Dark Matter (2024) s02e03 Episode Script

1
["I Don't Live Today" playing]
[people chattering indistinctly]
[friend 1] But he's rich.
[friend 2] Oh, yeah.
You and I both know that paper
was largely constructed by his post-docs.
Probably, but it'll be his name
on the royalty check.
- [friends laughing]
- That's right. Are you trying to kill me?
Oh, my
Hey.
Oh, my. The prodigal.
[chuckling]
Glad to see this motley crew
is still alive and kicking.
And still meeting
at the same old watering hole.
[friend 2] You did not just call us old.
- [friend 1] Mm-mmm. Look at you.
- [friends chuckling]
[Jason chuckles]
No, I just felt like I needed to,
you know, plug into the brain trust.
- [friend 3 chuckles]
- [friend 1] No.
Look here, look here,
it's a thrill, uh, that you've graced us.
- It's been too long. Years.
- [friend 3] Mm-hmm.
- Yeah, I've been hyper-focused on work.
- [friend 2] Mmm.
Just like when you were my student.
[laughing]
Listen, I will always be your student.
- [friend 3] Mmm.
- [friends chuckle]
[friend 2] All right,
so are you just dropping by to say hi?
Or do you have something for us?
I just might. Maybe.
- [friend 2] Oh.
- Yes.
- Bring it.
- Okay.
Everybody here is, in one way or another,
involved in the same basic pursuit.
On one hand, we're all just trying
to make sense of the universe,
- our place in it.
- [friend 2] Mm-hmm.
And the work that we do
creates technological change
that leads to cultural change.
So, the question,
how do we deal with
the uncertainty of work
when we do not know the outcome?
But how does anyone deal with the
uncertainty of unintended consequences?
Well, this is fair,
so let me use my old research
as an example.
As you all know, we achieve superposition
on a small scale, on particle scale.
But what if that research led
to being able to
put a human being in superposition?
Wait, so they could access
other realities and return to ours?
- Sure.
- [friend 4 stammers, sighs]
Okay, um, to understand the future,
we only need to look to the past.
We know what will happen
because we've done this all before.
[friends] Mm-hmm.
[friend 4]
Consider the invention of sailing ships,
which helped so many
reach strange new worlds.
[scientists cheering]
Now, these voyages led to discovery,
uh, commerce,
but also to the spread of disease,
colonization,
- slavery.
- Slavery.
[stammers] Consider our lifetime's
big bad, the Internet.
Repository of all information,
shining capitalism.
But also depression,
isolation,
- uh, cruelty, misinformation.
- Yeah, that's right.
Uh, we built these great connectors
of minds and ideas,
and most people just
simply use them to masturbate.
- [friend 5] Speak for yourself.
- [chuckles]
- That is not true.
- Not true.
Dr. Dessen poses an ethical question.
Should we do a thing?
In this case, Dr. Kendall's analogy
of Europe's exploration/invasion
of-of the new world
- I'll see you.
- Right.
but on an infinite scale.
Well, certainly the consequences
are unknown
Bye, baby.
vast,
and obvious.
It would bring forth everything beautiful.
And everything terrible.
[friend 5 scoffs]
So, if it can be done, should it be done?
I'm sorry, but the question is pointless.
If it can be done, it will be done.
Hmm.
[friend 1]
Humans, we can't help ourselves.
- [Dr. Kendall] Precisely.
- [friend 2] You are not wrong.
[Dr. Kendall] Which is why the ship,
uh, space exploration,
the bomb, AI.
There's no stopping advancement
because there's no stopping the human ego.
Combine that with the curiosity and
desire to explore and we are unstoppable.
If we can imagine it, we will create it,
and the consequences of our creation,
it will be a reflection
of humanity itself.
Just as Richard has already said
so perfectly,
"Everything beautiful
everything terrible."
[intriguing music playing]
[gentle music playing]
[knocks on door]
- Hi.
- Hi.
[sighs] Uh, assuming it's not too early?
- [chuckles] I'm offended you'd even ask.
- [drink pouring]
[chuckles]
[Mitchel] He's spotless.
Um, I'm still digging into his team,
but I haven't found anything
that would explain
any sudden technological acceleration
or any connection to MacNamara Tech.
I wanna know how he beat us to market
with a microprocessor.
And I hear his next announcement, it's a
[stammers] a portable telephone.
Well, you should get someone inside.
Well, you should come back
to the family business.
I like my freedom, Sheila.
[Sheila] What's this about?
Hmm.
So last fall
Come on, I wanna know more.
It was your first day at school.
How was it?
[Mitchel] And this guy comes in asking for
a background check on his own family.
Plus, new credentials for himself,
his wife and his kid.
- It was pretty good, actually.
- Yeah?
I, uh I met this kid named Eduardo.
He's in my art class.
Uh, we'll probably end up hanging out
at some point this week.
Well, maybe you should invite him over.
To our hotel room?
Uh-uh, our new apartment.
When I get the package in the mail
from my PI in the Bay Area--
that's where this family's from--
she's included surveillance photos.
If you like it, which I think you might,
it's ours.
It certainly feels
a little like home to me.
I'm not following.
My PI misunderstood the assignment.
She spent the day surveilling this family
in San Francisco.
I'm still not following.
Sheila, this family was in San Francisco
and in Chicago at the same time.
[tense music playing]
- Second floor on the right.
- [chuckling]
So, um [sniffles]
Hmm?
Does that mean
I'll finally destroy the box, my love.
[Mitchel] So I start following him.
And several times a week Jason
goes to this abandoned school
and works on this.
[grunts]
[Sheila] What's it do?
[Mitchel] No clue.
But I don't think he knows either.
Recently it looks like
he's been trying to destroy it.
[Jason grunting]
[Mitchel] So I'm at the school one day,
taking pictures,
and this couple turns up.
They walk to the cube. Step inside.
They don't come out.
So I make my way down.
I open the door and there's no one inside.
They had just vanished.
That's impossible.
Yes, it is.
[tense music building]
["Yours" playing]
There's no way, man.
Yo, I want one of those.
For what?
- I don't know. It looks cool.
- [chuckles] Nerd.
- Bro, keep playing, bro.
- Okay, yeah, no.
[music continues]
You guys heard that new Glass Daisy song?
Nah, I listen to a bunch of underground
music you've probably never heard of.
I listen to everything. Try me.
Tyler, the Creator.
No?
[chuckles] Billie Eilish.
Um Nirvana.
[chuckles] Never heard of them.
Oh.
- Told you.
- You win.
[both chuckle]
Here's a mix of some of my favorites.
Thanks.
Make me a tape of
some of the music you mentioned.
Uh, yeah. Yeah, sure.
[friend]
Did you play sports at your last school?
- [Charlie] No.
- [friend] Good. Sports are boring.
[chuckles] Yeah, totally.
[Charlie chuckles]
Do you skateboard?
No, I have terrible balance.
I could teach you.
Maybe.
[chuckles]
[wind howling]
["I Can Never Go Home Anymore" playing]
[grunts]
He asked for a skateboard.
[Jason] Oh, you got one, right?
- Yeah, I picked it up today.
- Oh, good.
- It's in our closet.
- Great.
Hey, what do you want for Christmas?
[sighs]
How about a little bit more saltpeter?
- [chuckling]
- It's so festive.
Yeah, well, I still got to fill up
most of the 30-gallon drum with it.
Mmm. When do you think it'll be finished?
[sighs] It's a little tedious.
You know, I still got to work out
how to detonate it,
without [imitates explosion]
blowing myself up with it.
- Mmm.
- Yeah.
Yeah, don't do that.
- Don't do that?
- Mm-mmm.
Okay.
- [sighs]
- [breathing heavily]
I'm getting strong
Charlie Brown Christmas vibes.
Oh, yeah?
- Yeah.
- [chuckles]
And I love it.
It's our first tree in a new world.
Mm-hmm.
Stay here. I have something for you.
It's just like the first one
we bought together.
I thought it might be a good place
to start our new collection.
- [crying]
- Hey.
Sorry.
It's okay.
I drove, uh
[inhales deeply]
by the old house the other day.
And I [breathes shakily, stammers]
I just keep thinking about it.
[breathes heavily] I I miss it.
I miss our life.
I know.
[sniffles]
I do, too.
[melancholic music playing]
[Daniela inhales sharply]
Well, look what we do have.
[chuckles]
[Jason sniffles, chuckles]
[chuckles]
[clicks tongue] Yeah.
[sniffles]
- And you're right.
- [sighs]
It gets a little bit better every day.
- [chuckles]
- I got a new job.
- Really?
- Mm-hmm.
Where?
[chuckles]
[patrons chattering indistinctly]
["Santa's Got a Lead Sled" playing]
Thanks.
Uh-huh. It looks pretty good.
Here you go. You ready?
Okay. Thanks.
[ballad playing]
I'll be back.
[breathes heavily]
[groans]
["The Mission (M Is For Milla Mix)"
playing]
[coughs]
[pants, grunts]
[grunts]
[coughs]
[grunts]
[coughs]
[coughing]
[grunting]
[panting]
[music continues]
[Daniela breathing shakily]
[announcer] Number 68. Six, eight.
[audio distorts]
[music continues]
[chuckles]
[chuckles]
[breathes heavily]
[grunts]
[grunts]
[sighs]
[water trickling]
Okay.
- I can't believe I ran into you.
- It's crazy.
Uh How long has it been?
I don't know, um, years.
Years and years, like
- Three. [chuckles]
- Five.
I was gonna say, it was right before
we moved to California,
- but no, you're right
- Yeah.
- it's five years.
- Five.
- Excuse me.
- Oh, okay.
- Did you
- Yes.
- Looks
- 100%.
Wait, he he taught English.
Yes, English. But hated books.
Because he was always
writing a better book.
- Oh, my God! Exactly. [chuckles]
- [gasps] Wait.
Wait, no, I think I remember. It was
a serial killer stalking a novelist.
Mr. Stobbe.
- No. Mr. Stobbe. [chuckles]
- [chuckles]
- That's Mr. Stobbe.
- [chuckles]
[grunting]
[huffs]
[breathing heavily]
[metal clanking in distance]
[thudding]
- [wind whooshing]
- [metal clanking]
[gasps]
[breathing heavily]
[clanging]
[high-pitched clang]
[clanging]
Got you.
Well, I was away for a while, actually.
I came back six months ago.
Where'd you go?
I sort of became a nomad.
I bought an RV and I just traveled
across the country for a couple years.
- Wow.
- Yeah.
That sounds really fun.
Yeah. Yeah.
I think I was by myself
for a bit too long, but
Um
- [clangs]
- [grunts]
[grunts]
[grunts]
[grunts]
So, uh, do you miss California?
Very much.
We had, um, amazing friends.
And Charlie loved his school.
So honestly,
it's been a little hard being back.
[chuckling]
[announcer] Number 70. Seven, zero.
I think that's me. Wait.
- Yes. [chuckles]
- Oh, well, uh
Just-Just take my number.
Just give me a call. I just
I'd love to grab dinner
- or something.
- I'd love to.
Nice to see you.
[grunts, pants]
[scoffs]
[breathes heavily]
[tense music playing]
[people chattering indistinctly]
[tense music building]
[monitors beeping]
[voice on PA] Critical response team
to negative pressure one.
[patient groaning, coughing]
Critical response team
to negative pressure one.
[monitors beeping]
[people chattering indistinctly]
[patient 1 gasping, breathing heavily]
[indistinct chatter on radio]
Doctor.
You sure?
As sure as I can be.
The clear vials are the vaccine.
The blue vials are the treatment
for the infected.
We couldn't source them
from the same place.
- I'm sorry it took a little longer.
- [patient 2 crying]
Are you kidding?
If this works, you've saved us.
So what happens now?
We've back-channeled
with Velocity Pharmaceuticals.
They're willing to start production
and seek approvals in tandem.
That's good.
Wanna see him?
[pensive music playing]
Yeah.
[monitor beeping]
[patient 2 groans]
[ominous music playing]
[breathing heavily, groaning]
Wanna talk to him?
He may be able to hear you.
And hearing familiar voices
can bring back cognitive function
even though it's not visible.
[audio fading]
[gentle music playing]
[students chattering]
[birds chirping]
The USAF board is sweating me
like a whore in church.
I'll call Dick Bradley.
There he is. How was school?
[sighs] Boring.
Yeah?
What are you working on?
Secret stuff.
Is this the new round
of hypersonic propulsion?
[chuckles]
Well, it's a long ways from ready.
But why don't you stay, listen in?
Because this will all be yours someday.
[monitor beeping]
How's he doing?
[Dr. Springer] Not out of the woods yet
considering his age,
but he has a chance now.
You want to talk to him?
[pensive music playing]
Let him rest.
[Dr. Springer] You sure?
Yeah.
[breathing heavily]
[Charlie] Could you read that one again?
[exhales heavily]
[Daniela] Uh, what is something
that you're passionate about and why?
[Charlie] Nothing.
- No?
- Mm-mmm.
- [sighs]
- [Daniela] Okay, how about this?
Describe a time when
you overcame a significant obstacle.
When I was 16,
my family was forced to leave our house.
Uh, my school, their jobs,
all of our friends,
and get into a box created by
another version of my dad.
Charlie,
you're gonna have to take it seriously.
[Charlie chuckles] I am.
You know, all the interesting stuff
that's happened to me is kind of insane.
[buzzing]
[gasps]
Stupid.
It's okay.
[sighs] Yeah, except I decimated
our dinner 'cause I'm a fucking idiot.
[oven door slams]
[Charlie] Why are you talking to yourself
like that?
[sighs]
Sorry.
You know none of this is your fault.
[inhales deeply]
You didn't build the box.
Um I don't know.
I think maybe I could do a better job
dealing with it. [chuckles, sniffles]
I think you need to be nicer to yourself.
[chuckles]
When did you get so wise?
I think it was the world where
we opened the door
to that abandoned Chuck E. Cheese.
That was your moment, huh?
[Charlie] I gazed into the abyss
and saw a humanoid animatronic mouse
gazing back at me,
and suddenly the universe made sense.
How do you feel about cereal night?
[sirens wailing in distance]
[thumping, clattering]
- [dog barking]
- [owner] Come on, buddy, let's go.
[exhales]
[door opens]
[door closes]
[footsteps approaching]
[inhales deeply, groans softly]
- [Jason] Hey.
- [gasps]
[exhales]
Hey.
[inhales sharply, chuckles]
What time is it?
It's late.
[exhales]
You didn't say it.
[sighs]
Van Gogh.
[scoffs]
You want to try it again?
- Um Vermeer.
- [inhales sharply]
[sighs]
[tense music playing]
- I don't
- It's What? Not right?
- Honey, I forgot.
- [mumbles, sighs]
I'm very stressed.
Honey. Stressed.
That's why I-I cannot remember the name
of the artist that Hey!
What fucking artist it was.
The one that painted the dancers.
- [gasps]
- Is everything okay?
- Degas!
- [music fades]
Degas.
[sighs] Degas.
Everything's fine.
Sorry Sorry to wake you.
It's fine.
[exhales heavily]
[door closes]
We need a better system.
[chuckles] Hmm.
[tattoo gun buzzing]
["Vorel" playing]
How bad is it?
[chuckles] It's a walk in the park.
So you're C. He's J.
And she's D, Daniela.
Who's M for?
That would be my brother Max.
Well, it's a rad design.
He sketched it.
Nice. You got a good eye.
All right, we're almost done.
[tattoo gun buzzing]
[Ryan] Do you regret going with him?
[sighs] In a weird way,
the box helped me move past regret.
What about your part in creating all this?
The box is the greatest
scientific achievement probably ever.
I'm extremely proud
of what we accomplished.
And also deeply ashamed.
All I can see now
are the lives we destroyed.
Hey, hey.
We're scientists.
We're kind of supposed
to dedicate our lives
to understanding
the mysteries of existence.
We're supposed to push.
Discover.
Yeah.
Jason 2 used to say that.
[sighs] You know, I hate agreeing
with that guy, but he's so right.
This time.
You guys just built a tool, okay?
All the fault lies with him for using it
irresponsibly to hurt other people.
What?
Clear your mind.
Okay.
- Come here.
- Okay.
[intriguing music playing]
Just trust me.
Okay.
[sighs]
[tense music playing]
[Amanda] What the fuck?
[music fades]
[Amanda sighs]
[Ryan sighs]
This is the place.
This is what it looked like, but the box,
it wasn't covered in concrete.
It's to keep people from using it.
Yeah.
We should check this world out.
You lead.
[intriguing music playing]
Okay, everything in this room looks right.
Yeah.
[sighs]
Did Camilla or your girlfriend have keys?
Could they be looking in
or even staying here sometimes?
Definitely.
[breathing shakily]
Okay, even the order
of the books is right.
[breathing shakily]
Yes.
What?
I did this.
The day before Jason 2 took me to the box.
I dropped a hammer and it
- We're in the right place.
- [breathes shakily]
[Ryan] Wait a minute.
You said you couldn't get me here
because you'd never been here, Amanda.
I did not think about your world.
I was remembering Jason 2.
The concrete around the box.
That's something he would do.
If you're looking for a specific world,
don't overthink the place.
[both] Think about the person
you want to find.
Ryan
[chuckles] Oh, my God.
I think the box brought us here.
Because Jason 2 is here.
That means Jason never made it home.
- [sighs]
- [sighs]
- Oh, my God.
- Yeah.
Now what? Do we just show up
and tell Daniela
her husband isn't her husband?
Well, that asshole can prove
he's Jason Dessen
'cause he is Jason Dessen.
Goddamn it.
[door opens]
[person grunts]
[groans]
[sighs]
- Let's go. We made a mistake.
- Yeah.
Wait.
[panting]
You didn't make a mistake. [pants]
Did you get stranded in another world
by Jason Dessen?
[breathes heavily] Yeah.
This is your apartment, man.
This is your world. This is your life.
It's everything.
Okay.
I was really hoping you'd come back, man.
[breathes deeply] Who are you?
Amanda.
Amanda Lucas?
Do you know me?
Yeah, I know of you.
Do you have any lavender wings?
How do you know about lavender wings?
I'll explain everything.
I'll explain everything.
[dial tone]
- [sighs]
- [keypad beeping]
- What's he doing?
- He's
[mumbles]
[line ringing]
[inhales sharply] Hey, it's me. He's here.
Should we meet up?
That's not good.
Um I'm thinking they might.
All right, hurry up, please.
[phone beeps, slams on receiver]
Hey, man, who was that?
Uh Help.
Now, would you just wait
while I put some shit together, you guys?
Just Please don't leave.
Just stick around.
Okay. Um Let's
Shit.
[tense music playing]
All right, what is happening?
- Okay
- [knocking on door]
Shit.
I thought I was gonna have more time
to explain it to you,
but you're gonna have to trust me.
Just Just
It's okay. Just Trust me.
- [door unlocks]
- I'm getting angry.
Hey. Come on in.
- Is that okay?
- Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's all right.
[tense music building]
You fucker.
- [grunts]
- Okay.
- Okay.
- Ryan.
I'd be lying if I said
that wasn't impressive,
- but you need to calm down.
- Fuck that guy. Why is he fucking here?
- You okay, Jason?
- [Jason] No.
Fuck. Fuck.
[camera shutter clicking]
Got here as fast as I could.
Is that two Ryan Holders?
Who's the woman?
Unknown.
Ops is running facial recognition.
Is that him?
Hey, you recognize him? Is that him?
[stammers] I think I think so.
[Mitchel] You think so?
- We don't have time for this!
- Monsters!
- Hey, shut up and listen!
- You shut up!
- Hey, they might be watching us!
- Who?
He's telling the truth, okay?
He's been helping.
He's the one who I called.
He's been trying to help me get home.
This motherfucker hasn't been helping you.
Where's Charlie?
Where's Daniela? Where's Daniela?
Yes or no?
Is that the Jason that ran your cell?
Yeah, yeah, that's fucking him.
Charlie and Daniela are safe. Look at me.
Why would I lie to myself?
[Jason]
He's got the fucking scar on his cheek.
The the woman and these other three,
they have nothing to do with it.
- How far out are they?
- [agent] Five minutes.
No, that's too long. I'm going in.
You tell SWAT team leader,
I want everyone alive.
- Do you read me? I want everyone--
- Hey.
Hey, no. No, no, no.
[pants] I said that I'd give you him.
The other three
have nothing to do with it.
SWAT's here in five. What's your plan?
[grunts]
[Mitchel] No, no, Jason!
- [gunshot]
- [yelps]
- [grunts] Shit. Come on, let's go.
- [yelps]
[grunts] What the shit?
[fire alarm blaring]
["Feral Love" playing]
[panting]
[sirens wailing]
[bystanders chattering]
- [engine starts]
- What's going on?
- I'm the president of the HOA!
- Move, move!
[tires squeal]
Excuse me!
They're in a red Grand Wagoneer
heading north on Pine.
I repeat, red Grand Wagoneer
heading north on fucking Pine!
Really? Really?
[agent 2 on radio] Red Wagoneer,
southbound on Wacker. Over.
Have they made you? Over.
[agent 2] I don't think so.
We're too far back. Over.
Just follow. Don't engage.
[tires squeal]
[engine revving]
Goddamn it.
Oh, my God. What the fuck?
Hang on, hang on.
Okay, where the fuck
are you taking us, man?
- We are going back to the box.
- Goddamn it.
Why are people after you?
Us. They're after you too now.
- Why? Why is that?
- [Amanda] Why?
Why, because the Jason
who I traded lives with--
Kidnapped him, okay? You kidnapped him,
and you stole his fucking family!
- Ryan.
- [Jason] Yeah, I kidnapped him,
but he made it home.
But in the process,
he made choices in the Corridor
that created other versions of himself.
More than one Jason returned?
Yeah, dozens. Dozens of them,
and a lot of dead Jasons
in this city too, so
- Goddamn it.
- Oh, my God.
Daniela and Charlie escaped
with one of us into the box.
And all those dead Jasons
drew the attention of DARPA.
What the fuck is DARPA? Is this DARPA?
[Jason] Look behind you. That's DARPA.
R&D for the Department of Defense.
Infinite money, no oversight.
I've been evading them
while they hunt down the other Jasons.
They pulled the whole kidnap-and-question
routine with me once,
and they think all these Jasons
are clones.
S-So
And they think anyone who's known him
more than ten years has to be involved.
And then we showed up.
Yeah, two Ryans in one room
must have blown their tits off.
Oh, my God.
This is so great. Why does everything bad
happen as a result of your fuckups?
Fuck off.
And why did you bring another me here?
[horns honking]
Talk to me, you cryptic fuck!
[grunts]
- Fuck me!
- [horns honking]
What part of under the radar
do you not understand?
The next one of you to open fire
on the streets of Chicago
is getting reassigned to winters
in McMurdo.
[agent 3] Copy.
Good! Fuck!
[music continues]
[engines revving]
- [tires squealing]
- [horns honking]
They'll never stop, brother.
Everyone you love
will get dragged into this.
- I just got fucking home.
- I know.
[Jason] They're closing in.
We're gonna turn off. Hold on.
Turn.
[tires squealing]
Fuck! Drive, you
[horn honks]
[all panting]
[tires screech]
[Mitchel] Jason!
[Jason] Come on. Let's go.
[Ryan] Let's go!
[Jason] Come on.
[Mitchel] Jason!
Come on! Let's move.
[Ryan grunts]
- Come on.
- [grunts]
Jason!
[Jason grunts, breathes rapidly]
[grunts, gasps]
- [chuckles]
- So good.
- [chuckles]
- Yes, perfect. I love it.
- Okay, Mom.
- Yes.
Come on, Mom. We gotta go.
- [chuckles] Thank you. Yeah. [chuckles]
- Okay. Okay, go.
Um, have a great time.
- It's so nice to meet you.
- It's so nice to meet you.
Bye.
Oh, wait. I have, um
- Yeah.
- Thanks.
Have fun.
- Yeah.
- Will do.
And, um Yeah, just have fun.
- [car engine rumbles]
- Bye.
Yeah. Come on.
Why do you All right.
Shit. [mumbles]
Okay.
[sighs]
[electrical humming stops]
- [Daniela] Hi.
- Oh, my God.
[chuckles] Sorry.
Um What are you doing here?
I just missed you. [chuckles]
I wanted to see you. Hi.
Hi.
[kisses]
Mmm.
[grunts]
[sniffles, groans]
- I brought you some food.
- Huh?
Just in case you're staying late again.
Uh, yeah. Well, I might have to.
Um, thank you.
Um, I'm just right
- in the middle of everything right now.
- Hmm.
Um
Oh, what's What's Charlie up to?
Prom.
Oh, that's right. [grunts]
I'm sorry.
I really wish I could have seen it.
I took a lot of pictures.
[chuckles] I'm sure.
What are these?
Uh [stammers] just just some notes
that I've been taking.
Why?
[sighs]
Are you studying it?
- Just Please, hear me out. Please.
- [clicks tongue] Yeah?
What if I could build an on-off switch
for the box?
- [Daniela breathes shakily]
- Just [stammers] It can stay off-line.
No one can use it unless we decide.
Okay. I mean, I I thought we already
decided that we're destroying it.
You But don't you think we should
stay here just a little bit longer
before we go and detonate
our escape hatch?
I think if you were changing the plan,
we should have discussed it.
Well, maybe I was worried
about how you might react.
Uh So [chuckling] wait a second.
Are you saying it's my fault
that you lied to me?
Lied? I didn't lie to you.
- But? But?
- I wanted to destroy it.
- But
- But what?
But I All right, I can't. I can't.
It's fucking taunting me.
This thing is like
someone reached into my brain,
pulled out my dream, and made it real.
[gasps]
And I I have no idea. I [stammers]
I'm aware that it's beyond anything
that I could possibly have achieved.
Actually [stammers]
it's not beyond what you could achieve.
It took him, uh, like 20 years
and a team to build it.
- It's a different choice!
- But I just wanna understand it.
That's at least
Why?
I'm not saying that I'm doing a great job
of actually being in this life
that we're in right now
because I'm I'm fucking not!
But fuck me, am I trying!
And if you wanna do something else,
you should let me know.
Okay.
I'm sorry I lied to you.
[scoffs]
- [sighs]
- I'm gonna go home.
And, um, try to get to bed early
because I switched for the early shift
at work tomorrow
so that we could have dinner with Blair.
That's [stammers] Uh, that's tomorrow?
- Yeah, it's fine.
- Fuck.
You don't have to come.
[cries]
["Sweetheart,
What Have You Done to Us" playing]
[grunts]
[door slams]
[sighs]
[grunts]
[music continues]
[song ends]
- Allegedly, she set it on fire.
- Allegedly. A small fire. [chuckles]
Okay, the secrets are coming out.
- [chuckles]
- Stop. Just stop it.
I, uh, is Jason coming or should we just
Um, you know, probably not.
He didn't think he can get away--
Daniela. [sighs] Sorry I'm late.
- Well, never mind. [chuckles]
- [chuckles]
Um. [clicks tongue]
Jason, this is Theresa.
- Hi.
- And you remember Blair.
- Mmm. Hi.
- Of course.
Nice to meet you.
- Good to see you again.
- Good to see you.
- [server] I'll give you guys a minute.
- Well, hold hold on.
- Yeah, should we have champagne?
- Oh, are we celebrating? Champagne--
- Oh, never say no to champagne.
- Why not? To old friends and new ones.
And to us for being back in Chicago.
Yeah, how about that?
Thank you.
Our home.
- You.
- I'm having them.
[kisses] It's done.
- Did we order?
- [Theresa] Mmm.
- No, right on time.
- No.
Cabbage looks so good.
You're gonna scroll through the front.
- Okay, I'm gonna stay here and see.
- It may be good.
- I know. Very cute.
- I know.
[chuckles] Cute.
Uh, I'm just gonna skip to the restroom,
and I'll be right back.
Sorry.
All right,
we're not gonna do the branzino.
[sighs, clears throat]
[huffs]
[tense music plays]
[tense music swells]
- Oh.
- Sorry. [clears throat]
[sighs, huffs]
[sighs]
Thinking of getting maybe branzino.
And we were gonna do that? I promise.
Okay. Maybe other things.
[kisses]
- [chuckles] Aw, you two are so cute.
- [chuckles]
- [chuckles]
- [chuckles]
Mm-hmm.
- Okay, let's see what
- Cheers.
Cheers.
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
Cheers.
Full disclosure.
I have to go back out to the box tonight.
Or what's left of it.
Why?
I've already boxed and bagged
most of the wreckage,
but I've gotta dispose of it.
You know, if someone found
a bunch of advanced tech
I'd rather not have that floating around.
[sighs]
[grunts]
[sighs]
[gasps]
[breathes shakily]
[gasps]
[suspenseful music plays]
[sighs] Come on.
[busy signal beeping]
[pants]
Daniela!
Yeah?
Daniela!
Hey, what's wrong?
Ask me.
Uh, safe word?
Waldorf. I've been trying to call.
Oh, Charlie's on the phone with Bianca.
Okay. Call Charlie.
Charlie, Charlie, get out here!
- What happened?
- Did you talk to me today?
Yeah, this morning.
- Since then?
- No.
- Has anything, anything weird happened?
- Nothing.
And you, did you see me
or talk to me since breakfast?
- No.
- Oh, shit.
- What's going on?
- [pants]
The box is back.
What do you mean?
It's respawned.
A new box right
where the old one had been.
Wait, I don't understand.
- Someone connected to this world.
- How?
God, I'm so fucking stupid.
The box spawns in worlds
where it doesn't exist
or is not operational.
So, when I destroyed it,
it's just gone and done what it did
the first time.
It's reconnected to this world.
So? What [stammers] What does that mean?
Guys.
What?
[punk music playing]