1. All right, you see the Big Dipper?
Copy !req
2. Now, keep going up
to those two stars up there
Copy !req
3. along that same line
that sort of form the handle of the pan.
Copy !req
4. Uh-huh.
Copy !req
5. Keep going up.
It's the first star that you see.
Copy !req
6. - All right, got it.
- That's it.
Copy !req
7. That's DX3906.
Copy !req
8. That's not DX3906.
Copy !req
9. Yeah, it is. The Stars Our Destination
people pointed it out in their telescope.
Copy !req
10. No. No, that's... that's not it.
Copy !req
11. It is. As soon as the paperwork came in,
Copy !req
12. I checked its position
against the IAU designation.
Copy !req
13. Fuck. Did I get the parallax wrong?
Copy !req
14. Dude, how the fuck would I know
which one is DX3906?
Copy !req
15. - You're an arsehole.
- No, no, no.
Copy !req
16. That's DX3905.
Copy !req
17. You're a fucking arsehole.
Copy !req
18. Oh shit.
Copy !req
19. How far away?
Copy !req
20. Four hundred and 1.5 light-years.
Copy !req
21. Think about the light
Jin's star is emitting right now.
Copy !req
22. I mean, by the time it gets here,
the San-Ti will be here too.
Copy !req
23. Don't ruin it.
Copy !req
24. It's actually kinda red.
Copy !req
25. That's why I picked it.
Copy !req
26. Visible to the naked eye.
Copy !req
27. I wanted her to be able
to look into the night sky and say,
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28. "That one is mine."
Copy !req
29. It feel good doin' something that crazy?
Copy !req
30. Spending 19 million on—
Copy !req
31. Nineteen point five.
Copy !req
32. And yes, it did.
Copy !req
33. Couldn't think of any better place
to put that money?
Copy !req
34. Nope.
Copy !req
35. You know,
you could just tell her it was you.
Copy !req
36. - I'm not telling her.
- If you did—
Copy !req
37. - I'm not telling her.
- But you never know.
Copy !req
38. You're not fuckin' telling her either.
Copy !req
39. You have to swear someone
to secrecy before—
Copy !req
40. Promise me you will never tell her.
Copy !req
41. Whatever, dude.
Copy !req
42. Will.
Copy !req
43. Will? Hey. Wake up, bud. Come on. Wake up.
Copy !req
44. Will? Will!
Copy !req
45. You're there now, right?
How's he doing?
Copy !req
46. - He's good.
- Yeah?
Copy !req
47. Yeah. In fact,
he's better than good.
Copy !req
48. Hey, Will. Check this out.
Copy !req
49. Look who it is.
He's as high as Willie Nelson right now.
Copy !req
50. - You're as high as Willie Nelson.
Copy !req
51. Hey.
Copy !req
52. Hi, Jin.
Copy !req
53. Hi, Will.
Copy !req
54. How you feeling?
Copy !req
55. "No immediate danger."
Copy !req
56. That's what the doctor said.
Copy !req
57. "No immediate danger."
Copy !req
58. How many people can say that for sure?
Copy !req
59. - Hey, not me.
- Oh!
Copy !req
60. - This is a really good room.
- Yeah.
Copy !req
61. - Fuck.
Copy !req
62. - Look at this.
- No. Don't touch that.
Copy !req
63. - Wow.
- Look.
Copy !req
64. - All for me.
- You deserve it.
Copy !req
65. - 'Kay. Get some rest, okay?
- Yeah.
Copy !req
66. You get some rest.
Copy !req
67. All right, buddy.
She's gonna get some rest.
Copy !req
68. Yeah. So we're gonna hang here
for a while.
Copy !req
69. We'll probably watch Rick and Morty later.
Copy !req
70. - Cool.
- So, um...
Copy !req
71. Uh, come when... come when you can.
Copy !req
72. - Uh...
- Yeah, I will.
Copy !req
73. Thanks, Saul.
Copy !req
74. See ya.
Copy !req
75. Something came for you.
Copy !req
76. Fuck me.
Aren't those insanely expensive?
Copy !req
77. No sign at all who it's from?
Copy !req
78. - Nope.
- Uh...
Copy !req
79. Well, you've had
lots of fancy suitors, I'd imagine.
Copy !req
80. I have.
Copy !req
81. - But none with that kind of money.
Copy !req
82. I haven't known anyone
like that since Jack.
Copy !req
83. Maybe Wade gave it to you.
Copy !req
84. And why would he do that?
Copy !req
85. Because he fancies you.
Copy !req
86. - Oh, come on.
- No, you come on.
Copy !req
87. Jin, you seem to be in denial
about how weird this is.
Copy !req
88. This is weird?
Copy !req
89. This is maybe the 28th weirdest thing
I've seen this month.
Copy !req
90. Adjust your weirdness horizons.
Copy !req
91. Some crazy-rich person bought me a star,
or someone's taking the piss.
Copy !req
92. Almost certainly
someone's taking the piss.
Copy !req
93. Either way,
I don't have time to worry about it.
Copy !req
94. This is stupid. No one owns a star.
Copy !req
95. Well, according to these documents,
Copy !req
96. you are the legal owner
of star number DX3906.
Copy !req
97. For many years now,
Dr. Demikhov has been doing good work
Copy !req
98. keeping things alive
under extreme conditions.
Copy !req
99. - Uh, Dr. Cheng?
- Mm?
Copy !req
100. Something to say?
Copy !req
101. Well...
Copy !req
102. We were just wondering
if we belong in this meeting.
Copy !req
103. Traveling 1% of light speed,
Copy !req
104. how long will it take the Staircase probe
to reach the San-Ti fleet?
Copy !req
105. Two hundred years.
Copy !req
106. And what will happen
to the probe's occupant during that time?
Copy !req
107. - Death.
- See?
Copy !req
108. You do belong in this meeting.
Copy !req
109. It's been a long struggle
with many setbacks, but we've done it.
Copy !req
110. Is it alive?
Copy !req
111. He's not dead. He's not alive.
Copy !req
112. He's... somewhere in between.
Copy !req
113. For a month now.
Copy !req
114. How long
can he stay that way?
Copy !req
115. As long as we like.
Copy !req
116. Kolya's cells have been flushed
with an antifreeze cryoprotectant
Copy !req
117. and cooled to minus 150 degrees.
Copy !req
118. Slowed down a thousandfold
but not stopped.
Copy !req
119. If it works for Kolya,
it will work for a person.
Copy !req
120. Hello, Kolya.
Copy !req
121. Mm-hmm.
Copy !req
122. Say hello, Kolya.
Copy !req
123. Good boy.
Copy !req
124. Kolya.
Copy !req
125. Touch the orange square.
Copy !req
126. - Ah.
Copy !req
127. Not yet.
Copy !req
128. Touch the circle
with four squares inside it.
Copy !req
129. Good boy, Kolya.
Copy !req
130. It's a typical side effect.
Copy !req
131. There it is.
Copy !req
132. - Our ticket to the end of the world.
Copy !req
133. The Doomsday Express
just pulled into the station.
Copy !req
134. You can all queue up behind me.
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135. I thought
this was about the passenger.
Copy !req
136. - You're going into hibernation?
- As soon as I can.
Copy !req
137. - Who's gonna run things here?
- I am.
Copy !req
138. I'm gonna wake up for a week every year,
fix the fuckups, visit Mum,
Copy !req
139. hire people, fire people, go to Wimbledon,
and then go back under.
Copy !req
140. For 400 years?
Copy !req
141. Someone has to welcome them
when they arrive.
Copy !req
142. Someone has to keep the plan on track.
Copy !req
143. You could just train someone
to run Staircase.
Copy !req
144. Staircase is a project, not a plan.
Copy !req
145. Even you could run that.
Copy !req
146. There are dozens of people
who could oversee the project.
Copy !req
147. There's only one person on Earth
can oversee the plan.
Copy !req
148. On Earth? That's a bit much.
Copy !req
149. Aristotle thought false humility
was just as bad as arrogance.
Copy !req
150. Aristotle thought rocks fell down instead
of up because they loved the ground.
Copy !req
151. Why only you? Why not someone else?
Copy !req
152. No one else can handle it.
Copy !req
153. What is this plan, this amazing plan,
that no one else but you can handle?
Copy !req
154. Only advance.
Copy !req
155. - I don't know what that means.
- You will when you get there.
Copy !req
156. The future's not as far as it used to be.
Copy !req
157. Not for us.
Copy !req
158. The Staircase probe needs a sail.
Copy !req
159. It's a nanofiber weave,
not the single strand we've made so far.
Copy !req
160. It's a lot more complicated.
Copy !req
161. There's also heat
and stress tolerance to be considered,
Copy !req
162. and the fibers need to connect
the probe to the sail and...
Copy !req
163. And you can make it work?
Copy !req
164. I can make it work, yes.
Copy !req
165. I'm glad you're here.
Copy !req
166. You know why I started doing this work?
Copy !req
167. The people I saw around me,
my mother's family...
Copy !req
168. I saw what the world did to them.
Copy !req
169. I wanted to build something for them.
Copy !req
170. I ended up on the wrong side.
Copy !req
171. You're not on the wrong side.
Copy !req
172. Soon, we may be faced with a choice.
Copy !req
173. Leave or die.
Copy !req
174. Four hundred years is soon?
Copy !req
175. It's the blink of an eye.
Copy !req
176. And without the work we're doing,
there won't be a choice at all.
Copy !req
177. We're building something for everyone.
We're building them a future.
Copy !req
178. You believe that?
Copy !req
179. Don't you?
Copy !req
180. I want to. And some days,
I think it's possible.
Copy !req
181. And some days, I think the people getting
fucked over will always get fucked over.
Copy !req
182. They will always be the last in line.
Copy !req
183. And none of them will get to sail away.
Copy !req
184. Will?
Copy !req
185. Will?
Copy !req
186. Wilbur?
Copy !req
187. Will, can you hear me?
Copy !req
188. Will?
Copy !req
189. You all right, love?
Copy !req
190. How'd you know I was here?
Copy !req
191. The hospital contacted us.
Copy !req
192. Roxanne is down as your next of kin.
Copy !req
193. How you feeling?
Copy !req
194. Well, I'm dying. So, there's that.
Copy !req
195. It's been a while.
Copy !req
196. It has. I know.
Um, we feel bad about that.
Copy !req
197. We do.
Copy !req
198. You know, Will, my job took us
to Spain and then Dubai.
Copy !req
199. You didn't much like it abroad?
Copy !req
200. Well, in the world of digital marketing,
it can get very political very fast.
Copy !req
201. I mean, it's not about your skills.
It's all about playing the game.
Copy !req
202. Yeah, it's probably the same
in what you do, Will.
Copy !req
203. Physics and that.
Copy !req
204. You were always the smartest one.
Copy !req
205. That's why Mum and Dad sent you
to public school and uni and more uni.
Copy !req
206. But you never got where you belonged
because you're not a game player.
Copy !req
207. I got exactly where I belonged.
Copy !req
208. I didn't get any further
because I wasn't smart enough.
Copy !req
209. Well, you were smart enough
to do almost anything.
Copy !req
210. You could've gone to work in the city.
Copy !req
211. You could've started your own business.
You were the smartest person we knew.
Copy !req
212. I didn't get to do physics.
Copy !req
213. I had to go off
and do waitressing and filing and—
Copy !req
214. Well...
Copy !req
215. We want to start a family, Will.
Copy !req
216. We want to be able to buy a home.
Copy !req
217. Look, we haven't been
what we should have been to each other.
Copy !req
218. I know that,
and I take my portion of the blame for it.
Copy !req
219. What's happened to you is fucking unfair.
Copy !req
220. And fucking terrible.
Copy !req
221. But it's happened.
Copy !req
222. And you said yourself, you're dying.
Copy !req
223. So we came to... to ask you,
since you don't have anyone—
Copy !req
224. Who says I don't have anyone?
Copy !req
225. - Well, do you?
- I might.
Copy !req
226. - What if I love somebody?
- Well, whoever she is—
Copy !req
227. Maybe it's a he.
Copy !req
228. Whatever. I...
Copy !req
229. I don't care what they are.
Copy !req
230. If you have someone,
you haven't had them for long.
Copy !req
231. And we're your family, Will.
Copy !req
232. Maybe not the best family, but...
Copy !req
233. here we are.
Copy !req
234. And whatever Mum left you,
Copy !req
235. it should go to us.
Copy !req
236. You're right.
Copy !req
237. My life didn't amount to much.
Copy !req
238. I never loved anybody who loved me back.
Copy !req
239. Whatever Mum left me is yours.
Copy !req
240. I won't touch a penny of it.
Copy !req
241. We needed 1,000 bombs for Staircase.
Copy !req
242. We've got just over 300.
We're not getting any more.
Copy !req
243. The smallest hibernation rig
I can supply weighs over a ton.
Copy !req
244. If we want to accelerate the probe
to the required speed,
Copy !req
245. with the propellant available to us—
Copy !req
246. The heaviest payload it can carry
is under two kilograms.
Copy !req
247. That's a very small person.
Copy !req
248. I would say a person is
the ever-changing pattern
Copy !req
249. dancing through the neurons
of their brain.
Copy !req
250. If that exists, the person exists.
Copy !req
251. We would, however, have to remove
that brain from their skull.
Copy !req
252. It'll be enough for them
to rebuild the rest.
Copy !req
253. If they do, we have a man on the inside.
Copy !req
254. Sorry. Are we talking about
killing someone for this?
Copy !req
255. And we weren't before?
Copy !req
256. San-Ti.
Copy !req
257. Hello out there.
Copy !req
258. In here.
Copy !req
259. Wherever your Sophons may be.
Copy !req
260. You've read Wikipedia.
Copy !req
261. You know all about Genghis Khan,
QAnon and The Tale of Genji
Copy !req
262. and the President of Bolivia
and Bob Seger,
Copy !req
263. but you don't know
what it feels like to be us.
Copy !req
264. All that we are is up here.
Copy !req
265. What's going on up here
and here, that's humanity.
Copy !req
266. You want to understand us?
Copy !req
267. You'll need to get your hands or tentacles
or whatever the fuck appendages you have
Copy !req
268. on the thing itself.
Copy !req
269. Don't worry. We'll send you someone smart.
Copy !req
270. You need someone who actually understands
the people who make decisions around here.
Copy !req
271. Someone who can learn about you.
Someone like the people in this room.
Copy !req
272. What about it?
Copy !req
273. I'll go.
Copy !req
274. - Who are you?
- Edgar.
Copy !req
275. Don't be a retard, Edgar.
I'm talking about serious people.
Copy !req
276. What about it, serious people?
Copy !req
277. Who wants to meet the enemy? Hmm?
Copy !req
278. Hmm? Course not.
Copy !req
279. You have too much to lose.
You don't wanna go.
Copy !req
280. And I wouldn't let you.
You're all too valuable.
Copy !req
281. But we need someone who knows
about physics, chemistry, rocket science.
Copy !req
282. Someone who's willing to die.
Likely for nothing.
Copy !req
283. Which probably means
someone who's dying already.
Copy !req
284. Any of you know
someone of that description?
Copy !req
285. It's fucking barbaric.
Copy !req
286. We need the Staircase Project.
Copy !req
287. Propulsion, cryogenics, material sciences...
Copy !req
288. It'll shoot us forward
two generations in all of them,
Copy !req
289. even if it's a failure.
Copy !req
290. But we need a reason
for the project to exist,
Copy !req
291. and the person inside—
Copy !req
292. The severed fucking head.
Copy !req
293. The person inside is that reason.
Copy !req
294. Your friend Will is that reason.
Copy !req
295. And if they find him, he can learn about
things we wouldn't know otherwise
Copy !req
296. before they get here and it's too late.
Copy !req
297. Only advance.
Copy !req
298. "Only advance"? What kind
of Magic Eight-Ball shit is that?
Copy !req
299. It doesn't matter what Will learns.
How could he tell anyone about it?
Copy !req
300. He seems a smart enough fella.
Copy !req
301. They're listening to everything.
Copy !req
302. You can't outsmart them.
You can't plot against them.
Copy !req
303. Maybe he can.
Copy !req
304. - No, he can't. That's not who he is.
- I'll chat with him anyway.
Copy !req
305. Who knows what's going on
in that svelte three-pound brain.
Copy !req
306. Not you. You don't know him.
Copy !req
307. That's right. Neither do you.
Or the San-Ti.
Copy !req
308. Only Will Downing
truly knows Will Downing.
Copy !req
309. What?
Copy !req
310. I'm thinking of a number
between one and 1,000.
Copy !req
311. Do you know what it is?
Copy !req
312. - No.
- That's right. You don't.
Copy !req
313. Neither do they.
Copy !req
314. I have to make a call.
Copy !req
315. You can't force him into it.
Copy !req
316. He'd be no use to us if I did.
Copy !req
317. - We're gonna tell him not to do it.
- You do that.
Copy !req
318. We'll tell him not to do it.
He'll listen to us.
Copy !req
319. He'll listen to you. You don't need me.
Copy !req
320. - Of course I need you.
- I can't stay.
Copy !req
321. I never should have come to work
for that man. For any of these men.
Copy !req
322. I fucked up. I need to fix it.
Copy !req
323. I'm leaving.
Copy !req
324. So long, boss.
Copy !req
325. It's Wade.
Copy !req
326. How can I help you, Mr. Wade?
Copy !req
327. I have a new project that's going
to require everyone's participation.
Copy !req
328. Everyone.
Copy !req
329. I want you to spearhead this project
and bring them all into line.
Copy !req
330. I'm very busy, Mr. Wade.
Copy !req
331. Yes. These are busy times.
Copy !req
332. Tell me about your project.
Copy !req
333. Have you ever heard the term "Wallfacer"?
Copy !req
334. Ah.
Copy !req
335. Heart Snatcher, innit?
Copy !req
336. You're just button-mashing.
Got to learn some combos.
Copy !req
337. Hmm.
Copy !req
338. What's up?
Copy !req
339. What's "The Great Escape"?
Copy !req
340. It's my business. Mine and Ally's.
Copy !req
341. It's legit.
We set up a private limited company.
Copy !req
342. How'd you do that?
Some lawyers take your money?
Copy !req
343. A guy on YouTube explained it.
Just go on the website.
Copy !req
344. We're working on a deck.
Copy !req
345. "A safe future
for your descendants on Mars
Copy !req
346. or other habitable planets."
Copy !req
347. And branding concepts
on the next page.
Copy !req
348. That's, um...
Copy !req
349. That design's pretty good.
Copy !req
350. Classy, right?
Copy !req
351. Uh-huh.
Copy !req
352. How's someone going to escape
into outer space for 40 quid a month?
Copy !req
353. It's like a pension account.
Copy !req
354. Put in money every month,
and that grows and creates more money.
Copy !req
355. So the next month, there's
an even bigger pile of money growing.
Copy !req
356. And, you know, do the maths.
Copy !req
357. - Did you do the maths?
- Working on setting up meetings.
Copy !req
358. There's a guy named Denys Porlock
who's interested.
Copy !req
359. He's legit. Look him up. Denys with a Y.
Copy !req
360. This is impressive, Reg,
that you've done this all on your own.
Copy !req
361. I'm impressed.
Copy !req
362. Yeah?
Copy !req
363. But it is bollocks.
Copy !req
364. It's not real.
Copy !req
365. So help me make it real.
Copy !req
366. I don't know how.
Copy !req
367. So, this, all of this, is this real?
Copy !req
368. Because if this is what real is,
I'm not interested.
Copy !req
369. In any case,
in the new world we're living in,
Copy !req
370. I'm afraid I can't afford
to wait any longer.
Copy !req
371. I wanted to tell you in person.
I feel I owe you that.
Copy !req
372. I appreciate it, Denys. Thank you.
Copy !req
373. Surely you understand that.
I have no choice in the matter.
Copy !req
374. We all have choices.
Copy !req
375. I've never been less happy
about a business decision,
Copy !req
376. but the potential for future applications...
Copy !req
377. I'm doing what I have to do.
Copy !req
378. By all means, finish your tweet.
Copy !req
379. Just doing what I have to do.
Copy !req
380. What I should've been doing all along.
Copy !req
381. - And I'm taking my work with me.
Copy !req
382. It doesn't belong to you, Auggie.
Copy !req
383. It doesn't.
Copy !req
384. It shouldn't, right?
Copy !req
385. It can make life better
for the people who need it most.
Copy !req
386. It shouldn't belong to anybody.
Copy !req
387. It should belong to everybody.
Copy !req
388. I'm afraid that's not how it works.
Copy !req
389. It does if I give it to them.
Copy !req
390. All of our research,
the specs on our equipment,
Copy !req
391. our work on upscaling and applications,
Copy !req
392. all on Wikileaks and arXiv
and a dozen other open-source platforms.
Copy !req
393. You wouldn't.
Copy !req
394. I just did.
Copy !req
395. No one can use it.
Copy !req
396. It belongs to the company,
and our investors will sue them.
Copy !req
397. Well, they can use clean room design,
separate their designers from your IP,
Copy !req
398. and cover their asses
against copyright infringement.
Copy !req
399. I threw in a guide for that too.
Copy !req
400. It... it won't work.
Copy !req
401. Worked against IBM.
Worked against Apple. Worked against Sony.
Copy !req
402. But go ahead. Sue everyone.
Copy !req
403. Sue all the governments
of the developing world.
Copy !req
404. That'll make you popular.
Copy !req
405. Maybe I'll just start with you.
Copy !req
406. You'll end up in prison.
Copy !req
407. Well, they better arrest me fast.
My flight leaves in three hours.
Copy !req
408. So that's your plan
for your life's work? For your life?
Copy !req
409. Burn it all down and go and get drunk?
Copy !req
410. It's not for me.
Copy !req
411. But...
Copy !req
412. And that's what she got you, huh?
Copy !req
413. Yeah.
Copy !req
414. Did she, um... say where she was going?
Copy !req
415. No.
Copy !req
416. So it's all real, then?
Copy !req
417. - Yeah.
- Fuck.
Copy !req
418. What's it called again,
Stairway to Heaven?
Copy !req
419. - The Staircase Project. Yeah.
Copy !req
420. Doesn't sound real.
Copy !req
421. None of it sounds real.
Copy !req
422. Big Eye in the Sky calling us all bugs.
Copy !req
423. It's science fiction.
Copy !req
424. Mm.
Copy !req
425. Fairy tales.
Copy !req
426. - You still have that?
- Of course.
Copy !req
427. When did I give it to you?
Copy !req
428. June 10, 2015,
four days after my birthday.
Copy !req
429. So, uh, who would this Staircase Project
turn me into?
Copy !req
430. Maybe some kind of
a Sleeping Beauty character?
Copy !req
431. Anyway, it's simple.
Copy !req
432. You tell Wade you're not gonna do it.
Copy !req
433. 1% of light speed?
Copy !req
434. That's almost 2,000 miles per second.
Copy !req
435. You always worked big.
Copy !req
436. No, I didn't come up with it.
Copy !req
437. I just got the math right.
Copy !req
438. Oh, that's all.
Copy !req
439. But it would be an amazing accomplishment.
Copy !req
440. A historic accomplishment.
Copy !req
441. Yeah.
Copy !req
442. Yeah, it would.
Copy !req
443. But you don't have to worry about that
because we're gonna find someone else.
Copy !req
444. Who else have you got?
Copy !req
445. We have options.
Copy !req
446. I know my main qualification
is that I'm dying,
Copy !req
447. but you can't just send anyone.
Copy !req
448. So...
Copy !req
449. who else is there?
Copy !req
450. I'm afraid that's classified.
Copy !req
451. And everything else you've told me isn't?
Copy !req
452. I'm not supposed to talk about it.
Copy !req
453. You haven't got anyone.
Copy !req
454. Well, if you don't have a passenger,
it doesn't really work then, does it?
Copy !req
455. You always worked big.
Copy !req
456. I couldn't.
Copy !req
457. I wanted to, but I couldn't.
Copy !req
458. - I just didn't have the equipment.
- Stop it.
Copy !req
459. It's all right.
I've made my peace with it.
Copy !req
460. But now we could both work big.
Copy !req
461. Not like this.
Copy !req
462. What?
Copy !req
463. Why are you staring at me?
Copy !req
464. I'm not.
Copy !req
465. I'm seeing you.
Copy !req
466. Sometimes, when you're really high,
you see people.
Copy !req
467. Or maybe it's when you're dying.
Copy !req
468. But I see you.
Copy !req
469. And I love you.
Copy !req
470. And it's all right.
Copy !req
471. Tell me not to do it, and I won't.
Copy !req
472. It's all right.
Copy !req
473. It's Dr. Ye.
Copy !req
474. I know you don't want to see me.
Copy !req
475. But I need to speak with you.
Copy !req
476. He's lost.
Copy !req
477. What do you care? He's a bug.
Copy !req
478. Vera knew what you did.
Copy !req
479. She knew you called them here.
Copy !req
480. It never made sense,
her killing herself over the work.
Copy !req
481. She must have come across, I don't know,
an email or text or something.
Copy !req
482. And she started digging.
Copy !req
483. She always said you were the smartest one.
Copy !req
484. I tried to hide it from her.
Copy !req
485. I wanted to protect her, but I couldn't.
Copy !req
486. She was smart like you.
Copy !req
487. She figured things out.
Copy !req
488. You failed her.
Copy !req
489. I failed more people than anyone ever.
Copy !req
490. How can you live with it?
Copy !req
491. I won't have to much longer.
Copy !req
492. Why weren't you running
your own lab instead of working at Vera's?
Copy !req
493. I was good at physics,
but I never loved it.
Copy !req
494. I suppose that's why
I never amounted to much.
Copy !req
495. In the end,
we all amount to about the same.
Copy !req
496. Would you like to hear a joke?
Copy !req
497. So, Einstein dies.
Copy !req
498. He finds himself in heaven,
and he has his violin.
Copy !req
499. He's overjoyed. He loves his violin.
Copy !req
500. More than physics.
Copy !req
501. Even more than women.
Copy !req
502. He's excited to find out
how well he can play in heaven.
Copy !req
503. He imagines he'll be pretty damn good.
Copy !req
504. So he starts tuning up,
and the angels rush at him.
Copy !req
505. "What are you doing?" they say.
Copy !req
506. "I'm getting ready to play."
Copy !req
507. "Don't do that. God won't like it."
Copy !req
508. "He's a saxophonist."
Copy !req
509. So Einstein stops.
Copy !req
510. He doesn't play, but it's difficult.
Copy !req
511. He loves music, and there's actually
not much to do in heaven.
Copy !req
512. And sure enough,
from high above, he hears a saxophone.
Copy !req
513. It's playing "Take the A Train."
Do you know that one?
Copy !req
514. Yeah. I mean, I've heard it.
Copy !req
515. Einstein knows it too. And he thinks,
Copy !req
516. "I'm going to do it.
I'm going to play with Him."
Copy !req
517. "We're going to sound great together."
Copy !req
518. So he starts playing "Take the A Train."
Copy !req
519. The saxophone stops, and God appears.
Copy !req
520. He marches over to Einstein
and kicks him in the balls,
Copy !req
521. which hurts, even in heaven.
Copy !req
522. Then he smashes
Einstein's beloved violin to bits.
Copy !req
523. Eternity without music.
Copy !req
524. Heaven has become hell for Einstein.
Copy !req
525. And, as he writhes on the ground,
holding his smashed balls,
Copy !req
526. an angel comes over
and says, "We warned you."
Copy !req
527. "Never play with God."
Copy !req
528. "Never play with God"?
Copy !req
529. You don't like it?
Copy !req
530. No, it's... it's not that. It's just...
Copy !req
531. "Never play with God."
Copy !req
532. Humor is a very personal thing.
Copy !req
533. Some people understand it,
and some people don't.
Copy !req
534. Some jokes are so private,
they only make sense to two people.
Copy !req
535. But jokes are important.
Copy !req
536. We wouldn't survive without them.
Copy !req
537. Don't you agree?
Copy !req
538. I have to go.
Copy !req
539. Take care, Saul.
Copy !req
540. I hope my joke
doesn't cause you any trouble.
Copy !req
541. Well, your test scores are good,
both cognitive and informational.
Copy !req
542. No surprise there.
Copy !req
543. One last thing,
Copy !req
544. a... formality.
Copy !req
545. A loyalty oath.
Copy !req
546. We need you to sign it.
Copy !req
547. "Henceforth, I swear all my endeavors
Copy !req
548. shall be to affirm
my loyalty to the human race,
Copy !req
549. now and into perpetuity,
superseding all other loyalties."
Copy !req
550. "I shall never knowingly perform any act
Copy !req
551. or divulge any information that might
cause harm to humanity as a whole."
Copy !req
552. No. I won't sign that.
Copy !req
553. Why not?
Copy !req
554. Because I don't feel
any loyalty to the human race.
Copy !req
555. So why are you doing this?
Copy !req
556. Well, I'm dying anyway, right?
Copy !req
557. Who knows?
Copy !req
558. They might end up being better than us.
Copy !req
559. Why would I swear loyalty to us
Copy !req
560. if they could end up being better?
Copy !req
561. They're invading us.
Copy !req
562. They're coming to conquer us.
Most likely wipe us out.
Copy !req
563. So they say.
Copy !req
564. And you don't want
to help us prevent that?
Copy !req
565. Jin thinks it's what I should do.
Copy !req
566. And I trust her.
Copy !req
567. If you want me to sign
a loyalty oath to her, then I will.
Copy !req
568. But to humanity?
Copy !req
569. No.
Copy !req
570. Thank you for your time, Mr. Downing.
Copy !req
571. You're perfect for the Staircase Project.
Copy !req
572. We'll be in touch shortly
regarding next steps.
Copy !req
573. Hey!
Copy !req
574. Why's he perfect for the project?
He wouldn't sign the oath.
Copy !req
575. He's our man because he's not our man.
Copy !req
576. He really might not be.
Copy !req
577. I know. He really might not be.
Copy !req
578. That's why they'll go out of their way
to pick him up.
Copy !req
579. This year's cicada swarm
in the United States
Copy !req
580. is expected to number
in the tens of billions—
Copy !req
581. - Just like a magic cream.
- Really?
Copy !req
582. Yeah, it works really well
as a moisturizer...
Copy !req
583. Now, Julia,
if I can get you to slice
Copy !req
584. some carrots dice-wise like that...
Copy !req
585. - Like this?
Copy !req
586. Hello, Tatiana.
Copy !req
587. I heard you were done speaking to us.
Copy !req
588. They said you let Evans die.
Copy !req
589. We were done speaking to him.
Copy !req
590. But we are not done speaking to you.
Copy !req
591. What... what am I?
Copy !req
592. I'm nothing.
Copy !req
593. A bug.
Copy !req
594. We know exactly what you are.
Copy !req
595. You are a part of something
much larger than yourself.
Copy !req
596. You are a part of us.
Copy !req
597. And we need you.
Copy !req
598. Cathay Pacific departure to Beijing,
Copy !req
599. flight number CX252,
is now ready for boarding.
Copy !req
600. Passengers are requested
to proceed to gate C11.
Copy !req
601. Hello. I'm Dr. Ye.
Copy !req
602. Sorry. Do I know you?
Copy !req
603. I changed my seat
so we could sit together.
Copy !req
604. I hope you don't mind.
Copy !req
605. It will be nice
to have someone to talk to.
Copy !req
606. Yeah. It's a long flight.
Copy !req
607. So, Mr. Downing, you have to consent
to the procedure five times.
Copy !req
608. The questions are designed to avoid
the possibility of accidental consent.
Copy !req
609. Take as much time as you need.
Copy !req
610. Thank you.
Copy !req
611. - This place, it's, uh...
Copy !req
612. It's nice.
Copy !req
613. Yeah.
Copy !req
614. Jin, um...
Copy !req
615. I told her not to come.
Copy !req
616. I'm off to Cape Canaveral.
Copy !req
617. The first ICBM launches are on Friday.
Copy !req
618. There and in Baikonur and Jiuquan.
Copy !req
619. The Staircase bombs
will be in place in a few weeks,
Copy !req
620. and we'll be ready to send
our volunteer on his journey.
Copy !req
621. Exciting days.
Copy !req
622. I'll leave you to it.
Copy !req
623. Oh. I keep forgetting to ask...
did you get a chance to thank him?
Copy !req
624. In person, I mean.
Copy !req
625. For your star.
Copy !req
626. Will gave me the star?
Copy !req
627. Oh, he didn't tell you.
Copy !req
628. Yeah, he inherited some money.
Copy !req
629. It's a worthless piece of paper.
Copy !req
630. Drop your price and resell it,
or you'll be left with nothing.
Copy !req
631. - It wasn't. It was the King's Arms.
- No, it was the Eagle and Child.
Copy !req
632. I'm tellin' you. 'Cause that's when...
Copy !req
633. Listen. You were talking
to that blonde Christian chick,
Copy !req
634. who was getting ready
to get very unchristian with you,
Copy !req
635. until you told her that you thought
C.S. Lewis was a shitty writer.
Copy !req
636. Oh. And she thought it was disrespectful
Copy !req
637. because we were in the room
where Lewis used to drink with Tolkien.
Copy !req
638. - Okay, you're right.
- Thank you.
Copy !req
639. It was the Eagle and Child.
Copy !req
640. And he was a shitty writer.
Copy !req
641. Well...
Copy !req
642. I'm not getting any younger.
Copy !req
643. Will.
Copy !req
644. Okay, but... Seriously...
Copy !req
645. You need to think this through,
what it means.
Copy !req
646. You're floating in endless, frozen space.
Copy !req
647. Not alive, and... and not dead.
Copy !req
648. Maybe for thousands of years.
Maybe forever.
Copy !req
649. And completely unaware the whole time.
Copy !req
650. So, basically dead, which is
what I was gonna be soon anyways.
Copy !req
651. - No, Will, that's...
Copy !req
652. That's best-case scenario.
Copy !req
653. 'Cause if they find you,
they'll rebuild you.
Copy !req
654. And maybe... maybe they just...
they turn you into a program,
Copy !req
655. and they communicate with you
through an interface.
Copy !req
656. You can't see. You can't...
You can't hear. You can't feel.
Copy !req
657. Like an isolation tank.
Question goes in, answer comes out.
Copy !req
658. Whether you like it or not.
Copy !req
659. They just read your mind.
Copy !req
660. So they read Diary of a Nobody.
Copy !req
661. Then they switch me off,
and we're back to dead.
Copy !req
662. Okay, but... maybe
it's not an isolation tank.
Copy !req
663. Will, they want to know everything
about what it means to be a human being.
Copy !req
664. And maybe the only way for them
to do that is to interact with you.
Copy !req
665. So they bring you back.
Copy !req
666. They run experiments on you to learn
Copy !req
667. how we experience things.
Copy !req
668. - What makes us happy.
- That's starting to sound pretty good.
Copy !req
669. What makes us unhappy.
Copy !req
670. What makes us so unhappy
that it could be used against us.
Copy !req
671. How do we feel exhaustion?
Copy !req
672. How do we feel fear?
Copy !req
673. How do we feel pain?
Copy !req
674. How do we suffer?
Copy !req
675. How much can we take?
Copy !req
676. They can do whatever they want to you.
Copy !req
677. They can push you to the limit
and past it, but you don't get to die.
Copy !req
678. If you do,
they'll just bring you back again.
Copy !req
679. And they can do that for a month.
Copy !req
680. They can do that for a century.
They can do that for 10,000 years.
Copy !req
681. Saul, why would they do that?
Copy !req
682. I don't... I don't fuckin' know. I...
Copy !req
683. We don't know what they are.
Copy !req
684. And maybe we can't know what they are.
Copy !req
685. But compared to us,
it's exactly what they told us.
Copy !req
686. We are bugs.
Copy !req
687. Bugs don't know why terrible things
happen to them. They're bugs.
Copy !req
688. Right? Maybe it's an exterminator.
Maybe it's a science class.
Copy !req
689. Maybe it's just some nasty little kid
that's ripping their legs off for fun.
Copy !req
690. Don't try to figure it out.
Copy !req
691. You just stay away from them.
Copy !req
692. How many was that?
Copy !req
693. That's four.
Copy !req
694. The next one is the last one.
Copy !req
695. Maybe it won't be as bad as all that.
Copy !req
696. Maybe it would be like, um...
Like I'm a pet to them.
Copy !req
697. Or maybe I'll be like entertainment.
Copy !req
698. What do you do for entertainment?
Copy !req
699. What's your favorite movie?
Copy !req
700. The Shining.
Copy !req
701. How many people get this opportunity?
Copy !req
702. To say a proper goodbye to a good friend.
Copy !req
703. Not many.
Copy !req
704. I never had many friends.
Copy !req
705. But thanks to you guys,
always felt like enough.
Copy !req
706. Will, I'm...
I'm gonna miss you, man.
Copy !req
707. Good.
Copy !req
708. If they bring me back, I'll miss you too.
Copy !req
709. I can walk from here.
Copy !req
710. If you don't mind,
could I have a few minutes alone?
Copy !req
711. Yeah, okay.
Copy !req
712. - Thank you.
- I'll be up there in ten.
Copy !req
713. Hello, Dr. Ye.
Copy !req
714. Tatiana.
Copy !req
715. It's good to see you.
Copy !req
716. Where's Officer Collins?
Copy !req
717. Was that his name?
Copy !req
718. I thought the Lord was done with us.
Copy !req
719. Not all of us.
Copy !req
720. I'm sorry you had to come all this way
to do something I was going to do myself.
Copy !req
721. No.
Copy !req
722. - You can't.
Copy !req
723. It'll be horrible, that fall.
Copy !req
724. It might not even happen right away.
Copy !req
725. Please.
Copy !req
726. I can give you something better.
Copy !req
727. Something gentle.
Copy !req
728. Something beautiful.
Copy !req
729. Can we sit for a moment?
Copy !req
730. Yes, please.
Copy !req
731. When I was your age, this was some of
the most beautiful country in the world.
Copy !req
732. It'll all be better
when the Lord gets here.
Copy !req
733. I'm sure it will.
Copy !req
734. Did the Lord tell you
why they sent you to me?
Copy !req
735. Do you know?
Copy !req
736. Perhaps it's just your time.
Copy !req
737. You fulfilled your purpose.
Copy !req
738. Well.
Copy !req
739. I'm pleased the Lord hasn't forgotten me.
Copy !req
740. Yes. Me too.
Copy !req
741. I wanted to see
one more sunset from this place.
Copy !req
742. Can we watch it together?
Copy !req
743. I'd like that very much.
Copy !req
744. You've worked so hard
Copy !req
745. for so long.
Copy !req
746. You deserve a rest.
Copy !req