"Ahh ahh ahh..." "Ahhh ahhh ehhhh" "Adam, do you know what this is?" "Adam, do you know what this is?" "Ahhh..." "Is that an articulate response?" "What you make of it." "You're the Professor, Doctor." "Adam." "Some might say you're a problem student." "Some might say you're a student with problems." "Either way I don't like it." "You can't take contradiction?" "You know what that means?" "Disagreement." "Disagreement without merit." "And merit is what you are severely lacking." "I appreciate healthy debate in the classroom." "I always have." "But you have to have a basis, a foundation a belief." "Or else there is not debate." "Whatever meaning you intend is void." "It makes you and your ideas all of nothing." "Nothing... nothing" "When you are nothing, Adam, you must learn." "Adam, are you listening?" "You have a headache?" "I wonder why." "Adam." "You are bright clearly." "But when it comes to work when it comes to answering a simple essay question... a primer for the final, no less, and you are asked" ""What have I learned in this class?" And you come up with this." "You know what I do with people like you?" "All grades aside, whatever you choose to do with your life and career medical ethics will continue to exist without you." "But without medical ethics, you and your career are nothing." "You need this course, not the other way around." "Okay." "You may go." "Hello." "Adam?" "Adam Smith?" "Yeah?" "Check your email." "Click" "Hello Adam, I've enjoyed our correspondence" "But I believe we should now end this one-sided anonymity." "If you'd like to exchange those burdensome studies for some true practical expertise, I am ready to meet with you." "For I am in need of an assistant, and you may be the perfect candidate." "Your writings have demonstrated your high trust of science." "Which is matched only by your distrust of the community that practices it." "I cherish and share these qualities and remain committed to more elevated endeavors." "I'll reserve discussion of my work until we meet but please know that we have the opportunity and the obligation to change science, if not life itself." "That may sound eccentric, and you don't know me." "I do not ask that you believe me." "Only that you meet with me." "To do so, please be at Willow Junction at 8:00 AM." "You will be met." "You're Adam?" "I'm Kate." "Sorry I'm late." "You coming?" "Are you, are you the guy that emailed me?" "The guy?" "No." "Emailed?" "No." "I'm the girl picking you up." "So get in." "Now is good." "Hi." "Uhhh." "I hope you didn't wait too long." "You feeling alright?" "Yeah, yeah." "I'm feeling alright." "I'm just... you know, I'm feeling a lot of things." "It's these headaches I get." "Is not big deal." "You know there's a cure for that." "It's called aspirin." "Wow." "The only woman around for miles gives me shit." "My aunt gets migraines all the time." "Yeah." "Usually, of course when I'm around." "I show up, start talking." "Next thing you know she has to go lie down and stay in bed for a week." "She sees these bright lights and it's like a knife through her head." "Maybe it's me." "No." "People get migraines, they don't give them." "I don't know." "I think I gave you one." "I was born with one." "It's sort of dysfunction." "I think I'm allergic to people." "They kind make you sneeze?" "No, like they make me nervous." "Oh." "Do I make you nervous?" "Uh... haaa." "Yeah." "So, you're here to see the Doctor." "I guess." "You don't know?" "Didn't mention his name." "It's not for the headaches." "It's for an interview." "You came all the way out here, to meet somebody you don't know?" "It's for a job." "For an interview." "Oh, doing what?" "You don't know that either." "Okay, fair enough." "Do you know this Doctor?" "Dr. Vick?" "Franklin Vick." "That's his name." "He lives up in the hills." "All private." "The peaceful life." "I don't actually know him but I'm always delivering things to him." "My folks own the shipping store, so guess who gets the dirty work?" "Is he a nice guy?" "I like to think so." "I've never actually met him." "I just do what his emails say." "Sort of like you." "Well." "Here we go." "End of the road." "This is where I drop the stuff off." "He comes down to get it." "Is he coming down to get me?" "No..." "I don't think so." "So what do I do?" "It's a bit of a hike, but you'll be fine." "Just think of it like his driveway." "A very long driveway that you can't see surrounded by trees, wild animals." "And you're alone." "There you go." "Oh... directions." "So, this is for you." "Head up through here." "Follow these ribbons." "And, hey so... nice meeting you." "Oh." "Yeah, cold." "Good luck." "Okay." "Thanks." "I'll see you." "Kate." "Yeah?" "You ever make it up there?" "No." "I've got bad knees." "Okay." "But you stay in town, right?" "Yeah, yeah." "Okay." "You ever want to go out?" "Yeah?" "Is that a question or an answer?" "I'll give you my number." "So..." "Call me when you are free." "My fingers are frozen." "Good luck." "I'll see you." "Ohhh" "Hello?" "Hello?" "Hello?" "Uhh!" "Glad you made it." "Ohhh!" "Geez!" "Hey." "I'm Adam." "Adam Schmidt." "Some whiskey if you want it." "Isn't it a little early for that?" "Depends what time you wake up, yeah?" "Sorry I couldn't pick up you." "The snowmobile's broken." "Tough journey?" "You're sizing me up." "Trying to make something of me." ""What the hell do I do up here?" "Why the hell did he ask me up here?"" "So, go ahead, fire away." "You have aspirin?" "You came all this way to ask for aspirin?" "You couldn't go to a drugstore?" "I get these headaches." "I kinda have a sensitive head." "Thanks." "So, tell me why you came?" "You mentioned some job." "Or research." "No, no, no, no." "That's no why." "No?" "No." "You came because you couldn't resist." "The mystery of it all." "I had to tease your curiosity." "Entice you." "See if you could follow through with it." "Are you satisfied?" "Don't judge me." "Oh, no, I'm not judging." "I'm observing." "That's what I do." "I'm not a cage monkey, Dr. Vick." "Oh, yes of course, the delivery guy." "Girl." "Really?" "Yeah." "Sure you don't want a drink?" "I'm not interested." "Relax Adam, we're together here." "Adam." "Have you ever heard of cryonics?" "Sure." "Ted Williams." "Doesn't work." "Yet." "Doesn't work now but one day it is..." "You see, it has its basis in fact." "Three, actually." "One, life can be stopped." "Like a switch." "Turned off and on." "Started up all over again." "Frozen adults have survived." "Embryos can be preserved." "For years." "If that basic structure is kept intact life can be turned back on." "Two." "The cold keeps that basic structure intact." "Right down to the molecular level." "You can vitrify an organ the size of a brain with cold and chemicals today." "And three, and this is the kicker, new technologies like nano-technology, and such will one day heal what's broken inside of you." "Fix you up on its own from the inside out, right down to the molecular level." "You'll be healthier than you were before." "With nano-technology." "And such." "So, you work in cryonics?" "Nano-technology?" "The "such. "" "Okay." "I'm interested." "Okay." "So, you're in?" "Yeah." "Adam." "Subject Two." "Approximate time of death 12:30 PM." "Initial injection of serum given approximately three minutes later." "Lacerations sutured." "Ambient temperature 27 degrees." "16 PM, no change." "Current time, 3:21 PM." "Subject Two." "No change in condition." "Surfactant booster given by the hour." "No sign of livormortis." "As for rigor." "Mmhu." "Current time 11:31 AM." "Ambient temperature..." "Subject two revived." "Now..." "Can you hear me?" "Do you remember anything?" "You... killed me." "Good morning." "Welcome." "You're cold, aren't you." "We needed that cold." "You're the first, Adam." "How about that?" "Here." "Take this." "It helps restructure your cells." "Take it now." "There you go." "Resuscitation successful." "Subject sitting upright." "Color returning." "Cerebral functions impaired." "Yet, able to follow some simple commands." "Mental status" "T. B. D." "Lie down, Adam." "You need your rest." "I did it, you bastard." "Adam, I told you to lie down." "That's it." "There you go." "I'm not a baby." "No, I don't think you are." "Is One that?" "Is one what?" "Subject One." "You call me Subject Two." "You heard that?" "What happened to him?" "He didn't work out." "Head trauma." "Stopped the serum cold." "No synapses." "Vzzzzz, useless." "What's..?" "That?" "I extracted what I could." "Decomposing cells lowered the pH level." "Triggers a chain reaction in the nanites." "Helps the serum propagate, build upon itself." "Becomes more self-sufficient." "That's what's happening to you." "That's what's keeping you alive." "I owe life to him?" "No." "You owe your life to me." "Him... we don't need." "We've got you now." "Someone call you should." "Like who?" "The police?" "Relative?" "Just right." "You know his family?" "Do you know who we should call?" "Your sentence structure will improve." "So will everything else." "Soon you'll be firing on all cylinders." "Doc." "I feel odd." "How so?" "I feel things, I..." "Not like before." "I feel the feel of black." "My thoughts, they misconnect." "I don't straight think." "There are sensations you know should." "Tell me about them." "There is this weightlessness." "Freedom." "A single sound." "When everything stops inside you, one single sound is all there still is." "I heard the echo of my last heartbeat." "It's beautiful." "It lingers." "My headaches... they're gone." "Your work must continue." "It's important." "I want to be part of it." "Are you okay, Adam?" "How are you feeling?" "Ready." "Aggghhh agggghhh" "You're up." "What time did you wake?" "Now." "How long?" "Five days." "I kept you under to make sure you're healing okay." "You okay?" "Good." "Clothes fit you nicely." "Subject-Two resuscitation time 1:21 PM." "Don't call me that." "I have a name." "Documentation's objective, Adam." "It has to be." "It maintains the distance." "You can't let feelings take over." "Go lie down on your back." "Subject Two." "Faculties stronger." "Cognitives skills improved." "Neck wound healing nicely... and rapidly." "Abdomen wounds..." "no discoloration." "No bleeding... no swelling." "How are you feeling, Adam?" "No, no." "Lie back down." "Doc?" "The sound is gone." "It's very warm inside of me." "Let's get you going." "Doc?" "Come here." "Yeah?" "You have no idea what's going on inside of me right now." "No." "No I don't." "And apparently neither do you." "What's going on inside of you?" "I can stop all of it." "Let's get you up, get some new clothes, and go for a hike." "Get your strength back." "Oh God!" "My muscles are so damn weak." "It's just the serum." "You'll get used to it." "We gotta keep going." "Fuck." "Ouh!" "..." "You all right?" "Pins and needles." "It's going away." "Subject Two, experiencing easy fatigability." "Question:" "Neurogenic etiology versus vascular insufficiency." "Is it in the nerves or in the blood?" "Ehemm..." "Ahhh..." "I ain't picking you up." "Just taking a little breather." "We gotta go, it's getting late." "Hey!" "Ohhh..." "Ahhh" "It's all so out of touch up here." "Ever make it to town?" "Ever get lonely up here?" "As lonely as I need to be." "You know that delivery girl?" "Kate?" "I think she likes you." "She never met me." "She still likes you." "Likes the idea of you." "Hell, I like the idea of me." "I like the idea of her." "Adam, is there something that we need to discuss?" "No, I won't go see her." "I'm contagious, aren't I." "Why do you say that?" "I see the way you handle me." "The gloves, the distance." "That's why I can never see her again." "Or anyone." "Maybe that's the way it goes." "Live and die all by yourself." "No people." "We're up here together, you and me." "In this little box." "Above the clouds." "Overlooking the world." "Imagine when we come down from the mountain." "With this gift of fire?" "They'll never understand." "One day they will." "Yeah." "How are you feeling?" "Tired." "Good." "Hands hurt." "Not your wrists?" "No, no." "Feet, feet hurt." "Tingling." "A little burning." "Doc?" "Why did you choose me?" "We could've chosen anybody." "Preferably a medical student." "Young." "Smart." "But naive." "Strong minded and curious." "But the truth..." "Truth." "Truthfully..." "I saw a lot of me in your writings." "And I knew that no one would miss you." "You said "we"." "Mmm?" "Who's "we"?" "Subject Two." "Time of death, 9: 16 PM." "Same trail?" "Yeah." "Hey, Doc." "What are you shooting me up with?" "Steroids?" "Aahhhhhhhhh!" "hahooo!" "Aahhhhhhhhh!" "hahooo!" "ahhhhhhhh" "I can't take it." "It's so much, all of it." "Everywhere, it's... everything." "Yeah." "Mountains will do that to you." "It's not just that." "It's that..." "It's... a thousand new feelings every second." "A million." "It's endless." "There's no end to it." "Look at that sky." "Those trees." "You can lose yourself in those hills." "Ahhhh... ohhhh" "Ahhhhh!" "Adam." "Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!" "Are you in pain?" "No, don't touch me." "Ahhhhhhhhh!" "Ohhhhhhhh!" "Ahh!" "Ahh!" "Aaaah!" "Ahhh!" "Ahhhh!" "Ahhh!" "Ahh!" "Doc, kill me!" "Adam, I can contain it." "Aaaaaaah!" "No!" "Please Doc." "Please." "Just put... put..." "You're okay." "You're here." "Hold on." "Grhh... aghhh" "You're fine." "What happened?" "I kept you under for six days." "Sampled some spinal fluid." "Gave you some seizure medication." "Increased your gabapentin for your nerves." "No, I mean, what happened?" "You tell me." "It was like a nuclear bomb inside." "Every inch... every thing was hurting like crazy." "You had a reaction to the serum." "Your normal synaptic reactions seem to be amplified." "You feel too much." "I've made adjustments." "It shouldn't happen again." "Get some sleep." "Subject Two." "Concern over condition growing." "Nanites promoting generation." "Wounds healing." "But synaptic activity continues to increase." "Gabapentin has proven to be ineffectual." "Same as the seizure medication and sedatives." "Intensity of attacks increasing." "Duration unpredictable." "Solution..." "Help me!" "Please!" "Doc!" "No!" "Aaaahhh!" "My chest hurts." "This is for you." "I solved it, Adam." "You won't have those reaction anymore." "What did you do?" "Did you sleep well?" "Restless?" "Sorry about shooting you." "It wasn't very scientific." "Drink all of it." "There you go." "That should tide you over till dinner." "We are having leftovers." "Hey, Doc." "Thank you." "Thank you for helping me." "And... including me." "You're a genius." "Inaccurate and unnecessary." "Thanks though." "Adam..." "Someday you're gonna leave here." "And you won't need the formula any more." "You'll outlive me and everything else." "But I have to outlive you first." "Rest up." "Do you like your food?" "Are you eating any of it?" "I'm not a very good chef." "But you should taste it." "Why are my arms wrapped?" "I had to do some tests." "But why are they bandaged?" "I don't feel anything in my hands, Doc." "It's the local." "Why would you give me a local if I was dead?" "How are you feeling right now, Adam?" "I'm feeling pretty good." "Except for the fact that I can't feel my hands." "Taste your food." "I'm not a very good chef but you should taste it." "I'm not hungry." "Please, taste your food." "You see." "Your pains and reactions they are..." "Lewis and Clark, they didn't have a map." "They made one as they went along." "And that's what we're doing." "We're making one as we go along." "What did you do to me?" "The best I could." "That's what I do." "That's what I did." "That's what I had to." "You're gonna be fine." "You will be fine." "I'm dying ain't I?" "I'm really dying." "No." "No." "How are you feeling right now?" "Adam." "Ahh!" "I feel cold." "Good." "I want you to remember this feeling." "I want you to feel." "I'm not going to, will I." "Your pain your synapses" "I couldn't control it." "I couldn't stop it." "I'm not cold now." "No." "You won't feel anymore pain." "Please, dream about being cold." "Doc." "I'm out for my hike." "Click" "Fuck!" "Son of a bitch!" "Hey." "I'm so fucking sorry, man!" "Don't you wear a fucking vest, asshole?" "Shit!" "What's your name?" "What?" "I'm Adam." "Nice to meet you." "It's okay." "I'll get you help." "Take it easy." "And don't fucking die on me out here." "Don't die out here!" "Jesus!" "I'm not hurt." "It's shock." "Jesus!" "Fuck!" "Hey." "Where did you go?" "I'll get you help, man." "There's a cabin I passed back there." "Take it easy." "Geez!" "Help!" "Somebody!" "Help!" "Somebody help!" "Oh." "Fuck!" "Help!" "..." "Help!" "I think I killed a guy." "I think he's dead." "Great." "I got a wife." "Adam, what were you doing?" "He's dead, isn't he?" "No." "He's fine." "Dude, I shot him in the chest." "I nailed the guy." "No, no, no, no." "He's lost a lot of blood." "It looks worse than it is." "I gave him a shot." "I'm a doctor." "He's fine." "Look at him." "Hey, tell me what happened." "I was out." "I was just hunting." "Illegally." "And... he just came along." "Oh, shit!" "I'm gonna lay down." "You see?" "I told you it looked worse than it was." "But his eyes." "They're so white." "Look." "You had a scare." "Your imagination can run wild." "Especially up here." "These mountains can make a man a little mad." "I'm not making this up." "No, I'm not saying you are." "But as you can see, he's fine." "Hey, would you like to have a drink?" "No." "Are you sure?" "No." "I gotta go." "Are you really a doctor?" "He's in good hands." "You took care of him?" "He won't bother us." "Adam." "What were you thinking, going where the population goes?" "It threatens everything that we do." "It wasn't the population." "It was one person." "I had no idea." "I didn't even see him." "Do you want to be found?" "He already knew about you." "He knew about this place." "Other people know who you are whether you like it or not." "Nobody knows anything about me." "How did it feel, by the way?" "It didn't." "It doesn't." "It's like... death." "Yeah." "He's headed out now." "What do you mean?" "He's gone." "He's left." "You let him, go?" "Yeah." "He threatens everything." "You said it." "He was scared shitless, Adam." "He didn't know what the fuck he saw." "No one would believe him." "We're fine." "He's infected." "He touched me." "He was all over me when he put me in that sled." "What if he hooks up with someone?" "The serum doesn't last, it's not communicable." "Then I'm not contagious?" "What the fuck, Doc?" "You don't know." "The gun." "What are you doing?" "He dropped his rifle in the snow." "He's going back for it." "You're going after him?" "You coming?" "Adam!" "Shhhhhh!" "Don't be stupid." "Adam!" "Wait!" "Adam." "We don't even know this man." "What do you expect me to do?" "Someone is waiting at the bottom of the hill for him." "He is going to look for him." "He's infected!" "No, he is not!" "He is!" "I made you believe that to make it easier for you to stay." "Please, I got a wife." "Adam." "He has a wife." "Kids." "I got a wife." "We can bring him back." "No, we can't." "Let's get some shovels and bury the man." "That's it for him." "Come inside, Adam." "It's cold." "Is it?" "I can't feel it." "Yeah." "Well, you're not immune to frostbite." "So get inside." "You know I'm envious of him." "Imagine you can't think any more." "You can't feel your way through it all." "You don't try to make sense of it." "It doesn't hurt." "You just are." "Forever." "In your own vast eternity." "You're not dead, Adam." "I feel it." "That's the one thing I do feel is dead." "You are more alive than life itself." "You are everything that life wants to be." "You're endless, Adam." "Forever." "I'm leaving tomorrow, Doc." "Where would you go?" "You'll never see that girl again." "The world won't accept you." "Or me." "Away." "I'm just going to go away." "Get inside, Adam." "Shit!" "Blam!" "Jesus!" "Adam." "Adam." "I thought the snowmobile was broken." "I fixed it." "You should have let me die, Doc." "I did." "You were gone." "Yeah." "Your injury... it destroyed your synaptic pathway." "No." "Adam, don't you see?" "Your brain..." "I brought it back." "There's nothing special about the brain, Doc." "Ever thought of that?" "It's just life." "Nothing that can't be turned back on again." "Adam." "How are you feeling?" "You robbed me of my life, Doc." "How do you think I feel?" "I gave you life." "No." "You let me have the taste of it." "Then you took it all away." "I need you to take it away one more time." "I can't do that." "I'm not asking." "I'm telling you to have..." "You don't seem to understand." "The adjustments that I made they worked." "I have nothing." "You're here." "You're alive." "No, I have nothing." "There's nothing there!" "There's nothing!" "Nothing!" "I cannot feel anything!" "I cannot even feel myself," "I can't hear myself." "I can't hear my own damn heartbeat." "There's nothing there." "This gun... is nothing." "Is weight." "Dead weight." "I do not feel!" "I do not exist!" "You're here, Adam." "I'm not here!" "I am nothing." "Doc." "Please!" "Just kill me one last time." "Please." "I can't." "You have to, please." "You don't seem to understand, Adam." "I can't." "Give me the gun." "You can't." "I don't want to know what it's like to die." "I want to die." "Please, Doc." "That's all I want." "Please, please." "Ahhhh!" "Click" "Ahhh hhh" "Shit." "Congratulations Adam." "We did it." "Want some tea?" "Ahh!" "Ahhhh!" "Adaaaaaam!" "Where are you!" "Come back!" "We have more work to do!" "Adaaaaaam." "Come hoooooooooome!" "Mental Status..." "T. B. D." "Mental Status..." "T. B. D." "Adam?" "Mental Status..." "T. B. D." "Dr. Vick." "Hello Ethan." "I see you've been playing a little doctor when I was away." "I get it." "If the authorities come, you go back to your own self and say "Mr. Innocent"." "I get it." "How did you come back?" "!" "I pumped you full of serum." "There was nothing." "The brain damage was too severe." "Brain damage?" "Do I looked brain damaged?" "The serum is perfect, Ethan." "I made it that way." "Head trauma doesn't stop things." "It just slows it down." "You could decapitate me." "I'd come back for more." "And the side effects?" "I fixed them." "I solved it." "I perfect the serum, not you." "I did it." "You did nothing." "You're a trained monkey following in my footsteps." "Side effects!" "Ssssss!" "It's a shame what you did to that boy." "He was having seizures." "Extreme ones." "I saved his life." "Part of the process, Ethan." "If you knew what you were doing, you'd know that." "You didn't have to do a thing." "You're so damned impatient." "He was in so much pain." "Pain is necessary." "You need it to adapt." "If you weren't so numb you'd actually understand a few things about feelings." "You're a failure, Ethan." "That's why it should have been you." "Not me." "I'm sorry, Dr. Vick." "For what I did to you." "Yeah." "You need to know your place, Ethan." "You're an assistant..." "not God." "Here." "Have a drink, we still have work to do." "Drink it." "There you go." "It's okay." "Drink up." "Drink it!" "There you go." "Good boy." "Aghhh!" "Mmh!"