?
They killed some of my people. They landed soldiers on the roof.
Their word means nothing.
Neither does your life. Take him away.
(man) Cut the rope.
- You all right? - You OK?
What are you doing here?
I was gonna ask you that. I went to a lot of trouble to get you out.
What were you thinking?
- You should be thanking me. - Thanking you?
- You'd have fallen if it wasn't for me. - You'd be still in there if it wasn't for me.
- Forget it. - Never mind.
- I should go save the kid. - Just go save the kid.
Full breach. Full breach.
We go in as soon as all squads are in position. Wait for my command.
Maybe we should give Darius something to buy more time.
He's outta time.
What about the hostages?
They're expendable. We're gonna show these idiots who's in charge.
What do you mean, he got away? He's in a wheelchair.
Check it out.
They're makin' their move. Let's get out.
Grab a hostage.
Lookin' for me?
You OK?
Jude.
What's gonna happen to me now?
It's OK. You don't have to be brave any more.
Let it all out. It's all right.
Alpha team, in!
Bravo team, in!
Hey!
- Hey! What are you doing? - Interrogating the prisoner, sir.
Under the laws of this country, he is entitled to due process.
- You want him like this at his arraignment? - No, sir.
You want the credibility of your military undermined by your reckless behaviour?
- No, sir. - Neither do I.
Problem solved.
One of the hostages is a young boy about seven years old.
- Have you seen him? - No, sir. Unaccounted for, sir.
Thanks, marines.
- Better get the kid outta here. - Thanks for stickin' your neck out.
This way at least he won't end up in an orphanage.
Or in Lydecker's hands.
- Take care of my boy. - He'll be OK.
These folks are free to go.
Max!
You OK, sugar?
I just kept my head down and let the mens fight it out.
- It's all good. - Yeah, it's all good.
- All the time. - All the time.
Hey.
Hey, yourself.
Ordering myself a new wheelchair. Lookin' for one with the jet thrusters.
Thanks for bailing the gals out of there today. Myself included.
Right back at ya. Takin' a header off that building was above and beyond the call.
Just lookin' out for my meal ticket. How many guys can cook and save the world?
So... that was Lydecker.
Yep.
My own private antichrist.
Up close and personal.
Shorter than I imagined.
- Do we have any idea why he was there? - Same as me. Lookin' for answers.
He said all of us, his gifted children, were... flawed.
Seizures?
I got the sense he was talking about something even worse.
- I saved his life. - And here I thought I was special.
He was about to take a bullet in the head.
All I had to do was stand there, do nothing,
and I could cross Donald Lydecker off my list of things to worry about.
You didn't exploit tactical advantage over your enemy?
He'd be so disappointed if he knew.
How sick is that?
But for some reason, I couldn't let it happen.
- I have no idea why. - Life good, murder bad?
I'm not that high-minded.
Lydecker's the one guy that knows what's going on in this freak-show body of mine.
Whether or not this bar code has an expiration date.
I guess I couldn't let him die with that secret.
Whatever you have to tell yourself.
Fact is, you saved a man's life.
- A bad man. - It's still a good thing.
I'm not so sure.
But you know what really bums my ass out?
I had a chance to swipe some towels from the hotel and I totally spaced it.
Next time.
Yeah. Next time.
Visiontext Subtitles: Sarah Emery
ENGLISH SDH