"¶ to all the people underground ¶" "¶ listening to the sound ¶" "¶ of the living people ¶" "¶ walking up and down... ¶" "Glad I got that second chair." "Don't get a lot of visitors out here." "Makes what friends I have left" "Feel bad to see me this way, I guess." "I don't have a lot to tell them." "Still broke." "Still love a woman." "Still can't have her." "I wonder what she'd say if she saw me this way." "I bet she'd love me anyway." "Don't take that bet." "I know she'd love me anyway." "She's programmed to." "Now, some might say that takes the magic out of love," "To know you are loved." "But what's still a surprise" "Is how much you" "Love her." "I loved her to abstraction." "To destitution." "I blew my fortune on engagements." "Now, only my love sustains me." "Love for a woman who doesn't exist." "That's my sad story." "You want to know the saddest part?" "It's the ending." "Seems like maybe love wasn't enough." "¶ ¶" "Are you having one of your headaches, my dear?" "I'm not my best." "Well, we'll have to do something about that." "Tell me, how long have you been having these headaches?" "I don't know." "Well, let's be mathematical." "Did they begin before" "Your three-month absence from the dollhouse?" "I..." "I don't know." "Do you remember being away from here?" "It wasn't nice." "Does a treatment sound nice?" "Hmm, I can see that it does." "Do you have something you want to tell me" "Before we schedule you for that treatment?" "No." "You choose pain." "I wish she'd say something about her absence." "Then all this could be over." "Are you certain she said nothing to you when you found her?" "No." "I told you." "She barely spoke at all." "She was in really bad shape." "She still is." "Yes." "One wonders how she managed." "Out there." "Alone." "The odds of an active in an infantile state" "Surviving outside the dollhouse, unprotected..." "I suppose we must take into account" "The fact that echo is special." "You're punishing her for surviving." "It's complete lunacy." "You're wrong, mr." "Ballard." "I'm very sorry for echo's suffering," "But we must have answers." "So if she floats, she's a witch?" "That will be all for today." "Thank you, dr." "Gholsen." "We'll pick it up tomorrow." "Until I'm satisfied that echo wasn't exposed" "To dangerous elements during her sojourn," "These sessions will continue." "Will you excuse me, gentlemen?" "I'll consult with my expert." "Expert on what?" "What does she think she's going to get out of echo?" "She doesn't expect to get anything out of echo." "She's using her to make you squirm," "And it's working." "I can't help it." "I don't like seeing her in pain." "I don't like" "Seeing her in pain." "I looked into her eyes and swore to protect her, same as you." "Before you." "Today, protecting her means not reacting" "While dewitt tortures her." "So man up." "You must have some suspicions." "No." "I find her in a perfect, childlike state:" "Simple, accepting and, uh, contradictory." "She's hiding something." "I'm telling you, if she did something naughty," "She's completely unaware of it." "She, however, is naughty" "And completely aware of it." "Let's stay on task, shall we, doctor?" "Oh, you don't like my remark, ms." "Dewitt?" "You prefer men" "To keep their natural urges to themselves?" "On the contrary, urges are my stock in trade." "I find identifying" "With those of my clients to be very useful." "But that's your sales pitch, I think." "In truth, you're very tightly controlled." "See, men wear" "Everything on the outside," "Including their genitalia." "Whereas, you are chastised for any suggestion of sexuality." "Punished, perhaps." "So goes the entirety of intersexual relations" "Throughout history, dr." "Gholsen." "I really don't see..." "No wonder you" "Despise that girl." "Echo." "She gets to be the virgin" "And the whore, and for both, she's, uh, celebrated." "Yes, very insightful." "Would you like a treatment?" "Oh, yeah." "Very much so." "That was a tiresome exercise." "I told you, brain science" "Is all about hardware and software." "There's no mystical in-between." "So tell me." "What's wrong with her?" "Why is she getting these headaches?" "Weirdly, I agree with dr." "Freudenstein." "There's no tumors, nothing physical." "It's all in her mind." "So she's perfectly normal?" "Normal as anyone else around here." "And I suppose" "There are some nonsensical scans" "To back up your report?" "Would you like to see them?" "These are the craziest scans I've ever seen." "I can't even look at them without going nuts!" "I know a conspiracy when I desperately try to avoid seeing one." "Did you tell dewitt?" "No." "So why don't you two crack open your little" "Chamber pot of secrets and tell me what's going on?" "Echo's not a blank slate." "She's a person." "What do you mean?" "She's self-aware?" "That's not all she is." "Everything you've imprinted her with for the last six months," "It's still there." "So she's got five people worth" "Of brains banging around up there?" "More." "She's got everyone alpha dumped into her, as well." "That's everyone." "He took every imprint she'd ever had." "I went in with a q-tip after!" "Didn't work." "She hasn't been wiped for months." "The wipes just push everything down," "But it all surfaces again." "And now," "She can control what and when." "She can control...?" "What does that make her?" "What is she?" "Mr. Ballard." "Please sit down." "I know that the exhaustive" "Health screenings I've been running on echo" "Seem misguided to you." "I know that you're looking for something" "That I don't think you'll finind." "Well..." "You see, in the dollhouse," "Things aren't always what they seem." "Echo, for instance." "Perfectly healthy." "That's good news." "Isn't it?" "I'm putting her back in the field." "She is our most requested active." "In fact, mr." "Pierce has already booked her" "For a romantic engagement." "So soon?" "What about the headaches?" "I take your point." "Romantic engagements can be a bit strenuous." "But..." "He's a repeat client of hers." "And "not tonight honey, I have a headache"" "Really isn't one of the excuses we allow our actives." "I thought you might need this." "Well, to echo's health." "To echo's health." "Echo..." "It's time for your treatment." "We never meet like this anymore." "I missed you, too." "Is she" "Still eleanor penn?" "Yes." "Is she still terry karrens?" "Topher, yes." "So she's a serial killer." "Only a little." "Right, only a little bit serial killer." "And we let her outside?" "She's in control, topher." "She's in control?" "Not you?" "Not paul?" "And who is "she" again?" "Does she still trust you with her life?" "And is that because she's programmed to," "Or just because you're" "A swell guy with a trustworthy brow?" "I like to think both." "Oh!" "She's here." "You're all here." "Nice to meet you." "We've met, topher." "Don't you remember?" "She's funny." "Is that a good sign?" "Um, so we're going to send you" "To a mr." "Frank pierce." "I mean, if that's okay with you?" "I do work here." "Okay." "Well, frank wants susan," "Who I guess is his wife?" "Whoa!" "No, she's his sister-in-law." "Susan, you are a heartbreaker." "So, if you could just hop in the chair for me." "Am I going to see frank today?" "Oh, my gosh!" "Oh, my gosh!" "I can't wait." "Got her." "Repeat engagement." "Had her filed away." "Shall we go?" "I am obsolete." "This must be what old people feel like." "And blockbuster." "Watching you in that cell in pain," "I thought about this part." "I knew that we'd come to the end of the torture at some point" "And we'd be back out in the field doing our thing." "And I thought," ""that's when we'll run."" "And you thought, "that's stupid."" "We'd end up in the same place, except worse," "Because it would be the attic." "I don't like this." "I don't like being your pimp." "I don't like it either." "Frank pierce isn't so bad." "He's actually kind of sweet in a hapless way." "Okay, fine." "He's not really my type." "But he's susan's." "And that's who I'll be when I'm with him." "Susan loves frank pierce dearly," "And cannot wait to be back in his arms." "And tell him what a horrible mistake I made marrying his brother." "He'll never make me happy." "I'm finally going to leave him." "You're doing the right thing." "Yeah." "Frank?" "Frank?" "You old softie." "How many roses lost" "Their lives for this?" "Oh, my gosh." "Did you cook?" "I've died and gone to..." "I can't snap her out of it." "Show me." "Echo, would you like a treatment?" "He said he had something special planned." "I think he was going to propose." "I'm sure of it." "She was hysterical when I found her." "Strong emotions have messed with imprints before." "Yeah, grief." "Echo said this imprint loved the guy." "This looks like over a week's decomposition." "And this engagement was arranged yesterday." "So who the hell made the appointment?" "His throat's been cut clean through the carotid." "But where's all the blood?" "He wasn't killed here." "He was posed." "This whole thing's been staged." "And we were meant to find it." "No, I was." "This message is for me." "For echo." "What message?" ""for my number one."" "Whiskey was number one." "Now, I am." "This is from alpha." "Alpha?" "What proof do we have?" "Aside from the note, nothing." "But it makes sense." "He's the only one out there with a kwledge" "Of this place and an obsession with echo." "I thought that was you, mr." "Ballard." "You're hilarious." "I want her back in solitary, immediately." "Why?" "Because if this was, in fact," "The work of alpha, then echo was his accomplice." "Do you know how crazy you sound?" "Echo was missing for three months." "It stands to reason someone was helping her." "If it wasn't alpha," "Who was it?" "Do you have an alternate explanation?" "Thought as much." "Find alpha and keep her locked up." "Clay corman, ex-ceo of comulus," "Ex-client of echo's,s, wad dead three days ago" "Outside of his crappy trailer in riverside county." "Throat was cut with a five-inch gut hook hunting knife." "Sheriff chalked it up to a meth deal gone bad." "That guy was a billionaire." "Where'd all his money go?" "Into that fine, ergonomic chair you're sitting in, among other things." "Blew everything on the dollhouse." "My ass does" "Feel very pampered." "This is brian chu." "Took echo on a month-long" "European tour;" "tried to marry her in vienna." "And this is megan krentz." "She did marry echo in san francisco." "It was a lovely ceremony." "Brian was murdered four weeks ago," "Hit and run." "And megan, about ten days ago-- shot." "These were romance engagements." "Maybe that's the pattern." "These engagements were special." "They were about love." "They loved her?" "Echo loved them." "And that's why alpha wanted them dead." "So who's next?" "Hey, buddy." "Got a smoke?" "Let me guess." "You've been done wrong" "By a man?" "I've been done wrong" "Ten ways to Sunday and it's Tuesday." "Well, how about a treatment?" "Sure, I'll take the treatment." "Why not?" "He already gave me the business, the bum." "Every johnny two step's" "Got a story, and his was no different." "Some skirt done him rotten," "So takes it out on me." "Yeah, well, just lay back." ""the dolls hold all the cards," he said." "Well, this is one doll who's gonna fold." "I never want to hear his name again:" "Alpha." "Excuse me?" "We're sure it was him?" "Myers was the handler." "He didn't get a good look at the client." "Mr. E. Hap." "Lasher doesn't exist." "And when you unscramble the letters..." ""alpha's here."" "Have we any engagements this month" "That he hasn't arranged?" "I don't book the clients." "All right." "We don't know who he's got to." "So, we suspend all engagements, put everyone" "Through the chair," "Wipe them all again." "I don't care" "If they haven't left the house since y2k." "Clean slates." "That's not all." "She said she had a message from alpha." "I thought that was the message." "She said," ""the next lover ages well."" "He wants us to be there this time." "Let's not disappoint him." "It's like he's giving away" "Free government cheese in there." "They do enjoy their treatments." ""the next lover ages well."" "So he's young." "Or he's old and looks good." "Any plastic surgery addicts?" "It's got to be simpler than that." "He wants us to find him." "Part of the game." ""aging well."" "Who's got a birthday coming up?" "That's it." "It is?" ""ages well."" "Somebody who knows how to celebrate his birthday in style." "Matt cargill." "Books echo once a year on his birthday." "Echo's crazy about him." "Party area's empty." "So's the room they stayed in." "Hold on, I think I see something." "You better get up here." "On my way." "Am I the only one who bothered to dress for this?" "I mean, the black works," "Because honestly, when doesn't it?" "It's functional, it's slimming." "But you" "You don't work" "For the federal government anymore." "Why don't you go with just a splash of color?" "Trigger device." "Yep." "Put it down, alpha." "If I do then he will become a splash of color." "I'm thinking red." "Help me." "Alpha, do not do this." "There's a part of you that knows this is wrong." "There are many parts of me that know that this is wrong." "None that care." "And six" "That just find it funny." "You know what's not funny?" "Is that she actually cares about these guys." "You know what I mean." "She loves." "But they're just using her." "Not even every part of her." "Just the piece that serves them." "They're wasting her." "So I'm going to waste them." "She doesn't know." "She doesn't remember." "Do not lie to me!" "We remember everything." "What did you say, about you and echo," "About your time together?" "Tell them what you told me." "Please, please, just let me go." "You said that she was amazing..." "And that it was what?" "Tell them." "I said it was a blast." "Who doesn't love a pun?" "Fall back!" "He's gone." "They both are." "Chris dunsford's on an international flight" "For the next 12 hours." "Angie dameron is in a safe house outside of berkeley." "Yoshi maru died of leukemia a year ago." "So who's left?" "Just one, joel mynor." "Mynor" "The internet guy." "The problem is, I can't track him down." "Two weeks out of the year" "He goes on some retreat and disappears." "Family members and business colleagues" "Insist they have no idea where." "D:" "So that means alpha won't be able to find him." "I imagine rebecca knows." "Rebecca, the dead wife?" "Rebecca, the imprint." "If she knows," "Alpha knows." "We have to find him" "Before alpha does." "Oh, no, no, no, no, no." "No, hey, I haven't done anything wrong, okay?" "You can't arrest me." "I'm not here to arrest you." "You know what, you kicked the crap out of me last time," "And I let it slide," "But I don't forgive when I'm on vacation." "So just get lost, fbi guy." "I'm not with the fbi anymore." "I'm with the dollhouse, and we believe you're in danger." "You're with them now?" "Wow." "You're a little bit of a freak, aren't you?" "I don't even know what to say to that." "Someone may be trying to kill you, mr." "Mynor." "We believe you'll be safest inside the dollhouse" "Until we find him." "No, not a chance." "I'm..." "That part of my life is over, okay?" "And I got rid of your girl's number." "And" " I mean, I'm getting married, okay?" "I have moved on." "Hi, joel." "Oh, I, uh..." "I've missed you so much." "You sure he'll be safe here?" "Yeah, as safe as he can be." "Baby, I'll be fine." "This spa looks super fortified." "I just don't want anything to happen to you." "Mr. Mynor, I'm so glad you're well." "Our staff will make sure you're comfortable until the threat has passed." "Thanks, adelle." "I hear congratulations are in order." "Your pending nuptials have made all the papers." "Thank you." "Our programmer, mr." "Brink." "He's been very eager to show you his toys." "And he can keep you occupied for days if, necessary." "Huge fan." "Huge." "Thank you." "Joel, can I stay with you?" "Oh, I don't see why not." "I'm afraid my active is in very great need of a treatment." "Okay, but, um, I can see her later, though, right?" "Of course." "We'll take very great care of her." "Let me show you around." "Sit." "There." "Tell me, which part" "Of "put echo in solitary" was unclear to either of you?" "It was an emergency." "So we're handing out day passes now?" "You both blatantly disregarded" "A direct order and then lied about it." "We had to act quickly." "Echo was the only one who could find mynor and bring him in." "You mean rebecca." "Rebecca knew how to get to mynor." "Of course." "I'm aware of your little cabal." "And I will not be managed." "We're sorry." "It won't happen again." "I need to find a more suitable location for mr." "Mynor." "We can't have clients roaming about the house." "Get her out of my sight." "And consider yourselves on a very short leash." "And the information is stored non-linearly" "Like the brain." "Want to see the hardware?" "I wouldn't mind" "A few pity compliments." "Oh, yeah, uh-huh." "Uh-huh." "Look, don't be scared." "I'm not." "It's just that this morning, I was engaged to a great girl," "And now I'm hiding out with my dead wife." "It-it never occurred to me that rebecca would still exist" "After I stopped coming here." "Makes sense, you know?" "I..." "You can't ever really delete a program." "Once it exists, it's alive." "Yeah, that's kind of the problem" "We're having right now with alpha." "Yeah, the guy who wants me dead-- who is he?" "Uh, in a nutshell," "He's this super genius serial killer" "Who imprinted himself with a bunch of personalities and then escaped." "Wait, what?" "!" "Nutshell, nutshell." "It's not as bad as it sounds." "He knows where this place is." "Technically, yeah." "Technically?" "Hey, it's all good." "We've totally revamped" "The security system and the countermeasures." "There is no way he'll break in here again." "Break..." "You said he broke out." "Uh-huh." "Judith, we need to find a five-star hotel nearby." "Something where an armed security detail" "Can be discretely accommodated." "Try the franklin." "It has a terrific pasta bar." "Also, you're almost out of paper." "All right, tell me the truth." "What do you think of the suit?" "You're quite the dandy." "It's a little brummell." "I've gone a little brummell." "It's better to look good than to feel good." "It's ironic." "It took 40-odd characters on the inside..." "For me to realize that it's" "What's on the outside that counts." "Let me freshen that for you." "Are you scared?" "Out of my mind." "Smart girl." "Of course, I could never be out of my mind." "I have so many, and the second" "I'm out of one, I'm right into the next." "I have you to thank." "If it's echo you want, I could send for her." "That's not very chivalrous of you." "I've moved beyond chivalry on to self-preservation." "Well, I'm not here for echo." "She's not ready for me yet." "The man we're protecting" "I'm having him transferred." "I'll be happy to furnish you with an address." "All this bargaining." "You don't have anything I want that I can't just take." "And I will" "When I'm ready." "But for right now, I have something" "I want to share with you." "I can't believe I made her come back for this." "She's safe." "Joel mynor's safe." "Nobody she loves died today." "Small comfort." "There's no comfort." "Not for echo." "I know that looking at someone else's holiday snaps" "Is usually such a bore, but I thought that these" "Might interest you." "Indeed." "What do you think of how I spent my summer?" "Most intriguing." "That's what I love about the british" "Your talent for understatement." "Also python." "Well, tally-ho then!" "In fact, what say" "We tally your ho's?" "How many you got down there" "These days?" "A couple hundred?" "More?" "Less?" "You can't hope to get to mr." "Mynor" "Without security intervening." "Well, we can always hope." "Why don't I have him simply sent up?" "What, with a puckish pinot?" "No, thanks." "I don't want to waste the element of surprise." "We'll go down." "We'll take the executive elevator." "Get your purse." "Boyd." "Get to joel mynor." "I'll go for dewitt." "Security alert." "God, it's good to be ba." "I imagine you put them all through the chair" "After you discovered the breach." "Why?" "No reason." "Southeast stairs." "Go to your man." "Time to send in the clowns." "This way!" "What the hell was that?" "Test of the emergency broadcast system?" "Hiya, joel." "Did they eat my brains?" "Topher, you're fine." "Joel mynor-- where is he?" "He's in there." "With alpha." "Get out of here." "Bait, meet switch." "Hello, lover boy." "Easy." "You'll pull something." "You're in for the ride." "You're not going to get loose." "One of my imprints was an eagle scout." "Another one was a sailor." "There's a dirty joke in there somewhere." "What are you doing?" "What every great philosopher since time immemorial" "Has attempted to do." "To answer the question, "what is this thing" ""called love-- this funny thing called love" "And who can solve it?" etcetera." "What?" "you, it's different." "And I want to crack open that egg and see what's inside." "What are you talking about?" "This..." "I'm talking about this" "You and my immortal beloved playing house." "It's probably my fault." "I'm the idiot that introduced the two of you." "Look at her." "Do you see that in her face there?" "What would you say that is?" "Lens flare?" "She has feelings for you." "Feelings." "Nothing more than feelings." "She shouldn't have those." "Not any that weren't put there." "How did you do it?" "I'm her handler." "Those feelings were put there." "No, that's not active handler face." "That's something else." "Could be love." "It's not." "Eh?" "Is an acorn a tree?" "And you, look at you!" "Oh, planted, watered, fertilized!" "You're wrong." "No, I'm not wrong." "I was there." "I saw everything." "There was nothing to see." "That's how I know that I am not wrong." "For months you shared the same room." "You never slept with her." "You could have, but you didn't." "If that's not love..." "Are you gay?" "No." "Then it's love." "Dewitt thought so, too." "How many are with you?" "And who are you, exactly?" "Do you want to talk, or do you want me to save your life?" "Come on, adelle, move your ass." "We can hug it out later." "Thanks." "Bedchamber." "What do we know?" "Sierra didn't just bring back a message from alpha," "She was carrying a computer virus." "When I wiped her, it must have infected the system." "He knew we'd put all our actives through" "The chair after that." "It's protocol." "Then he used that tone he used" "To remote wipe me to activate them." "Yet you're immune." "I'm like him..." "But not." "Isn't that lucky?" "He's got us chalked off." "How did you get away?" "He wasn't after me." "It was ballard." "What?" "Yeah, he has him in there, in that room." "Go." "We can defend ourselves." "Just try not to hurt them." "They're people." "There is something going on here." "But nothing more than the average bear," "So why do you get to be her honey, hmm?" "Well?" "!" "Hello?" "Huh." "When did you die?" "Maybe me trying to get into your head was the wrong approach." "We need to get to my elevator." "It's our only way out." "No, there's too many of 'em." "We have a cache of tranq guns." "They're in the upper utility." "Wait, wait." "My remote wipe device." "The one I designed for harding." "We were about to go into production." "The prototype's in the manufacturing room." "That's kinda not far, right?" "We can reach that no problem." "Go, now!" "So, do you think this thing will turn them off?" "Uh, should." "Otherwise, we might" "Have to shoot them in the brains." "We should try this first." "We don't have much time." "Won't take me a second to put this together." "You have to put it together?" "!" "It's the manufacturing room, not the "it's finished" room!" "Your boyfriend's dead." "You wanna snuggle?" "Too soon?" "You killed him." "He's dead." "Well, brain-dead." "You're upset." "I can see you're upset." "Hey!" "I'm the only one who should be mad." "I created you, and who do you fall for?" "The schmuck I used to get in here." "He's ten times the man you are," "And you're, like, 40 guys." "Is that why he didn't lay a hand on you during your three months" "Of the condor, because he was such a gentleman?" "This isn't like footprints on the moon." "Many, many men have come there before." "Face it, you are nothing but a science project to him." "I'm sorry, no, were a science project to him." "Get over it, babies." "Love the ones you're with." "To love me is to love yourself." "We're the same." "Playing in the mud won't make you an animal." "You were meant for a love supreme." "I could never love you." "Echo..." "Do you trust me?" "Paul?" "I'm sorry." "I thought we had more time." "He imprinted himself with you." "Do you trust me?" "With my life." "Then end mine..." "Please." "Do it." "Please!" "Did I fall asleep?" "Did I fall asleep?" "¶ if I walk down this hallway tonight, it's too quiet ¶" "¶ so I pad through the dark ¶" "¶ and call you on the phone ¶" "¶ push your old numbers... ¶" "Echo, I'm, uh, I'm gonna leave now." "He's still out there." "Yeah." "I..." "Somehow I don't feel like I'm much safer in here." "I mean, I have the resources to protect myself from..." "Almost anything." "Rebecca?" "Joel." "My joel." "You never told me about her." "What's she like?" "What's her name?" "Anne-marie." "And, she's, uh..." "Okay, I know you're not rebecca" "Okay, and-and neither is she." "And she could," "She could never replace..." "You." "You." "She's not supposed to replace me." "Rebecca wouldn't want that." "But she wouldn't want you to be alone." "I thought I was past it." "You don't get past it." "It just..." "Becomes a part of who you are." "You live on for me." "And-and I'm..." "So glad of that." "¶ it's the blaze across your nightgown ¶" "¶ it's the phone's ring ¶" "¶ I think last night ¶" "¶ you were driving circles around me ¶" "And you live on for me." "¶ you were driving circles ¶" "¶ around me ¶" "¶ I think last night you were driving circles around me. ¶"