"Guys." "I'm gonna pass out cookies in a minute, but first..." "I need you to fill out these test cards." "I want you to rate the features you like best." "You know, sound, weapons, game play." "And then in your own words, just tell us what you think of the game." "It sucked big time!" "And the monster looked like a Sesame Street reject." " It was not scary." " That blows." " So lame!" " Boring." "This game is supposed to be scary." "That's why we called it "EVIL-UTION"." ""We'll show you the face of evil" "Where death is the only escape."" ""Be afraid"?" "Do these kids look afraid?" " You guys are so canned." " What?" "But who's gonna finish the game?" "Well, starting over isn't gonna be easy, Miss Clayton." "But let's remember what this is all about-- 7.4 billion." "That's right-- $7.4 billion." "That's what the video game industry netted in profits last year alone." "These games are like crack to kids, only legal." "You know that." "But do you know how to hook 'em?" "How to separate them from their $7.4 billion?" "You scare them." "Yeah, Hardcore's my real name." "I had it legally changed a year ago." "I wanted Diablo, but it was already taken." "I plan to reapply for it when the other Diablo... passes on." "Today's kids have seen it all." "So if you want to scare them, you gotta be, like, out there." "Like, crazy." "Like these guys." "I started at Joystick Graphics when I was 12, but before that I was at Asari." "We were responsible for "Star Rumblers." I developed the sound effects driver... for that game when I was eight, along with "Lunar Loons."" "But I had to get out of that company on account of" " I don't really know why." "People say I'm annoying, but when it comes to crunch time they always call." "It's like, "Bug, can you do this?" "Bug, can you do that?"" "They never call Bug when it's time for, like, say a company picnic." "No, they never extend an invitation for old Gordo." "Gordon, which is my real name, but you can call me Bug." "Everyone calls me Bug, although I really don't know why." "But I have a few theories." "Back in 1985, I set up my first bug collection." "I took a magnifying glass" "Now, I know." "I know these guys seem difficult." "I know they seem unconventional." "The thing is... you can't expect some ordinary, boring dweeb to program you scary." "No way." "They don't know scary." "These guys do." "The name is Sol." "As in Solomon." "As in "the king that is wise"." "As in "the solution to all your problems."" "Why should you hire me?" "Why?" "That's just dumb." "That is a dumb question." "Why do they call that a chair?" "Why is the sky blue?" "Why are you dressed like a 32-year-old when it's obvious you're at least 56?" "This game will kick ass, because these guys are kick-ass." "They will give this game muscle, insanity, attitude." "I don't blame you for being scared of these freaks." "I am." "But that's what makes them perfect for this game." "So, guys, what do you think?" "It's a dump." "I love dumps." "Hi, everyone." " Welcome." " Who are you?" "Laura Wheeler." "It's a pleasure to meet you." "What game engine you responsible for?" "I'm not." "I'm just the intern." "You know, I make copies and feed the fish." "Clean up." "Cookie?" "Shit, you're a spy." "You're here to steal our work." " I'm the intern." " Sure you are." "Who sent you?" "Microsync?" "Compu-Rom?" "Who you work for?" "These are all chocolate chip." "You have any plain oatmeal?" "I'm allergic." "Careful." "You don't know what she put in those." "They're cookies, not hemlock, you paranoid sociopath." "Kids?" "The game?" "Oh, yeah, the game." "Where's it at?" "It's there, but the other programmers actually locked us out." " I tried to call, but they couldn't" " Guys." "You heard the man." "Let's work." "All right." "Let's go, let's go!" "Guys, I'm just tryin' to impress the intern." "Why?" "We're in." "Game on." "I thought we were working on a game and not a piece of shit." "I thought we were working on a game and not a piece of shit." "What congenital imbecile hired these quasi-coders?" "This is weak." "There's no plug-in for virtu-goggles, cyber-gloves." " This is grim." " But can you make it scary?" "That is why I hired you." "Guys, you remember Faye Clayton, the money." "Lady, scary's what we do." " Good." "You have four weeks." " What?" "Four weeks?" "I think I speak for everyone when I say "no fuckin' way"." "That's not enough time to even develop the architecture... much less the plug-ins for the 3-D sound." "I thought these guys were good." "Well, they are good." "They already hacked into the system and" "I know you guys are bad... but I'm not sure you're real bright... so I'm going to make this pep talk real simple." "Three things you need to know." "Number one:" "Time." "We don't have any." "Production starts in one month and we don't have a monster, much less a game." "Now, that's scary." "This here isn't!" "So forget the plug-ins." "Forget the sound." "Fix the monster, and fix it quickly." "This is ridiculous." " Do you know how long this takes?" " This isn't gonna work like this." " We need a little more time, okay?" " Number two: trust." "No telling what the competition might do." "Spies are everywhere... which is why we have security." "There will be cameras recording everything you do." "Each door is fully alarmed." "So if you were even thinking a nasty thought" "Total lockdown." "Nobody gets in or out." "I don't need this." "Last I checked, the 13th amendment abolished slavery." "Forget the sound?" "That's crazy." "We're programmers, not miracle workers." "Number three:" "A task group will rate your work... and based on the feature they like the best, there will be a bonus... of$1 million." "That's right-- $1 million." "Whoever makes the monster scary gets $1 million." "Share it." "Don't share it." "Give the little guy less." "I don't care." " I just want results." " Oh." "God." "You've got four weeks to get it right, people." "Four weeks to make me a monster." "I'm back." "I've got supplies." "You hungry?" "Fresh meat." "You shouldn't fuck with other people's stuff, spy, especially mine." "I just wanted to feed the fish." "Like it?" "It's called the "soul claw"." "Goes in clean... comes out messy." "Scary." "Scary is as scary does." "Which is why the bonus is all mine." "Why do you waste time with those damn things?" "'Cause you can't just let 'em die." "Sure you can." "If you wanna make it in this world, you gotta be PFD" "Programmed For Damage." "I got you some mouthwash... and deodorant." "Please use them." "God!" "What is with you guys?" "Can't you enter rooms like normal people?" " I'm sorry." " It's okay." "I'm sorry." "It's my fault." "Laura, actually, I was gonna ask you a question." " And if you say no, I can" " Hang on a second." "I got you something." "Acne Buster." "Extra-extra-strength." "What'd you wanna ask me?" "Stupid." "Stupid!" "Are you in here?" "Your childish antics... will not slow me down, Bug, you pimple-dicked runt!" "It wasn't me!" "A '78 Chateau Neuf." "Did Hardcore put you up to this?" "Can't I just bring you something every once in awhile?" "Don't ever play me, intern." "I need your technical expertise." "Of course-- you do." "Impressive." "Most impressive." " Did you steal this from Daddy's cellar?" " Something like that." "Anyway, if I wanna deliver nine gigs across a T-3 line... what's the best way to compress and encrypt the data?" "Big question for an intern." "Well. hopefully I won't be an intern forever." " What is that?" " I ran a search on the word "monster"." "There's a lot of heinous shit out there... and all of it's going on my million-dollar AI engine." "The test kids aren't gonna use words like "AI engine"." "But they will use words like "challenging", "exciting", "kick-ass"." "They're gonna know this ain't no Crackerjack game... you can just memorize a bunch of keystrokes to win." "This game is gonna help you think." "It's gonna learn as you play." "No game will ever be the same." "No game will ever be dull." "And your AI engine is gonna give EVIL-UTION a brain?" "No, better." "It'll give the game personality." "See, a game is only as good as its programming..." "Which is a direct reflection of its programmer." "It's a whole zen-flow, marriage-of-the-soul kind of thing." "And if you input all of this into my objet d'art, it's" "You'll get one psycho monster." "One brilliant psycho monster." "That's it." "Give me skin on that. baby." "What?" "You think those meat puppets are doing better work?" "You think I should be concerned with Bug's lame-ass musical sec-re?" "Well, Hardcore does have some pretty intense stuff." "He does?" "Really?" "Intense?" "That's funny." "I don't see a thing." "Goddamn it!" "Fuckin' machines!" "That's kind of unfair, don't you think?" "Well, you have to be mean... to make the green." "Fa ye, please." "The bonus is not helping, it's hurting." "These guys are overloading the system trying to outdo each other." "Yeah, Faye, I know it's your money... but we can't afford another overload." "I can't- I am being professional!" "Listen, these guys are pushing everything to the max." "If we don't get some more hardware, the whole system is gonna" "Hello?" "Hello?" "Goddamn it!" "Sol, we crashed again." "You figured that out, huh?" "Impressive." "Just fix it, will you?" "Back up the game... reset the phones, and do something about these overloads." "Yes, sir." "I'll gut right on it." "Laura, what are you doing?" "Well, I've been working on this idea that I have." "And actually, I was hoping that maybe after EVIL-UTION was finished" "What are you doing here?" "I'm sorry." "I'll get out of your way." "That's not what I meant." "Look." "Young attractive girls like you... do not hang out with grubby, desperate geeks like us." "Not by choice." "I'm serious." "Now, you should be out there living it up... looking for your Mr. Big." "You know, a friend of mine tried that." "She found her Mr. Big, or so she thought... until his trust fund ran out." "Still, she's gotta be having more fun than this." "I'm sure it was a blast for a while... until Mr. Big suddenly became this asshole stalker... and graduated to Mr. Get-Your-Hands-Off-Me." "So..." "I think I'll take my chances with the geeks." "Well, the geeks are flattered." "So, what's your idea?" " Now?" " Yeah." "Really?" "Okay." " I'm gonna fucking kill you!" " Bring it on!" "I'll kill you, you little twerp!" "Not again." "You pussy You fight like a lesbian biker bitch!" "That's funny." "You look like one." "Goddamn it, guys!" "What the fuck is going on?" "We don't have time for this." "You told me to fix the overload problem, right?" "Well, here it is." "This pig rewired everything so he could gorge the mainframe with his crap." "Hey, this crap can filet your know-it-all little ass." "Maybe, but it won't get you any closer to my bonus!" " That'll be the day!" " Get out of my face!" "Stop it!" "Stop it!" "Stop trying to kill each other, and start working on the game." " I am working on the game." " No, you're not." "You're working on that bonus." "I mean, Jesus!" "You guys are stupid." "Do you know that?" "You think all this is worth a million dollars?" "Well, it isn't." "It's worth more." "A lot more, and Faye knows that." "Only it's not gonna be worth shit if we don't finish." "Now, I know you guys don't like each other very much." "Hell, I don't like you." "But if this game does well, we all do well." "There'll be bonuses for everybody... and then we will never have to see each other again." "But first, we have to finish the game!" "So please, don't overload the system and don't fight." " Okay?" " You got it, boss." "Why don't they just share the bonus?" "You'll learn, intern." "You'll learn." "I'm a really big fan, Julie-- Miss Strain." "Your work in Heavy Metal 2000 to El Chupacabra... the way that you handle a" "A sword is just a perfect blend... of brawn and beauty that we need for our game heroine." "My agent said this was an acting gig... and I only drive in the rain for acting gigs." "This is." "In fact, these games require a lot of acting." "But in our line of business, we call it a "motion capture."" "So, where's the camera?" "Actually. we'll be using an Apex 1600 telemetry suit." "It's real next-generation type stuff." "It's got shape memory alloys and everything." "A group of electronic impulse sensors linked with a computer digital model... records your every muscle movements" "So, where's the crew?" "Get off." "Here's your wardrobe, honey." " You're kidding, right?" " You're right." "We don't need these." "My agent said no nudity." "Miss Julie, we need to scan you." "And in order to get the best digital transfer... it's essential to keep all analog interference to a minimum." "Which means no jewelry, no shoes and no clothes." "Hey, we just wanna get all of you in the computer, honey." "You boys want to see the big guns, we renegotiate." "I want options." "Don't play dumb with me." "I know these games are big business, so I want in on the IPO..." "I want preferred stock, and none of this crap that you dump on the pension funds." "And I want it in writing." " Not a problem." " It's all good." "Great." "Who's scanning me?" "Okay, honey, strip." "Untie me, damn it!" "Untie me!" "This is unfair!" "This is so unfair!" "You guys suck!" "I brought her in." "I should at least get to play with her too." "Shut up, Bug." "Oh, fine." "Yeah, fine." "I see how it is." "You guys are just jealous because my game module's the best." "Well, go ahead." "Have your little fun." "Then let's see who gets a chance at the bonus now." "Give it up, little man." "This game's as scary as white rice without my Al engine." "But without my weapons, what are you gonna do-- think someone to death?" "Without my sound... all you guys have are a bunch of mimes on crack." "Shut up, Bug." "So, where's my mark?" "Anywhere you'd like." "The remotes in the suit are fully charged." "Hey, is this thing safe?" " Absolutely." " A hundred percent." "All right. then, what do you want me to do?" " Jump." " What?" "Jump." "You know, up and down, sol can calibrate the system." "Okay, my turn." "Come on." "What's going on here?" " What now?" " No problems." "It's all under control." "What you doin' later, honey?" "Because you've got a nice" "I said hands off, creep!" " That's it." "I'm out of here." " No, don't go." "Shit." "I think we lost everything." "It serves you right for tying me up." "Now, we have to do her all over again." "Yeah." "Do her again." "Guys, give me a status report." " I'm down, Captain." "My hands are tied." " Mine too." " Sol." " I'm working on it." " Well, what?" "wrong with it?" " Looks like the power surge... fried out most of the IC chips on the motherboard." "In English." "We're down." "Total system overload." "Shit!" "I'm on my way." "Anything I can do to help?" "Yeah." "Pray." "I told that idiot not to overload." "Listen. can I just remind you we're days away from test group?" "If we have to start over, we're fucked." "Thanks." "That's just the Kind of Kick I need to motivate my black lazy ass." "So what are we supposed to do if the system's down?" " I don't know." " You could help me clean." " Maybe we can get out of here." " Yeah." "This place is starting to smell." "Well, the good news is, the mainframes fine." " Well, thank God." " But the code's corrupted." " We lost everything." " Goddamn it!" "But I finished the backup." "All our work is right here." " How long to load it all in?" " Well, we got a lot of stuff here." " Probably gonna take all night." " That sounds like a one-man job to me." "Yeah." "Sol can handle it." "Like hell." "I'm no data-entry clown." "Come on." "I'll do it." "You guys get out of here." " Just tell me what I need to do." " Well, it's simple." "All you have to do is defrag the hard drives... and run a batch relink on the media files." "That was in English." "You know, for someone who's on his third software company... your technical skills are sorely lacking." "Remind us again why you're the boss." "You're supposed to be Mr. King Business." "What are you doing in this dump?" " Yeah, why are you the boss?" " Because I get you guys the big scores." "Oh, yeah." "And that's what happened with the Wild Tangent gig?" " And the Compu-Rom debacle." " And now this-- the big score." "You guys think you could do better on your own?" "You're welcome to try." "Charming personalities like yourselves... should have no problem getting work at the Burger Palace." "All right, then." "Who stays?" "I'm okay." "How about Laura?" "I could stay behind and help her get started." " Yeah, give it to the intern." " Leave her alone." " Don't you think she's done enough?" " She's the intern." "Okay." "We'll draw straws." "Yeah, that's easy for the tech retard to say." "I mean, you're useless." "You don't have to draw." "Yeah, draw straws." "How pre-military industrial complex." "You guys have a better idea?" "Hey, guys." "What's goin' on?" "Okay, game's not fully finished... textures aren't rendered, and this is still a rough draft." "But tournament mode does work... so the first person to lose all their lives stays the night-- no excuses." "Oh, yeah." "You boys are ripe for the pickin'." "Game on!" " Here come the pain." " Which one moves backwards?" "EVIL-UTION." "In the great eruption of Mt." "Edo... a break in the earth opened the gate way to hell" "For thousands of years, we have held back the demons below." "Now, the forces of evil have a powerful new overlord." "He has overrun our defenses." "You are the last hope." "You must destroy the overlord." "Stop the EVIL-UTION." "Kill or be killed!" " All right, here we go." " Here we go, boys." "Let's do this." "Yes!" "Come on, man!" "You suck, you guys." "I'm on top of this." "I'm dominating the world." "Time out." "Defective controller." "Come on, baby." "Let's" " Come on." "Come on." "Motherfucker!" "Which one of you crackers disconnected me?" "Come on, now!" "I demand satisfaction." " It wasn't me." " It was Bug." "I just said it wasn't me." " You did this!" " I didn't do it!" "Give me mine back!" "Give me back mine!" "Oh, come on." "This sucks!" "Shit!" "I'm out." "I taught it that." " Get ready to be taught." " Come on, guys." "No fighting." "This is not about fighting." "This is a killing." "Go, Laura." "Girl got game." "Ms. Pac-Man champion three years in a row." "We're a long way from Pac-Man, little girl." "Ten bucks says Miss Pac Man kicks your ass." "Shit, Drummond." "Ten bucks?" "Why don't you make it hurt?" "Actually, I got 50 on the intern." "I got two hundred and twenty-six." " No way you win." "No way." " Come on, Laura." "Come on, Laura." "Kick his ass!" "You know why Pac Man was so popular?" "It was a whole metaphor for the '80s." "It's like all the power and greed." "You know, gobble up as much as you can as fast as you can." "Hostile takeovers, leverage buyouts." "Oh, look." " There's a power pellet." " Shut up, Bug!" "Not fair!" "I couldn't nuke 'em." "The fuckin' sword blasters don't work." "Yeah, they don't." "That's just too bad." "Loser." " Beginner's luck, intern." "That's all." " Shut up, shut up." "She's still in it." "You need some more life points." "Grab some of that armor." "Oh, my God." "That is scary." "Not bad, guys." "Still a lot of work to do." "Not bad." "Sol, you make those fixes to the game tonight?" "Got 'em right here." " With or without the Al chip?" " With." " And you'll back up the changes?" " Yes, of course." "What?" " You need anything?" " Yeah." " A night away from you losers." " You got it." "I'm goin' out and gettin' piss-drunk." "Oh, yeah?" "Well, I'm gonna get me a girl and two tubs of Cool Whip." " Cool Whip?" " I'm lactose intolerant." "Don't worry, guys." "I'll be back." ""The computer." "It's more than just a box of wires." "It's an extension of our own humanity... only a thousand times more powerful." "If you believe that the computer can expand our abilities... then why not expand upon our instinct to care-- our capacity to give?" "If we did that, we could make every day like Christmas."" "My God." "You hate it." "No, no." "It's" "The thing is, no one really cares about giving." "People are far more interested in taking." " That's a pretty dim view of things." " Is it?" "Think about it." ""Rook takes pawn."" ""I'll take Park Place." "Winner takes all."" "Every game in the world is judged by who can take the most." " This isn't a game." " Everything's a game, Laura." "You're either a winner or you're a big fat loser." "So this job is what?" "Like, just a giant game of Twister?" "Yeah, right foot, green, EVIL-UTION takes off." "Left hand, yellow, Faye sets us up with first-run financing... a place of our own, business cards, the works." "We win if we deliver." "If we don't, we spin a left foot." "Red." "The game is gonna be great, Peter." "I mean, home run." " And it couldn't happen to a nicer guy." " Don't say that." "Nice is not a luxury you can afford in this business." "Winners aren't nice." "You do not get your name on the building by being nice." "Who are you kidding?" ""Nice is not a luxury you can afford."" " Peter, you are a great guy." " How do you know?" "Maybe I'm not." "Maybe I'm a real pig fucker." "Yeah, right." "You gotta toughen up, Laura." "Life doesn't give you enough time to be nice-- only efficient." "If you keep putting your trust in things like "good" and "mercy"... you're gonna lose every single time." "It's not much c-fa choice then. is it?" "I mean, you either become this monster... or be a victim." "You'll learn, intern." "You'll learn." "All right, it's magic time." "Come on!" "All right, all right, all right." "That's my million-dollar baby." "Oh, dang." "Come on, come on." "Come on, now." "Don't get uppity with me." "All right." "Let's work." "Game's finishing itself." "But that's impossible, unless" "Oh, yeah." "My Al chip." "Nothing artificial about your intelligence. baby." "Nothing at all." "Let's see what else you finished for me." "Let's do this." "Yeah, baby." "Hello?" "Motherfucker!" "Burn, baby, burn." "Hello?" "I have got to get me some "me" time." "Where you at, bitch?" "Impressive." "Most" "Sol, what's with the mess you left downstairs, man?" "Bug, don't freak out." "Goddamn it, Bug!" "What the hell's going on here?" " What happened to Sol?" " He's dead, Bug." " Sol is dead." " But how?" "I don't know." "He was like that when I came in." "Who would've done this?" "I mean, why?" "And the back-up disc is missing." "Who do you think did this-- Microsync, Compu-Rom?" "Does it matter?" "Pick one." "Fuck!" "Fuck!" "We have to call the police." "Wait a minute." "Hold on." "Let's just think about this." "Think about what?" "You call the police, they're gonna lock this place up." "Whoever stole that back-up disc can beat us to the market with a copycat game." "Yeah, but Sol is dead." "And?" "And he's" " Well, he-- You can't" "He's fucking dead." "Hardcore!" "Jesus!" "Of course." "Come on, Bug." "Are you happy with your shitty little life?" "Don't tell me you dress like that because you choose to." "Shut up." "You just don't want the police to take you back to your little cage." "No, that's not it, man." "Let's face it." "The market's getting tougher." "The big scores are all but gone." " This game's our last chance." " What-- to see what prison's like?" "Oh, please." "You already know." "What did you do with your big night off?" "Go out with a couple of friends?" " Meet your future ex-wife?" " It's none of your goddamn business." "You did nothing, Bug." "You went home and fell asleep watching TV." "Shit, we might as well have stayed here at work, right?" "Failures the worst prison there is." "You eat alone, you sleep alone." "No one gives two shits about you." "No one." "Not even the interns." "But it doesn't have to be like that- not anymore." "We can finish the game, get EVIL-UTION out first and cash in." "But how do you explain that?" "He couldn't take the pressure and bailed out." "Whatever." "All we need is a couple more days." "The backup disc is still missing." "The game's still playing on the mainframe." "All I have to do is add my sound module." "That's one less person eligible for the bonus." " What's wrong?" " How do I know you didn't kill him?" "The same reason I know you didn't kill him." "I'm gonna check the security cameras." "Hey, Laura, wait!" "Can't have the intern beat me to the office." "I overslept." "Thank you for dinner last night." "Next time, I'll bring forks." "Good morning." "How you doin', bug?" " What's going on?" " I'm good." "Everything's good." "Everything's really good." "Are we back in business?" "Good." "Get in there." "Goddamn it, Sol!" "Good morning, Hardcore." "Where's Sol?" "Beats me." "I think he took off." "His car's still here." "Hey, wow!" "Brownies!" "Thanks, Laura." "Hey." "What's wrong with him?" "Nosy little bitch." "Oh, God!" "Ah, shit!" " What's up, boss?" " Have you seen Sol?" " I need the backup disc." " Hey, don't worry about it." "I'll take care of it for you." "But stay away from the mainframe." "Last thing I need... is some Ivy League know-nothing fucking with my shit." "Fine, just get it done." "Yeah, get out of here." "Some boyfriend." "No." "Shit." "Goddamn it!" "God, Bug!" "What are you doing?" "I'm finishing up the monster's voice." "In the bathroom?" "The acoustics are better in here." "Ready to die?" "Sure, Bug." "Whatever." "Laura, why-- What's wrong?" "I just need to make a phone call." "Do you know how to reset the phones?" "Did you try Drummond's cellular phone?" "Not yet." "I will." "Thank you." " Sure." " In a minute." "Goddamn it!" "Shit!" "It's gonna be one of those days." "Laura, I can clean it up." "I can do it." "It's fine." "It's fine, Bug." "I got it." "Come on." "Son of a bitch." "Bullshit, they're deleted." "Yes!" "Gotcha." "Okay, let's see who's fuckin' with us." "What the fuck?" "Son of a" "Come on, Jeremy, pick up." " Sol and Hardcore are at it again." " What?" "Hardcore, did you move Sol?" "Because I can't find him" "Bug, listen." "There's something freaky goin' on here, man." "I knew it." "I knew you killed Sol!" "I knew you killed Sol!" "It was the telemetry suit." "The suit did it!" "Just check the security camera." " Don't take another step closer." " Bug, shut up and listen!" "I know it sounds crazy, but the suit's alive, man." "It killed Sol, and it tried to kill me." " Please don't come any closer!" " Bug, shut up and listen!" "I'm tellin' ya, I didn't touch Sol." "It was the suit." " Shit!" "Where is it?" " Help!" "Somebody, help!" " What is it?" " He killed Sol!" " Where is it?" " Guys, what" " He killed Sol!" "Look!" " Sol's dead?" "It wasn't me." "It was the suit." "It was the goddamn suit." "Okay, okay." "Listen, big guy" "Leave." "Everybody out." "Okay, Hardcore, let's talk about this." "Okay?" "All right?" "Come on, man." "Leave now!" "Okay." "All right." "I'm leaving." "Come on." "Where are you?" "Shit!" "You want Hardcore?" "Come and get some!" "Let's get it on!" "I knew something was up when Hardcore didn't want me" "Sol's dead, and you knew?" "We have to call the police." "Give me the cell phone." "I'll 9-1-1 his ass right now." "Call him." "Oh, shit!" "Help me!" "Help me, please!" " Oh, shit!" " Open up!" "Oh, Jesus!" "Oh, shit!" "Oh, shit!" "Oh, God!" "Lines are all dead." "This is not good." " What the hell's goin' on?" " I don't know." "But best guess?" "Yes!" "As near as I can tell, it happened yesterday with the power surge." "The storm must've nailed a transformer, causing a surge of such magnitude... that it overloaded the entire system." "Which normally isn't that bad, but with Hardcore rewiring the system... and God only knows what Sol was doing with the AI chip... the combination must have had a devastating effect on the mainframe... causing a complete in verse of code." "That's just a guess." "You know how the telemetry suit works?" "The suit moves, the computer records it." "The suit is linked to a digital model in the computer." "Whoever controls the suit controls the model." "Somehow during the surge, everything got reversed." "What's goin' on?" "You guys stop this!" "So the computer's controlling the suit?" "And the computer's playing the game." "Houston, we have a problem." "Wait, wait." "Stop." "Hardcore and Sol are dead because this thing is playing a game?" "Our game." "EVIL-UTION." ""Kill or be killed." "Where death is the only escape."" "Can't you just stop the game?" "I can't." "It won't let me into the system." "Well, then can't you shut the system down or just turn it off?" " Good idea." "Let's do it." " We can't!" "Why not?" "In English, Bug." "The backup disc is missing." " Bug, who cares?" " The backup disc is the only copy... of the game that we have outside the mainframe." "We shut down the mainframe, we could lose all the data, all the programming." "Well, can't we run one of our utility programs... and recover our work?" "Well, even so, you can-- You can rebuild the game, right?" "I can recreate the music." "And the sound effects." "What about the Al engine?" " That was Sol's." " The weapons?" "Jesus Christ." "Didn't you guys ever work on anything together?" " So we lose everything?" " Well, not everything." " We'll still have our lives." " Yeah." "Our miserable, pathetic, poor lives." "God, you guys." "What are we doing?" "This game is not worth dying for." "Guys?" "Guys?" "Come on, Bug." "Come on, Laura." "Look at me." "I'm not stupid." "I know what people think of me." "I know what I am." "What are you talking about?" "They just haven't spent time with you." "You have." "Tell me." "Would you kiss this face?" "Be honest." "Maybe." ""Maybe."" "Well, I'm tired of being a "maybe"." "I wanna be a "yes"." "I need that bonus." "I need this game." "You really think that money's gonna do all that?" "Yeah, I do." "Laura's right." "I'll go." "I'll shut it down." "No, I'll go." "At least I still might be able to save some of the work." "You go, we'll lose everything for sure." " Just a "maybe", huh?" " A definite "maybe"." "Okay, come on!" "Go, go, go!" "All right." " What?" "What?" " What's taking so long?" " I'm looking for the back-up disc" " What?" "If that thing killed Sol, and the back-up disc is missing... it's still playing the game;" "it wouldn't take the disc." "But, fuck the disc!" "Shut it off!" "Come on, come on." "Look, I'm trying to save our livelihoods here." "All right?" "This is a delicate piece of machinery." "You can't just flip on a switch and walk away like some fucking light." "Fine, fine, just hurry it up." "All right, the RAM board is connected to" "Guys?" "The 3-D board is connected to the SCSI." "The SCSI is connected to the-- what?" " Hurrying." " Good, 'cause it killed the camera." "What do you mean, it killed the camera?" "Oh, Jesus." "Oh, man, oh, man." "The SCSI is connected to the what?" "To the what?" "To the red wire." "Red wire." "Red wire." "Bug, are you all right?" "Where is it?" "Where's the monster now?" "Don't shoot!" " Shut it off!" "Kill it!" " Jesus!" "Red wire." "Goddamn it!" "God" "Come on, you son of a" "Shit!" "Come on, come on." "God, give me something!" "Come on!" "Okay." "Shit." "Shit!" "Shit." " You okay?" " Yeah." "Is it gone?" " It didn't work!" " No shit!" "Can you kill it?" "All right." "What do we do now?" "Get outta here!" " Come on!" "Why's the door locked?" " Security system's fried." " Well, override it!" " I'm trying!" "Oh, come on!" "Don't tell me I'm trapped in here!" "Wait!" "Where is that thing?" "Laura, it's Jeremy." "I know you're in there." "I can see your car." "Hello?" "Jeremy, I'm in here!" "I need your help!" "Please!" " In here!" "We're in here!" " Help!" "Help!" "Jeremy, help us, please!" "We're in here!" "Come on, baby." "Open the door." "Are you trying to punish me?" "Is that it?" "Fine." "Be that way" "You know, I don't need this shit, Laura!" "Why don't you go fuck yourself?" "Why don't you go fuck the freaks while you're in there?" "I know that's what you fuckin' want to do, right?" "Fuck!" "Laura, you better fucking hide in there, you fucking bitch!" "You fucking whore!" "You fucking slut!" "Fuck you!" "Fuck you!" "Fuckin' stay in there and die, bitch!" "Fuck this." "Laura, it's okay." "It's me." " Okay." "That hurts." " Oh, my God." "Here." "Jesus, Laura." " It's nothing." " Sorry." "Thanks." "Come on." "We're gonna use the air ducts to get outta here." " What are you looking for?" " A way out." "See, we didn't have time to build the game levels from scratch." "So you used the building layout." "Okay, if we just follow the air ducts" "What's that over there?" "Right above the fire engine under Edo's point." "That's it." "That's how we get outta here." "Roof vent." "Oh, please." "Oh, come on." "This... isn't... happening." "I don't wanna die!" "Fresh meat." "Damn, that was scary." "Damn, I'm good." "Programmed for damage." "Yes, you are." " Scary is as scary does." " That was always my favorite." "Shut up, Bug." " What?" " Careful." "Spread out." "These panels can't hold both of us." "Do you think we're gonna make it?" "Sure." "Left foot, red." "Just a tough spin, but we'll finish the game, right?" "That's not what I meant." "Bug, where are you?" "Somebody help m" "Ready to die?" "Maybe." "Definite maybe." " What was that?" " I don't know." " Get back!" "Get back!" " Oh, my God!" "God, what was that?" "Hold on." "We're coming." " Oh, my God." " Laura, careful." "Shit." "I'll check the front door." "Come on, damn it!" "Open!" " Hardcore's Palm Pilot." " What?" "Hard-cores Palm Pilot has wireless access." "It's gotta be here somewhere." "Okay, you e-mail for help." "I'm gonna get this door open." "Gross." "I got it!" "No, I don't." "It's controlled by the digital model, and the model is playing the game." " So, how do we get outta here?" " We beat the game." " Okay, I'm in." " This gonna work?" "Yeah, if I can kill the monster." " Think you can win?" " Gonna try." " This isn't Ms. Pac-Man." " Yeah, I know." "Kill or be killed" "Damn." " Game over." " Goddamn it!" " What is it?" "What's wrong?" " It's learned all my moves." " It's getting smarter." " It can't do that." "It's just a game." "It's not." "It's everything." "It's Hardcore's intensity and Sol's attitude, even Bug-- it's all in there:" "all the fighting, all the greed." "All that shit is in there, and it's gonna get us killed!" "Good." "I was wondering when you'd learn." "Here." "Try it with these." "Ripe for the picking" " What?" "What is it?" "What's wrong?" " It's here." "Where?" "I could swear it was here." "It's only me." "Laura, I promise you, if that thing gets near to you at all... it's gonna have to kill me first." "Where'd it go?" "Game on." "Shit." "Oh, shit." "Come on, where is it?" "Where is it?" "Come on, come on, come on!" "Shit." "God, where is it?" "Yes!" "No shit!" "Shit." "The back-up disc was never missing." "You took it." "You're the spy." "You were gonna sell us out from the start." "Laura, thank God you're all right." "Where is it?" "How could you?" "Laura, put the gun down." "Trust me." "I'm" "Don't say that." "My boyfriend" "My ex-boyfriend used to say that." "Tell me why." "Why?" "What answer do you want to hear, Laura-- greed?" "That's too simple... even though Compu-Rom is paying me a lot of money for this." "Ambition?" "No, selling out your own company never looks good." "Mom needs an operation." "Wouldn't that be nice if it were true?" "See, I wish I could boil it down to one convenient answer for you, intern... but the thing is, if you have to ask... then you really haven't learned a damn thing, have you?" "So don't ask me why." "Ask yourself:" "Why not?" "But what about your deal with Faye" "The business cards, your name on the building?" "Who cares?" "That Kind of thing may impress your folks. but out in the real world... money is the only way they keep score, darling." "Even if it means killing Hardcore and Sol and Bug?" "Hold on." "I didn't create that monster." "They did." "You said it yourself" "All that fighting, all that greed." "Put that into a computer and, yeah, you get a real scary mess." " Just like the real world, right?" " That's right." "The real world is messy because people are messy." "Now, maybe you're too naive to believe that... or maybe-- you're just too stupid to learn." "Either way, that fact separates us into the haves and the have-hots." "It makes me a decision maker and you a doormat." "It makes me a winner, and you a lo" "You fucking bitch." "Oh, that's good, intern." "That's really good." "You're finally learning." "It's over for you." "Over?" "Oh, please." "I'll tell the jury it was the pressure." "It was my childhood!" "It was the game!" "Because no one wants to believe... that we're capable of such darkness all on our own... that deep down inside we're all monsters." "So it's not over." "Not yet." "That's not what I meant." "Oh, shit." "Hey, pigfucker!" "Game on." "Come get some." "You'll learn, intern." "You'll learn." " Yes!" "I rule!" " I beat it!" "I told you I could beat you!" "I beat you!" "I think we have a winner." "I don't approve of the mess left behind, but I can't argue with the results." " Good job, Laura." " And?" "And thank you?" "Three things." "One: the bonus." "The million-dollar bonus, I believe." "But you're an intern." "Yeah, but you are happy with the game." "Pity nobody could back up your story that Drummond committed the murders." "Compu-Rom claims that they've never heard of him." "And there's no security footage." "Seems odd, don't you think?" "Two:" "Microsync releases EVIL-NATOR this fall." "I know the name sucks, but it is remarkably similar to EVIL-UTION" "AI engine, scary monster." "Practically identical, I hear." "Be a shame if they were to beat us to market." "Not a chance." "They're months behind us." "How could they Po" "Three:" "It's like you said-- you never know what the competition might do." "Spies are everywhere." "Miss Wheeler, the new intern's here." " Fine." "Send her in." " Okay." "It's not scary, it's shit." "Yes, I'm looking at it right now, and it's not scary." "You know, I don't want to hear this." "I just want you to fucking fix it." "I really appreciate you taking the time to do this, Miss Wheeler." "Opportunities like this are rare." " Even more so" " Do you have a question?" "Okay." "Sure." "What's the most valuable lesson you've learned in your career?" "Stupid question." "Next?" "What's the most important asset for a woman to have..." " in her line of work?" " Next." "Fine." "What's the secret of your success?" "You're kidding me, right?" "Look, Miss Wheeler, I am trying to be nice here." "Don't." "What?" "Don't be nice." "But why?" "Because the world is not nice." "It is complicated and it is messy." "It is overflowing with arrogance and greed and uncertainty." "It's a lot of heinous shit." "It's a world where bad wins out every single time." "Now, maybe you're too naive to believe that... or too stupid to learn it." "But if you believe in the good and mercy of others... you will always lose." "You will always be the victim." "And then you'll learn, intern." "You'll learn."