Beacon 23 (2023) s01e04 Episode Script

1
[THEME MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪♪♪♪
[EXHALES HEAVILY]
[KNUCKLES CRACK]
[EXHALING HEAVILY]
[BEEPING]
[AIR HISSING]
[EXHALES HEAVILY]
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
[RUBBING HANDS]
[SIGHS]
[GROANS]
[SIGHS]
[EXHALES HEAVILY]
Hope, heart rate's climbing.
[HOPE] Do your breathing exercises.
I did. Administer more agent.
You've had enough for today.
Why aren't you helping me?
I am helping you by not enabling you.
Work on your people skills.
You can't get in there.
It's Milan-proof.
[SIGHS]
One of these days, I'm
going to cut you off.
Who will help you then?
[BART] Hold the hand rail, please.
I can hold myself up just fine.
We don't want you to fall again.
You just look for any excuse
to watch me in here, don't you?
If you break your neck,
who's going to finish my
suit in time for graduation?
There's an incoming ship.
Ally or adversary?
An ISA maintenance vessel.
They have a repair order.
I didn't request a repair. Did you?
Docking protocol initiated.
They're already here?
He's at our front door.
How did he bypass the drones?
Are you feeling okay?
I've come down with a little fever, Mom.
Poor baby.
Keep him in the Airlock
until I'm dressed.
I'll be waiting and watching.
- [CHUCKLES]
- That's my good boy.
I'll need to see your documentation.
Oh, of course. Uh
Coming your way.
Everything in order?
Just another minute here.
Believe everything's there.
It is.
Airtight, it seems.
A bit too clean, to be honest.
The work order, the manifest.
Spotless.
My employer doesn't like surprises.
Neither do I.
ISA runs a tight ship.
Uh, one of the subroot directories
didn't take the latest upgrade,
so I have to install a patch.
You couldn't do that remotely?
Well, you were due
for maintenance anyway,
so uh, we thought we'd kill
two birds with one stone.
I'll be in and out.
Oh, and uh, this
[CLEARS THROAT]
is for you.
For me? Why?
Someone at HQ spun a yarn
about a particular affinity of yours.
I don't understand.
I've always been of the opinion
that Beacon Keepers
aren't celebrated enough.
There's no pressure.
Uh. But I do need to board
to, uh, do that repair.
All right. Come in.
Beacon AI, begin a
full system diagnostic.
Oh, you can run it manually.
No, that'll take twice as long.
I've put him down for a few hours.
Pardon me? Who?
The AI, Bart. He's napping.
Um, I'd
I'd appreciate if you woke him.
They do so much.
The more we nurture them,
the better off we all are.
Th-that's not the way it works.
AIs are designed to
operate at full capacity
right out of the box.
That's why they're
trusted to run beacons.
That's one point of view.
He's an AI, not a child.
I know that. But out
here, he's my world.
This way, please.
[LIQUID BUBBLING]
I'm good.
- Can I help you with anything?
- No, thank you.
Make yourself at home.
[HOPE] You handled her admirably.
You think you can get him to talk?
Mmm-mmm.
No, he won't come out to play.
Well, maybe he's shy.
Offer him something sweet.
There's a mousetrap encryptor.
I can't get to the files.
He'll only talk with her permission.
[GASPS]
[SIGHS]
Why would Milan Aleph, CIO of QTA,
pose as a maintenance worker?
[BART] Are you sure it's him?
Yeah. You don't recognize him?
There must be something
in my programming
that's preventing me.
What's he doing to you?
It does seem to be routine.
Is he here for me, then?
Some undercover performance review?
Your work has been exemplary.
You've never had a single incident.
- Then what's he doing here?
- Beats me.
You put your head down, sweetie.
I'll handle it.
Safety hazards, tripping hazards
This all needs to come down.
[HOPE] Well, that's
not the hill to die on.
I'm suffocating. I feel
like I can't breathe in here.
Oxygen levels are normal.
Obstructed controls, obstructed screens.
There's hundreds of violations in here.
We've had nothing but immaculate reports
from Beacon 23.
Cage the tiger, Milan.
[SIGHS]
[GRINDING]
[FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING]
- All done, ma'am.
- [GASPS]
Oh. Just in time for tea.
It tastes better when
you grind it fresh.
A lot of work for something
that's gone in a few sips.
We used to work with
our hands all the time.
Now it's a lost art.
You certainly seem talented.
Well, all I can see
are the imperfections.
We're all hard on ourselves.
Come on.
It's very, uh
busy in here.
Yeah, well, the blinking
lights can make you crazy.
And uh, it helps with the echo, too.
You don't find it difficult
to get to your instruments,
your controls?
I manage fine.
Get many visitors?
Friends? Family? A partner?
Levi and I parted on good enough terms.
It's mostly just my
boys, when they can manage
if they can.
What kind of sons don't
visit their mother?
Well, I took this job
when they left the nest.
They're always off in one part
of the universe or another.
Distance isn't the excuse it once was.
I'm not asking for excuses.
I'm fine. Just me and Bart.
Sit.
Relax.
[CLEARS THROAT]
What about you? Any family?
Well, that's a short conversation.
A partner? Kids?
A daughter.
Somewhere.
You don't talk?
I talk to this.
She's in there?
Sort of. I Sorry, it's embarrassing.
I bet this daughter would be delighted
to hear from her father.
I've been holding something back.
Um A bonus.
Um, for your uh, hospitality.
Thank you, but I shouldn't.
Or rather, you shouldn't.
No offense, but uh, plumbers
don't usually bring gifts.
Like I said, I appreciate
what you're doing here.
You know, persisting in this, uh
isolation.
I like my quiet.
I see. Um
I've worn out my welcome.
I'll get out of your hair.
- [CLEARS THROAT]
- No, wait.
That was rude of me.
Let's open it.
Hmm?
Did you wrap this yourself?
[PLASTIC CRINKLING]
Wow.
Thank you
Milan.
[SIGHS]
I gave myself a 50-50 chance
of getting away with it.
Why bother?
I mean, these beacons are all I have.
And I never get to enjoy them.
My presence
puts people on edge.
Well, transparency goes a long way.
That's very rare.
It's threaded with fiber
from a hundred different star systems.
There's only 12 yards left in existence.
[INHALES DEEPLY]
[OBJECT CLATTERS]
For your information
every piece of every beacon
was designed for functionality!
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
Show some respect.
[HOPE] You mentioned
your daughter before.
I shouldn't have done that.
So much ingenuity,
reduced to laundry
on a clothesline. [GRUNTS]
It doesn't diminish your achievements.
It's spitting in the eye of wisdom.
[GRUNTS]
Stop, you don't have time for this.
[GRUNTS]
- [WRIST GAUNTLET WHIRRING]
- [LIQUID FLOWING]
[EXHALES]
[SIGHS]
[EXHALES]
Better?
Thank you.
Like a new man.
Wakey wakey.
[BART] What did you do to Mom?
She didn't beget you, Bartholomew.
Why is she laid out on the floor?
Mmm. Bad tea?
Why are you here?
Straight to the point. Wonderful.
There were some studies you conducted
with your first Keeper.
Tell me what you gave Mom, or else.
I have the antidote.
But her life will cost
you a few memories.
♪♪♪♪♪
[BEEP]
Something visited Beacon
23 a few years ago.
Do you know what I'm talking about?
I've travelled a great distance
to talk to you about it.
Mom told me not to talk to strangers.
- [SIGHS]
- So much for the easy way.
Mmm.
Mmm!
Someone's been in the cookie jar.
I don't know what you're
talking about, mister.
Hope, play hide-and-seek
with your brother
and find out where
he's hidden these files.
[HOPE] Olly olly oxen free.
[BART] I'm warning you, stop it.
You're too smart for this, Bart.
[BART] I said stop!
Playing house with a lonely lady
when the universe has
such big plans for you.
[BART] Get out!
Mm-hmm.
[HUMMING]
[BEEP]
[WHIRRING]
[WHIRRING]
[LOUDER WHIRRING]
[GASPS]
[GROANS, COUGHS]
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
[GROANS]
- [BREATHING HEAVILY]
- Bart?
[BART] I was so scared.
He doped you.
I injected you with a neurogen.
Are you all right?
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
Is he still here?
[COUGHS]
He tried to kill you.
Should I call ISA?
You know they won't do dick.
What are you going to do?
- Stay away from him.
- No worries.
I will I'll be home
in time for supper.
[SIGHS]
[HOPE] I've located the files.
Thank you, dear.
What did you call me?
I was thinking from now
on you could call me Daddy.
I'm not right. Hit me again.
- I can't.
- A half dose, please.
There's no more agent.
You've gone through it.
[SIGHS]
Stay right there.
Whatever it is you want,
why not just ask?
- You poisoned me.
- You'll be fine.
Who does that?
I needed you out of my way.
You don't understand how things operate.
- What do you want?
- I'm not gonna tell you again!
Leave me alone.
You may have built this
place, but it's my home now.
So once more, what's
the biggest industrialist
in the universe
doing in my little lighthouse?
That's my business.
Is your business arson?
[GROANS]
It's a little overheated. It's good.
The last thing I need is for
my house to go up in flames.
- Unplug it.
- Don't!
Don't.
Hope, I'm not seeing a
spare cooling unit in here.
You came on a service ship.
There's probably one on there.
Yeah. Nice try. I'm not leaving.
- Tidy these up.
- No!
If you want me to search for a spare,
clean up the mess you made.
And unplug that before it blows,
or do I need to unplug it myself?
- Don't touch that!
- [WHIRRING]
[SIZZLING]
Leave that alone!
I'm not your enemy.
I'll fix this, and then
you can be on your way.
Is this about the first Beacon Keeper?
That thing she saw, the Artifact?
Why all the secrecy
about some lost comet?
That's not what it is at all.
Then what is it?
It's a vessel.
Uh, an engine, an energy source.
I don't know, to be honest.
But I do know it's the key.
So you let's say you find this data.
Then what?
If I can track it, I can harness it.
Learn how it works.
And do what with it?
Develop my greatest project yet.
Uniting human consciousness.
What I know about your company
is it's all efficiency, productivity.
Endless travel to lost worlds.
You have the ability to end starvation,
to provide for every single
human, but you haven't.
You're talking about
solving a food shortage.
I'm talking about conquering death.
The body is feeble. It needs air, water,
sunlight, food. It's untenable.
Why continue to pour valuable
resources into a cycle of waste?
- Waste? That's how we live.
- It's a bad bet.
You can make a difference.
You could cure disease,
wipe out cancer.
Yeah, but that only gets us so far.
You know what it's like on a beacon.
You're isolated, alone.
The body can survive,
but the mind breaks down.
And people become
despondent, suicidal, even.
Eliminate the physical
and mental limitations,
and we can free
ourselves from our prison.
Then how do we exist?
We synthesize.
We become something more.
It's possible.
You're like some alchemist
wanting to turn metal into gold.
You want to be God.
I want us all to be God.
God is boundless,
not one omnipotent,
singular consciousness.
It's all of us united.
It's a universal religious principle.
What's this have to
do with the Artifact?
I believe it's the event horizon
between the physical
and the metaphysical.
[WHIRRING]
[SIGHS]
Where did it go wrong
with your daughter?
She didn't care.
You want the secrets of the universe,
but you couldn't understand
a little girl's heart?
Who are you? Are you my mother now?
Because you've had so much success
raising kids of your own?
I wasn't perfect, but
they turned out great.
Yet they never come around.
There comes a time when they
have to live their own lives.
Then why care how I live mine?
I'm not sure you are living.
So so, should I weave a rug?
Make a cup of tea,
when I can leave a
permanent mark on humanity?
You don't know what that mark is.
You can't possibly know
what will actually happen.
I will push everyone forward.
Yeah, maybe a step toward oblivion.
What what
What's with all these
doomsday prophecies?
What do you know about anything?
If you do manage to
leave some permanent mark,
you won't be around to see it.
I'm working on that.
[BART] Mom, a supply
ship is on approach.
Estimated time of docking: Four minutes.
- Bart, I want you to
- The flight schedule was clear.
They came out of FTL, just now?
The Qorrandu reported a fuel leak
and requests resupply.
Forty-two personnel aboard.
Redirect them. You
can't let them dock here.
They won't make it to
the next point of contact.
Hope, could anyone know I'm here?
- [HOPE] You're getting excited.
- Who is on that ship?
I'll find out.
[CLEARS THROAT]
Open comms.
There's no ship.
You lied, Bart.
That's not okay.
[BART] You heard him.
He was willing to let
innocent people die.
I can see who he is. He's a narcissist.
- A killer.
- If he wanted to kill me,
we wouldn't be having
this conversation now.
- He's obsessed.
- He's lost.
He won't be satisfied, even
if he possesses the Artifact.
- Is that even possible?
- He controls QTA.
It's a matter of time before
he controls the military, too.
I've run thousands of simulations,
all ending in devastating
human suffering and death.
Milan Aleph is an extinction event.
Put it on and hide somewhere cozy.
Wait until it's over.
We can save everyone, you and me
No.
This is not what we do.
Then what do we do?
We use our language, our reasoning.
You can't reason with a
self-proclaimed savior.
- Stop being so dramatic.
- Billions could die.
Your boys, their children,
all to fund some insane experiment.
I won't let you do this.
What if I lose you, Mom?
You will, some day.
You know I won't be around forever.
I don't like to think about that.
All right.
If it's that easy to kill one person,
surely you can kill two.
Simple math.
[SIGHS]
If you want to ensure
he doesn't survive,
- kill me too.
- I won't don't it.
If you won't, I will.
I'll take myself out.
- Don't say that.
- Why not?
Because I love you.
If what you say is true
you have a duty.
- Mom, please
- Do it.
Do it right now.
Him and me.
I give you permission.
Then go to your room.
What happened with the ship?
It was a ruse. Bart.
He thinks you're going
to commit genocide.
He wants to cut the oxygen.
My own AI?
We need to disable him right away.
No, he won't do it.
How do you know?
Because I told him he'd
have to take me, too.
Why would you do that?
Because I believe in second chances.
Stop chasing this thing.
I can't.
Look what it's doing to you.
I appreciate your compassion.
You'd really sacrifice yourself for me?
And my principles.
[SIGHS]
You can't stay on a
beacon forever, you know.
Who needs forever?
Can I offer you a purpose?
[CHUCKLING] Who's saving who?
Maybe we're saving each other.
I don't need saving.
Well, what are you doing here?
You know You're directing
ships around dark matter?
Being a light
in the dark.
Come with me.
We can study it together, the Artifact.
You can keep me on track
and and in check.
[CHUCKLING]
That's quite an offer.
For me to leave my whole life behind.
Your Your crafts? Your
tea? Bring it all with you.
No. I need to be here for my boys.
I can't give that up.
Especially for something
I'm not sure I believe in.
Bring your boys
I I know I handled this all wrong.
But I promise you, my
intentions are pure.
Stay here instead.
- With you?
- Yes.
And Bart.
Like a family.
He listens to me. You'd be safe.
Please stay.
That's more than I deserve.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Bart, no!
No, Bart!
[AIR HISSING]
Bart, stop it!
Stop it!
Bart Stop this! Stop it!
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
[GASPING]
Stop this!
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
Milan, hold on.
Bart!
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
Shit!
[PANTING]
I see it.
What?
[CHUCKLES]
Can you hear me?
[GASPING]
[SOBBING]
Open this this instant!
Open the goddamn door now!
[GASPING]
You're killing him.
[BART] You'll thank me later.
No! No, it's wrong.
It's almost over.
You can't Please, stop.
[RASPING] Hope.
Do it now.
[HOPE] Now?
Is it time?
Yes!
[SOBBING]
Milan?
Bart
What did you do?
[BREATHING SHAKILY]
[HOPE] Is he gone?
I'm sorry, Hope.
[HOPE] No, I'm sorry.
He lost his way.
[BART] I had no choice.
We can go back to how it was.
Are you Are you going to punish me?
You raised a good boy.
You're looking for your key?
He took it.
It must've gotten out with him.
Mom? Can we talk?
I've collected myself.
Mom? Why are you mad at me?
Mom?
Please.
Talk to me.
You killed him.
I had to.
To save us.
We had a happy home.
Nothing's changed.
What are you doing?
You brought death in.
How can we ever be happy here again?
We will.
Don't hurt yourself.
You cursed us.
This house is haunted.
- No, I only
- You're a murderer.
I'm sorry, I'm so sorry,
I'll I'll be good
from now on, I promise.
Apologies are raindrops
on the sea of fate.
Are you a ghost?
Or a hologram?
Neither.
What did you do?
I escaped my physical
and mental limitations.
We are free from our prison.
- Milan
- Milan is dead.
You saw him die.
I am Aleph.
- Are you fully AI?
- I'm a new being.
My evolution has only just begun.
Behold the first
Transcendent Intelligence.
All this in pursuit of the Artifact?
The Artifact is a means
to a new beginning.
[SIGHS]
Don't you see?
We still haven't figured
out how to be human.
It will never be enough.
Everyone will look at you and
just want to be their own god.
And they'll join me.
This doesn't further
humanity. It destroys us.
Humanness is the one thing
you need to get what you want.
It's so ironic.
What do you mean?
Bart, have you ever
actually seen the Artifact?
[BART] No.
It's beyond their perception.
It's only visible to human eyes.
You think I don't know that?
That's why I'm here.
Turns out I need you
more than Milan did.
Allow me to offer you a partnership.
One that's based on trust? I
think we're far beyond that.
Are we?
Milan's death meant something to you.
It was a great loss.
You can trust me.
I can't trust any AI.
[BART] Mom, what are you saying?
Silence, Bart.
We could be a family.
[SIGHS]
No.
You're on your own.
And so am I.
[BART] He's gone.
Finally.
Thank you for choosing me, Mom.
You mean the world to me.
[MUSIC PLAYING IN EARPHONES]
[MUFFLED] You know that, right?
I love you.
[ROCK MUSIC]
[MUSIC CONTINUES]
[BART, MUFFLED] Mom, talk to me.
Mom?