"Watch it then, 'cause you don't know the date or time of the first and the last." "THE LAST OF THE JUST" "Sir, the program's detected an alphanumeric sequence covering all parameters." "Where's the passage from?" "The Deuteronomy, sir." " Did you check it out?" " Yes, sir." "A reference to the past or future?" "The past, exactly to a day of 1939." "The results set the birth in a small town of Lombardy, north Italy." "The local records show two births." "One cannot be found." "The other one?" " Lives in Turin." " Can he be located?" "Yes, sir." "He's in prison at Le Vallette for two murders." "That's perfect." "Perfect." "Let's shorten that man's penance." "These 3 months have been a lifetime to me." "And you want to go again?" "What is this, Teo?" "What?" "Don't get wise." "It's nothing, just a souvenir from Bagdad." "Why didn't you tell me?" "Because I know you." "What could I say?" "You don't shoot just pictures there." "Let me see." "It's just a graze." "It's nothing, come on." "It terrifies me to think you're playing Russian roulette with your camera." "Why not stay here with me?" "Why not stop hiding, Teo, and take us seriously?" "Must we talk about this again?" "When will you see things straight on?" "You know what I think?" "By dominating your feelings, you've done away with them." "So much war has disabled you for living with living beings, except for Zeus." "I don't understand you." "I don't understand you." "I don't understand why we must see each other in hotel rooms." "Why didn't you call me often all this time?" "Why make plans to leave if you've been here 2 days?" "Why do I get the feeling you're on the run?" "Why are you so afraid of commitment?" "I don't understand..." "I don't understand why I love you." "An innocent victim of the Iraq war." "Repent!" "The fuckin'world is coming to an end!" "Okay, relax." "Put that gun down." "You're mistaken!" "You've got the wrong place!" "This is a mistake!" "What's going?" "Victoria!" "Victoria!" "Victoria!" "No!" "Son of a bitch!" "She's dead!" "Why?" "Why?" "Teo." "Teo, hide out." "Teo, hide out." "How do you know my name?" "How?" "Yes?" "The ambassador on line two." " Let him wait a moment." " Okay." "Problems?" "On the contrary, sir." "The Turin candidate was discarded yesterday evening." "The ambassador must be calling to say everything in Turin is okay." "There's also news on the 1979 candidates." "One's been located and our men will take care of him." "Regarding the candidate that was able to avoid us, we have a soldier on his trail." "Inspector." "Yes?" "Hello?" "I don't know what I want for dinner, darling." "We'll talk later." "See you." "A kiss." "If the other had his fingerprints burnt off, this one has none." " Then check his dental records." " Okay." "What do we know about his wound?" "A recent bite, but it could be a dog's." "Well, let's see." "Let's go over this." "You say two men, who you never saw before, came in to kill you." "For any reason?" "Have you taken any incriminating pictures?" "As I said, just one tried to kill me." "The other saved my life." "And died for it without knowing you." "Isn't that strange?" "Three people have died, including your editor, Miss Prado, without any apparent link but you." "What happened is that someone tried to kill me." "That makes me the victim, not the criminal." "The separating line is very thin and easy to cross." "But I want to believe you, that all this is a tragic coincidence, seriously." "At this stage I want no complications, but the facts are there." "Three bodies, a very strange knife, a gun with a silencer, and you're not wounded." "Understand me, my job is to suspect." "Does it hurt?" "For your own good," "I hope you're not concealing anything." "If you're finished, I'd like to go." "Of course, you can go whenever you like." "Don't I get any protection?" "Protection?" "Mr. Arroyo." "Don't go far away to take your pictures." "It busts my balls to go after anyone." "Inspector." "It was in his pocket." "Faith almost saved him." "What, a Bible?" "Not exactly." "It's a Torah." "The first five books of the Bible." "The sacred book of Judaism." "Some passages are underscored." "So I see." "Laboratory." "We'll visit our reporter sooner than he thinks." "Teo Arroyo?" "My name is Fiore." "Father Fiore, and I've come to warn you, son." "Who?" "I don't know you." "You're marked from the day you were born." "Everyone born on the same day in that hospital is." "Father Del Toro told me everything." "He sent me." "I know no Father Del Toro." "You're mistaken." "They know you, where to find you." "They stop at nothing." "You must hide." "They've already killed one of you." "Last week they slit his throat like an animal." ""They"?" "Who the fuck are "they"?" "The police can't help you." "Neither can I, Teo." "Only you can." "Get away!" "You were born at the wrong time and place." "You're drunk." "God knows my weakness is my sin." "Don't trust anyone." "No one!" "And when the time comes, remember to repent, son." "May God help us all." "Zeus?" "Zeus." " Hello, police." " Listen!" "I need your full name and reason for calling." "Think, think." ""The Independent Observer", can I help you?" " Susana Ballesteros, please." " Hold on." "Yes?" "Susana, hi." "It's me, Teo." "When did you get back?" "How is Zeus?" "Fine." "Zeus is fine." "Thanks for taking care of him." "I owe you one." " That's okay." " I need a favour." "The birth place and date of a person murdered last week." "Are you kidding?" "No, this is no joke." "What's it all about?" "The victim had his throat slit." "Last week you say?" "That's it, yes." "I'll find out." " When you find anything, call me." " Okay." "It's urgent." "Give me a few minutes." "Okay, thanks." " Susana?" " Teo." "What have you got?" "The victim, Marcelo Torres Blanco, born on February 3rd, 1979, but I don't know where." "February 3rd, 1979." "Are you sure?" "Yes, what's so special about that date?" "Teo, are you still there?" "Teo?" "Hello?" "Hello?" "Can you hear me?" "We can only act," "even if your acts abhor you." "The line fades constantly." "We must see beyond, with faith, as Abraham did." "But now no one can, or knows how." "What if He had not sacrificed himself for all of us?" "We can't let humanity know the answer to that." "The future is written, but it may not happen." "Now... there's just one left." "Hello." "I'm sorry to wake you." "Could you help me?" "The battery." "Okay, try it again." "I don't get it." "It was perfect." "You have an interesting job, but a bit dangerous." "But someone has to report on all that atrocity." "I belong to a sort of NGO." "I judge no one." "I just take pictures." "Do you live here, or visiting?" "Visiting." "Because I was born here." "Well, to be born somewhere is reason enough to go back once in a while." "I guess." "Are you from here?" "No." "I'm visiting also." "A friend inherited a house here from her parents." "But she never comes." "And, well, I needed to disconnect, so" "I asked her for her keys." "It's a quiet place." "Is that for your girlfriend?" "I ask too much." "Well, Teo, thanks a lot." "And if some day you're up to it, I'll return the favour." "My friends say I cook very well." "Lend me your camera a moment." "Just a moment." "To have a keepsake in case we don't meet again." "Don't worry about the card." "He gave me several." "Get up very slowly." "Your hands where I can see them." "Who are you and why are you here?" "This will explain everything, inspector." "Put your gun down and salute." "You are in the presence of Agent Oswaldo Vargas, from Interpol." "So my suspect has more important sins?" "What the hell happened here?" " Where is Mr. Arroyo?" " Inspector." "Well now!" "Our dog-killer left us a nice fingerprint." "If you take a good look, whoever left that has no prints." "What's this about, Agent Vargas?" "I'm not authorized to tell." "Don't smoke here," "please." "I acknowledge your authority, Vargas." "But if we are to work together, we'd better get along." "If you want to collaborate, then help me find Mr. Arroyo." "This hospital took charge of the old Annunciation Hospital." "Almost all personnel was recorded here." "We've taken years to update the file, but it's all now in place." "Here are the birth records of everyone born on your birthday." "This seems like a special week for birth certificates." "Why is that?" "Last week the police brought some certificates that were lost a long time." "Lost?" "That's right." "According to the agent, they were stolen from a priest who had them." "People born the same year you were." "My son is your age." "Could I see them, please?" "You're going too far." "It's very important to me, believe me." "I'll see what I can do." "How interesting." "They belong to two days after the ones I just gave you." "Look." "What is this?" "They're the same, but with different dates." "Yes." "I was born on the third." "Ask your mother." "She can tell you exactly." "Can I photocopy these three?" "...attacked with a knife." "The victim was found in the Turin prison chapel." "He was doing time." "Officially, the cause of the murder could be a reprisal amongst inmates." "Almost thirty years, lost." "We are pieces of a cosmic chessboard." "The final move is ours, the checkmate that will finally defeat all mirages, all diversions" "DEATH" "That supreme instant will condensate History, giving it that certainty that humans have pathetically pursued for centuries." "The time has come for truth to prevail over sterile dreams and and all vain hopes." " Information, can I help you?" " Good afternoon." "A few months ago I moved and haven't received my voter's card." "Did you send it to the right address?" " Your name, please?" " David Castro Figueroa." "One second, please." "It was sent to Homer street, 63, first floor." "Who is it?" "Hello." "I'm looking for David Castro." "He's not in right now." "Do you know where I can find him?" "Go down that street to the theatre on the right." "You can't miss it." "Thanks a lot." "He is a false prophet, an impostor." "Perhaps it's true." "If it were true, if he were the son of God, would his Father let him die like that," "like a common thief?" "If he were the Saviour of Humanity, wouldn't he save himself first?" "David Castro?" "I am Teo Arroyo." "It's a pleasure." "What can I do for you?" "What I am about to say will seem strange and absurd to you" "but I think you're in danger." "In danger?" "Why should I be in danger?" "I'm trying to find out." "It has to do with our date of birth." "We were born the same day, in the same hospital." "It's a joke, right?" "You come here to tell me I'm in danger for being born?" "I'm sorry, but that's stupid." "The certificates are forged." "Why should they be forged?" "It must be a mistake." "Since they appeared again, one of the three born then has been murdered." "People are murdered every day here." "They tried with me too." "How do you know you're not next?" "Listen, I owe no one anything." "You must know who you owe." "I'm serious." "A priest came and warned me." "Why believe a priest?" "Because after he warned me," "I went home and... someone had been there" "and had killed my dog." "Your dog?" "Was it born on the same day too?" "If you're so sure, why not go to the police?" "They won't help us." "What can I do, brother?" "I'm just an actor." "Listen to me!" "We have to do something." " Everything okay, David?" " Yes, don't worry." "You know what?" "I have better things to do, so..." "David?" "Watch where you're going!" " Yes?" " Miryam." "This is Teo." "Do you remember me?" "Of course." "I'm glad you called." "Do you want me to cook something for you?" "Teo?" "Are you okay?" "Answer, Teo." "Hold it!" "The patrol car must have alerted him." "Next time, bring the limousine." "It's clean, sir." "Well!" "There were other guests at the party." "Tell me something, Vargas." "Why are you after that kid?" "What's he done to you?" "I'm not after him." "I'm protecting him." "Protecting him from who?" "From himself." "Miryam, it's me again." "I'm sorry, I didn't know who to call." "I need your help." "But not over the phone, please." " What happened?" " Get in, get in." "I'm sorry, Miryam, I'm sorry, but" "I didn't know who to call." "You have to help me." "Someone's trying to kill me." "They are drug dealers or gun runners." "Our photographer made good contacts on his trips." "How interesting." "One of the bodies at the hotel had one of these on its neck." "Can you explain it?" "With all due respect, inspector, this case is going beyond you." "Oh, yeah?" "With the same respect, I remind you I too am a cop and with more experience than you." "And I have all the right in the world to know what the hell is going on!" "Even if I smoke, okay?" "Inspector." "Look at this." "He was murdered this afternoon." "His throat was slit." "Awitness recognized Teo Arrollo leaving the theatre in a hurry." "Anything else?" "Last week they found another body, also a slit throat, and both him and the guy murdered yesterday, and our fugitive, were born on the same day and hospital." "The cops are after me too, and I don't know why." " What will you do?" " I don't know." "Why not run away?" "Run?" "Where to?" "I've been pursuing other people's wars, being a spectator of all that... and now I'm pursued by one." "I can't." "I have to know why they want to kill me." "I can't be waiting for someone to appear, willing to slit my throat." "Where will you start?" "It all has to do with dates of birth." "Maybe that's why the certificates were forged." "I'm going to Argentina." "Come with me." "What if they find me?" "I can't do that to you." "So, if all this has to do with my date of birth," "I can talk to the doctors who attended the births." "They're on the certificates." "Where will we find them?" "Where I found this." "Nothing else occurs to me." "But I must rest a bit, I'm exhausted." "Why not stay here?" "It seems comfortable." "Tomorrow I'll disappear and your problems will be over, I promise." "I'll get you something to cover up with." "When the time comes, we can't let anything interfere." "We must be sure we don't fail." "You know the nature of your mission." "No, ask yourself no questions, son." "We cannot afford that luxury." "Questions are an enemy of faith." "I have nothing to do tomorrow." "I can accompany you." "His father will be proud." "I'm sure he would be." "He'll be named after him." "Teo." "Whoever is unrighteous will always be unrighteous." "What was that?" "Whoever is filthy will always be filthy." "A haemorrhage, doctor!" "Teo!" "Whoever is righteous still does justice." "Teo." "That was a terrible day." "I'll remember it until I die." "Remember his name?" "Sure, a priest with a patch over his eye is strange." "It was Del Toro." "Father Walter Del Toro." "He was the hospital chaplain for a short time." "He went crazy and said he did it to save the world." "As if it weren't enough to save the baby." "They put him in jail, but perhaps you should talk to the priest who replaced him." "A certain Flore, or something like that." "Father Fiore?" "Fiore, that's it." "They were friends." "When he left the hospital some years ago he took charge of a little church on the outskirts." "THE ROSE BUSH HERMITAGE" "Father Fiore?" "Wait here." "Father Fiore?" "Father Fiore?" "Are you okay?" "I am Teo Arroyo." "Remember me?" "Get out, angels of the devil!" "Don't shoot!" "I'm Teo Arroyo." "You went to see me at home!" "You can't fool me, I recognize the devil's trickery!" "Death is the only redemption!" "Wait for me in the car, please." "Father Walter Del Toro, The Salvation Parish Farm." "Father Fiore, your wine." "Here." "Bring some strong coffee." "I want all those people out of there." "He gave us an opportunity by founding this community." "Almost all of us have been in prison." "THE SALVATION PARISH FARM" "He respects us, understands us." "He's a great man, a true father for us." "Now we look after him." "I don't think he has much time left to live." "He has a terrible depression." "Last week two of our brothers gave in to temptation again, they were weak." "They stole the little he had and ran off, but didn't get very far." "The police recovered nearly everything." "But that's the least." "He was unable to withstand that betrayal." "Let me go in first..." "Mr. Arroyo, right?" "I'm sorry you have to be involved, but thanks." "He was expecting you." "I'll wait here." "I didn't expect to see you again, Teo." "How do you know me?" "Who is she?" "She helped me to get here." "Trust no one." "Father Fiore already warned you." "Father Fiore is..." "I trusted him but it was too much of a burden." "How much truth can a spirit withstand?" "Who is after me?" "The name doesn't matter." "They are members of an ancient religion with the same sources as others we all know." "But contrary to these, they've preferred to remain undercover during centuries." "Have you heard speak of the 36 Righteous men?" "Humanity includes 36 Righteous men, anonymous to the entire world, who, with there mere existence, defend the universe so as to redeem all of us." "That is the dogma of faith for the believers of that religion." "Unfortunately, they have other convictions, such as that the world is an evil world and must be reformed." "Purification through destruction, as considered by other religions, the New Testament, the predictions of the Maya and Hopi Indians," "Pope John XXIII..." "What have I got to do with that?" "They think that the only way to achieve that destruction and give way to a new and better world is to find and sacrifice..." "TRUTH ...Those 36 Righteous people," "the Lamed Wufniks." "You mean they think I'm one of them?" "In Hebrew, letters and numbers share the same symbols." "This makes the texts of the Old Testament an indecipherable broth of numbers and letters." "They discovered, before we did, that the passages of our sacred books indicated the place and time of the birth of these Righteous men, with incredible precision." "At times, they found out once the Righteous had been born, and others, before." "Herod practised this religion secretly." "He had all those children killed on a specific day to be sure to kill that Righteous man." "None other than Herod!" " This is absurd." " Faith is absurd." "It doesn't matter whether it's true or false." "What's important is that some believe in it." "That's the only truth of faith, my son." "In time, a group from other religions deciphered those passages," "but were unable to group together by convictions and fight against them." "Now we are linked only by an ancient symbol that has been our emblem for centuries," "but there's no time." "You're the last of those Righteous men, Teo." "Why don't you go to the police?" "Faith is no longer communal." "The police has no time for the Apocalypse." "This is impossible!" "Stop it!" "This is madness!" "Only a madman can protect you from a madman." "I forged your birth certificates and hid the authentic ones." "But I didn't destroy them." "All these years they've believed that those who were born on that day" "have already been sacrificed, but Providence has wanted your names to come to light once again." "And, so has Divine Providence dictated." ""I am alpha and omega." "I am the beginning and the end." "I am the first and the last. "" "What can I do?" ""Blessed are those who wash their robes, for theirs shall be the right to the tree of life" "and enter through the door to the city. "" "You had better let him rest." "Don't let them catch you alive, Teo." "Come in." "Your plane is ready, sir." "I have passed your orders on." "No one will do anything until you arrive." "Does he know?" "." " Yes, father." " That changes nothing." "If we can't protect him, we must prevent other possibilities, understand?" "He can't run eternally, they'd end up finding him." "We all need more time." "You can have no doubt." "You father died for this, and we can't let that be in vain." " You hear me?" " Yes, father, I do." "You must do it." "You must have faith." "They're at the address I gave you." "She should not be endangered, okay?" "That is surrealist." "It's like starring a cheap best seller." "In a war, I can choose that I can be killed." "And I accept that." "How about a beer?" "Yes, thanks." "At times I wonder why you want to help me." "Because anyone else..." "I'm sorry." "But... all this is affecting me." " Relax." " Careful!" "Everything is okay." "Relax." "Did you love her?" "I didn't want to find out." "Did she love you?" "Besides, she knew me." "What did you feel?" "Lmpotence." "The horror." "What I feel when I work and do nothing for anyone." "I'm after the best composition, focus," "and click, shoot." "You're not to blame." "That's war." "I'm going to take a bath." "What's she got to do with all this?" "You think I'm an idiot, right?" "I know I'm a foreigner, but I became a policeman 30 years ago, and I'm not lazy or corrupt." "I'm a good policeman and know how to do my job." "Very strange things happened here 30 years ago." "And I discovered them without your help." "That's why I now demand you to tell me what this shit is all about!" "All right." "I underestimated you." "I was born in this country, but wanted to be a better cop." "That's why I left." "Is that clear?" "The suspect we are pursuing is the target of a worldwide organization, a very dangerous sect." "Only we can help him." "Yeah, that's why you shot at him." "I did it to retain him." "Mr. Arroyo knows something that, although he's not aware, can help us to catch the leaders of the sect." "Now we have a lead on where he could be hiding." "What's the matter?" " Who are you?" " You're hurting me!" "The guy who killed Victoria had one of those." "You didn't appear out of coincidence!" " You're hurting me!" " Who the fuck are you?" "Answer me!" "Michel didn't attack you, he saved your life, and I'm trying to do the same." "What have you got to do with all this?" "What do you know?" "Answer me!" "My father." "He was a candidate, just like you." "But before being sacrificed, he preferred to commit suicide." "I was left alone." "The man who protected him adopted me and, in time, explained it all to me." "Why didn't you tell me before?" "Because we can't reveal the candidate's status to him." "That's too much responsibility." "How did your father know?" "My father got too close to the truth." "There was no other way out, like is happening to you." "Teo, you are the last one." "Can't you see this is stupid?" "If I slip and break my neck, the world's over?" "No." "The Righteous that don't die in a ritual manner with a sanctified weapon, provoke another birth that very instant, somewhere else." "That's why dad committed suicide." "That's how all of you have lasted during centuries." " When did your father die?" " The day of your birth, that very instant." "I can't believe it." "You're all crazy, crazy!" "Even you!" "I'm out of here!" "Stop running, Teo." "I'll take you to where no one will ever find you." "We'll change our names." "I promise!" "You've made my whole world stagger." "Never..." "I love you." "Get me out of here, get me out of here." "I'm going over there." "Wait." "Thanks." " Miss Gonzalez?" " Yes." "May I help you?" "I am Inspector Montero." "You'll have to come with us." "Teo!" "Blasphemers!" "That's all I know about Teo Arroyo." "After leaving me at the station, I'd never see him again." "Okay." "Sorry to have bothered you, Miss Gonzalez." "You can go." "She's lying." "You didn't press her enough." "If you want to follow an animal to its den, let it go free." "Inspector." "He's just a man, we don't need backup." "And you'll take the credit." "Okay, we'll do it your way." "But I still don't like you, Vargas." "Run!" "Run!" "I'll kill you!" "Come on, a car is coming!" "Teo." "Teo." "Take it easy." "It's me, it's me." "It's me." "Were you followed?" "Are you sure?" "You're wounded!" "But this time it wasn't like the others." "We have to get out of here!" "Freeze, police!" "You're coming with us, Mr. Arroyo." "I can't go with you, inspector." "This is very complicated." "I know all about it." "An Interpol agent and I want to protect you." "Vargas!" "You can't imagine the pleasure it is to see you, Mr. Arroyo." "Let her go, she has nothing to do with this." "Life is unfair at times, isn't it?" "Luckily, your, shall we say, personal sacrifice, will tidy this mess up." "I'm... nothing." "I represent nothing." "And this is an execution, that's what it is." "You who's lived the horrors of war should logically know that that is a very relative concept." "Men killing kids, brothers killing brothers." "Wars, hunger." "Aren't those but murders we ourselves commit in cold blood?" "That is the world, Mr. Arroyo." "But thanks to you, a new one will be born." "Aworld without evil." "The past and future converge here and now." "You think killing me changes things?" "Don't think I like to do this, but there's no birth without pain." "Don't complicate it." "You're a poor man." "It would be better if I could walk over water, but the world has no epic left." "The only important thing is faith, which is something we are not lacking." "Tell them to drop their guns." "I'm not afraid to die, Mr. Arroyo." "Are you?" "You don't want to see what your friend thinks of this." "Am I right?" "Don't make me shed more blood than necessary." "Enough has been shed." "Please." "Let her go or I'll blow my head off." "Come on!" "Tell him to let her go!" "You won't dare." "Oh, yes." "Have faith, I'll do it." "Freeze!" "You know you can't do it." "Come, let's go." "Let's go." "Wait here." "How funny." "I found a way out." "After many years, this is the scene of everything, again." "At times life seems to rhyme, doesn't it?" "This way." "Teo means God in many cultures." "The Greek and the Mayan, for example." "That gives your death some wonderful connotations, don't you think?" "Teo?" "The most important day in a man's life isn't the day of his birth." "The most important day in a man's life is the day of his death." "Lean on me." "Why reject the grandness of the role you've been assigned?" "You are fortunate, I assure you." "You can save all humanity." "With your sacrifice, the world will go back to what it should be." "It's that easy." "You first." "The list will be completed sooner or later." "You cannot escape fate." "Your entire future is behind you." "Make an effort, you have to try it." "I can't." "It's my ankle." "Give me the gun." "They are only two." "Give me the gun and go!" "Come on!" "You must save yourself!" "I can't leave you here!" "I won't let them kill me." "Go get help, now!" "I'm sorry." "Too many people have died." "I can't let that be in vain." "I can't fail." "The search must go on." "PROVINCE OF TOV, MONGOLIA"