"Yes." "Yes." "Wonderful." "I'll transfer you to booking." "Can I help you?" "Edward Porris." "I..." "I have an appointment." "Porris." "Just have a seat." "Hannah Geist?" "Excuse me?" "You look like a Hannah Geist." "I'd take you for a Hannah Geist." "Yes." "Well, most people are." "I'm here for Michael Felix." "Do you know he used to torment his lovers by packing his foreskin with spices before intercourse?" "I'm just lucky they got to him before the execution." "I'm real lucky." "I'll take this one." "Breathtaking." "I understand your fascination with her." "I understand completely." "She's perfect somehow, isn't she?" "More than perfect." "More than human." "Her eyes seem to reach... right beneath your skin and touch your organs." "And touch your stomach." "Your lungs." "Gives me the shivers." "As you can see, we have several options available." "Each was acquired from Ms. Geist directly." "If I thought your interest was only passing, there are any number of low-end packages I could offer." "However, you strike me as a man whose involvement runs a little deeper than that." "I see you... as a man of taste." "A connoisseur." "If you'll permit me to make a recommendation." "S-558." "Expensive... but a must have for the truly devoted." "Ms. Geist was afflicted during her much-publicized affair with Laura Law in 2003." "We purchased it from her soon after." "S558?" "Yes." "A form of the herpes simplex virus." "After infection, the virus lives on in the cells of its host for the rest of their life." "Did you know she's deformed?" "You can't tell from the magazines." "She has to have special underwear made." "Fashion designers make her special underwear." "I've heard that." "Do you have your credit card with you, Mr. Porris?" "Which side do you want it on?" "I haven't decided." "Most people want it on the left side." "If she kissed you, it would be on the left side." "If she kissed me?" "Ms. Geist is infected here, to the right of her mouth." "Now, if she kissed you, it'd spread to your left side, around here." "On the left, it'd be like she gave it to you in person." "Yes, I'd like the left side." "Lean back please." "Just a little pinch." "There." "You should be showing in a couple of weeks." "Enjoy." "Are you carrying any infectious materials with you, or items belonging to The Lucas Clinic Incorporated or its suppliers?" "No." "Now, I thought a fungus was a plant because it comes from vegetables, right?" "So I told them this gives..." " Yeah, come in." " Apparently I'm no biologist, and some of our viewers were quick to point that out." "I wanted to ask about the alarm test tomorrow." "Well, there's nothing I can do about it." "You know, I don't like it either, but it's the law." "No, I know." "But... it's just that I'm sick right now, and I need my sleep." "Yeah." "Okay, so, listen," "I'll tell you what we'll do about it." "We'll start at the top floor, so we won't even get to you until after 11." "It's the Aria Noble Ordeal." "Anyway, we'll, you know, we'll just be in and out." "You can keep your bedroom shut." "The question on everyone's mind is:" "What is really going on with her?" "We're talking to Mr. Dorian Lucas, founder of the Lucas Celebrity Services Clinic." "Mr. Lucas, how do you respond to critics who say the disease you're really selling" " is a cultural one?" " That's ridiculous." "Do you not agree that the mania surrounding celebrity" " is reaching an unhealthy level?" " No, I don't." "So these people are really so deserving of our attention?" "In your opinion, does Aria Noble deserve to be famous?" "Let me stop you right there." "Deserve to be famous?" "What does it mean to deserve to be famous?" "Anyone who's famous deserves to be famous." "Celebrity is not an accomplishment." "Not at all." "It's more like a collaboration that we choose to take part in." "Celebrities are not people;" "They're group hallucinations." "Surely it's naive to imagine that your clients think the same way." "Really?" "Naive?" "My clients are intelligent adults from all walks of life, all ages, and they find meaning in all the stories around them." "They choose to come to me because they want to feel more connected to those faces, to those people that they see in the magazines and on television." "And their lives are much richer for it." "The human face is a powerful messenger." "Our brains are tuned to its every nuance." "The smallest shift in its musculature can translate itself into complex non-verbal information, so subtle and communicated so quickly that we often don't even register it;" "Not consciously." "One could say that for human beings the face is a structure with a high information resolution." "The ReadyFace console is designed to engage the user's unconscious mental resources by exploiting the brain's sensitivity to facial patterns." "Our technician loads a virus sample into the port, where it's analyzed by ReadyFace and is translated into a face graphic." "This image represents the structure of the disease." "It is in a sense the face of the virus, dense with information." "As Mr. March manipulates the graphic, the machine manipulates the virus in the sample container, eventually rendering it non-contagious." "This advanced form of copy protection affords us control over the distribution of our products, as the virus cannot spread beyond the infected client." "ReadyFace fluidly incorporates our technician's unconscious mental resources so that copy protecting a sample like this one will take hours rather than days." "Hey, thanks for coming." "Lovely to see you." "Thank you." "Thanks for making the time." "Appreciate it." "No, she has to have special underwear made because she doesn't have a vulva." "She was born without a vulva." "Her father used to make them out of regular pairs, which was an ordeal for her as a child, but now she has fashion designers do it." "Anyway, that's what she meant when she told Spot Magazine" " that she doesn't have a face." " Listen to what you're saying." "Well, you asked me, so I'm telling you." "You're telling me you've been working here too long." "You're seriously buying into all this." "What's to buy into?" "What I'm saying is factual." "Factual." "Yesterday, her birth defect was a unique, non-functional organ connected to her urinary system." "It's worth millions on the celebrity meat market." " Yeah, also true." " Well, I'm sure the kid could shed some light on the situation." "Didn't you take a genital wart sample from Hannah Geist once?" "That was Derek." "Well, did he mention if she had a vulva?" "We're doing lunch at Dainty Davis." " You coming'?" " I already ate." "You look like shit." " Hi, Michelle." " Hey, Syd." " What can I get for you?" " 13, 644, 915." "915?" "The new Aria Noble flu." "We got it this morning." "So we did." "Thank you." "Derek." "I understand your fascination with her." "I understand completely." "She's... perfect somehow, isn't she?" "More than perfect." "An ideal." "Overwhelming." "With a whisper, she could have... anything she wanted." "Anyone she wanted." "I'm happy to inform you that we have something special available today." "It just came in this morning." "S-915." "You would be the first." "A biological communion between you and Aria." "From her body to your body." "From her cells to your cells." "In my humble opinion... it's not even a question." "Just a little pinch." "The fever should come on just in time for the long weekend." "Enjoy." "Are you carrying any infectious material with you, or items belonging to The Lucas Clinic Incorporated or its suppliers?" "No." "Next." "Who's ne..." "Okay." "Geist, okay, we..." "Okay, what are we..." "Like, we're talking like a roast for two people?" "This is good." "Hello, sir." "What can I getcha?" "I've been trying to reach you." "I was sick." "I think my body's starting to turn on me, Arvid." "I don't know how much longer I can do this." "You'll be fine." "There's an ebb and flow to this kind of work." "Give it a month and you'll feel like a completely different person." "I already feel like a different person." "I'm developing a cripple identity." " I think you look great." " Thanks." "I don't understand how this isn't considered cannibalism." "Well, these are just muscle cells." "It all depends on whether the human being is found in its materials." "Right now the law tends towards something more religious, but we'll see what happens when we go from growing celebrity cell steaks to growing complete celebrity bodies." "I'm looking forward to it." "Yeah, well, with the proper funding, I could probably make that happen." "Have you seen my cell garden?" "No." "Something new I've been cooking up." "So, do we have business?" "Yeah." "Yeah." "I..." "I cracked the new Aria Noble flu." " That's already public." " What?" "Since Saturday." "You're behind the times." "The clinic just got it last week." " Well, somebody beat you to the punch." " Who?" "One of my other guys." "Arvid." "Look, I'm not some bug-collecting hobbyist." "You want to get paid for your work, talk to me when you stop getting scooped." "What's going on?" "They arrested Derek." "Villainy in our own house, Syd." "I simply cannot work under these conditions." "Oh, like anyone will take you." " I hear Vole  Tesser are hiring." " Topp didn't even know about Sara Holden's skin flap until I told him last night." "I'm sure the kid doesn't know about Sara Holden's skin flap right now." "You're too good for skin flaps, aren't you, Syd?" "Skin flaps are beneath you." " Is there anything else you need?" " No." "Did you know that healthy tulips have solid-colored petals?" "The stripes on this flower are caused by a viral infection." "I had heard that, yes." "Okay." "It's a weird business, Syd." "Do you know Derek Lessing?" "Not well." "Well, the police found an unlicensed ReadyFace console in his apartment today." "An older model, a 35-50." "They think he was undoing the copy protection on some of our samples and then selling the contagious viruses to a piracy group." "Jesus." "That machine is registered to us." "I guess he must have smuggled it out of the storeroom or something." "So I had Michelle run an inventory, and she discovered that there was a second machine that's gone missing." "Will you let me know if you hear anything at all?" "Of course." "I'm going to send you on a house call today." "You're going to see Hannah Geist." "She's sick, she's at the Mayerson, and she's eager to sell." "Now, normally, I'd be sending Derek on this, so be tactful if the subject comes up." "Yes, sir." "ID." "Wait inside." "They'll call you when they're ready." "I didn't know Vole  Tesser was here." "You do know the Hannah Geist line is exclusive to Lucas." "Sure." "She's all you have going for you." "I hear she's worth more than your entire catalogue." "I've never really cared for her." "Why are you here?" "Gregory Vern." "A terminal illness?" "It's for Mr. Vole's personal collection." "He has a license." "Lucas Clinic." "Where's Derek?" "He called in sick." "My name is Syd March." "Tell Dorian we'll be in touch." "She's perfect somehow, isn't she?" "More than perfect." "More than human." "Her eyes." "Are... are you okay?" "Sorry..." "Excuse me for a moment." "Hey." "What is wrong with you?" "I need to go." "Can you finish?" "Please?" "Shit!" "We tracked down The Future of Smiles, an office where we spoke to a principal coordinator, Gregory Hurek." "Mr. Hurek refused to appear on..." "Oh, hey." "A couple of guys were here looking for you." "Portland somebody?" "I didn't get the other guy's name." "But, look, he left you a number." "Here." "Has anyone been in the apartment?" "You know, they wanted me to let them in, but it's against the law!" "So, where were you?" " I was... asleep." " Yeah, that's what I figured." "I know you've been sick." "I'll tell ya, it's pretty shocking." "And now they're saying it's a virus that she picked up in China?" "But her family will not let them autopsy the body until they fly over a specialist from Munich." "Autopsy?" "Well, they want their own doctor." "They're German." "Hey!" "You get in line." "Everyone listen carefully!" "We're cutting our last tray of Hannah Geist for the day!" "If you get a ticket, you can buy one three-ounce steak!" "If you don't get a ticket, you have to come back tomorrow!" " Is Arvid around'?" " Yeah, he's in the back." "Are you aware they're still growing the cancer cells of a woman who died in the 1950s?" "Henrietta Lacks." "Yeah, they use them for research, so these cells of hers are alive and multiplying all over the world." "The afterlife is getting extremely perverse." "What happened to Hannah Geist?" "You don't know?" " I think I was asleep." " You know, she was sick for about a week." "Nothing serious." "Then this morning one of her aides found her dead." "She was in China looking at orphans, but none of her entourage are having any problems, so they don't know what it is she had or how it was communicated." "It's quite an ordeal for the family." "This all must feel... a bit personal to you." "How so?" "Well, you were one of the last people to see her alive." " Where'd you hear that?" " I have big ears." "I was hoping that's why you came to see me." "Sorry to disappoint." "That's too bad, because that virus would be the Holy Grail while this heat lasts." "Is there any chance you can get me a taste?" "I wish." "We can't hold deadly pathogens." "I'm sure the health board already took everything." "Yeah?" "What about you?" "You look sick." "I am sick." "Listen, my console's down." "You know anybody with parts to spare?" "Maybe." "The anti-piracy lobby is fairly insane right now, so... everyone's paranoid." " I need a new 80-box." " I'll see what I can do." "Hey." "Hey, hey!" "Is it true they arrested Derek Lessing?" " Yeah." " That's too bad." "He did some really good work for me." "Here, have some Hannah." "On the house." "There is less light in the world now." "That much is certain." "A ray of light has been lost." "Hannah was a friend of this clinic, and I'm proud to say I knew her personally." "She was truly a sweet and a humble soul." "Our prayers here at Lucas are with her family and loved ones." "So, what's your professional opinion?" "What?" "Well, you must have had a good look at her." "We've got a pre-autopsy pool going with the guys in accounting." "Mercer's playing it safe and going with flu virus." "I'm thinking of taking a flyer and going with food poisoning." "Do you think it might have been food poisoning?" "I don't know." "Of course, no one's saying drugs." "They'll never admit it if it is drugs." "She didn't use drugs." "Oh, you knew her well?" "She was a Buddhist from birth." "She couldn't even take painkillers or she would have been beaten." "I hear we'll be selling ringworm from her dog Brom to fans with dogs." "Brom's getting a following." "Hey, Dorian turned your sample over to the board this morning." "That's a bit exciting, a little shop on the fringes of a media frenzy." "Can I have a 900 pack?" " What's a 900 pack?" " Hannah Geist variety pack." "Everybody's guzzling Geist today." "And now everyone's talking about her oh, my gosh, I don't even know if I can say it - her anus!" "You heard that right." "Rumors of the young star's situation have been spreading like a rash, with news outlets as far as Japan, Australia, and even the Middle East scrambling to get the poop on recent documents leaked by the office of Aria's specialist." "Swedish media network SMT has even offered a bounty for photographic evidence of the unusual condition, and sources close to her say the normally hard-partying celeb hasn't been seen in public since." "Well, that settles it!" "I'm getting a camera!" " You would do that!" " The hunt is on." "Meanwhile, Hannah Geist's former dog walker has opened up in a recent interview with our sister station." "Fifty-one-year-old Helen Pinto was employed full time at the now-shuttered estate, and caused quite a stir earlier today when she claimed to be holding one of the star's used panty liners." "Pinto said she retrieved the liner towards the end of Hannah's illness and was in the process of having it analyzed, with the results..." "What's with the cane?" "I've been having a little trouble." "I've gotta make a quick stop before we get your part." "It must have happened overnight." "We found them like this in the morning." "I've never seen anything like this before." "I mean, they were fine when we shipped them." "Obviously they weren't fine." "You sold me bad meat." " Well, are your trays clean?" " Don't fuck with me, Arvid." " Don't you even fuck with me." " Okay." "I'm sorry, Luc." "I can't serve this." "They think they're getting Hannah Geist out there and I'm feeding them Ron Deggy." "Okay." "I'm gonna find out what happened, and I'm gonna fix it." "So, do I get to know what's killing you?" "An antique Michael Felix bug I sold the other day." "It was a mistake." "Apparently the copy-protection on some of those old samples got a little weird, but I didn't think I'd get another chance." "Sounds reckless." "I'm just trying to keep things interesting for myself." " For two?" " Is Levine around?" "Sure, he's in the back." "I'll let him know you're coming." "You'll like Levine." "He's one of my best guys." "I just want to make sure he's comfortable with all this." "Hang out here." "Is that you?" "I've done everything you've asked!" "I'm not strong enough to escape." "Please say something." "Hannah." "Oh, thank God you're here!" "I'm so afraid." "I'll do anything you say." "Please, please just let me go." "Do you... do you want me to hurt myself?" "I can't say no to you." " Hello?" " What was that?" "Please repeat yourself so I can obey your command." "Do you want me to hurt myself?" "Do you want to see my body?" "Please, I'm so afraid." "Please." "Please." " Are you still there?" " All right, let's go." "What is this thing?" "I can't take it anymore!" "It's part of a new franchise." "Levine has the only location in town." "Just tell me what to do!" "I'll do anything you say!" "It's catching on, though." " Come on." " I'll do anything." "Please." "Please." "Levine." "Syd March." "It's always strange to meet the competition." "So..." "Arvid here tells me that you actually work at The Lucas Clinic?" "Yeah." "I think one of your friends is a customer of mine." "Really?" "Yeah, Vera brings me bugs sometimes." "So, that's kinda cool?" "You're like an inside man." "I think I'd be too contemptuous to play that game." "Oh, yeah." "Levine's too classy to profit from such trash." "I'm talking about politics." "I get that we're all rat men here, Arvid, scavenging the bin." "But I like to think that my work is purposefully gross, at least." "Allows me to hoard a little dignity somewhere." "No of fence." "I don't even think dignity's still valid currency." "I appreciate you helping me out like this." "Anything for a friend of Arvid's." "Here." "Where'd you get this?" "I built it using old parts I co-opted from a contact at Vole  Tesser." "I've been modifying it for years." "The resolution is somewhere between one of the new ReadyFaces and a 7-86." "You... want to run your blood through it right here?" "No." "Thank you." "Yeah, that's fine." "So, I don't have your 80-box, but I can get one within the week." "Arvid said you had one." "I thought I did." "Turns out none of my stuff is compatible." "Levine's all right." "Hey, I'm completely trustworthy, all right?" "I already know the guy who can dig one up for me." "As a sign of good faith, though, I would like to get your payment out of the way" " while you're here." " My what?" "The sample." "What sample?" "The sample." "What the hell, Arvid?" "I told Levine you'd give us a bit of that Hannah Geist bug you've been carrying around." "Arvid." "Don't be a miser." "Look at you." "You gonna faint?" "I hope you're not taking this too personally." "Well, I'll admit" "I was a little insulted when I found out you weren't going to share with me." "Were you gonna shop it around?" "Did you just want this one all to yourself?" "Okay." "Listen," "I understand these are special circumstances." "You and I both recognize that." "When we're done here, I'll find you a doctor who will keep your situation low profile." "And then we'll get you fixed up... and you can still work for me." "All right?" "Your clock is counting down at a maniac pace." "You need a friend." " All done?" " Almost." "I wouldn't mind grabbing a bit of that rash for good measure." "Now, I would love to do this properly if you would just stop freaking out." "Coffee." "Do you mind?" "Did you hear she died in her sleep while her boyfriend was in the other room?" "Then he got into bed and slept beside her body the whole night without knowing." "Can you imagine what an ordeal it must have been when he found out?" "I have no idea." "Every night since I heard that, I've been touching my wife before I go to sleep just to make sure she's still warm." "Excuse me." "All right." " What can I get you boys?" " I'll have the calamari." "I'm fine." " How about you?" " I'll have the calamari." "Two calamaris." "You're looking pretty sick." "I'll live." "Is that true?" "I think you're a lot worse than you're letting on." "I'm sorry, we're just waiting for a car." "My name's Portland, and this is West, and we're taking you to meet someone." "I'd rather not." "Are you planning on being difficult about it?" "No, I guess not." "That would be for the best." "Don't look so worried." "You're a commodity." "This is it." "Shortness of breath?" "No." "Nausea?" "Yes." "Ringing in your ears or auditory hallucinations?" "No." "No delusions of grandeur?" "You know, towards the end of my grandmother's life, she imagined the entire world was operating exclusively with her in mind." "I was only a child at the time, but I remember once" "I got off the toilet, and she asked me what I had intended to communicate to her." "It was later discovered she had a brain tumor." "I've been told that Hannah's illness... can produce florid hallucinations." "There he is." "I think that virus destroyed my console." "The virus was designed with a security measure to prevent analysis." "It took a little effort, but I was eventually able to bypass it." " Designed?" " Yes." "I'm afraid you've become involved in something sinister." "Go inside and take a seat." "Who are you?" "I'm Syd March." "We met at the Mayerson." "Yeah, Dev told me you were coming." "Have you started bleeding yet?" "Bleeding?" "From your mouth." "That's good." "I don't mind the sight of blood." "It just... collects in my throat at night and I have suffocation dreams." "So I've mostly stopped sleeping." "It's terrifying, really, when you think about it." "The death is a cover story, but she is dying for real, and we still don't have a cure." "We have reason to believe that her infection was an assassination attempt, and we felt this was the best way to prevent a second attack." "This is all very unlucky for you, but I'm hoping we can help each other." "The disease wasn't built from scratch." "It's a modification of something we sold to your clinic three years ago." "We assume someone at Lucas created this, and if you can find out who, it might be the first step towards finding a cure for Hannah." "And for yourself, of course." "She looks frail." "She needs your help." "I have a burned-out ReadyFace at my apartment." "It might be useful if I could get it working again." "I'm sure we can find you whatever you need." " How do you feel?" " Tired." "Is that all?" "I have a headache." "Last night..." "Hannah had a mild psychotic episode." "For one hour she insisted that I was her late publicist," "Maynard Welsh." "This has been in some ways an uncomfortable experience for me." "My interest in her, of course, is more than professional." "Here." "There's a company in Munich where they make these." "They're skin grafts, grown from celebrity skin cell samples." "This one here, this one is Hannah." "You know, I'm not a spiritual man." "A belief in God, it's always struck me as a sign of dangerous infantilism." "But you will forgive me if I tell you that with each of these patches... my world has become more charged." "That there is a power - something in the thrall of the collective eye - that can be consumed and appropriated." "You play the sceptic, but I don't believe it." "Surely you could have stolen Hannah's blood without injecting yourself." "Why did you do it?" "Maybe you feel what I feel." "Or maybe you're really just another fan." "Well, now you share a death with her, and that's a powerful bond." "I don't want to die from this." "Of course." "Here." "Two, three times daily." "What are they?" "Antivirals." "They should help slow the infection down." "You're an absolute disgrace." "Where you been, bud?" " I was sick." " Dorian's in a rage." "You're making Mercer look good these days." "I had to pull a favor to keep you from getting fired." "Thank you." "Well, I need someone non-responsive to talk to, and you're cheaper than my therapist." "You know, I've gotta say, it doesn't look like your little vacation did you much good." " Hi, Michelle." " Hey, Mercer." "Ask me if I'm looking forward to Timothy Stanton's molluscum this afternoon." " Timothy Stanton is impotent." " It's on his shoulder." "You can get molluscum anywhere." "I swear, he has an infection to sell every time he gets a divorce." "It's uncanny." "He's holding a competition through Spot Magazine." "The winner gets to infect him with their next cold, and they get a free sample after he gets sick." " Are you entering?" " No, I don't get colds." "Catch you later." "Welcome back." "Anything else?" "I was wondering if you could look something up for me." "Yeah, sure thing." "What is the recent sales history for Hannah Geist sample S-888?" " How recent?" " Last two months." "S888 is the Bermuda flu, which we phased out when we got Paris Honeymoon, so... it's been taken out once since April." "By who?" "Derek Lessing." "Thank you." " See you tomorrow." " Yeah." "I've got more of my blood here if you want it." "You kind of caught me off guard." "What was Derek Lessing working on?" "Well, that's hard to say." "Derek was into some weird pathology." "I thought he was one of your people." "He hasn't sold me anything for over a year." "Drop it." "Drop it." "Drop it." "Drop it." "I wanted to keep things civil with us, but Levine can be hard to manage." "He's starting to get out of hand." "And that blood you gave him fried his rig." "None of those samples lasted more than a day." "What is going on with you, man?" "Whatever it is you're into... it's attracting a lot of dangerous attention." "So here's what." "I'm going to give this back to you, and you're going to stay away from me." "I refuse to be pulled into a crazy mess." "Mr. Lessing?" "Mr. Lessing?" "Is that you?" "Hey, what, you just getting home?" "I've been having some trouble at work." "Did you catch any of the funeral?" "The whole thing, yeah, it was live on 503." " I must have missed it." " Yeah." "It was a beautiful service." "But sad." "For someone like that to die so young." "She was an extraordinary woman." "And absolutely gorgeous." "I cried all the way through." "Oh, that man Portland, he was here again." "He left you a package." "Thank you." "Insiders say she had a flu for two weeks before passing away, but they were totally unprepared for the dramatic turn the illness took just as it seemed she was recovering." "I spoke with the Geist family earlier, and they were absolutely devastated like any other family, really, who have experienced the loss of a daughter or a sister, staying together and supporting each other through this difficult time." "Well, that's really just it, isn't it?" "A death in the family will affect anyone the same way, whether you're the Geists or the people next door." "And you can see that in the outpouring of sympathy" " from her fans during the funeral." " That's absolutely right." "And many of them feel a personal connection to Hannah, which I think says so much about who she was before she got sick." "We spoke to one crying fan today who told us her love for Hannah actually saved her life." "She had all but given up on the world after a spiral of depression and drugs eventually..." "Hello, Derek." "Great to see you again." "What else are you feeling?" "I can really feel it coming on now." "It's right in my cells." "I'm tired all the time." "I can't... move... or think properly." "I'm only approximating myself." "I passed on your findings to an old colleague of mine, Agna Hahn." "She's a professor of biotechnological law in California." "Now, she discovered that Vole  Tesser had recently patented a genetically modified virus." "It's quite likely the source of Hannah's and your infection." "A patent." "What it means, it's unclear to me." "But if they intended to kill her, then why would they declare ownership over the weapon?" "What are you doing here?" "Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey." "Hello, Syd." "How are you feeling?" "I'm told you are at this moment infected with the same virus that killed Hannah Geist." "Is that true?" "It's okay." "We already know." "You have nothing to hide from us here." "This is an honest room." "You can share any thoughts or feelings you might be having." "In fact, you are encouraged to share." "Hey!" "There's no need to yell." "We can hear you clearly." "Okay, I'll share first." "Right now we are attempting to capitalize on a unique opportunity." "Since her tragic passing, many of Hannah's admirers have experienced what could be described as an uncomfortable narrative gap between her life and funeral." "How did she die, really?" "What did the final hours of her life look like?" "History may have denied them these moments, but through you we have a window into the past." "By documenting your deterioration we can ease the suffering of millions who have, through no fault of their own, been left in the dark." "How do you feel right now?" "Cooperate." "Cooperate." "I'm sorry." "I'm an innovator." "Bad dream?" "I think sexual politics are involved also, because of cell penetration by the virus." "The original host takes on the role of the male, and the newly infected is the female." "And then the infected changes gender to infect others, sort of the way the reef fish change gender." "It probably says something about your customers." "Anyway, I just wanted to say I'm sorry for the way you're being treated here." "If it had been up to me, we would have taken better care of you." "But you know we've got to get this thing finished and on the market while people still care, otherwise there's no point." "Besides, you owe me for what you did to my rig." "Ask us about the new Vole  Tesser VT Rewards program, now available at all Vole  Tesser locations." "Back off!" "Hello, Ms. Tesser." "Please, call me Mira." "I'm sorry I'm not there to speak with you in person." "I understand completely." "I hear you've been causing problems for our good friend Levine." "He's such a brilliant little man, isn't he?" "Is there any way I can convince you to continue your collaboration?" "I'm afraid not." "That's a shame." "We could make you excitingly famous." "I'd like to tell you something about your virus." "And what would that be?" "The contract Hannah Geist signed with Lucas... prevents you from selling her diseases, but a... but a virus you built and patented yourself would remain your property even if it passed through her body." "You could infect her, recover the sample, and then sell it as a Vole  Tesser exclusive." "Is that true?" "It's why you commissioned the virus from Derek Lessing, and why he infected her during a house call." "It's a great loophole, isn't it?" "My idea, of course." "We stood to make a lot of money." "Unfortunately, there was a problem with your friend Derek's build." "I want to know if it can be cured." "I think so." "However, producing a cure would be costly, and as you acquired the virus on your own, we feel no responsibility for your condition." "I have something to barter." "She'll be here in the morning." "We're not sure, but..." "Well, this is certainly a heartbreaking turn of events." "I mean, this really puts things in perspective, doesn't it?" "You know?" "Now, I would happily do something if I could, and the thought of a collaboration between" "Ms. Geist and our company is very appealing." "Unfortunately... my specialist here has advised me that she's too far gone to be saved." "You'll be hearing from our lawyers." "I think you'll find we've taken the necessary precautions." "Now, if you'll excuse me." "You know... while I was a guest at your clinic," "I..." "I had some time to think things over." "I've been seeing a little more clearly since then." "For example, I can see that... this is an important moment." "I can see... an opportunity here... even in the face of such a devastating tragedy." "We... have a chance to innovate, and to do it in a way that will benefit you both." "The technology already exists... and I know where to find it." "Allow me to take a moment of your time." "When I was a little girl, my mother used to ask me," ""What do you want to be when you grow up?"" "And I would tell her, "I don't want to grow up!" "I want to stay young and beautiful!"" "So I guess in a way this is my childhood dream realized." "And I couldn't be more excited to share it with you." "Welcome, everyone, to my Afterlife, exclusively from Vole  Tesser." "From the perspective of the virus, the human being is irrelevant." "What matters is the system that allows it to function." "Skin cells, nerve cells, the right home for the right disease." "Within our Afterlife capsule, the system that is Hannah Geist's body has been perpetuated, even expanded beyond what existed during her lifetime." "Make no mistake, however." "This is not some glorified cell steak." "Everything inside this housing is either part of the original body or has been grown directly from it as a result of our patented CellGarden technology." "Our chief technician, Syd March, is about to load the latest virus into the system, where it will infect Hannah's body before being sold as part of our Vole  Tesser Afterlife product line." "Now, this is just a sneak peek." "If you want to know the nature of the infection, you'll have to wait until it's announced officially at our product conference at the end of this month." "Thanks for coming by." "Thank you." "Thanks so much for your time." "Thanks for coming by." "We'll see you at the end of the month." "Okay." "She's perfect somehow, isn't she?"