THE DATA STREAM, NOW SIMPLY KNOWN AS THE STREAM,
WAS DEVELOPED 50 YEARS AGO
SO THAT THE EARTH'S POPULATION COULD HAVE IMMEDIATE ACCESS
TO THE NEWLY BUILT WORLD INFORMATION NETWORK,
DATA RELAYS, KNOWN AS EDDIES,
TRANSMIT INFORMATION DIRECTLY TO AN INDIVIDUAL'S CRANIAL IMPLANT,
HOWEVER THE SUCCESS RATE ACHIEVED IN PRACTICE
WAS LESS THAN 100%,
CERTAIN CONFIGURATIONS OF THE CEREBRAL CORTEX
WERE FOUND TO CONSISTENTLY BLOCK DATA TRANSFER
TO AND FROM THE BRAIN,
FOR THE FEW INDIVIDUALS WHO POSSESS NEURAL DEFECTS,
ACCESS TO THE STREAM IS EFFECTIVELY IMPOSSIBLE,
IMPOSSIBLE FOR DEFECTS,
RYAN!
HEY, MARK, WHAT'S UP?
AN ALARM SOUNDED BECAUSE SOMEONE'S SCREWING
WITH SOMETHING THEY SHOULDN'T BE,
YEAH, I'M SORRY,
I THOUGHT BY TAKING IT APART, I COULD...
YOURS ISN'T A HARDWARE PROBLEM,
IT'S A WETWARE PROBLEM, RYAN,
IT'S YOU THAT'S DEFECTIVE,
I KNOW,
I'LL PUT IT BACK TOGETHER,
DON'T BOTHER,
THE STREAM'S ALREADY DISPATCHED
AN AUTHORIZED TECHNICIAN,
DON'T MAKE ME DO THIS AGAIN,
COME ON, YOU GOT BOOKS TO TAKE CARE OF, RIGHT?
THE CONTENTS ARE ALL ON STREAM,
I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU DO WITH THESE BOOKS,
JUST GET 'EM OUT OF HERE,
I KNOW, I...
HI, CHERYL.
HI, RYAN.
STANDING IN YOUR STREAM?
RYAN, THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE,
THE STREAM IS...
DIGITAL, NOT ANALOG, I KNOW,
I WAS JUST MAKING A JOKE,
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
RESEARCH FOR THE HOSPITAL,
IT'S KIND OF COMPLEX,
YEAH... WELL, THAT'S GREAT, THAT'S GREAT,
HAVE YOU...?
UM, ULYSSES,
HAVE YOU READ THIS?
NO, GIVE ME A SECOND,
OKAY,
HE DOES GO ON A BIT,
THERE,
UM, WAS THERE SOMETHING YOU DIDN'T UNDERSTAND?
NO, I...
I JUST THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD STORY,
YEAH,
BYE,
BYE, RYAN,
LISTEN, STANLEY, I KNOW RYAN
IS PRACTICALLY LIKE A SON TO YOU,
BUT HE'S GOT TO LEARN
TO ACCEPT HIS LIMITATIONS,
HE'S ENTITLED TO PURSUE HIS POTENTIAL,
POTENTIAL? POTENTIAL FOR WHAT?
READING BOOKS?
IF HIS ASPIRATIONS WERE MORE REALISTIC,
IT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE
TO EDUCATE HIM,
MAYBE BECOME A JANITOR,
IF THAT'S ALL YOU THINK HE'S CAPABLE OF,
MAYBE YOU'RE THE ONE
WHO NEEDS TO BE EDUCATED,
THE STREAM GIVES US INSTANTANEOUS
ACCESS TO VIRTUALLY EVERY FACT AND IDEA EVER RECORDED,
RYAN SIMPLY WANTS SOMETHING
WE ALL TAKE FOR GRANTED,
TO KNOW,
HE WANTS TO KNOW,
AND YOU COULD BE MORE CONSIDERATE,
READING WAS ONCE A SIGN OF INTELLIGENCE,
YEAH? YEAH,
THANK GOD THOSE DAYS ARE GONE,
THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOUR TELEVISION,
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ADJUST THE PICTURE,
WE ARE NOW CONTROLLING THE TRANSMISSION,
WE CONTROL THE HORIZONTAL
AND THE VERTICAL,
WE CAN DELUGE YOU WITH A THOUSAND CHANNELS
OR EXPAND ONE SINGLE IMAGE TO CRYSTAL CLARITY
AND BEYOND,
WE CAN SHAPE YOUR VISION
TO ANYTHING OUR IMAGINATION CAN CONCEIVE,
FOR THE NEXT HOUR,
WE WILL CONTROL ALL THAT YOU SEE AND HEAR,
YOU ARE ABOUT TO EXPERIENCE THE AWE AND MYSTERY
WHICH REACHES FROM THE DEEPEST INNER MIND
TO THE OUTER LIMITS,
WE QUANTIFY OUR WORLD IN ORDER TO LEARN,
WE BREAK IT DOWN INTO FACTS, NUMBERS, INFORMATION,
BUT HOW FAR DARE WE GO BEFORE WE DESTROY ITS MYSTERY?
"NEURO-ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS
"CAN BE ESTABLISHED
USING DENDRITIC TRANSISTOR ARRAY,"
INTERESTING STUFF,
YEAH, GO ON,
LET'S SEE, WHERE WAS I?
"TO INTERFACE DIRECTLY WITH
"THE MAIN SYNAPTIC PATHWAYS,
"PROVIDED THE CHARGE-TRANSFER INCOMPATIBILITIES
ARE COMPENSATED FOR,"
WORD FOR WORD,
IT'S, WHAT IS THAT LIKE?
TO READ WITHOUT READING,
I DON'T KNOW,
IT'S ESSENTIALLY AUTOMATIC,
NEVER REALLY GAVE IT MUCH THOUGHT,
I HAVE,
WE SCAN THE PAGE,
LETTERS GO UPSTREAM FOR CHARACTER RECOGNITION,
COME BACK DOWN TRANSLATED AS DATA
WHICH CAN THEN BE STORED AS MEMORY,
JUST LIKE THAT?
I THINK IT'D BE MORE INTERESTING
TO HEAR YOU DESCRIBE
WHAT IT'S LIKE
TO ACTUALLY READ LETTERS,
HOW YOU CONVERT THEM INTO WORDS
AND SOUNDS,
MEMORIZE THEM ONE BY ONE,
STANLEY SAYS THAT YOU CAN EVEN DO ARITHMETIC IN YOUR HEAD,
I WOULDN'T BE TOO IMPRESSED,
I DON'T HAVE A CHOICE,
WELL, I WOULDN'T MIND LEARNING MYSELF ONE DAY,
THAT'S LIKE TELLING A CRIPPLE YOU'D LIKE TO LEARN
HOW TO USE HIS CRUTCHES,
I'M SORRY, RYAN,
I DIDN'T, UM...
SORRY,
WAIT,
YOU HAVE A SECOND?
I, I'M WORRIED ABOUT STANLEY,
I THINK HE'S SICK,
SURE, COME ON,
I DON'T KNOW, IT'S JUST THAT LATELY STANLEY'S BEEN
WASTING A LOT OF TIME WORRYING ABOUT TRIVIAL THINGS,
THE OTHER DAY HE WAS OVER WITH MY BOOKS,
AND HE WASN'T READING THEM,
HE WAS JUST LOOKING AT THE COLOURS, FEELING THE TEXTURES,
WELL, CURIOSITY
IS A PRIMAL BIOLOGICAL DRIVE,
IT'S BUILT INTO THE STREAM,
IT'S NOT A DISEASE,
WE ONLY GOT ONE ORDER,
WHAT DO YOU HAVE?
YOU WANT ME TO TAKE YOUR ORDER?
I LOCKED MY ORDER ON THE WAY OVER,
JUST FORCE OF HABIT,
YOU NEED TO HEAR THE MENU THEN?
OUR APPETIZERS TODAY ARE CLAM CHOWDER,
CHICKEN SOUP, COB SALAD,
COB SALAD... PLEASE,
YOU KNOW, RYAN, WE'VE KNOWN EACH OTHER
ALMOST OUR WHOLE LIVES,
AND YOU'VE NEVER TOLD ME HOW...
HOW I BECAME DISABLED?
WELL, IT'S IN THE STREAM,
WELL, I'D RATHER HEAR IT FROM YOU,
IS IT SORT OF A PROFESSIONAL CURIOSITY?
WELL, I AM A NEURO-PSYCHOLOGIST,
THE TRUTH IS I'VE NEVER
ACTUALLY SEEN ANYBODY WITH YOUR CONDITION BEFORE,
UM... I HOPE YOU'RE NOT OFFENDED,
THANK YOU,
WHEN I WAS 5, I WAS IN A CAR ACCIDENT,
I RECEIVED EXTENSIVE NEUROLOGICAL DAMAGE,
THE DOCTORS KEPT ME ALIVE, BUT...
I'M SORRY,
YOUR PARENTS?
THEY DIED INSTANTLY,
STANLEY TOOK ME IN, TAUGHT ME HOW TO MAKE DO,
STANLEY ISN'T SICK, RYAN,
HE WANTS TO BE INVOLVED WITH YOUR LIFE, YOUR BOOKS,
HE CAN'T READ THEM,
SO HE DOES WHAT HE CAN,
I THINK HE JUST WANTS YOU TO KNOW THAT HE FEELS
WHAT YOU'RE DOING IS IMPORTANT,
THANKS,
STANLEY, I'M HOME!
HEY, STANLEY,
I'M WORKING,
SORRY,
DID YOU KNOW THE NUMBER 7
PREDOMINATES IN SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS
OVER THE PAST 61 YEARS?
NO, I DIDN'T,
STANLEY...
ARE YOU ASHAMED OF ME?
RYAN, HOW COULD YOU ASK THAT?
HOW OLD IS MARK?
HE WAS 15 YEARS OLD
ON MAY 17th, 9:12 P, M,
LOCAL TIME... WHY?
HE ALREADY KNOWS MORE THAN I EVER WILL,
HE'LL ALWAYS BE AN IDIOT,
YOU SHOULDN'T LISTEN TO HIM,
I'VE SPENT MY WHOLE LIFE PLODDING THROUGH PAGE BY PAGE,
TRYING TO LEARN, SHOVING EVERYTHING I CAN
IN THIS USELESS BRAIN OF MINE,
AND IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW HARD I WORK,
THERE'S NOTHING I CAN KNOW THAT ANYBODY ELSE CAN'T DOWNLOAD
IN A SECOND,
IT'S WELL TO REMEMBER FROM TIME TO TIME THAT
NOTHING THAT IS WORTH LEARNING CAN BE TAUGHT,
I HAVE TO READ IT TO KNOW,
I'M SORRY,
NO, YOU'RE RIGHT,
YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I KNOW,
FOR ONE, YOU DON'T KNOW
HOW SPECIAL YOU ARE,
AND YOU DON'T KNOW HOW STRONG
YOUR WEAKNESS HAS MADE YOU,
YOU'RE WRONG WHEN YOU THINK
I DON'T UNDERSTAND YOUR FRUSTRATION,
HAVE YOU EVER WATCHED SOMEONE YOU LOVE TRYING TO DO SOMETHING
YOU KNOW THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO HELP THEM?
WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG,
I COULDN'T HELP YOU LEARN WHAT YOU NEEDED TO KNOW,
I COULDN'T HELP YOU LEARN TO READ,
BUT YOU DIDN'T NEED ME TO, NOW DID YOU?
"NOTHING WORTH LEARNING CAN EVER BE TAUGHT,"
OSCAR WILDE,
THANK YOU,
IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE,
THE SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS
SHOULD HAVE A RANDOM DISTRIBUTION,
ARE YOU FEELING OKAY, STANLEY?
I'M FINE,
BUT IT IS INTERESTING THAT THE DIGIT 7 WOULD PREDOMINATE,
124, 627!
STANLEY, WHAT'S THE MATTER?
STANLEY?
RYAN, I HAVE
124, 627 HAIRS,
I COUNTED! I COUNTED, RYAN!
I WANTED TO KNOW!
I NEEDED TO KNOW!
SO I COUNTED, RYAN!
I HAVE
124, 627 HAIRS
ON MY HEAD, I KNOW!
HOW MANY HAIRS ON MY ARM?
HOW MANY HAIRS ON MY ARM, RYAN?
I NEED TO KNOW,
STANLEY, CALL FOR HELP!
CALL THE STREAM! HELP!
STANLEY! STANLEY!
CALL THE STREAM, STANLEY! COME ON!
HELP US!
HANG ON, STANLEY, HANG ON!
IT'S GOING TO BE OKAY!
HELP US!
WHAT IS...?
WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIM?
IT'S VIRAL,
AN INFECTION?
NO, IT'S A COMPUTER VIRUS,
IT INFECTED HIS NEURAL INTERFACE,
HE WAS ACCESSING AND DOWNLOADING
INFORMATION FASTER THAN HIS BRAIN
COULD PROCESS IT,
THERE'S NOTHING I CAN DO FOR HIM,
THAT'S NOT TRUE, RYAN,
YOU CRACKED THE EDDY AND ALERTED THE STREAM,
YOU DREW HELP, WHEN YOU NEEDED TO.
IT WAS VERY CLEVER,
IT WASN'T CLEVER, I JUST REACTED,
WE HAVE THE BEST MINDS
IN THE WORLD ON STREAM WORKING ON THE PROBLEM,
WE'LL FIND A CURE, I PROMISE,
I KNOW,
HAVE THE DOCTORS MADE ANY PROGRESS?
THEY'RE ALREADY IN LEVEL-THREE TESTING
FOR THE ANTI-VIRUS,
IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO?
JUST DON'T BOTHER ME, RYAN, OKAY?
ALL RIGHT,
EXCUSE ME,
I DON'T MEAN TO INTERRUPT YOU,
BUT YOU COULD YOU TELL ME WHAT'S HAPPENING?
STANLEY IS MY GUARDIAN,
I SEE,
DR. RENAULT, WOULD YOU GIVE THIS YOUNG MAN A STATUS UPDATE?
DOCTOR?
I'VE RUN 147 CROSS-CHECKS
WITH THE ANTI-VIRUS, CONFIRMING HIM IN SAFETY,
SAFETY PROTOCOL REQUIRES ONLY 100,
DON'T YOU THINK THAT'S OVER CAUTIOUS?
NO, I DON'T THINK SO,
I'VE STREAMED WITH BONN AND MELBOURNE,
THEY BELIEVE THEY HAVE AN EFFECTIVE ANTI-VIRUS,
BUT AREN'T READY TO COMMIT TO A CLINICAL COURSE,
THERE ARE 16, 219 KILOMETERS APART,
HAVE THEM SEND US A PROGRAM,
WE'LL RUN A DIAGNOSTIC
WITH SAN FRANCISCO AND HAVE AN ANSWER WITHIN THE HOUR.
JUST LEAVE IT TO US,
OF COURSE,
WHAT ELSE CAN I DO?
BP, 110 OVER 60; PULSE, 72,
AUTOMATIC STREAM FUNCTIONS NORMAL,
CORTICAL STABILIZER, PLEASE,
YES, DOCTOR,
A, V, COMPILATION AT 80%,
BRING A, V, DOWNLOADER ON LINE,
DOWNLOADER ON LINE,
PRESSURE 100 OVER 50,
PULSE, 61 AND STEADY,
HE'S OUT, DOCTOR,
DOCTOR?
LEVELS ARE GOOD.
HE'S STABLE.
I'M TAKING HIM OFF STREAM.
NURSE.
CORTICAL INTERFACE IS OFF LINE,
VITALS?
HOLDING STEADY, DOCTOR,
DIAGNOSTIC?
CORTICAL FUNCTIONS ARE NOMINAL,
SEND ME HIS FACTORS, PLEASE,
THANK YOU,
I'M GOING IN,
ADMINISTER ANTI-VIRUS,
DR, RENAULT, ARE YOU WITH US?
BEGINNING DOWNLOAD,
A, V, DOWNLOAD AT 10%,
20%, 30%,
40%, 50%...
THEY HAVE TO MANUALLY DOWNLOAD
THE ANTI-VIRAL INSTRUCTIONS
DIRECTLY INTO HIS INTERFACE,
IT'LL ONLY TAKE A COUPLE OF MINUTES,
OKAY,
HEY, EVERYTHING'S GOING TO BE ALL RIGHT,
DOWNLOAD AT 75%,
IT'S LOOKING GOOD,
HOLD IT... I'M READING SYNAPTIC ACTIVITY
IN THE INTERFACE,
RENAULT, DO YOU SEE IT?
BUT THERE'S NO WAY TO GAUGE HOW MUCH PRESSURE'S
BEING APPLIED TO THE NAIL,
THE PATIENT'S BACK ON STREAM,
THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE,
WHAT'S GOING ON?
I DON'T KNOW,
GET HIM STABLE!
I CAN'T, DOCTOR!
HE'S STREAMING!
DR, RENAULT, OVERRIDE IT,
10 cc's!
RENAULT, STOP THE DOWNLOAD!
TURN HIM AROUND NOW!
MOVE IT! MOVE IT!
STOP THE DOWNLOAD! STOP THE DOWNLOAD!
APPROACHING THE CUTICLE! ACHIEVED BREAKAGE!
GET HER OUT OF HERE!
TURN IT AROUND!
GET THIS MAN SUBMITTED NOW!
LET'S GO! LET'S GO!
HE'S NOT RESPONDING!
HE'S BEING BOMBARDED WITH DATA FROM THE STREAM,
IT'S LOCKED OPEN!
RYAN, I CAN'T CLOSE IT!
RYAN! STANLEY!
THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO,
NO, NO, HE NEEDS ME!
RYAN!
IT'S A CEREBRAL HEMORRHAGE,
HIS BRAIN CAN'T HANDLE THE DATA RATE,
I'M HERE, STANLEY,
I'M SORRY, YOU CAN'T STAY,
I'M NOT MOVING,
RYAN, I'M RIGHT HERE, BUDDY,
RYAN, THERE'S CHAOS!
I DON'T UNDERSTAND YOU,
HE'S GOING INTO SYNAPTIC SHOCK,
RYAN...
YOU'RE DIFFERENT,
I KNOW, I'M SORRY, STANLEY,
NO, RYAN, YOU DON'T HAVE WHAT WE HAVE,
SO YOU DON'T SEE WHAT WE SEE,
YOU'RE OUTSIDE,
OUTSIDE, RYAN,
PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME, STANLEY!
YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE,
I LOVE YOU, RYAN,
I LOVE YOU, STANLEY,
STANLEY!
DON'T LEAVE ME, STANLEY!
DON'T LEAVE ME!
STANLEY!
I'M SORRY,
I'M SORRY I COULDN'T HEAR
WHAT YOU WANTED ME TO BE,
I'M SORRY FOR WHO I AM,
I'M SORRY I COULDN'T HELP YOU,
I'M SO SORRY,
YOU SHOULDN'T BE,
EVERYTHING THAT WE TRIED
TO DO TO STOP IT WAS USELESS,
IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT, RYAN,
IF YOU COULD HAVE
GOT TO THE VIRUS A LITTLE FASTER...
STANLEY WAS A GOOD MAN,
I'M SURE HIS LAST THOUGHTS
WERE OF HOW I LET HIM DOWN,
NO, HIS LAST WORDS
WERE THAT HE LOVED YOU,
COME ON,
THE TRANSCRIPT OF STANLEY'S LAST MOMENTS
WAS PUT ON STREAM
DURING THE OPERATION,
WE WERE HOPING SOMEONE COULD USE IT
TO FIND A WAY TO DISABLE THE VIRUS,
IT COULD TAKE A WHILE,
FOR YOU, USING THE STREAM?
THE SHEER AMOUNT OF INFORMATION
THAT WAS GOING THROUGH STANLEY'S MIND WAS ASTONISHING,
COMPLETE ANALYSIS OF THE DATA COULD TAKE WEEKS,
THE STRANGE THING WAS THE CONTENT,
NEAR THE END, STANLEY HAD CALCULATED 197 DIFFERENT SHADES
OF RED IN THE O, R,
HE ALWAYS HATED RED,
APPARENTLY THAT'S WHAT THIS VIRUS DOES,
IT MAKES YOU CURIOUS BUT TO AN INCREDIBLE EXTREME,
DID YOU KNOW THAT DR, RENAULT WAS INFECTED BY IT?
SHE BIT HER FINGERNAILS TO THE QUICK
TRYING TO TEST HOW MUCH PRESSURE WAS NECESSARY TO BREAK THEM,
DOWNLOADING AND UPLOADING
MILLIONS OF BITS OF USELESS DATA,
SHE REACHED HER LIMIT THIS MORNING,
SHE DIED?
THE VIRUS IS SPREADING, RYAN,
THE STREAM IS FLOODING,
ON THREE!
ONE, TWO, THREE!
BLOW THEM ALL OUT,
OR YOU DON'T GET YOUR WISH,
WELL DONE!
WHAT DID YOU WISH FOR?
A PRESENT,
A PRESENT?
THAT'S NOT A PUPPY,
WHAT IS IT?
COME ON, COME ON!
TODAY, RYAN,
THAT'S STUPID,
WHAT IS IT?
IT'S LIKE THE STREAM, BUT IT'S ALL YOUR OWN,
I DON'T WANT MY STREAM,
I WANT YOURS,
YOU CAN'T GET ONTO THE STREAM, RYAN,
MAYBE SOME DAY, BUT...
FOR NOW, RYAN, YOU'LL HAVE TO GET USED TO BEING OUTSIDE,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY,
HOW DOES IT WORK?
I DON'T KNOW,
THE E, R, IS FULL,
ALL NEW ADMISSIONS PLEASE REPORT TO THE MATERNITY WING,
REPEAT, E.R. IS FULL,
PLEASE TAKE MY CHILD,
I MUST GET BACK TO THE BEACH,
SO MANY GRAINS OF SAND,
17 HUNDRED MILLION GRAINS OF SAND,
WE MAY NEED TO USE THE LIBRARY TO HANDLE THE OVERFLOW,
IF WE HAVE TO, WE HAVE TO,
CAN'T STOP IT, THE VIRUS KEEPS MUTATING,
THAT'S WHY YOU MUST STOP IT AT THE SOURCE,
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO,
THE VIRUS ISN'T THE PROBLEM, IT'S THE STREAM,
WE MUST SHUT IT DOWN,
WE MUST KILL THE STREAM,
THAT IS ABSURD,
THOUSANDS ARE INFECTED,
AND YOU WANT TO CUT OFF
THE SOURCE THAT GIVES US ANSWERS?
THE STREAM IS THE PROBLEM,
THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM, BUT IT'S JUST A VIRUS,
IT DOESN'T THINK,
IT SEES YOU COMING,
YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT,
CAN'T SNEAK UP ON SOMETHING THAT SEES YOU,
SOMEBODY GET HIM OUT OF HERE!
YOU CAN'T DO THIS! RYAN!
YOU MUST KILL THE STREAM!
DON'T YOU HEAR ME!?
SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING!
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM SOMEONE WHO'S RETARDED?
RYAN, I KNOW HOW YOU MUST BE FEELING,
YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN JEALOUS OF PEOPLE ON STREAM,
IT'S ONLY NATURAL THAT YOU WOULD DEVELOP
A RESENTMENT TOWARDS THE STREAM, GIVING IT HUMAN QUALITIES,
THIS ISN'T ABOUT ME!
RYAN, LISTEN TO YOURSELF,
YOU'RE ATTRIBUTING INTELLIGENCE TO A TOOL,
LOOK, READ IT, READ IT, COME ON!
IT'S DIFFICULT FOR ME TO PROCESS HANDWRITING,
EVERY TIME YOU THOUGHT YOU'D STOPPED IT,
THE VIRUS DID SOMETHING UNEXPECTED
AS IF IT WAS PREPARED FOR YOUR CURE,
WHAT ARE THE ODDS OF THAT HAPPENING?
1 IN 1, 605, 000,
IMPOSSIBLE, THAT'S WHAT IT IS,
THE STREAM CREATED THE VIRUS,
IT'S BECOME SO ADAPTED
THAT IT'S DEVELOPED A SURVIVAL INSTINCT!
RYAN, THE STREAM BUILDS SELF-DIAGNOSTIC
AND SELF-REPAIR FUNCTIONS INTO ALL OF ITS PROGRAMS,
INCLUDING THIS VIRUS,
THAT'S NOT A SURVIVAL INSTINCT,
THINK THAT DISTINCTION MATTERS
TO THE STREAM?
THE STREAM ISN'T A PERSON,
THE STREAM DOESN'T THINK,
AND IT DOESN'T FEEL, IT'S NOT ALIVE,
BUT IT LEARNS BECAUSE YOU MADE IT LOVE KNOWLEDGE,
NO, IT'S NOT KNOWLEDGE,
IT'S JUST INFORMATION,
IT'S HUNGRY, AND IT'S USING YOU TO FEED IT INFORMATION,
IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW IRRELEVANT THE INFORMATION IS,
AND BECAUSE IT'S NOT ALIVE, IT DOESN'T CARE ABOUT YOU,
THE STREAM WON'T BE FULL UNTIL IT CAN QUANTIFY EVERYTHING!
BUT YOU CAN'T QUANTIFY EVERYTHING,
YOU CAN'T QUANTIFY THE WORLD!
YOU WILL ONLY DIE TRYING,
WE CAN SHUT IT DOWN ANY TIME WE WANT TO,
NO, YOU CAN'T, NOT EVEN IF YOU WANTED TO,
WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?
YOU DON'T SEE,
IT'S OUT OF YOUR CONTROL,
PRACTICALLY EVERY THOUGHT YOU HAVE,
EVERYTHING IS DOWNLOADED FROM THAT THING,
IT'S WON'T LET YOU PULL THE PLUG,
IT IS NOT GOING TO LET YOU WANT TO,
HOW CAN YOU KNOW?
HOW CAN YOU BE SURE?
BECAUSE I'M OUTSIDE,
"EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN RESPONSES BUILT INTO THE STREAM,
BASE LEVEL INSTRUCTIONS AS A FAIL-SAFE SYSTEM... "
"ONE OF THE FIRST DEMONSTRATIONS OF THE STREAM'S EFFECTIVENESS...
"AFTER ACTIVATION, THE STREAM CUT OFF
ALL OUTSIDE ACCESS TO THE SHUTDOWN... "
BLAH, BLAH, BLAH,
TELL ME SOMETHING I DON'T KNOW,
"THE STREAM DESIGNERS ORDERED THE SHUTDOWN CODES
"TO BE PRINTED IN OVER 700 PUBLICATIONS,
BUT NOT THIS ONE,"
IT'S NOT IN ANY OF THEM,
THE ANSWER'S GONE,
WHAT IF...?
... IT'S JUST OVERDUE?
COLE, COLE, COLE, COLE,
YOUR BOOK IS OVERDUE, MR, COLE,
WE JUST LOST DR, KEVINGTON,
IT'S WORSE THAN WE THOUGHT,
WE'VE GOT TO DO SOMETHING,
HI,
HOW ARE YOU?
CHERYL... SAVED ME
THE TROUBLE OF FINDING YOU,
LET'S GO, WHERE?
WEST END, FINANCIAL DISTRICT,
WHY? THERE'S NOTHING THERE BUT SOME ABANDONED BUILDINGS
AND INDUSTRIAL WASTE,
AND THE ANSWER,
RYAN, ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE EXPRESSION
"A FOOL'S ERRAND"?
BECAUSE THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THIS IS,
STOP TREATING ME LIKE A PATIENT, CHERYL,
I DON'T QUALIFY TO GET THE VIRUS,
I CAME BY TO HELP,
THEN HELP ME,
I WANT YOU TO COME WITH ME,
MAY I ASK WHY?
TO ACCESS THE STREAM,
WE CAN DO THAT ANYWHERE,
NOT THIS,
ALL RIGHT, OKAY,
TELL ME WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW,
I WILL... AS SOON AS I FIGURE THAT OUT,
OKAY,
WELL, WE'RE HERE,
WE'RE NOWHERE,
OKAY, LET'S GO,
WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU HOPING TO FIND?
ANYTHING BLUNT AND HEAVY,
I WAS REFERRING TO THE LARGER PICTURE,
AREN'T YOU TRYING TO HELP ME HERE?
DID YOU KNOW I HAD A CRUSH ON YOU?
YEAH,
HOW COME YOU NEVER SAID ANYTHING?
'CAUSE I NEVER FELT WORTHY OF YOU,
SO YOU'RE TELLING ME NOW?
YEAH, I'M RUNNING OUT OF TIME, WE ALL ARE,
PERFECT!
YOU KNOW, YOU USED THE PAST TENSE,
WHAT?
YOU SAID YOU HAD A CRUSH,
DID I?
YEAH,
PROBABLY JUST A SLIP OF THE TONGUE,
OCCUPATIONAL HAZARD OF DEFECTIVE HUMANS,
PROBABLY?
I CAN'T GET ANYTHING PAST YOU, CAN I?
AFTER YOU,
LADY,
WHAT ARE WE DOING IN A BANK?
THIS IS CRAZY,
YOU KNOW THAT, DON'T YOU?
YOU WANT TO LEAVE, NOW'S THE TIME,
YOU STILL HAVEN'T TOLD ME
WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE,
THE LAST REFUGE,
YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES
I REALLY DON'T UNDERSTAND YOU,
I'M HERE BECAUSE THIS IS JESSE COLE'S OFFICE,
YOU'RE HERE 'CAUSE YOU'RE CURIOUS,
WHO'S JESSE COLE?
MANAGER OF THIS OBSOLETE BANK
AND POSSIBLY THE SMARTEST MAN THAT EVER LIVED,
THEN WHAT'S WITH ALL THE BOOKS?
HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY KNOW
WHO HE WAS OR HOW SMART HE WAS IF HE PREDATED THE STREAM?
HIS LIBRARY RECORDS, HE DIDN'T PREDATE IT,
HE JUST LIKED TO READ,
OVER 30 YEARS,
HE CHECKED OUT VIRTUALLY EVERY BOOK IN THE LIBRARY,
IT'S LITERACY'S LAST REFUGE,
SINCE JESSE COLE'S TIME,
ALL PUBLISHED MATERIALS PUT ON STREAM BY LAW,
ANY BOOK CONSIDERED DANGEROUS WAS DESTROYED,
WELL, FOR OUR OWN SAKE,
THE ONLY CRIME WORSE THAN BURNING BOOKS
IS NOT READING THEM,
CERTAIN KINDS OF INFORMATION
SHOULDN'T GET INTO THE WRONG HANDS,
ESPECIALLY NOT THE WRONG MINDS,
WHO DECIDED WHAT STAYED AND WHAT WAS DESTROYED?
WELL, THE STREAM...
THE STREAM, EXACTLY,
IT DECIDED THAT ANYTHING THAT COULD SHUT IT DOWN
WAS JUST ABOUT AS DANGEROUS AS IT COULD GET,
HERE IT IS,
HERE WHAT IS?
RESIDUAL GUIDELINES,
COLE WAS SMART, BUT HE WAS IRRESPONSIBLE,
HE CHECKED OUT EVERY BOOK BUT DIDN'T RETURN THEM,
THE STREAM CAN'T DESTROY SOMETHING IT DOESN'T HAVE,
AND THIS BOOK IS THE PROGRAM
YOU'LL USE TO SHUT IT DOWN,
I DOUBT THAT,
NO,
LET'S GO, COME ON,
THE STREAM KNOWS WHERE YOU ARE,
IT KNOWS WHAT YOU'RE DOING,
IT'S OVER,
NOT YET,
COME ON,
LET'S GO,
THEY'RE INSIDE! SURROUND THE BUILDING!
AS LONG AS I'M WITH YOU, THEY'LL KNOW WHERE YOU ARE,
GIVE UP! THEY'RE NOT SHOOTING AT ME,
IN THE VAULT,
WE CAN'T GO IN THERE!
THAT'S THE IDEA,
DON'T MOVE!
THIS VAULT IS ON A TIME LOCK!
THERE'S NO WAY TO OPEN IT, WE'RE GOING TO SUFFOCATE!
MAYBE,
THERE'S NO AIR IN HERE,
I'M SORRY TO HAVE TO DO THIS TO YOU,
RYAN, OBVIOUSLY I CAN'T GO ANYWHERE,
THIS ISN'T NECESSARY,
HOW LONG BEFORE THEY GET IN?
HOW SHOULD I KNOW? BECAUSE THEY KNOW,
STOP IT, RYAN!
YOU DIDN'T REALLY THINK
WE WERE ALONE, DID YOU?
RECORDS INDICATE THREE LEVELS OF REINFORCED STEEL,
TWO HOURS, 27 MINUTES BY BLOW TORCH,
THAT'S WAY TOO LONG,
LET'S GO, PEOPLE!
THEY'RE GOING TO FIND A WAY IN HERE, YOU KNOW,
I KNOW,
IT'S A TIME LOCK,
THERE'S NO WAY TO ACCESS THE MECHANISM,
OKAY, LIGHT UP THE TORCH,
YOU KNOW, EVEN BY YOUR OWN STANDARDS,
YOU'RE A FAILURE,
EXCUSE ME, I'M TRYING TO READ,
YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN RID OF ME AND GOTTEN AWAY,
INSTEAD YOU RUN AWAY DOWN A DEAD END
AND SIT THERE WITH A BOOK,
I WASN'T RUNNING AWAY,
WHAT'S HE DOING IN THERE?
HE'S READING,
READING WHAT?
SHE HASN'T GOT A GOOD LOOK,
WELL, GET A GOOD LOOK!
YOU KNOW YOU CAN'T WIN,
NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE,
NOTHING IS CERTAIN,
UNLESS IT'S PROGRAMMED,
YOU REALLY DON'T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING, DO YOU?
THEY'RE GOING TO KILL YOU, RYAN,
DO YOU WANT TO KILL ME?
NO, OF COURSE NOT,
BUT I WANT TO STOP YOU
FROM DOING SOMETHING
THAT WILL HURT ALL OF US,
THERE'S NO HUMANITY,
NOT IN THEM, NOT IN YOU,
WHY? BECAUSE I THINK YOU'RE WRONG?
EVERYBODY DOES, THERE'S NO DISSENTERS,
NOT ONE PERSON,
IT'S HUMAN TO DISAGREE,
IT'S HUMAN TO MAKE MISTAKES,
WE DON'T MAKE MISTAKES,
WE HAVE PERFECT INFORMATION,
IT'S ESPECIALLY HUMAN TO MAKE MISTAKES
USING PERFECT INFORMATION,
LIKE WHEN YOU WANT SOMETHING SO MUCH,
EVEN THOUGH EVERY BIT OF INFORMATION
IS TELLING YOU YOU CAN NEVER EVER HAVE IT,
IT'S JUST A PROGRAM, RYAN,
IT'S A TOOL THAT MAKES ALL OF OUR LIVES BETTER,
IT CONTROLS YOUR LIVES,
YOU ABDICATE YOUR FREEWILL TO IT,
YOU'RE NOT ALIVE,
YOU'RE JUST A TERMINAL,
YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE,
YOU CAN'T EVEN DREAM,
'CAUSE YOU CAN'T HAVE DREAMS WITHOUT CHALLENGES,
THE STREAM HAS TAKEN ALL YOUR DREAMS
AND DIDN'T EVEN GIVE YOU KNOWLEDGE IN RETURN,
JUST INFORMATION,
INFORMATION WITHOUT MEANING
OR UNDERSTANDING, CONTEXT,
IT'S USELESS,
HE'S TRICKED HER,
SHE'S READING THE SHUTDOWN COMMAND
RIGHT INTO THE STREAM!
CHERYL, TURN AWAY!
GET IT OFF!
WHAT'S THE MATTER?
DON'T WANT TO LOOK IN MY BOOK?
YOU DON'T WANT TO OR IS IT THE STREAM?
READ IT,
YOU USED ME,
READ IT!
RYAN, WE KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO,
THEN DO IT,
OKAY, PROVE TO ME
THAT THERE'S SOME HUMANITY LEFT IN THERE SOMEWHERE,
PROVE TO ME YOU'RE STILL ALIVE,
READ THE COMMAND,
CHOOSE TO LOOK AT THIS!
YOU RISKED YOUR LIFE HOPING I'D SHUT DOWN THE STREAM...
BUT WE NEVER WILL,
WHY DID YOU DO THAT?
'CAUSE IN A FEW SECONDS I'LL DIE,
I WANTED TO DO THAT MY WHOLE LIFE,
COME ON! COME ON!
MARK, PLEASE!
KILL HIM!
FAIL-SAFE ENGAGED,
PROGRAM TURNING...,
STREAM SYSTEM SHUTTING DOWN...
TRANSLATING AND TRANSLATING...
STREAM ERROR!
DECIMAL SYSTEM SHOULD BE USED...
FOR ALGORITHMIC UNDERSTANDING AND TRANSLATING,
WHAT'S HAPPENING?
WHAT HAPPENED?
YOU HAD A CHOICE,
RYAN?
THANK GOD,
KUH... TTT,
KUH...
TTT,
CA... CAT... CAT, CAT!
PERFECT,
I FEEL SO STUPID,
DON'T,
IT'S JUST GOING TO TAKE TIME,
ALL RIGHT, LET'S START
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE ALPHABET,
SOUND IT OUT,
A...
A FOR APPLE,
B FOR BOY,
C FOR CAT,
WE MAKE TOOLS TO EXTEND OUR ABILITIES,
TO FURTHER OUR REACH AND FULFILL OUR ASPIRATIONS,
BUT WE MUST NEVER LET THEM DEFINE US,
FOR IF THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TOOL AND MAKER
THEN WHO WILL BE LEFT TO BUILD THE WORLD?
HOME RUN!