"FREQUENCIES" "(MARIE-CURIE FORTUNE)" "You may begin." "Remember, give these straight to your parents when you get home." "Do not open them yourselves." "Albert-Einstein Cole." "Nicola-Tesla Hertz." "Marie-Curie Fortune." "Thank you." "Theodor-Adorno Strauss." "What did you get?" " 127." " Don't go higher than 100." "Hey!" "I only got a 67, but..." "I'm so Relieved, really." "It could have been so much lower." " Meet my friend." " You don't have any friends." "This is Isaac-Newton Midgeley." " Zak." "Hello." " Hello." "He's... minus seven." "Always knew I didn't like you." " Thought he was your friend." " Shut up and wait." "What for?" "Super-High frequency meets Super-Low frequency." "So that should be happening, some... reaction." "Interesting." "Come on in, Zak." "Your mother's here." " Now, Zak!" " Coming, Mrs. Cook." "How long?" "Exactly one minute." " Daughter." " Father." "So..." "You know what this means." "How it will change your life?" "Yes." "How do you feel about it?" "I'm so relieved, really." "It could have been so much lower." "(Knowledge determines destiny)" "Obviously, this is great news, and we're very keen... to make sure that Marie fulfills her potential." "Is that not guaranteed, now?" "Is there anything we can do about her emotional" "Her emotions?" "It's a common side effect." "The higher the frequency, the lower the empathy." "One tends to drive out the other." "The luckier we are, the less we care about it." "And no one's going to be luckier than Marie." "No, it doesn't appear so." "There are certain things we can try" "Knowledge does determine destiny, after all." "I don't want her to be an experiment." "We want her to... make friends, have fun, fall in love," "have a normal life." "Oh!" "I'm sorry, but you must understand... that won't be at all possible." "If you want to find true love, stop here." " Hello, Miss." "Anderson." " Hello, Marie." "If you want to find true love" "Well, I've stopped." "This analyzes your precise frequency." "I developed a way to directly read the waveform- much more efficient than the old school test." " You have the patent for that?" " Of course." "It's now cross-referencing men and women with compatible resonance." "Only a small sample" "Just the teachers that would let me take their reading this morning." "That's how you define true love?" "That's how nature defines it." "Those with the lower frequencies need a minimum of 700 signifiers." "Of course, there are natural forces to repel, not attract." "What are your plans for this project?" "Father wants to put it on the market." "Apparently, people are obsessed about finding true love." "And you?" "No one 100 percents, but there is a 95." "And who is that?" "Mr. Thales." "Really?" "!" "Maybe you should go and say hello." "All extra data is useful." "This... device has many possible applications..." " such as the ability to find friends." " Of course." "Just a different set of signifiers." "And have you tested this aspect yourself?" "No." "Everybody wants to be my friend." "But how many actually are your friends?" "None." "Then I believe it is necessary for you to give it a try." "All extra data is useful." "(Experiment 1)" "Sorry I'm late." "Got locked in a corridor." "Interesting." " Hello." " Hello." " Did you see the" " I was going to say..." " Yes." " ...we don't have to speak." "It's just that- I want to." "I mean," "We're probably not gonna get more than a minute." "Sorry..." " How are you?" " Greeting or serious question?" " Greeting." " Fine." "How are you?" "Bit worried about what's going to happen." "Maybe nothing will happen." "If that's true, then..." "why are they here?" "Why don't you ask them?" " Why me?" " Because you and I supposed to have the most interesting reaction." "How long?" " 50 seconds." " What happens if it goes past a minute?" "Detention, both of you." " Separately." " It's okay." "They've used up their minute for this year already." "We couldn't get them together now if we tried." "Why do it?" "You know what happens when you two get together." "You want to put Zak in danger?" "This is a health-and-safety issue for the whole school." "Come on." " Do you like him?" " It's just an experiment." "It's a false experiment." "Frequency does not change." "Don't waste your..." "feelings on this boy." "The two of you are just not destined to be together." "Knowledge determines destiny, Miss." "Anderson." "(Experiment 2)" "Hello." "If it goes past a minute, maybe frequency isn't fixed." "Sorry?" "You asked what would happen if it goes past a minute." "I've decided we should talk." "Did anyone see you?" "No, I don't think so." "Good." "We're alone." "Less chance of something happening." "How are you?" "Not so good, actually." "I think I've got the flu." "I need a more specific answer." "Imagine your physical state and emotions to my research." "I thought you might be." "Well, I'm feeling... tense, nervous, breathless... sweaty." "Because you're worried about what might happen?" "That's part of it." "Are you okay?" "Fine." "I've got an idea." "(Experiment 3)" " Hello." " Hello." " What was your idea?" " I think we should... touch." "You know, as part of the data collection." "I think we should touch." "I can't." " Why not?" " Because it changes the variables." " We haven't touched, so" " We should never touch?" " Yes." " It could be a new experiment," " A better experiment." " What are you talking about?" " Would you" " It's not that I don't want to touch." "What if it wasn't just for data collection?" "What do you mean?" "I've got to ask you something." "Yes?" "(Experiment 4)" " Hello." " Hello." "Will you go to graduation with me?" "Graduation's not till next year." "I don't get many opportunities to ask." "We're supposed to be keeping this quiet." "But this isn't data collection." " This is a date." " A one-minute date?" "I've been on shorter ones before." "Low frequency, remember?" " Yes." " Yes?" "I think we should touch then, as well." "Think about it." "(Experiment 5)" " Hello." " Hello." "Where do you want to touch me?" "Everywhere." "Sorry, that sounds a bit wrong." "I know we can't be together, but..." "I need to tell you..." "I love you." "I know you probably don't love me, but I just... hope that you like me, you know?" "Serious question?" "Yes." "No." "What about our meetings?" " Data collection." " Just data collection?" "No, I've also been experimenting with flirting." "And now I've stopped." "You really don't feel anything for me?" "I don't think you understand, Zak." "I don't feel." "No one wants to understand." "I know what they call me." "The Machine." "And they're right." "I do not love my family." "I experience no joy." "If you ever see me smile, frown, laugh or cry," "I'm pretending... waiting for it to become real." "But it never will." "It's the side effect." "The side effect." "Of course." "The two of us are just not destined to be together." "Well, look at that." "One minute." "Looks like I'm leaving right on time." "Hello." "It's not due in for another week, but I'll just go check for you, okay?" "Would you look at that" " It's Just arrived." "That'll be 20 pounds exactly, please." " Isn't that lucky?" " Isn't it?" "Surprise!" "Happy birthday, Marie." "Hello." "Hello." "Zak." "It's been a long time." "Where did you get to?" "Everywhere." "Sao Paulo," "Buenos Aires, Kaichi, Kinshasa," "But most recently, Vilnius." "I can now curse convincingly in 18 languages." "Where's Kaichi?" "I've not heard of it." "Relax." "You don't have to pretend to care." " How are you?" " Greeting or serious question?" " Serious question." " Still the machine." " Still broken." " Still waiting?" "Waiting, pretending, but now, I think, so is everyone else." " Why are you here?" " To continue the experiment, of course." " Nothing's changed." " Not for you." " What's changed for you, Zak?" " Look at your watch." "Over a minute." "I can't stay." "But meet me in the train shop tomorrow at 7:00." "I think I can help you." "Glad you could make it." " Expecting a call?" " Yes." "How did you last more than a minute?" "I changed my frequency." "You know that's not possible." "Knowledge determines destiny." "I" "You did this?" " You found the solution?" " Yes." " Does that surprise you?" " Yes." "You are Low-Frequency." "Not anymore." "What we know about frequency is wrong." "Otherwise, you and I would never have met." "You said you could help me." "I can change your frequency." " Lower it?" " I don't think it gets much higher." "But nature works hard to give me everything." "Almost everything." "Tell me the process." "Okay, I don't think you're gonna like it." "Essentially, it's an energy exchange." "I'll be bringing you down... a lot closer to my level." "There are a lot of processes at work, but... one of them is... me... touching you." "Clever." "The negative feedback loop should eventually be self-reinforcing, but..." "I will need to be physically close to you for a while." "Very clever." " How soon will I see results?" " If it works as I hope it should, instantly." "You want to do it" " I can tell." "Please don't lie." "Vuren's sake." "You will have feelings for the first time in your life." "Theoretically." "Is it reversible?" "It should be." "But there are no guarantee." "That's it?" "The main part." "It might not work." "I've decided you can talk if you want." "Thanks." "It's weird, talking to you without a deadline." "Or... not talking." "Are you okay?" " I don't think I'm feeling very well." " Feeling?" "Feeling physically sick is not an emotion." "But that's not this feeling." "This is..." "This is it." "This is... awful." " I feel a huge weight." " I think that's just nerves." "It's intense." "I feel... connected to myself." " How does that feel?" " Not so good." "It definitely feels better when we're touching." "Why is that?" "Because..." "Unith." "You love me." "Maybe." "Where?" "I think nature's rebelling." "Just like old times." " Should we do anything?" " No, it should settle down, the longer we spend together." "Eesa." " I know what I want to try." " What?" " Kiss me." " Really?" "Don't make me ask again." "I'm used to getting what I want." "I'm not." "(ISAAC-NEWTON MIDGELEY)" " I like her." " You like everybody." "She smiled at me." "She smiles a lot." "I think mine's wrong." "Meet my friend." "This is Isaac-Newton Midgeley." "Zak." "Hello." "Obviously, this is not great news, and we cannot force the choice upon you, but we are very strongly recommending... that Zak be placed in a school better suited to help him fulfill his potential." "Because, according to you, he has no potential." "But a special school?" "Can nothing be done?" "I know that it is difficult, but you and Zak have to accept the fact that he has abnormally Low-Frequency." "So?" "He'll be a little unlucky." "Mrs. Midgeley, we need to be clear on this." "Zak is a negative." "This is very rare, but it means that he is literally... out of sync with the natural world." "He will be beyond unlucky." "He will never be in the right place at the right time." "He will never fit in, apart from with those of his own kind." "He no longer belongs here." "That's not our opinion." "That's scientific fact." " He is gifted." " He's a genius." "But, unfortunately, surrounded by prodigies." "Perhaps we should ask Zak what what he wants." "Is this what you want, Zak?" "Do you really want to stay here?" " Yes." " Good." "Good boy." "Now, you're going to need help, so don't be afraid to ask for it." "Okay?" "All knowledge that exists is known in only two ways" "Inductively and deductively." "Inductive reasoning moves from specific details and observations... to the underlying principles that explain them." "Observation of nature is the authority." "By contrast, deductive reasoning moves from general truths to specific conclusions." " Oh." "Hello." "Is Theo in?" " You must be Zak, yes?" "Come in." "Theo, Zak's here!" "Don't worry." " I always come at a bad time." " Nonsense." "I'm sorry for the discord." "Concertos can be such messy things, can't they?" "Take a seat." "Theo has told us all about you." "Tell me, Zak." "Do you play?" "No." "People like me have a problem with rhythm." "Tosh." "Everybody can play something." "Everybody." "All you need is heart, soul, and a little imagination." "You have those?" "Play any three notes." "Play them at any time, for any length, in any order." " I like the patterns." " Progressions." "I can see them." "Then you just might be a player." " Hello, Theo." " What's up?" "I've got an extra homework project." "I need a little help." "Now, to start." "This is you." "And this is Marie." "You resonate on an Ultra-Low frequency." "She resonates on an Ultra-High." "And this is what happens when you get together." "You repel like two High-powered magnets." "If you want any chance with Marie, that's the problem we have to solve." " Can I have the chalk?" " What have you seen?" "I've seen a pattern." ""O"..." ""X"..." ""V"." "What is it, Zak?" "Sorry, Miss." " Not ready, Zak?" " I was, but then" "Every time, Zak." "Not every time, Miss." "Just most times." "Can't blame frequency for everything." "No, Miss." "They say that inventions mirror their inventors, and yours is a mess, Zak." "So, what do we have here, Theo?" "A simulation game?" "That's more fun." "A simulation, but not a game." "A reflection, a sim of life." " Whose?" " Everyone's." "You've modeled it on this world?" "We know it is mathematically possible for one rule, constantly repeated, to create seemingly random results." "My hypothesis is that all life is not random." "I believe that one rule is at work" "One equation, one set of actions that acted on the first element of matter..." " and keeps acting on it." " Fascinating." "Life seems chaotic, but in fact, it's just an infinitely complex pattern." "You realize you are searching for the code to life?" "It's not perfected yet, but" "If what you're saying is right, then it assumes that we are simply complex machines, that we may not have a soul, certainly not any free will." "I'm sorry." "Are they important?" "Okay." "I'll go along with it for now..." "Though if this is real, you'll be able to tell me what's going to happen next, won't you?" "Of course." "Just the next five minutes." "In about seven seconds," "Nicola-Tesla's gonna come over." "In about 31 seconds, Zak is gonna cross the room." "And in precisely two minutes, the fire alarms are gonna sound." "Miss." "Anderson, I've just seen Thomas-Edison's project, and I think he's stolen my idea." " Impressive." " Thank you." " Miss." "Anderson." " You told her to do this." "Go away, Nicola." "Miss." "Anderson!" "Not now." "Go on, Zak." "It's clearly part of the plan." "We leave the Low-Frequencies." "Pass the Medium-Low." "Through the mediums." "'scuse me.." "Excuse me." "Now just through the High-Frequencies." "Zak!" " Hi, mom." " Why are you not at your stand?" " I" " This is important!" "Come on." "You almost had me." "I have a sense of humor like everyone else, but I'm disappointed that you've decided to play games... instead of taking this fair seriously." "It's not a game." "Hi." "Hi." "I was wondering... would you like to meet me after school?" " Say "Thank you"." " Thank you." "Best I could do at short notice." "It's got the highest measurable remanence." "If anything can disrupt your frequency, this can." "At last, I'm attractive." "Well, only to metal" " An unfortunate side effect." "Everything has a side effect." "My whole life's a side effect." "You think it'll work?" "No." "Are you wearing anything metal?" "We just wanted to see the experiment." "Sorry I'm late." "Got locked in a corridor." "Hello." "The latest recipe." " Say "Thank you"." " Thank you." "Oh, and, remember to try not to throw up." "Good." "We're alone." "How are you?" "It's not that I don't want to touch." "A one-minute date?" "Yes." "I do not love my family." "I experience no joy." "If you ever see me smile, frown, laugh or cry," "I'm pretending... waiting for it to become real." "And it never will." "It's the side effect." "The side effect." "Of course." "Look at that." "One minute." "Looks like I'm leaving right on time." "The two of us are just not destined to be together." "Irony" "The indirect presentation of a contradiction... between an action or expression and the context in which it occurs." "Ironic particle" "The physical manifestation of irony, existing latent in every atom in the universe." "But my preliminary research suggests... that the ironic particles are only activated by the brain... when we want something, and so forming... a Desire chain." "But only by a certain type of person." " A Low-Frequency person." " Yes." "My research indicates that only they are susceptible to irony." "Is not irony in the eye of the beholder?" "Yes, but the beholder is the individual involved, hence the Desire chain." "In everyday terms, it's why they never get what they really want." "But my hypothesis, and the purpose of the research grant..." "I'm hoping you'll give me, is that it is possible to reverse this effect." "The mental changes the physical." "It's all about patterns." "The first stage is to want something, recognize the potential irony, and then to change your Desire chain." "Sorry to interrupt, but that sounds suspiciously like you're trying to fool fate... and I just don't think that's possible." "Well..." "I do, Sir." "Hi." "This is Theo." "You know what to do." "Hey." "It's me." "I feel like having a drinking session tonight, so as usual, any assistance you can provide would be gratefully appreciated." " Doctor Zak." " Doctor Theo." "Brought supplies." "Say "Thank you"." "So, what's on the menu?" "Our latest test substances from the research lab... all with very interesting side effects." "To side effects." "To side effects." " Too much tea." " Too much... "Midenzobetritate"." " Any change?" " Not yet." "Give me another three." "Sorry." "Right." "So, we're mixing three Pyridinecarboxamide... with Tetracotinate Triptothol." "What was that?" "A fluctuation." "An upward fluctuation." " You're sure?" " Yes!" " But it didn't last long." " Any effect should last hours." "Maybe it's not the drugs." "Another variable." "But what else has changed?" "Let's repeat the last 60 seconds." " Too much tea." " Too much Midenzobetritate." " Any change?" " No, not yet." "Give me another three." "Sorry." "Right, so, we're mixing three Pyridinecarboxamide... with Tetracotinate Triptothol." "Triptothol." "Cotina" "Sound waves." "But sound waves was the first thing everyone tried." "It's not just the waves." "It's the words." "But the effect only lasts a moment." "So... some fine-tuning needed, then." "Sign here, please." "Thank you." "Remember, it's a trial run." "You've got 65 seconds, then get out." "It'll get easier each time." "Victan." "Back in a minute... more or less." "Victan." "Hello." "Hello." " Zak." " It's been a long time." " Where did you get to?" " Kaichi." "Oh, everywhere." " Sao Paulo," " Kaichi - Buenos Aires, Kaichi, Kinshasa." "But most recently, Vilnius." "I can now curse convincingly in 18 languages." "Where's Kaichi?" "I've not heard of it before." "Relax." "You don't need to pretend to care." "Solas." "Solas." "Glad you could make it." "Expecting a call?" " Yes." " How did you last more than a minute?" " I changed my frequency." " You know that's not possible." "Knowledge determines destiny." "I" "You did this?" "You found the solution?" "Yes." " Does that surprise you?" " Yes." "You are Low-Frequency." "Not anymore." "What we know about frequency is wrong." "Otherwise, you and I would never have met." "You said you could help me." "I can change your frequency." " Lower it?" " I hardly think it gets much higher." "But nature works hard to give me everything." " Almost everything." " Tell me the process." "It's..." " Okay." " Okay." "I don't think you're gonna like it." "Essentially, it's an energy exchange." "I'll be bringing you down a lot closer to my level." "There are a lot of processes at work, but one of them... is me..." " touching you." " Clever." "The negative feedback loop should eventually be self-reinforcing, but..." "I will need to be physically close to you for a while." "Very clever." "How soon will I see results?" "If it works as I think it should, instantly." " You want to do it." "I can tell." " Please don't lie." "Vuren." "Vuren's... sake." "You will have feelings for the first time in your life." "Theoretically." "Is it reversible?" "It should be." "But there are no guarantees." "That's it?" "The main part." "It may not work." "I've decided you can talk if you want." "Thanks." "It's weird, talking to you without a deadline." "Or" " Or not talking." " Are you okay?" " I don't think I'm feeling too well." " Feeling?" " Feeling physically sick is not an emotion." "But that's not this feeling." "This is... awful." "I feel a huge weight." "I think that's just nerves." "It" " It's intense." "I feel... connected to myself." " How does that feel?" " Not" " Not so good." "It definitely feels better when we're touching." "Why is that?" "Because..." " Unith." " Unith." "You love me." "Maybe." " Where." " Where?" " I think nature's rebelling." " Just like old times." " Should we do anything?" " No." "It should settle down, the longer we spend together." " Eesa." " Eesa." " I know what I want to try." " What?" " Kiss me." " Really?" "Don't make me ask again." "I'm used to getting what I want." "I'm not." "(ZAK + MARIE)" "Do you want to come in and touch some more?" "Can I?" " Do you think... maybe..." " Yes?" "You could go a bit faster?" "I want it to be special." "You think I'm a virgin?" "I've conducted many experiments." "And... your conclusions?" "Sex is like masturbation, just with someone else." "I hope not." "You're a virgin." "Of course." "I may not have conducted many experiments, but I have... studied very, very hard." "Mentha." "Open it." " I'm sorry." " Don't be." "We were raised to have a burning curiosity." "Open it." "I don't understand." "Is it some sort of code?" "Sometimes a tick is just a tick." "I have a 210 I.Q. I never needed to take notes." "I just didn't want to have to always look at people... or have them looking at me." "It's the eyes." "I could never read people's eyes- not- not like other people- and... if they looked into mine for too long, they'd realize" "Was that our train?" "Welcome to my world." "Are you okay?" "I've never waited for a train before." "It's not all bad, though." "So, where are we going?" " Daughter." " Father." " Daughter's friend." " Sorry about the state of the place." "We're having some work done." "So, Zak, how have you been since you left school?" "A serious question, or polite conversation?" "Polite conversation." "Very well, Mrs. Fortune." "Call me Hettie, Zak." "And yourself, Hettie?" "Fine, dear." "Just fine." "What is this, mother?" "Since when have we done small talk?" "Since when have you brought a boy home?" "Ask him." "Ask him." "You're not really having any work done, are you?" "You still think something bad's gonna happen." "You don't believe that Zak solved anything because he's Low-Frequency." " It's just a precaution." " Relax." "Nothing will happen, and then we can discuss why." "But how did you do it?" "I mean, I did some research myself, long ago when Marie was young." "It seemed impossible." " Words." " Words?" " The right words." " What?" "Magic words?" "We think so, me and Theo." "You remember Theodor-Adorno?" "He's been helping me." "We discovered a link between synaptic function and resonance." "The way you think affects your frequency." "Think lucky, and you'll be lucky." "Not quite." "The synapses need to be manipulated in a certain way." "These are you- All High-Frequency." "And this is the world." "And this is me." "Now, what the words do is this." " Well, that's never happened before." " Spilling some water?" "Marie spilling anything." " What have you done to my daughter?" " What I asked him to do." "Let me explain." "Me." "Marie." "Now, this is how the words work." " You steal people's frequencies?" " It's just physics." "They balance the environment." "In actuality, what really happens is this." "Both the vibrations of the sound waves... and the words themselves create the effect." "It's a new type of quantum entanglement." "Mental and physical processes at work simultaneously." "Like dominos, and each person affected affects the next," " ultimately adjusting" " The whole world." "He's the only one that can make me Normal." "I'm the only one that can make him Normal." "It's unnatural." "But it's reversible." "The natural order reverts itself very quickly." "One word can change the world." "Not one." "Nature needs constant nurturing." "What- you have to keep saying them?" "Yes, but less and less often because- because you are like a Low-Frequency organ in a High-Frequency body..." " A virus!" " ...and the word prevents rejection." "Yes, but the words constantly change as the environment constantly changes." " We worked out a rough formula of sound" " How do you monitor the changes?" "It's a modification of Marie's frequency analyzer." "It measure the changes in the room... and then formulates a word that I should say to balance the environment." "It's still in beta." "Can I?" "If the world is a maze, this is the map." "Do you realize what you've done?" "Made me happy." "I mean, this could be the most important discovery of all time!" "There's still so much about it we don't know." "It levels the playing field." "I mean, think what would happen if everybody uses it" "No lucky, no unlucky, true balance in the universe for the first time." "An end to war." "Justice for all." "Have you got a patent?" "Hi." "This is Theo." "You know what to do." "Hey, it's Zak." "Good news, we're meeting tomorrow at Fortune's lab." "Call me when you get this." "It really is extremely small." "Zak!" "Zak, come in." "You know my research team, I believe." "Sorry." "No, I don't think we've" "Nicola-Tesla Hertz." "Nicola-Tesla." "Oh, my God." "And Thomas-Edison Gates." "Sit." "Sit." " How do you feel?" " Great." "We've been trying to improve the range of Marie's frequency analyzer for years, so we'd love to know how you did it." "That was actually Theo." "I know that if you pointed it 45 degrees to the subject, that helps, but he dealt with most of the hardware." "I think I love you." "And this is how we detect imbalance and formulate the sounds, although we still don't know why they all seem to be two syllables." "I" " I... think I love you, too." "I... believe I need more empirical evidence." "How" " How does this love manifest itself?" "Whatever you ask, I'll do." " Anything?" " Yeah." "And you?" "I wouldn't do anything for you." "Spellings are phonetic, but the words are only approximations, which is why the earpiece is still necessary." "In this case, the word to balance frequencies is "Rana"." "So far, there have been no words that are impossible for a human to pronounce, but there's still so much we don't know." "So, you wouldn't do anything for me, then?" "No." "Onro." "Not even kneel on the floor and call me "Master"." "Master." "Everybody, stop." "It's arrived." "Just wait till this hits the market." "Why did I do that?" "I had to do that." "What" " What do I not want to do?" "I don't want to leave this room." "I don't want to fly a plane." "What would you normally not do?" "I told you, if you asked, I'd do anything." "Don't disrupt the experiment." "What's against character for you?" " Any kind of violence." " Fabulous." "Kera." "Slap me hard around the face." "It must be love." "It seems you discovered a side effect." "We're categorizing them as adjustments for now." "Whatever you ask someone to do after you say one of these, they'll do." " Anything?" " And it doesn't have to be something they say immediately." "As far as we can tell, the influence can be short, medium, or potentially long-term." "The words trigger all neurotransmitters to work together, making the suggestion irresistible." "How?" "We don't know." " Is there a pattern to these words?" " No." "Apart from the fact that they're always the last on the list." "Oh, everywhere" "Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Kaichi." "I can't explain it." "I can now curse convincingly in 18 languages." "He must know." "He's lying." "Not quite." " The synapses must be manipulated in a certain way." " No." "For Vuren's sake, you'll have feelings for the first time in your life." " Maybe we've got the wrong inventor." " No." " Where is Theo?" " I don't know." "He doesn't know anything." "I knew he couldn't have done it!" "He's Low-Frequency!" "Unith." "Well, we'll have to abandon the launch permanently greater..." "You love me." "No." "He did it." "He made me feel like this." " He told me." " What?" "He told me to love him." "No, it- it must have been an accident." "Like" " Like she said, It" " It's a side effect." "I said the first word on the list." "You have to believe me!" "If we believe you, then you are just a fool who got lucky." "If we don't you are a lying genius." "I'm sure you'll appreciate the irony." " Hi." "This is Theo." "You know what to do." " Where are you?" "!" "The side effects." "What have you done?" "You must sign." "It must be suppressed." " I want to see Marie." " I'm sure you do." " Tell her I can fix this." " Can you?" "Soon, everything will be back to normal." " You have reached the Messae bank of..." " Marie-Curie Fortune." "...And I'm currently unable to take your call." "Please leave a short message at the tone." "Hi." "This is Theo." "You know what to do." "If you want to find true love, stop here." "(Ministry of partnership)" "If you want to find true love, stop here." "(ISAAC-NEWTON MIDGELEY)" " Thank you." "You have reached the messae bank of..." "Checking." " Three matches found." " You know what to do." "(ZAK + LAURA)" "(ZAK + HELEN)" "(ZAK + ANA)" "Helen Malzin." "Age: 85" "Location:" "Germany" "Status:" "Single" "Would you like to contact?" "Laura Warwick." "Age: 34" "Location:" "England" "Status:" "Married" "Would you like to contact?" " Please leave a short messae at the tone." " Ana Della Matta." "Age: 24" "Location:" "America" "Status:" "Deceased" "Would you like to contact?" "Marie-Curie Fortune." " What" " Please." "Do not speak." "But please also do not be alarmed." "We're just your friendly local-government agency." "Not one of yours." "One of ours." "We're here to ask you three questions." "Nod for "Yes", shake for "No"." "Mumyad." "Did you steal this technology?" "Sirah." "Did you leak the device's program or schematics?" "Visten." "Do you have any plans of any kind... to manipulate the world?" "You may speak now." "Those words make me tell the truth?" " Yes." " But how do you know they work?" "I've done this before." "Now, how would you like a job?" "The hours are terrible, but you do get free room and board." "As of now, you are all officially government employees... and bound by the official secrets act." "Your task is to find a way to neutralize the threat... which the technology known as "The Manual" poses to this country." "In front of you, you'll find a file which contains all the information... we have on the subject and an historical account... of what happened the last time it was in the public domain." "You have stumbled upon very old technology, mostly lost to us, fortunately." "The remnants are always kept top secret and are analyzed for generations... with little success." "And then, inevitably, elements are rediscovered... by the general population, and chaos ensues." "You've heard the stories" "Wizards, witches." "The mastery of the tech was what first established the ruling classes... and was the main contributing factor to most wars until 1066." "We don't know why." "It had a steep decline in its effectiveness from about 1100." "That last known date of any successful usage was about 1760." "We don't know why." "And now it's out there again." "Thank you all." "But I'm sure you'll find a way to put it back." "The ground rules" "If you say or even semi-utter a word that is not immediately recognizable, you will be arrested, gagged, and... potentially tried for treason." "Thomas, you look at physical solutions, Nicola, linguistic solutions." "Marie and I will look at the program itself... to see if we can't unlock a few more secrets." " What about me?" " You don't work for me." "You can do what you like." "What about..." "Maybe." "But what if we..." "I know this might sound ridiculously simple... but why don't we just work on some kind of earplug?" "That'll only make it worse." "What you need is something like this." "No." "You're all wrong." "What you need is something like this." "Oh, that's very dangerous, daughter, at that speed." "It needs to be quick." "The quicker this is all over, the better." "How about..." "It would work... because it would kill most of the population." "Why don't... we make an Anti-Manual?" "Because that would take decades." "I don't mean a real one." "The biggest problem here is that people actually believe The Manual works." "Panic causes chaos." "So, some kind of placebo?" "It would buy us time." "Or we- we could distribute flawed copies of The Manual... and then discredit the whole technology a few weeks later." "That's very devious." "It is, but if it works, we should use it." "It should be possible to use The Manual to convince people not to use The Manual." "I mean, it- it would be like having inoculations at school." "Everyone would be instructed never to use it... or to forget it." "Why don't we treat the actual problem of The Manual and not its symptoms?" "Does it matter?" "If it works..." "There's probably a very simple solution that we all just haven't seen." "Nature works in patterns." "Usually, the cure is very close to the disease." " Like stinging nettles and dock leaves." " Yes." "Maybe there are antidote words." "Oh, dear." "We're calling them "Shortcuts"." "They don't need a command to follow them." "They are the command." "What do they do?" "Permission to speak one of them, Mr. Bridges?" "They commands are all harmless, and no effects last more than a minute." "Okay." "Korlo." "That means "Sit"." "And the others mean "Stop" and "Go"." "We seem to have hit on some basic motor functions, but... the effects seem short-lived and cannot be used twice in the same hour." "A lot of damage can be done in an hour." "Obviously, these words are banned now." "Did you know about this?" " Hello." " Hello." "I was thinking, what you said before... about convincing people not to use The Manual." "Tell me I have no feelings for you." "Adjust me." "They let you have that?" "For experimentation." "Command me." "I don't know how." "I probably don't need to do anything." "Now that I'm not using it anymore, things should go back to normal pretty quickly." "Oh, they have." "I can feel myself feeling less." "But not for you." "Don't touch me." "I'm sure I can fix this." "I know." "I love you." "But only because you've told me to." "Cruel, isn't it?" "Maybe you would have loved me anyway." " Now we'll never know." " Does it matter?" " You have to have choice." " Do you if it works?" "Do it!" "Do it for me." " Maybe someone else can." " No, I've already tried." "It has to be you." "I'm just gonna say the last word on the list." "I don't know if it'll work." "Endel." "You do not love me." "Nothing's changed." "Time's up." "I need to speak to Mr. Midgeley alone." "Two minutes." " It's just not meant to be for us, is it?" " No." "It's just not meant to be for you." "Can you confirm that this is yours?" "(A theory on the manipulation of ironic particles) (by Isaac-Newton Midgeley)" "I can." " Our top people have had a look at it." " And?" "They think it's brilliant." "We think it's time you stopped all this." "It's clear you have a history of obsession with... manipulation." "No, just irony." "You are prohibited from speaking under any circumstances... while we decide precisely how to deal with you." " But" " Under any circumstances." "(Knowledge determines destiny.)" "(What do I know?" ")" "(Nothing.)" "(You are low frequency.)" "(You need help.)" "(You are a genius.)" "(Simple)" "(You are... simple.)" "(Patterns.)" "(Old technology.)" "(Old technology. 1760)" "(Irony.)" "The side effects." "Side effects." "The side effects." "It can't be." "I know I'm not supposed to talk, but I need to speak to Bridges." "No communication, or you'll be shot." "No communicating by any means." "...To be concidered TREASON BY ANY INDIVIDUAL to utter or attempt to utter the following words:" "KEVET, MADEA, KORLO" "Kevet." "Don't worry." "The effects should only last a minute." " Zak?" " I know." "It's your protection, isn't it?" "It's why it's always around, isn't it?" "Am I right?" "Yes." "Then you have to help me." "They won't let me speak." "You must tell them." "Must I?" "I must." "They know your frequency's reestablished itself." "They know what happens when we're together." "Clever." "They know that we should only have one minute," " ...that fate should push you out." " Very clever." "What if they're wrong?" "They're going to break down the door after one minute and five seconds." "They're wrong." " What?" " Not yet." "I have no desire to repeat myself." "You're Theo's father, aren't you?" "Tell me." "Tell me!" "Tell me!" " Nobody say a word." " On the ground." "On the ground!" "No talking from anybody." " He knows something." " No talking!" "What does he know?" "What are you doing?" "Giving you what you want, what Zak here has worked out" " The antidote." "And the antidote is?" "Music." "Well, don't take my word for it." "Try a word." "Korlo." " Is it special music?" " Well, kind of." "It's mozart." "Listen, gentlemen... and ladies." "When mozart plays, we are all the same frequency." "A brief history lesson." "A secret history." "There was never any magic, only just the book being lost and found, being written, being rewritten, being burned, being used to control the masses." "And then... came the music." "We knew from early on that music held some power, some power to free us." "You've heard of the pied piper, I have no doubt." "Composer- literally "To Come"." "The first composers weren't writing simply to entertain." "They were writing to give us control of our minds back." "With each new piece, the book was weakened, until..." "Mozart." "1760." "His first composition, the first piece that truly immunized us against the book." "Since then, there've been many." "When you recognize a melody you've never heard before, that'll be one, tapping into our collective subconscious." "Most complex music just interferes enough with the book to make it unreliable and, so, useless." "Why was it a secret?" "It wasn't." "It just fell out of history by mutual consent." "There were rulers who still harbored thoughts of using the book again, and the masses didn't take too kindly to being reminded they are just mechanisms" "Complex, certainly, but mechanisms with buttons to push, nonetheless." "Music- it's the reset button." "Where is that, precisely?" "The soul." "And what happens when the music stops?" "Oh, it can never stop." "(THEODOR-ADORNO STRAUSS)" "Why do you not talk to her?" "I... can't." "You can." "(Knowledge determines destiny)" "It is a bit of a surprise." "We expected his frequency to be above average, but it is exactly average, to 10 decimal places." "The time has come for you to learn some family history." "So, why don't we tell them?" "Because the masses prefer not to be self-aware, which by choice, puts them on a level with all their cousins in the animal kingdom." "Want some flakes?" "Say "Thank you"." " Maybe this isn't your instrument." " But it was perfect." "Look, for hundreds of years, we have been the players, Theo, interpreting the score, evolving it." "Where's the life?" "Where's the inspiration?" "Where's the... spontaneity?" "If we are all machines, then everything is decided." "Spontaneity is an illusion." "No." "We still have free will." "We still have souls." "We still have imagination." "Theo, Zak's here." "(Rule One)" "(Rule Two)" "(Rule Seventeen)" "(Rule Twenty-Nine)" "(Rule Thirty)" "What is it?" "A code, I extrapolated from Mozart." "It lays underneath all his work, invisible." "I thought all this time you were writing music." "I" " I believe it's the code to the- that... governs everything." "This universe comes from one simple code repeating infinitely, making it infinitely complex but utterly predictable." "But it's not perfect yet." "I" " I'm still working on it." "If this is real, then it assumes that we are simply complex machines, that we may not have a soul, certainly not any free will." "I'm sorry." "Are they important?" "Okay." "I'll go along with it for now." "Though, if this is real, you'll be able to tell me what's going to happen next, won't you?" "Just the next five minutes." "(Experiment 0) (Rule 30)" "In about five seconds, Nicola-Tesla's gonna come over." "And in 31 seconds, Zak is gonna cross the room." "And in precisely two minutes, The fire alarm's gonna sound." "Two minutes." "No alarm." " Two minutes, seven seconds." " I told you, it's not perfected yet." "You almost had me." "I have a sense of humor like everyone else, but I'm disappointed... that you've decided to play games rather than taking this fair seriously." "It's not a game." "Thank you." "Have a gift." "Open it." "I think you've been working too hard." "You need a hobby, a pet." "I quite agree." " Say "Thank you"." " Thank you." "Oh, hey, it's me." "Yeah, I'm thinking of having a drinking session around 9:00 tonight." "As usual, any assistance you can provide would be gratefully appreciated." " Any change?" " Not yet." "Give me another three." "Sorry." "I see you've taught him some new tricks." " They're going to ask." " Who?" "Ask what?" "Everyone." "Ask... for our help from the book." "And they're going to ask you specifically, and you're going to tell them." "I would say it was a gift, but it- it really has nothing to do with me." "Oh, turn off the music now." "(OXV)" "Oh, sorry." "Sorry about that." "Technology's never been my strongpoint, but we're all getting used to this, aren't we?" "Your test results are back." "Well, there's no need to worry, either of you." "It just means that we'll have to start with stronger doses to begin with." "Zak, this is a course of Mozart and Brahms." "Marie, Pachelbel, once daily." "So... what I'm feeling now... is it real?" "From what we now know, what you feel is not due to any form of manipulation, but further than that, I" " I cannot comment." "You're perfectly normal." "For a machine." "Nothing to say, father?" "If you're right, then you've seen this conversation already." "It's not physically possible for me to watch every conversation, but... yes." "You know precisely what I'm going to say?" "Yes." "Then tell me what happens." " So, how do you feel?" " Like the luckiest girl in the world." " You are the luckiest girl in the world." " I was." "What are you thinking?" "You're going to tell me that you don't think I'll ever perfect the equation, that free will is not an illusion, that creativity and improvisation do exist." "I" " I disagree with you." "But I'm not interested in individual destinies." "What I am interested in is the universal... symphony." "You always got whatever it was you wanted, didn't you?" "And what was it you wanted more than anything else in the world?" "Feelings." "To be in love." "So, what are you saying- that nature created you for me, someone to give me what I wanted?" "I tell you that when the equation is perfect," "I will know the true pattern." "You ask me what good that will do." "I tell you, "Knowledge is useless if you only know parts" "There can be no truth." "Everyone else will know only pieces." "Only I will know... everything."" "That would mean neither of us had a choice." "You ask me if I don't miss surprises." "I tell you that although I might get the score, there is still the joy in watching the performance." "This is the part where I say goodbye, isn't it?" "Yes." "Hello." "Hello." "Goodbye." "Goodbye." "If you're right..." "If I'm right, it means that whatever gave us our minute wasn't love..." "It was fate." "It means I'm just here to serve a purpose for you." "It means everything's already decided." "There's no freedom, no responsibility, and knowledge absolutely does not determine destiny." "Yes." "Does it matter?" "No." "Not to me." "Me neither." "That's it." "Perfect." "I see."