"Let's see how sensitive you are." "Ready and- bang." "Say, Frank." "How's it goin'?" "Great, Charlie." "It would be going better if I knew what this derma-synth was for." "Sorry, man." "Can't have loose lips talkin' to the competition." "No." "You and everyone else will know what their components are for... when the time is right." "Oh, let me see." "Well, it's not for burn victims, right?" "We know that." "It's too inorganic." "I suppose it could be some kind of computer sensor... but then, why would you make it look like flesh?" "Oh, nice, Frank." "Very, very nice." "Say, you're not seeing anybody these days." "Right?" "No." "Why?" "Because this new woman just started in the I.O. Wing." " You gotta meet her." " Charlie." "I'm not interested." " Hey, she's just your type, Frank." " Is that right?" "She goes for us tall, dark paraplegic guys, does she?" "No, no." "That's the beauty of it." "I already told her." "She couldn't care less." "Didn't even faze her." " Yeah, right." " Hey." " I'm your boss, right?" " Yeah, that's what they tell me." "Well, I order you to take your break." "Now." "Come on." "I want you to meet her." " Charlie, what's with all the security?" " Gotta protect those trade secrets." "And Frank:" "Here she comes." "Frank, I'd like you to meet Valerie." " Hello." " Hi." "You were right." "He is cute." "Is this some kind of joke?" " I don't understand." "Joke?" " Oh, no." "It's just" "Never mind." " Would you excuse us for just a second?" " Of course." "I'll be over here." "Okay." "All right, Charlie." "What the hell's goin' on here?" "Going on?" "A woman that looks like that and you're not hitting on her yourself?" " I don't fit the profile." " What are you talking about?" "The prototype test." "I'll show you." "Frank, meet the prototype inorganic human companion." "I'm really looking forward to our time together." "I think we have much in common." "Charlie tells me you enjoy opera." "I love opera." "I hear La Bohème's in town." "We should go." "She's a robot." "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." "Poets argue that you are truly alive... if you possess the ability to feel and love." "Scientists, on the other hand, choose to define life... in terms of proteins and carbon building blocks." "But what happens when these two beliefs come crashing together?" "Frank!" "Wait up." "What are you pissed off for?" "I don't need a robot to get me in and out of this chair, or to bathe me or feed me" "I know that." "Now come on, now." "Slow down." "We've been friends a long time." "I know you don't need a robot for that sort of thing." "What the hell was that all about in there?" "Hell, man, I just figured any red-blooded man... in or out of a wheelchair would love to have... a beautiful woman like that at his beck and call." "She can cook, she can clean, and let's face it, pal, you could use the company." "That's what really irks me, Charlie." "I like to think I'm not such a loser..." " I need a robot to keep me company." " We prefer to call her..." " an "inorganic human."" " What's the difference?" " You couldn't tell the difference." " I can tell." "No, you couldn't." "The board wants to keep the inorganics project a trade secret... as long as possible, but we need someone to test it... before we go into mass production, and before we design the male version." "All right, why me?" "Why don't you take her?" " I don't fit our target market." " Which is?" "She was designed to be a female companion for men... working in dangerous or remote environments." "Gosh, Charlie, that doesn't sound like me." " Their secondary market was" " Handicapped losers who can't get a date." "Physically challenged men who need a companion... who's a little more patient with the wheelchair and everything." "My lack of female companionship has got nothin' to do with this chair." " I have had several relationships" " And you've chased them all away... because of your attitude." " Hell, man." "She's a dream girl." " She's a machine!" "I want someone with human frailties." "Human emotions." "A sense of humor." "You can't get that out of a machine." "Oh, yes, you can." "They've been programmed into her personality module." "Full fuzzy logic reaction system." "Clive McPherson's been working on the chip twice as long... as you've been workin' on the skin!" "She's got my derma-synth?" "Now you know what you've been workin' on." "Come on, Frank." "Take 'er home." "One week." "Yeah?" "Not a chance." "And I'm reading Discourse on Method by Rene Descartes..." " and I get to that quote, "I think-" - "I think, therefore I am."" "Yeah, that's the one." "Don't pound the palms of your hands, roll them on the bars." "I'm not pounding." "I'm setting them down really hard." "You know, I've heard "I think, therefore I am" about a million times... but I never really stopped to think about what it was saying." "I mean, it really is the simplest proof of existence." "I mean, at least it proves my existence." "I don't know about yours or anybody else's, but at least it proves mine." "Hey." "Trust me." " I exist, okay?" " I hope so." "Otherwise, I've been wasting about an hour a day for the last five years." "I can't believe you read Descartes." "I would have thought you were more the Danielle Steel type, you know?" "Here." "Let me help you." " Hey, Rachel?" " Yeah?" "What's your philosophy about- about seeing patients outside of therapy?" "Gee, Frank, I can't." "Gus just moved back in." "We're gonna give it another try." "Oh." "I'm sorry." " Forget I brought it up." " Hey." "I don't want to forget it." "I'm flattered by it." "Beautiful." "Beautiful." " Hey, Charlie." " Frank." " Find anybody to test that prototype?" " Not yet." "Not too many employees fit the profile." " Why?" " Well, I've reconsidered it." "I'm willing to give it a try, if you still want me to." "Mr. Hellner, you understand that we will need you to maintain a detailed log... regarding every aspect of your day as it pertains to the Valerie 23." "Of course, you'll receive your usual pay for the time." " No problem." " We would like to hold a debriefing..." " every morning at 9:00 A.M." " Okay." "Is there anything I need to know about taking care of it?" "Do I have to oil it or make adjustments?" "Like I told you, the inorganic humans are the same as organic humans..." " as far as you're concerned." " The Valerie 23 burns food for fuel." "Much like an organic human." "And it reroutes the oils from the food to lubricate its limited mechanical parts." "So I don't need to plug it in to recharge it, or anything?" "If you plugged in the Valerie 23, she'd fry, just like you or me." "Keep this with you at all times." "It's an electronically coded device... that puts the Valerie 23 into a sleep mode." "Meaning, it shuts her down without wiping her memory." " Use it in case of emergencies." " You'll probably never need the device." "Valerie's programmed to go into sleep mode at night, when you sleep." "Like an organic woman would." "Knock, knock." " Excuse me?" " It's a joke." "Knock, knock." "You're supposed to say, "Who's there?"" " Who's there?" " Boo." " Boo who?" " Why are you crying?" "I gotta get McPherson to program some better jokes into your memory." "I am only trying to make conversation." " Why don't you talk to me?" " I don't know." "It seems like kind of a waste of time, doesn't it?" "I mean, I don't come home and tell the dishwasher about my day." " That was a mean thing to say." " What?" "You mean about the dishwasher?" "Are you saying that I hurt your feelings?" "I mean, you gotta be kiddin' me." "I am designed to feel emotions just like an organic woman." "Amazing." "It's like some sort of saline solution." "I apologize." "I'm" "I didn't understand." "I didn't realize that you" " I'm sorry." " It's okay." " Oh, what am I doing?" " What's the matter?" "I'm comforting a machine." "I'm worried about hurting the feelings of a damn machine." "And she slept last night on her own?" "I didn't check." "I didn't hear any sounds coming from its room." "How are you two getting along, Frank?" "Getting along?" "I don't know." " About as well as can be expected." " Care to expound on that?" "Are you becoming friends?" "What do you two talk about?" "Well, we haven't talked that much." "Well, have you tried making conversation?" "I don't" " I don't exactly know what to say to it." " Well, for starters... maybe you should stop referring to Valerie as "it"... and start thinking of her as a person." "I'd like to remind you that Valerie 23's primary function is to act as a companion." "If she fails in that area, the whole program fails." "To be honest, our lack of communication has probably been as much my fault... as its- as hers." "I can't stop feeling like I'm talking to a machine." "I mean, it's like trying to carry on a conversation with your car." "I've done that." "You know, Valerie has been programmed to be human in every way." "She exhibits every human emotion." "Happiness, sadness, jealousy- love." "All we're asking, Frank- Give her a chance." " Do you like it?" " This is the best ravioli I've ever had." " I made it from scratch." " Yeah?" " Do you really like it?" " Very much." "I did my hair different today." "Do you like it?" "I do." "That looks very good on you." "Do you like my outfit?" "That's the same outfit you've had on every moment that I've known you." "I'm sorry." "This is all the company's provided me with." "No!" "Don't worry about it." "You look great in that outfit." "Thank you." " Hey, Rache?" " Yeah?" "In all your studies of philosophy... have you ever come across a good definition of what makes something alive?" "Are you kidding?" "That ranks right up there on the Philosophy Top Ten... with "Does God exist?" And "Fate versus Free Will."" "So what do the great minds say?" "I mean, for example... could a machine be considered alive?" "Switch arms." "I don't know if a machine could be considered alive." "But this one professor taught us something I'll always remember." "He said, "Something can be defined as life if it fears its own death."" " Why did you save my life?" " Why do you ask me that?" "Have you ever been in love like that?" "Once." "Before I had my accident." "Is it okay to ask what happened?" "She left me." "She couldn't deal with the wheelchair." "No, I mean the accident." "What happened?" "Drunk driver." "Jumped the median on the freeway... and hit me head on." " I'm sorry." " What do you say we watch the movie?" "Okay." "I apologize." " Will you kiss me like that?" " What?" "Will you kiss me like that?" "I didn't know that you could or that you'd want to." "To kiss" "What is it?" "What's wrong?" "Frank, what's wrong?" "Where are you going?" "I just gotta get some air, okay?" " Are you okay?" " Yeah." "I'm fine." "Sorry I ran out like that." " Was the kiss bad?" " No!" "No, not at all." "It was my fault." "I couldn't stop thinking about" "Never mind." "It's not important." "What?" "What were you thinking about?" "I couldn't stop thinking about your saliva." "Kept wondering what it was made of." "And your lips." "It kind of spoiled the mood, you know?" "Never mind." "It's not important." "My saliva is made of a polycarbonate enzyme, mixed in a saline base." "It is meant to be very similar to your saliva... only without the bacteria." "And as for my lips, they are covered with your derma-synth skin." "I think you made them very soft." "Don't you?" "I tried to." "I worked on it for" " I am fully functional." " You are?" "Yes." "Fully." " Have a nice day, dear." " I will." "Thanks." "I'm going to clean the house and cook the best dinner in my memory banks." "Great." "Hurry home, honey." "Sorry I'm late." "How many of those have you done?" " Three sets of 15." " Okay" "Let's move over to the bars." "You gonna take your glasses off?" "No." "It's too bright in here." "Come on, let's go." "I don't like the idea of a spotter who can't see me... 'cause she's wearin' sunglasses indoors." "Okay." "Fine." "Satisfied?" " Jesus." "What happened?" " What happened?" "I was helping a patient off the parallels... and I banged my eye on one of the bars." " Miss Coordination, right?" " Rache, let's try this again." " What happened?" " I hit my eye on one of the bars." "You didn't hit it on one of Gus's fists?" " What are you, a cop?" " No." "You need a cop?" " It's none of your business." " Look, how can this not be my business?" "You can't spend this much time with somebody and not begin to care about 'em." " You're my friend, right?" " Thanks." "That's sweet." "He's done this to you before, hasn't he?" "Why don't you kick him out?" "Look, if I kicked him out, how do I know it would be better with anyone else?" "Every guy I've ever been involved with is just like him." " Rachel, not all men are like that." " No." "Just the ones I meet." "Frank, honey." "You're home early." "How was your day, darling?" "It was fine." " Something wrong?" " No." "Yeah." "Something's wrong." "Would you sit down for a minute?" "You see, I wish that you wouldn't call me darling." " All right?" "Or honey." " But I especially selected those words." " I thought that after last night" " Yeah." "Listen." "About that." "What we did last night was a mistake." " I should never have allowed that." " Why not?" "Because you're a machine." "Now, I don't want to hurt... your fuzzy-logic feelings." "But I didn't bring you home for what we did last night." "Then what did you bring me home for?" "To help me out around here." "To cook, to clean" "That is not what I am intended for." "I am meant to be a companion." "Not an appliance." "Look up the word "companion."" "I'm sure it doesn't say anything about having sex, all right?" "A companion is a friend." "It's somebody to spend time with." " Someone to have conversations with." " Is that all you want me to be?" "Yes." "Is there something I can change?" "Is it my clothes?" "It's nothing to do with that." "My primary program is to overcome any obstacle to a healthy relationship." "But to do that, you must tell me what it is I need to change." "There is nothing that you can change." "All right?" "Look." "Hey." "Whoa, whoa." "Listen." "The thing is, in two days, the test will be over." "I have to take you back to Innobotics, and I just think that... it would be better for both of us if we don't get too attached." "I am already attached." "Last night meant something to me." " Even though it did not to you." " Then, I suggest you erase last night... from your flash memory, or your hard disk, or whatever it is... you've got up there, because we are going back to the way that it was... before last night." " Hello?" " Hello?" "Is Frank there?" " Who is calling?" " It's Rachel Rose." " Who is Rachel Rose?" " That's my physical therapist." "Yeah." "Rachel?" "Hi, Frank." "Listen." "What are you doing?" "What, right now?" "Nothing." " Are you okay?" " Oh, I'm fine." "Could we meet somewhere?" "I need to talk to you." "Sure I could meet you" "Do you know the Waterfront Bar and Grille?" " Hi." " Frank." " Are you okay?" " Oh, yeah." "Yeah." "I'm good." "I think I'm good." "Oh." "I didn't know whether to be happy you called or worried sick." "I kicked Gus out." "Then I'm happy you called." "Frank, it may be none of my business, but when I called you... who was the woman that answered the phone?" "Oh.!" "Valerie." "She's just someone who's staying with me." "She's a friend." " Oh, a friend." " Yeah." " That's all?" " We're not involved." "So then, that time you asked me out..." " is that offer still on the table?" " Oh, absolutely." "Because if- Look, if you've changed your mind..." " or you'rejust saying it to be nice" " Oh, no." "Rachel." "I can't think of anybody I'd rather spend time with." " Are you going somewhere?" " Yeah." "You said we were spending the day together." " Nah, I said we might be." " Where are you going?" "I'm gonna spend the day communing with nature." "Somethin' I haven't done in a long time." " You look nice." "Who are you going with?" " A friend." "I thought you said you wanted me to be your friend." "I can have more than one friend." "Got ya." "You know what?" "I think I'm just gonna brush my teeth and go." "Thanks." "Why can't I go?" "Because you weren't invited." "You can't expect to go everywhere with me." " What's with all the gear?" " You and I are going to climb that face." " You gotta be kiddin' me." " You're in great shape." "You can climb that thing with just your arms." "Oh, Rache." "Come on." "I don't know." "I haven't been doing my job lately." "I'm supposed to push you to try new things." "Yeah, like five extra chin-ups or a couple extra runs on the parallels." "Aw, come on." "You can do that stuff with your eyes closed." "It's time for something more daring." "More exhilarating." "Well, great!" "Why don't you just take me waterskiing in a hurricane?" "You told me you loved to climb before your accident." "There's no reason you can't love to now." "There's a great lunch and a spectacular view waiting for you at the top." "All right." "It's gonna be your fault... if something happens up there and I end up in a wheelchair for the rest of my life." "Isn't this great?" "I have to admit, moving vertically isn't really much... harder than moving horizontally these days." "I'll take that to mean you love it." "I love it." "This is beautiful." " Thank you for bringing me here." " You're welcome." "The company isn't bad either." "Oh, really?" "Why?" "What is it you like about me?" "I'm sorry." "I'm putting you on the spot." "No." "Let me answer that." "Why do I like you?" "I like that you read Descartes." "I like that you... just made me do something I never thought I'd ever do again." "Even though it scared the daylights out of me." "I like that you make me feel more alive than I've felt in years." "What about me?" " Guess I don't compare." " What are you doing here?" " Frank, who is this?" " I'm the companion he lives with." " He didn't tell you about me?" " Frank?" " This is a little hard to explain." " Well, do you live with her or not?" "Temporarily, I do, yes." "I don't believe this!" "You lied to me the other night when I asked you about her." "No, Rachel, it isn't what you think, see?" "You see, Valerie is a" " You're not gonna believe this." " Try me." " Valerie is what?" " Valerie is a robot." "I'm telling you the truth." "You know I work for a robotics company." "Give me some credit." "Let's just get you down the cliff..." " and then I want to go home." " Good idea." " Go home." "I'll take him down the cliff." " No." " Valerie, you go home." " Why?" " Why do you choose her over me?" " She's not made of rubber and hydraulics." " She's made of flesh and blood." " Really." "I'll show you what's wrong with flesh and blood." "Valerie!" "Let her go!" " Stop!" "Valerie, stop!" " Valerie!" " Stop!" " Let go!" "Valerie!" "I'm sorry I got you into this, Frank." "What are they gonna do with her?" "She's in the I.O. Wing right now, being prepped for disassembly." "Disassembly?" " They have to go that far?" " Got to rework her neural net brain... from the ground up- and the new brain won't interface with the old body." "They can't just reprogram her with fail-safes?" " Disassembling her is like killing her." " She almost killed someone, Frank." "She could have killed you." "Charlie?" "Charlie." " Can I see her?" " Why?" "I'm not sure." "There's something I need to work out in my head." " I need to see her." " It's over, Frank." "Let it go." " We'll find you another project" " I can't let it go!" "It's not that easy." "You're the one that wanted me to see her as a human being... and now you're telling me, for all intents and purposes, you're gonna kill her." "She's dangerous, Frank." "What do you want me to do?" "I want you to let me see her." "Frank!" "Charlie, could you leave us alone for a minute?" "Be careful." " Where am I?" " Innobotics." " Are you mad at me?" " Yeah." "A little bit." "But you still love me, don't you?" "Otherwise, you wouldn't have come." "I needed to see you one more time." "They're shutting me down, aren't they?" " I'm afraid so, yeah." " Then why did you come?" "Because I'm not sure it's right, shutting you down." "You are going to stop it?" "I'm not sure why I'm here, Valerie." "You've proven that you can be very dangerous." "But you've also proven that you can be very human." "Or at least appear to be very human." "Valerie, are you afraid?" " Afraid of what?" " Of dying." "Being disassembled." "Why should I be?" "Frank, kiss me." "Aren't you afraid of what it'll be like to be dead?" "It will be nothingness." "Why should I be afraid of nothingness?" "Come on, Frank." "Kiss me." "I miss your kisses." " Frank, where are you going?" " Back to work." "But what about the kiss?" "It's not afraid to die." " Bye, Frank." " Yeah." "See ya." " Hi." "What are you doing here?" " I figured I owed you an apology." "Would you like to come in?" "She's inviting me into her home." "This, I think, is a good sign." "You don't owe me an apology." "It wasn't your fault." "Although, I will admit... it was the weirdest day of my life." "Well, it was about the weirdest week of my life." "Can I take your jacket?" "Sure." "So, tell me." "Do they make any male robots as good-looking as her?" "Yeah." "I think we're workin' on one, but believe me, you don't want it." "What was that?" "It came from upstairs." " I'll check it out." " Listen." "I'm not sure that's a good idea." " Maybe we ought to call the police." " Don't be silly." "The cat probably knocked something over." "I'll be right back." "Ruby?" "How do I look?" "I'm sorry." "I didn't mean to startle you." "Rachel?" "Do you think Frank'll love me if I look like you?" "I think you look beautiful." "Much more beautiful than I could ever look." "Frank doesn't want me." "He wants you." " You know why?" " Why?" "Because I wear the same thing all the time." "It reminds him I'm inorganic." " You're a size six." " Yes." "I knew that because I was designed to be a perfect size six." " That's why this fits me so well." " Rachel!" "Listen, I- I just have to go down" "I'm programmed to overcome all obstacles to a healthy relationship with Frank." "I'm sorry, but you are an obstacle." "Frank!" "Be quiet." "I'm not ready for him to see me." "I'm taking him with me." "I'm sorry, but you can't come along." "He'll have to find a new physical therapist." " Maybe this time, it'll be a man." " Valerie, stop!" " Let her go, Valerie." " I'm sorry." "I cannot do that." "Valerie, please." "Valerie!" "I think you may have rebroken my back." "Darling?" "Are you okay?" "I didn't mean to hurt you." "Frank." "I'm afraid to die." "The pursuit of technology exists... to make human life easier and more pleasurable." "But once such forces intrude upon the most intimate parts of our lives... will we then forfeit our very soul?"