"Can I play?" "Do you have any marbles?" "Yep." "OK." "Thanks." "You're welcome." "So, what's your name?" "Louis." "Yours?" "Alan." "You're not from around here, are you?" "No." "I'm here with my parents for the day." "What?" "What's over there?" "Don't do that." "We're not even allowed to be here." "Come on." "Wait for me." "Let's go back down." "Nope." "Don't!" "Alan, don't!" "See?" "That wasn't so bad." "Just don't look down." "Louis!" "Come on." "See?" "It's steady." " Louis!" " I can't move!" "Come on!" "Alan, help!" "Wait!" "Here it comes." "Just relax." "You're doing great now." "All right." "Now, just a couple more seconds." "Here it comes, sweetie." "Just keep breathing." "All right, the head's crowning." "Very good." "Excellent." "Here we go." "One more big push, sweetie." "That's it." "Now breathe." "It's coming." "Push, push, push!" "Oh, here we go." "We have a boy." "Oh, is he OK?" " He's perfect." " He's fine." "He's fine." "A beautiful son." "Beautiful." "He's beautiful." " Are we OK?" " He's fine, honey." " He's beautiful." " Oh, he's perfect." "Congratulations, Dad." "Here he comes." "You did really well." "Oh, hi." "Oh, it's OK." "Beautiful baby boy." "You did really well." "He's got his eyes open." "He's looking at you." " What's his name?" " Danny." "Danny." "Danny, come here, sweetie." "Get away from the ants." "See, we have the best-fed ants in the neighborhood." "Come on." "Have to do that later." "Jason, my guys took your guy's gun." "Can't." "It's attached to his leg." "See?" "Oh, my God." "That's me, man." "That's me." "Danny, play nice with your brother." "What's that music you're using?" "I really dig it." "Whatever it is, it's terrific, man." "It really..." "I don't know... suits his life somehow." "So, Danny, you still drawing?" "Nope." "No?" "Didn't you want to grow up to be an artist?" "That's some of the opening sequence." "The rest needs some fixes and tweaks." "But right now, he's clocking in at one hour and 40 minutes." "Yeah, that's cool." "I just wanted to have a look... before the Rememory tomorrow." "You know." "You've done a hell of a job with him, Mr. Hakman." "You've done the son of a bitch right." "You're welcome." "I don't suppose..." "There was a fishing trip when we were 13." "Just Danny and I and Dad..." " At the cape." " Yes, that one." "My God, that day is still with me." "You requested it specifically." "It's there." "Well, I'll be off, then." "Closing Zoe project D. Monroe, rough cut 6." "Opening D. Monroe, scene 127-Q." "Jesus Christ!" "I told you to shut up!" "Danny!" "Danny, stop!" "You..." "You deserve this, bitch!" "No!" "No!" "God!" "Please... please..." "No!" "Stop!" "No!" "You're killing me!" "Stop!" "Scene 127-Q deleted." "EYE Tech introduces... the ninth generation of the Zoe implant... from our family to yours." "Do you think we'll be able to afford one?" "Yep." "I hope so." "Well, we can save." "It's worth it, I think." "Excuse me." "This girl was a complete wreck." "Drinking, drugs, in and out of schools." "Then she turns 21... and she finds out about her Zoe implant." "Complete 180." "She's born again." "Her knowing that someone would one day watch... transforms her into this kind, gentle, loving person." "So, what happened?" "She committed suicide." "Took a dive off her balcony... twenty-seven floors straight onto her head." "The implant was instantly vaporized." "Charming story, Hasan." "Please do go on." "Alan!" "This is a rare treat." "Alan!" "Michael, this is Alan Hakman." " Hi." " Hi." "It's an honor to meet you." "Mike is my new assistant." "What happened to Eddie?" "Eddie freaked out on me." "Strung too tight." "Hey, Alan, have you seen these?" "They are all over town." "These anti-Zoe hippies always seemed a little crazy to me." "But now they just seem crazy." "Listen..." ""It is not our place to see through other people's eyes." ""That is for God and God alone."" "Anyway, how's the Monroe project coming?" "Fine." " Just fine?" " Just fine." "Michael, it's your great privilege... to meet this man." "He's the best cutter in town." " Who's your assistant?" " I don't have an assistant." "I have a friend that's looking to get into the racket." "I don't work with an assistant." "You have something for me, Thelma?" "Straight to business." "I got a job last week that I passed on... and I think it's right up your alley." "You know Charles Bannister?" "His widow is looking for a cutter." "Bannister, the EYE Tech lawyer?" "He was out jogging and his heart collapsed." "Wait a minute." "EYE Tech let that footage out?" "Jennifer Bannister won the lawsuit against them... and claimed her husband's implant." "She insisted on having her own cutter, too." "And with good reason." "We could have taken that job." "After Caldwell, our schedule is wide open." "I don't like the ugly stuff." "It gives me nightmares." "And this pig Bannister... he's human garbage." "I took one look at the footage and sent it straight back." "She only hired me because you were busy with Monroe." "It's you she really wants." " I'm available." " Good." "Our friend Alan... that's his specialty, so to speak." "If you can't bear to look at it, he will." "I'll tell her you'll come by tomorrow." "She'll be expecting you." "We should actually go." "Oh, yes." "Rememory is in two days... and we're still cutting picture." "Goddamn last-minute jobs." "Thelma, come on." "It keeps you young." "Alan." "Hasan." "Oh, hey, Alan." "I've been working on... this new sorting program for the Guillotine... and I would really love to get your feedback on it." "Maybe another time." "Yeah, maybe some other time." "Put it in archives very gently." " Sure." " All right." "Delila, is suicide under self-help?" "What are you doing here?" "I just wanted to talk." "I'm busy." "Store's still open." "It's the 11:30 rush." "Books are flying off the shelf." "We close in 20 minutes." "This is exciting." "You've never had me over before." "You've always wanted to see my work." "Well, you're always working." "I'm curious about what takes up all your time." "Guillotine." "You're like a mortician... or a priest... or a taxidermist." "All of them." "I mean... you get to see life upon life." "Most of us get only one, if that." "What are people's lives like?" "Do they make any sense?" "It all seems so massive and so random." "Have you ever been to a Rememory?" "No." "Well..." "Once, a few years ago." "Whose?" "My ex-boyfriend." "But I couldn't take it." "I didn't stay." "Why not?" "Because it just wasn't..." "It wasn't him." "And I wanted to remember him my way." "Sit down." "Thank you." "It's like you read my mind, Alan." "I have this recurring dream where I'm aging backwards." "Wow." "What about all the bits in between?" "It's a miniature." "Concise, symmetrical." "That's the way the world looks to me... the way I see it." "How do you do this?" "It's what I was meant to do." "You were meant to live your own life, too." " Hey." " Hey." "The house was big... enormous... like this one." "We didn't care whose house it was." "It felt dangerous to be there." "It felt exciting." "I can see the grass." "I can hear it crunching beneath our feet." "And then the sprinklers came on... all around us... and we ran." "I remember that like it was yesterday." "Do you recall any moments with your daughter?" "This isn't long ago." "We were watching Isabel in a school talent show." "She was wonderful that night." "I think Charles and I both felt... what an amazing thing a family was." "We felt it together." "She was up there on that stage." "Oh, goodness." "Excuse me." "I know this is very hard, Mrs. Bannister... but it's important." "It's the foundation of a cutter's work." "I need you and your family... to help me choose those moments you want to keep." "I won't be able to do your husband justice... if I don't understand him through you." "I heard you were the best... that you would know how to handle Charles." "My husband was a great man, Mr. Hakman." "He deserves to be remembered as a great man." "After my initial cut..." "I will need to speak with Isabel." "Is that necessary?" "There's nothing that any one of you can tell me... that I won't know very soon." "Of course." "Yes." "Rom." "Please call EYE Tech storage." "Tell them Mr. Hakman will be dropping by." "Very good, ma'am." "Thank you." "I've..." "I've seen Rememories where the cutters were careless." "They had no respect for the dead." "The dead mean nothing to me, Mrs. Bannister." "I took this project because I respect the living." "Remember for yourself!" "Live for today!" "You are blasphemous, you freak!" "Why don't you people go home?" "Just go home!" "Show some respect!" "Open your eyes!" "I'm sorry, Mrs. Monroe." "It's never been this bad before." "So... this is him, huh?" "That's him." "Caroline, are you all right?" "You did very well." "Oh, hi." "Oh, it's OK." "He's got his eyes open." "He's looking at you." " What's his name?" " Danny." " Hi, Danny." " Oh, careful." "Hey, Daniel, we got some visitors for you." "Look." "Everybody's here." "Look." " There's your grandma." " Look." "That's Grandma." "How are you feeling, Eliza?" "I'm good." "I'm really good." " Excellent." " Look what I made." "That looks really good, Danny." "Now go wash out your brush." "Hi!" "Come on, Uncle." "Bring a steak for us." "Sit in the shade, honey." "So, Danny, you still drawing?" "Nope." "No?" "Didn't you want to grow up to be an artist?" "Not anymore." "No?" "What did you want to be, then?" "A doctor." "A doctor, eh?" "Clever kid." "That'll keep you in the bucks." "Why a doctor?" "Because I want to help people when they're hurt." "Would you listen to this little kid?" "You got a good heart, Danny." "And that's all you need in life." "Come on." "Be a good boy and eat your lunch." "Now I make the incision here." "Hand me the number 17, please." "Actually, Professor, I think the number 12... would be more appropriate." "Yes." "Correct." "The number 12." "Thank you, Mr. Monroe." "Hello there." "I'm Dr. Daniel Monroe." "I've seen you around the hospital these last few days and I couldn't help but notice the most beautiful woman here." "I was wondering if maybe you'd like to join me... for dinner sometime." "That might be nice." "You lasted longer than I thought you would." "Come on, Danny boy." "It's a strange profession you have, isn't it, Alan?" "You take people's lives, make lies out of them." "Fletcher." "It's been a long time." "Eight years." "Yeah." "I don't have time to catch up right now." "Come on!" "Speech!" " Say something." " Speech." "I want to thank all of you." "I mean that." "This is the best birthday I have ever had." "How can you handle it, Alan?" "People sleeping and shitting... people stealing from each other... manipulating each other... the obscenity." "I can't talk." "I'm working." "Well, now..." "I'm hurt." "That's not why I'm here." "I'm booked solid for the next two months." "No, no, no." "I don't have a job lead for you." "You do have something that I need, though." "What could I possibly have that you want?" "I know you've taken the Bannister project... and I want it." "Wow." "I thought you'd given up cutting." "I'm offering you $500,000 in cash." "Oh, what?" "The code?" "Would you forget the damn code and grow up?" "This is real life now." "Hey, did you change the color of our fishing boat?" " I would never do that." " Are you sure?" "Because I remember it being green, not red." "Weird." "All my memories in that boat... have it being green." "It just blew my mind." "Maybe it was green." "Will you excuse me?" "I have to go." "OK." "Rush, rush, rush." "Beautiful work, Mr. Hakman." "I'll keep you in mind for me." "Ah, yes, the questions." ""I remember it differently." ""Are you sure that's what happened?"" "Some of us still live by the code, Fletcher." "We didn't walk away." "We have what it takes." "And what does it take, Alan?" "Delusion?" "Obsession?" "Guilt?" "No, I don't have any of those... not as much as you do." "I'll be in touch." "Wait!" "He was such a good father, too." "When his son had the mumps?" "Oh, my God!" "My heart was in my throat." "That part with the partners." "Could you believe that?" "It's the Rememory your husband deserved, Caroline." "He really was someone special." "Thank you, Nathalie." "Yeah!" "Danny!" "Danny!" "Excuse me." "Mr. Hakman." "Mrs. Monroe." "Why are they tattooed like that?" "I'm not sure." "They're so grotesque, aren't they?" "Sorry about your loss." "Thank you." "Look!" "It's the cutter!" "Open your eyes!" "Hey!" "Back off!" "Back off!" "Keep your distance." "Receiving Zoe footage, Charles Bannister." "Processing 544,628 life hours." "Sorting life files." "Childhood... sleep... puberty... eating... awkward phase... romantic life... temptation... personal hygiene... religion... tragedy... wedding... masturbation... fears... athletics... growth spurt... university... violence... school... courtship... career..." "...these documents... and I'm quite concerned about EYE Tech's liability." "I think if any of this were to get out... it could be quite devastating." "We do have $1.2 billion that we wish to invest... and I'm just wondering, with EYE Tech, if there's..." "What do you think?" "I love it." "Thank you, Charles." "Hey, Joey, come help me build a sandcastle." "Here." "Use my shovel." "Happy anniversary, honey." "Is it keys?" "Hi, baby." "You still awake?" "No." "Daddy loves you so much." "You know that." "I love you, too, Dad." "Do you want to come down to my study?" "I'd like to show you what I'm working on." "What are you working on?" "It's a new case." "Come on." "OK." "So, how was school today?" "Good." "We read a book about Kipper, the Sparky Dog." "Kipper, the Sparky Dog?" "He's a very happy dog." "Daddy?" "What, sweetie?" "Can I have a pet?" "Well, maybe." "What kind of pet?" "Maybe a kitty." "A kitty?" "Of course." "Go on in, honey." " Daddy?" " Yes, sweetie?" "I want to go back to bed." "In a little while, baby." "In a little while." "Daddy loves you so much." "You know that." "And I love you, too, Dad." "Thank you." "Wasn't she wonderful?" " You look lovely, honey." " Thank you." "I'll tell Rom to bring up some more champagne." " Fine." " Would you like one, sir?" "No, thank you." "Isabel wanted to stay up and say hello... but the poor thing fell asleep." "It's a beautiful picture." "She's a very bright little girl." "Yes, she is." "Jennifer and I are very lucky." "We're very fortunate." "We're looking forward to spending..." "So, what's your name?" "Louis." "Yours?" "Alan." "Identity match." "Searching." "Come on." "No, I can't move." "I can't move!" "I know you've taken the Bannister project... and I want it." "I found something, Delila." "I mean, in a new project." "Something very important, and I have to explore it." "It's..." "A new cutting project?" "That's what you're talking to me about, Alan?" "Well, more than that." "Alan, you've seen so much life... and somehow you miss the point." "I mean, I haven't even heard from you... since that night at your apartment." "I need you." "Why?" "Why do you need me?" "There's no place for me with you." "You haven't even made room for yourself." "You have to separate yourself from that machine." "Yeah." "Yeah." "Alan?" "Alan." "You look like shit." "What happened to your face?" "This?" "Rather not elaborate." "Come in." "I mean, you decided that this scene, this event... is what made this woman who she was." "You've taken this woman's entire life... and drawn a straight line from this particular moment." "How can you make a decision like that?" "Whittling a life down to one..." "Michael, we have to make story decisions." "Otherwise, there will be no Rememories." "Yeah, I still don't buy it." "You don't have to buy it." "You just have to do it." "Trust me." "Alan, darling, you look spooked." "Sorry about the place." "The kid's mess." "I need to speak with you alone." "Michael, honey, would you run down to the store... and buy us some cigarettes?" "We've got eight packs already." "Then go and return them, sweetheart." "We don't need so many." "He's an emotional one." "Now... are you all right?" "I saw Fletcher yesterday." "Really?" "Yeah." "Fletcher." "Now, he was a great assistant." "What happened to him after he quit?" "He seems changed." "We kept in touch for a few years... and then his sister Laura..." "You remember Laura." "She had a son, died of leukemia." "He was only twelve." "She never got over it." "She spent days and days watching his unedited Zoe footage... stopped speaking to everyone." "And then she didn't even recognize who Fletcher was." "After that, he dropped off the map completely." "Think he could be involved with anti-implant groups?" "I've heard rumors... talk of them being organized by an ex-cutter." "I never thought it could be Fletcher." "He wants to buy Bannister's footage." "These anti-implant groups have become like religious fanatics." "They gave Michael one hell of a beating last night." "So it's not just talk anymore." "You know, if they want Bannister's life... the bastard's not worth fighting for." "Give the footage back to his widow." "Let her deal with it." "I can't give it back." "There's someone in that project I haven't seen for years." "I hate when that happens." "Oh, yeah." "He's at a party, in a crowd... never mentioned by name." "I've got to find him, though." "He's not a main character in Bannister's life." "It'll take the Guillotine days... to track his face through the footage." "Who is this person?" "Just someone from my childhood." "Bannister's life is my only lead." "OK." "Go through the family, snoop around... tell them you're doing research for the project." "It might be faster than waiting for the Guillotine." "Be careful, Alan." "So... how is it that you and I know each other again?" "We don't." "That's the wrong answer, pal." "We share a mutual friend." "Billy Finch." "Billy who?" "Don't play games." "I know you better than that." "I know all your little secrets, Oliver." "How do you know my name?" "I know that you suffocated those kittens when you were 13." "I know that that scar on your head was self-inflicted... and I know that you sold Billy the gun... that he killed his brother with." "They say that friends help you move... but good friends help you move bodies, don't they?" "I just want what Billy wanted." "A gun." "Take it." "Take it." "And these." "Take these." "Take them all." "Please go, OK?" "Just go." "Thank you, Ollie." "Take care." "I'm here." "Is this why you wanted to meet me here?" "I thought it would be safer this way." "How's Thelma doing?" "I can't give you Bannister, and you know I can't." "It's unbelievable, when you think about it." "One in twenty of these people has an implant." "How will that baby remember his mother years from now?" "Will he remember the special moments between them... or moments someone like you decides are special?" "My job is to help people remember... what they want to remember, Fletcher." "Ah." "Oh, that's noble." "But I don't think you understand the scope of the damage." "There is no way to measure... the profound effect the Zoe implant has had... on the way people relate to each other." ""Am I being filmed?" "Should I say this or not?" ""What'll they think in 30 years if I do this or that?"" "What about the simple right not to be photographed?" "The right not to pop up in some guy's Rememory... without even knowing you were being filmed?" "I didn't invent the technology." "If people didn't want it, they wouldn't buy it, Fletcher." "It fulfills a human need." "Alan, you take murderers and make them saints." "That's why we need Charles Bannister." "He was a public figure for EYE Tech... their star attorney... well respected, loved his family... gave to charity, and if you get through with him... that's all anyone will ever know." "But Bannister is the first EYE Tech employee... whose implant has left the confines of the corporation." "His widow fought for that." "We know she's hiding something about him and his daughter... and we're gonna find it." "EYE Tech's hands aren't clean." "Bannister's implant is evidence." "So you want to destroy EYE Tech with a scandal?" "Absolutely." "The press would go apeshit." "He's the perfect candidate." "I must have his footage." "Is this about your sister?" "Don't even say her name." "You don't know anything about that." "She has nothing to do with it." "These implants distort personal history... and therefore all history... and I will not stand by while the past is rewritten... for the sake of pleasant Rememories." "Tell me something." "Why is your name the first on the list... for cutting scumbags and lowlifes?" "Because I forgive people long after... they could be punished for their sins." "I know what you do." "Why do you do it?" "Do you know what a sin eater is?" "It's part of an ancient tradition." "When someone would die, they would call for a sin eater." "Sin eaters were social outcasts, marginals." "They would lay out the body... put bread and salt on the chest... coins upon the eyes." "The sin eater would eat the bread and salt... take the coins as payment." "By doing this, the eater absorbed... the sins of the deceased, cleansing their soul... and allowing them safe passage into the afterlife." "That was their job." "And what about the sin eater... who bears the burden of all those wrongs?" "Are you worried about my soul, Fletcher?" "I will have Bannister." "I can't give him to you." "You see that man behind me?" "I don't want to bring him into this conversation... but I will if you leave me no other choice." "Alan!" "Alan!" "Do you remember the moment... you first fell in love with your husband?" "Goodness." "How can you answer a question like that?" "The pier?" "Yes, the pier." "He had taken me down to the pier." "It was springtime." "We were walking, and he was going on..." "This was during college?" "Yes, I was in college... and I remember, I looked up at him... and I thought, this is the man..." "I want to spend the rest of my life with." "I just have one more question." "There was a man at one of your parties." " A man?" " Yes." "A man with glasses." "You may have noticed them." "They're very thick glasses." "Thick glasses?" "Mr. Hakman, how is this relevant?" "Minor people I don't even know have no place in the Rememory." "Family... career... community." "That's all I want." "Cut everything else." "Maybe I could speak with Isabel?" "Right now?" "It would be very helpful." "Yes, of course." "Isabel?" "Remember what I told you?" "Mr. Hakman wants to talk to you about Daddy." "It's for Daddy's Rememory." "Mrs. Bannister?" "We have a problem with the caterers." "Hi, Isabel." "Hello, Mr. Hakman." ""Mr. Hakman." That's very formal." "My name is Alan." "Beautiful house." "What's going on in there?" "Birthday party for Mr. Froggy." "Do you think Mr. Froggy would mind... if I took you away from the party for a minute?" "OK." "Who's that in your arms?" "My doll." "Oh." "What's her name?" "She doesn't have a name." "She's just a doll." "See?" "Isabel, your daddy..." "My daddy is the best daddy in the world." "He had a really big meeting one day... but instead, he took me horseback riding." "He would read me stories before bed every night." "Sometimes he would make it up as he went along... and I knew, but I didn't care." "Your mom said I was here to talk about your dad." "But we don't have to do that if you don't want." "I don't want." "OK." "Then we won't." "When I was a little older than you..." "I lost both my parents." "Not many people know what you're feeling." "Not many people understand." "But I do." "You don't want me nosing around, asking questions." "And you're right." "OK." "Alan... it's not really Mr. Froggy's birthday." "It's in a week." "Can I ask one question?" "And then I'm gone." "There was a man at one of your parents' parties." "The thing that's special about this man... is he wore glasses that were very, very thick." "They're almost like the bottom of a glass bottle." "Mr. Hunt." "I took him the invitation." "Mr. Hunt?" "Was his name Louis Hunt?" "He was my teacher." "Really?" "What does he teach?" "He doesn't teach anymore." "He died in a car accident a year ago." "It was very sad." "Did you have a Rememory, like for your father?" "I don't know." "We just had a day at school where we talked about him." "Thank you, Isabel." "Alan?" "Are you gonna fix what my daddy can remember?" "In a way... yes." "Can you make him forget that I... that I drew on his contract with crayon?" "I will." "And that I pulled Dottie's hair so hard... that she cried." "Will he forget that?" "He'll forget." "But make sure you don't." "Hey, Alan... would you relax?" "There's nobody following us, all right?" "This is a really big favor I'm doing for you." "You're lucky my cousin Karim is working late tonight." "Thank you." "So, what's this guy's name?" "Louis Hunt." "If he had an implant... there will be a record of it in here." "I could lose my job, letting cutters in here." "Come on, Karim." "Would I get you in trouble?" "They can track anyone accessing data from a computer, so this is the best I can do." "Please hurry." "Wait." "These are genealogies." "I don't know his family tree." "How do I use this?" "Hard copies are sorted by series numbers... alphabetically on the boxes... and then arranged by implant date." "He's the same age as I am... so it would be a 1500 series." "2000." "Oh, great." "Hunt." "No Hunt." "Alan!" "Alan, are you OK?" "I'm fine." "OK." "Hello, Mr. And Mrs. Hakman... and welcome to the EYE Tech family." "You've made an important decision." "You've purchased a Zoe implant for your unborn son." "What does that mean?" "Lmmortality." "No longer do our most cherished moments together... have to fade and disappear over time." "Remember, the Zoe implant is entirely organic... and since it grows... with your baby's brain and nerve centers... it's virtually undetectable." "When is the right time to tell your child... about their miraculous gift?" "By their 21st birthday... most carriers are mature enough to understand... and from then on, your son can live his life... knowing that always and forever... his experiences and adventures will be revisited and relished," "and that's what great memories are made of." "Congratulations." "Oh, my God." "That's me, man." "That's me." "You take people's lives, make lies out of them." "My daddy is the best daddy in the world." "It's unbelievable when you think about it." "One in twenty of these people has an implant." "When is the right time to tell your child... about their miraculous gift?" "What are people's lives like?" "Do they make any sense?" "It all seems so massive and so random." "This is real life now." "Don't do that." "We're not even allowed to be here." "You take murderers and make them saints." "Everybody's here!" " Just someone from my childhood." " Remember for yourself!" "What about the sin eater bears the burden..." "Get out of my head!" "Oh, no." "Oh, Alan... your phone call had me so worried." "I saw the mirror." "What happened to you?" "I saw something." "All right." "You cannot let your work get to you like this." "Please don't leave." "What have you got to eat in this dump?" "Not much." "Try looking in the cupboards." "The cupboard." "I saw that in a project I was working on." "An herbalist." "It looked interesting." "That's disgusting." "Well..." "I guess we order out, then." "I want to show you something." "I've never shown it to anyone." "What is this?" "Some implants have a defect." "They can't differentiate between what the eye sees... and what the mind sees." "What?" "What were these?" "Dreams?" "Yeah, dreams." "Daydreams." "Hallucinations." "It's so beautiful." "Where are you off to, Alan?" "Let's do this." "Oh, no." "Not now." "There's somebody up there." "This has to be clean." "No mess." "Clean, dirty." "It's all the same to me." "I think he's a cutter." "You want to do him?" "Yeah, I'll do him." "Hi." "You can follow her." "Now, you know how this works?" "No, not at all." "OK." "We draw synth tattoos... with electrosynthetic ink." "And it creates a magnetic field... which interferes with the Zoe implant... blocking it from recording audio or video... from that point on." "Now, first we do the audio tattoo... and we wait a week." "If you don't get a migraine and your system takes it... then we'll do the video tattoo." "Do I have to cover my whole face?" "No." "Those guys..." "they're just young and angry." "You want it discreet." "Very." "Yeah." "Will this hurt?" "Oh, yeah." "Fletcher?" "I'm armed." "What's the matter, Delila?" "You know that recurring dream I have?" "You know that recurring dream I have?" "Where I get younger and younger?" "I had it again." "I make you happy?" "Yeah." "Well, I make myself miserable." "That's just because you're silly." "You're silly." "How can you not be happy right now?" "I think the first books I read were really, really sad." "Why do they make children's books so sad?" "They're always terribly tragic." "Not so hard to make this thing play disks." "Not so hard at all." " Delila..." " Shut up!" "That was my old boyfriend, you bastard." "Is that why you wanted to be with me?" "Because you saw some proof that I'm to your liking?" "No." "These moments... they belong to me, Alan." "The good and the bad." "They're mine and his!" "Who are you to take them away from me?" "No!" "No!" "Don't touch me!" "A gun." "Who are you?" "Please, please, no." "Who are you, Alan?" "No!" "No!" "No!" "Why did you do that?" "Mine!" "You're still here." "Alan, this thing is junked." "The implant itself is severed." "God himself could not retrieve that footage... and you know that." "Then we have to access a different life." "OK." "Well, where is it?" "My implant." "What?" "The one in my head." "You want to take a shot, too?" "Everybody else has." "I deserved that one." "You deserve a lot more than that, Hakman." "Why didn't you tell us, Alan?" "Because I didn't know until I found the files at EYE Tech." "I never thought my parents could afford one." "Turns out, they took a loan to get it." "How could you not know?" "Because they died before they told me." "They never got around to it." "You know the code, Alan." "It's one of our central tenets." "A cutter cannot have a Zoe implant." "I need to access that footage." "I need it right now." "Yeah?" "Well, that's impossible." "Oh, no, it's possible." "It was done before by you." "An attempt to access footage while a carrier was still alive." "Yeah." "I performed that... and the woman never recovered, Alan." "And I will not try that again." "Then you know what it's like to be haunted." "One memory... one single incident has made me who I am." "It won't leave me be." "The guilt tears me apart... but now I got a chance to find out the truth." "I have to take it." "Alan, you brought an implant amongst us." "Why should I help you?" "If I try it myself, I'll die." "And I will try it myself." "We've been friends for too long, my dear." "I can't let you kill yourself, can I?" "But you understand, you can never cut again." "Yeah." "The last time I tried this, the woman's nervous system... shut down immediately." "It couldn't handle it." "She was a blank for the rest of her life." "Now, remember..." "I can't copy anything into a hard drive." "You can only watch." "You know exactly which scene you're going to?" "I sure do." "You have five minutes." "Anything longer than that is just too risky." "OK." "Christie." "I remember her." "It's me." "Alan." "Almost there." "There we are." "Come and get me." "Let's go back down." "Don't!" "I'll meet you back on the ground floor." "Hold on." "I'm coming." "No." "Wait." "Wait." "It isn't steady anymore." "Louis, please, just stop." "I can't move!" "OK, Louis, you can make it." "Just a few more steps." "Grab my hand!" "Wait!" "Alan..." " We're done!" "We're done!" " Alan, unplug it." "I can't." "Alan!" "Alan!" "Alan?" "I'm all right." "Do you have any idea how close you came?" "I saw him." "I tried to help." "I told him to turn around." "He wouldn't listen." "He fell, but... he was breathing." "It wasn't blood." "It was paint." "Now I remember." "Thank you." "Looking for this?" "The implant's history." "You better find yourself another perfect candidate." "Do you know how much planning it took... to make Bannister's footage available?" "Do you?" "He died of a coronary complication." "I was the complication." "Or didn't you get to that part yet?" "I guess no one will." "I bet he still keeps good notes." "Don't you, Alan?" "All of it?" "All of it." "It was a terrible accident." "Sometimes the older Guillotines can damage a Zoe implant." "There's no replacing your husband's life." "He deserved a Rememory... and a place in your Zoe family tree." "I'm sorry." "You will... waive your fee?" "Of course." "And you'll never speak of Charles to anyone?" "What can one do?" "Accidents will happen." "Perhaps some things are best forgotten." "Perhaps." "God, Isabel, you scared me." "Isabel, honey, what's the matter?" "Isabel." "Isabel, what..." "What's wrong, honey?" "Isabel." "A friend?" "Yeah." "Something like that." "I hear you're not cutting anymore." "I've had enough of other people's lives." "Stop, Alan." "I can't let you go." "What now?" "Word travels fast in my circles." "Word is, a cutter came in for a synth tattoo." "Word is that cutter is you." "You saw that implant." "It was destroyed." "It's useless." "You." "Bannister's footage is gone, but you've seen his life." "It's encrypted into your implant." "Will you look at that?" "Come and get me." "He had a very big meeting one day... but he took me horseback riding instead." "He would read me stories every night." "Sometimes he would make it up as he went along... and I knew, but I didn't care." "Your mom said I was here to talk about your dad." "We don't need to do that if you don't want to." " Daddy?" " Yes, sweetie?" " Alan, please!" " I want to go back to bed." " It's John's birthday." " We'll have meatballs." "Italian." "You love Italian." "A toast." " Happy birthday, John." " Happy birthday, Fletcher." "Thanks, Alan." "Alan, put the newspaper down." "Come on." "You gonna lighten up and be gay for a moment?" "It's for the greater good, Alan." "Your life will mean something." "I promise." "SubPack Por: ~GRuPoUToPiA~"