Almost Human (2013) s01e12 Episode Script

The year is 2048.
Evolving technologies can no longer be regulated.
Dangerous advancements forever alter the criminal landscape.
Police are not prepared.
Law enforcement combats this corruption With a new line of defense.
But not all are created equal.
The idea behind the drns was to be as human as possible.
They were based on a program called synthetic soul.
That's one of the crazy ones.
I'll lead you in? Let's go.
Now all cops-- Human and manmade together-- Take on the battle to watch over us all.
they sleep and sleepwalk they dissolve to dreams hear children crying they're losing everything Welcome to the 17th hole.
Brian barrow on the tee.
And straight up the middle for all we know there's nothing changed Media off.
Are you going to answer that? No.
It's samantha.
Yep.
Hey, no, dorian Uh, john kennex's line.
Uh, he does not Wish to speak with you right now.
He is waving his hands, Gesturing "no.
" Yes, I understand.
I hate it when he does that, too.
Yeah, I know.
That's the least of his problems.
Okay.
You take care.
Would you like me to relay her message? No, I think I got it.
Thanks.
Do you want to talk about it? Samantha and I had dinner last night And the hologram of her roommate and her mom And her therapist.
Every single call She got, she took.
She holo-blocked you.
Exactly.
I mean, whatever happened To two people just sharing a meal and connecting, you know? I know.
You wouldn't know.
Why am I asking you? You wouldn't have a clue.
Well-- and I'm just positing this-- Perhaps you're boring.
Boring? You're calling me boring? We need to talk about guy code.
There's certain things you don't do Hey, I need you to help me Check out a possible homicide.
Sure.
When did the call come in? It didn't.
There's no sign of forced entry, no struggle.
No foul play indicated at all.
Emts are calling it cardiac arrest.
I don't understand.
Why is it considered a possible homicide? The victim's a chrome.
We're genetically engineered.
We don't die young.
The deceased's name is brian barrow, 28.
Bond trader at kane asset management.
Explains the view.
Anything missing? According to the report, no.
Rules out robbery as a likely motive.
Medical history? Typical chrome.
No health issues.
World-class athlete, a swimmer.
He competed in the detroit olympics of 2036.
There's no logical explanation for this.
How could he die like this? We should do a toxicology.
Maybe emts got it right: Heart attack.
No.
When a chrome is designed, every box is checked: Health, beauty, intelligence.
Look, I know chromes aren't supposed to have Congenital defects; perfect genes and all that.
Chromes don't normally become cops, either.
There's a first time for everything.
Look at this.
There's a half-millimeter puncture wound At the base of his skull.
It goes all the way to his cerebral cortex.
Can you get any dna? Something wrong? If this is the entry point To something that killed him, the dna indicates That brian barrow was murdered by seven different people.
Alec govain, philip moses makes seven.
And these are the seven people Whose dna we found in the wound? Of the murder victim? Correct.
Whatever weapon was used to kill brian barrow Was contaminated by the dna of all these people.
Did you locate them? They're all dead.
They're all listed as dying Of natural causes.
Their hearts stopped.
What do you think's going on, john? I don't know, but I doubt they died of natural causes.
Are these people chromes? They are not, but they must have been chosen for a reason.
Do you think we stumbled upon a serial killer? Yeah.
If he hadn't killed the chrome, We never would have picked this up.
It would be pretty easy to miss A little pinprick on the back of the neck.
What do they have in common? They all lived in city limits.
Other than that, our algorithms Didn't pick up any patterns.
I see one pattern.
They're all very attractive.
Do it again.
We have to stop.
You will do what I want, or I will call The police, and you will go to jail For the rest of your life For practicing with a revoked license.
Your choice.
Someone's been talking to the press About the chrome murder.
You're kidding.
Already? "metro police hunt for possible serial killer Targeting the city's young and beautiful.
" L.
A.
Times, new york times, ap deathwire.
My comm's been ringing off the hook.
We don't even know anything yet, And they're already talking about it.
This kind of news sells.
Chromes have ears All over the city, and they take care of their own.
Now, I have a lead.
Two hours before the victim was killed, He was at the electus club on remington.
Killer could have followed him from the club.
I'll check it out.
Actually, I should go.
Alone.
The electus is a chrome club.
Of course.
Makes sense.
We'll go check in with rudy.
The bodies of the other victims are on the way to him.
If they have the same wounds on the back of their neck, Maybe he can find out what killed them.
You sure you're up for going to the chrome club? Yeah.
They may not respect what I've done with my life, But they sure respect what I can do for theirs.
You were the first one they called when brian barrow died.
Only because they're praying it was murder.
If brian barrow died of natural causes, The chromes would have to face something They never thought possible.
The whole selling point of being a chrome is a long life.
And perfect health.
People pay a lot of money for perfection.
Let me know if you need anything.
Robert, violet, welcome.
Nice to see you.
I'm sorry.
This is a private club.
I'm sorry, too, that I'm a member.
Detective valerie stahl.
I need to see your surveillance data from yesterday.
You're a police officer? You're a chrome.
Yeah, I just showed you my badge, And I know you have I can't help you.
I'm investigating the murder Of a chrome named brian barrow.
I'm sure you heard about it on the news.
As general manager, I'm responsible for protecting The privacy of our members.
Maybe I'm not making myself clear.
We believe his killer may have followed him from here.
In that case, he would show up on the police drones, Wouldn't he? Again, this is a private Club.
Yes, I know, and I'm sure you're smart enough to know That I can get a search warrant In about 45 seconds.
And you must be smart enough to know That I can get chief judge thorne To quash it ten seconds after that.
He's a member.
I guess I'll just be forced To cut your police patrol by 50%.
Is that supposed to scare me? Should.
Based on statistical models, it'll trigger A 32% rise in violent attacks in the area.
Criminals find out we're not patrolling like we used to, And they're gonna take advantage.
Before you know it, this is a high-incident area.
You know how that works.
We don't need the police.
We have private security.
You mean the guy in the hallway Violating the concealed weapons statute 49b? That's a lot to sweep under the rug, even for judge thorne.
Sorry.
Is there a problem? Yeah.
Do you have anyone a little more formidable? Oh, not me.
I bruise easily.
Chromes don't bruise easily.
Ah, you are A good police officer.
I'm the owner.
You want to sit? I'd love to.
Jake bellman.
Do you think it was a chrome That leaked our investigation to the press? It's possible.
They got a lot of pull in this town.
Do you know how many murders there are In this city every year? Yeah, a lot.
One of them turns out to be a chrome, and suddenly The whole world stops.
Just proves my point.
What point? That technology, in this case Chromes, Is driving a wedge between people.
Making it us versus them.
Technology, like being holo-blocked on a date.
I thought we agreed that you had a bad date Because you're boring.
You just can't handle the fact That technology's part of the problem.
Cuts a little close to the titanium.
No, in fact, I'm excited to embrace this new, Anti-tech lifestyle.
Really? On the way back to the precinct, Let's replace your robotic leg with a tree limb.
Or maybe something useful, like a shovel.
I wish I had a shovel.
I was an attorney at 18, So I know that detectives Can't cut police patrols.
I'm gonna get that footage One way or the other.
A chrome was killed.
A member of your club.
One of your own.
We want to know what the story is.
Okay, well, I want to know what your story is.
Why, 'cause I'm a police officer? I'm a curiosity to you? No, but I am curious.
It's a long story.
Well, I've got time.
Yeah? You don't need to get back to your club? No.
Being a cop, it's not the strangest Life choice I've heard for a chrome.
You know, my brother's a sculptor.
You want to know what his medium is? Sure.
You ever heard of a chain saw? Yes.
Chain saw and lumber.
That's his medium.
Not too many galleries for something like that.
I think they kind of Overdid his creative gene.
I can imagine you'd know how my parents felt Having a chrome who didn't meet their expectations.
You pity him? No.
He pities us.
He's proud to call himself a sculptor.
He's happy.
What about you? You proud to call yourself a police officer? Yes.
Even in front of other chromes? I told you it's a long story.
Are you happy? Yeah, I am.
Every time I get a bad guy.
Then let's get you that surveillance video.
Updating our top story-- Police officials refuse to confirm An investigation into the so-called beauty killer.
But sources close to the probe Say the hunt for a possible serial murderer Is underway and intensifying.
This is claire chang re Rudy.
Oh! You're here.
Finally.
Mausoleum dropped off three of the exhumed bodies An hour ago.
And You were right.
Vir-topsy reveals that all seven of them Have the same wound, uh, at the base of the neck.
They were indeed murdered.
Have a look.
Any idea what caused it? I might, yeah.
Something wrong? You've got this "beauty killer" out there, And I have to hear about it on the news.
You don't think to warn me? What's the difference Between me and all seven of these victims? Hmm? I'll tell you.
They're all dead.
You're worried that you're gonna be targeted? I was a child model.
I-I have a rothschild's nose.
My grandmother's a sixth cousin of the heir.
It was an oversight, rudy.
Uh, we're sorry.
Duly noted.
So what did you find? Something in the wound.
First centimeter, a very clean insertion point, Consistent with a needle.
After that, it gets weird.
It's irregular.
Looks like tiny Claw marks.
They are.
From nanobots.
Nanobots? Are you saying Robots were injected into their necks, Crawled inside their skulls and killed them? Yeah, same as brian barrow.
In fact, they found Two of these things still inside him.
I call them mike and ike.
Any idea what mike and ike are designed to do? I'm working on it.
Great work at the electus club.
I'm amazed they gave up the tape without a fight.
Thanks.
What's on your mind? I'm thinking maybe it wasn't so bad Being around chromes after all.
The last time you dealt with chromes, You were at the shooting range for three hours.
Poor targets didn't know what hit them.
Yeah, well I guess we can all be surprised.
I spent so much time resenting where I came from That I forgot they're people, too.
You know, sometimes it's nice To connect with people who are like you, Who understand you.
Is that why you keep kennex around? No.
I lost a bet.
Captain.
Looks like facial rec has a match.
Stahl.
Hey.
I got the footage from the electus club.
I'm sending you a file.
What do you got? I have brian barrow leaving the club at 5:30.
Keep watching There! You see that? The guy in the coat? Yup.
I think that's our guy.
He follows barrow down remington.
Comes around sixth avenue.
And then I get a facial recognition From the bitcoin exchange across the street.
Comes up as alec govain.
That's one of the dead victims.
Correct.
It's not over.
He comes around the next corner.
Now a camera from the cab stand picks him up.
This time, facial rec reads him as todd paxton.
Another victim.
How could one man come up on facial rec As two different people? I think I have an answer.
There you are.
Thank you.
Can Can I help you? One large nitro.
Coming right up.
What these nanobots Are programmed to do, they read and reconstruct Facial tissue.
What did he say? He said our killer is stealing Parts of people's faces.
Did anyone ever tell you you have very pretty eyes? This is about nanobot plastic surgery.
Dr.
Randolph amir.
Excuse me.
Excuse me! Stop! You're not allowed to be in Yes.
We understand that you're involved In the research Into nanobot facial reconstruction.
Yeah, I'm gonna call you back.
The idea was a new technology.
Nanobot facelifts on an atomic level.
No more laser nips and tucks.
Microscopic robots programmed To rebuild the face from the inside.
Not a single scar.
At least not on the outside.
And? And It did not go well.
I wasn't involved in the trials.
But I have to admit I was One of the first people to really believe in it.
We still don't know why.
Why what? It was stopping people's hearts.
On the victim, we found a mark right at the At the base of the skull.
Yeah, the device that inserts the nanobots Into the neck is called an actuator.
Uh, let's say You wanted his perfect nose.
The actuator injects the nanobots Into the target area.
They're programmed to collect his genetic blueprint.
Then the actuator would draw them out again, And then they'd be injected into you.
The patient.
Rebuilding your nose to look exactly like his.
All done from the inside.
The problem was The electricity caused by the nanobots Somehow triggered an arrhythmia in the donor's heart Until it stopped.
The donors were dying.
Some of the recipients in the study Were substantially disfigured.
Where would someone find an actuator To do this procedure? The nanobots followed their blueprint perfectly.
You're one step closer to your ideal face.
Let's keep going.
Now.
When will it ever be enough, eric? You know I know all about the risks.
You know I don't care.
What you did to me was worse than dying.
You volunteered for the trials.
Do it.
I don't like what that stuff does to me.
You know I have to flood your system with adrenaline, Boost your physical strength, Or you will never survive Another procedure so soon.
They're beautiful.
You know, it's okay to have flaws, john.
Whatever helps you sleep.
It is said that the more flaws you have, The more human you are.
Have I told you how very human You are lately? You know, sometimes when you're doing this, I'm not really listening.
I don't have that many flaws.
Your left eye is one half millimeter Higher than the right.
Your nose has an abnormality one inch from the base.
Yeah, that's from being punched in the face.
Adds character.
You have a fertile unibrow That you tend to regularly.
At least it's my face.
I know where I came from.
You're a composite; who knows where you came from? Just think about that.
Kennex.
Hey, john, where are you? I'm on my way to chinatown.
Near the wall.
We've got another victim.
What have you got? I have an informant who knows everything About the black market.
We're trying to find an actuator.
What's an actuator? It's what our guy is using to kill these people.
I want to see if I can track one, Find out where he got it.
The latest victim has the same m.
O.
Heart stops, small wound At the back of the neck.
John, the last seven murders were each a month apart, And the last two victims were within 48 hours.
This guy's accelerating.
We need to stop him.
You chew with your mouth open, You lie about putting gel in your hair, And you snore.
How do you know I snore? Your smartbed told me.
Oh, I didn't realize you two had a relationship.
What else did it tell you? I don't know.
Whatever it was, I purged it from my data.
Apparently, I didn't want to remember.
Good.
So what does this informant look like? I'll know him when I see him.
I hate to see robots used for entertainment like this.
You know a guy called dicarlo? No.
What are you doing, man? Hey, dicarlo.
Damn it, kennex! I thought you were dead.
Glad to see me? Do you have any idea how expensive these things are? Huh?! Dorian, dicarlo.
Dicarlo, dorian.
That was my favorite exosuit.
Super comfy on the inside And sweet like pie on the outside.
Look, I need your help.
I want to find something called an actuator.
That's what it looks like.
Look at it.
I am looking.
Look at it like you mean it.
It's used in illegal high-end Plastic surgery.
Plastic surgery? Yeah, the kind that kills The person whose face you want.
You know where I can find something like that? What do I get out of it? Look, you either help us out of the goodness of your heart, Or I'll get my robot to toss you and your suit Over the wall.
Okay, look, There's a guy, and if there's heat on you, He can change your face so facial rec Won't recognize you.
Is this guy a doctor? I don't know.
Probably.
Where do we find him? In the east term.
Police.
Open up.
Police.
Open up.
No, no, no.
A little help here?! He's gone into cardiac arrest.
He's dead.
Looks like he took a shot of synthetic adrenaline.
He was freakishly strong.
Thought he was gonna fight his way out.
Whatever this guy was into, he didn't want to get caught.
You think? His name is dr.
Curtis mccann.
Was.
He was one of the 20 doctors involved in the nanobot trials.
He lost his medical license For hiding the side effects.
Dorian, here's the guy we're looking for.
This face is a composite Of the specific features of the victims.
There are ten parts to this facial construction.
These are the facial features he wants.
There have only been nine victims so far.
Means there's still one out there.
Can you extrapolate who the next victim's gonna be? According to facial rec, this looks like the next victim.
Looks like he selected the cheekbone structure.
Stahl, we think we know Who the next victim's going to be.
Freeze! This is the police.
Sweep the perimeter.
Jonathan geddes? What the hell is this? We're here to protect you.
What have you got? Nothing yet.
We've got a plainclothes downstairs, But we're ready for him up here If he makes it past him.
Any more info on the killer's I.
D.
? We subpoenaed the insurance company to get the names Of the patients in the trials.
Might take a few days to get through the red tape.
We don't have that long.
Tell me about it.
Hold on a minute.
Who is it? The call is scrambled.
Answer it.
And say what? I don't know.
Just-just use his voice, you know, Like you Like you do mine.
I have never heard his voice.
I've only heard him grunt when he was kicking your ass.
Terrific.
Hey, I'm back.
Sorry.
He's not gonna give up when he's just one piece away.
He's been selecting his victims carefully.
He'll find someone else with the feature he needs.
It's just a matter of time.
oh now, I don't hardly know her but I think I could love her crimson and clover I wish she'd come walking over now, I've been waiting to show her crimson and clover over and over over and over How is he choosing his victims? He has the perfect face in mind, And he's found the victims with those features.
They have one other thing in common.
They all live in the lower term.
Well, that narrows it down to half a million People.
What is it? Take a look at my driver's license.
What do you see? A terrible picture.
You should have it redone.
Yeah, I tried, but you have to wait in line for hours To get the new 3-d pictures, which all of these people have.
Maybe where they lived is the pattern after all.
Overlay the dmv district.
They all fall in the same district.
Do you think the guy works at the dmv? That's the only connection we have.
Let's check it out.
Guys.
I got something.
What'd you find? I think I found him.
He did work at the dmv.
His name is eric latham.
Can we be sure it's him? He went on disability September 9, a year ago.
That's when the trials were beginning.
Do you think he still has access to the dmv files? He could.
Technically, he's still an employee.
He's had 32 surgeries in the last seven years.
Why would he volunteer for these trials? He looks perfectly normal.
And there's nothing in his medical history That shows he was disfigured, either.
Could be dysmorphic disorder.
He sees images of perfection all around him, And the more he compares himself to those images, The worse he feels about himself, And he's compelled to take the steps To mitigate the disaster He sees in the mirror.
That's not a disaster.
To him, it is.
He wants to be his version of perfect.
Go get him.
Good job.
Bedroom's clear! Bathroom's clear.
Clear! He's gone.
Code four-- area is secure.
His terminal's encrypted.
What do you got? He's using a composite picture Of his ideal face as his avatar.
His only correspondence was with one woman.
Online.
They chatted every day.
Who is she? Her screen name is judy.
They communicated this morning.
They've been corresponding for months.
He told her he lives in arizona.
They've never met, But he's using his real name.
I don't think she's a victim.
He's perfecting his face for her.
Have you got her address? All I have is a screen name.
With a little time, I think I can track her Through her ip address.
She a brunette? Yes.
Yes, she is.
I think I found her.
The food cartridges are in the third bag.
Do you need any help, judy? No, I'm fine.
Thank you, phil.
Okay.
See you next time.
Judy Judy, it's eric.
Eric? I didn't mean to scare you.
Your, uh Your door was open.
I meant it as a surprise.
Coming early, I mean.
You're beautiful.
Oh I'm sorry about the bandage.
Truth is, I didn't want you to see me like this.
But I can assure you I won't be wearing it for long.
I'm sure you're beautiful.
As beautiful as the feelings And the conversations we've shared.
But I've kept something from you.
What? You're blind.
I should have told you.
I-I struggled with it every time, But I just I-I just liked you so much, And-and you liked me, and I didn't want it to end, And I was afraid it would.
If you could love me Then you would see that I am the same person That you began to know and care about.
I just felt That you were As lonely as I was.
Was I wrong? No.
I don't care about your face, Or-or what you look like.
I just I'm so happy that we found each other.
You're crying.
Eric! Eric! Police! Police! Freeze! Police! Ms.
Wood, stay where you are.
Suspect on premises.
It's over, eric.
Come down from there, eric.
Look, I understand how you must be feeling.
It doesn't have to end like this.
What's your name? It's john.
Have you ever been loved, john? I have.
Then you wouldn't understand.
We're supposed to be loved.
You okay? Yeah.
Yeah, I'm good.
Do you think, with all the people in this city-- In the world-- That there's someone out there for everyone? I do.
That's old-fashioned.
That's me.
Old-fashioned.
Even my robot's discontinued.
Do you want me to come to a bar with you And watch you drink? No.
No, that's okay.
That, uh Got a little weird last time.
Good night, john.
Hey, john.
Hey.
You going home? Yeah, I was thinking about it.
I might head out for a drink.
You ever heard of A place called leo's? That's actually where I'm going right now.
I love that place.
Come on.
You're kidding me.
Really? Yeah.
Detective stahl.
Hi.
I'm sorry.
I'm Not interrupting, am I? No.
No, not at all.
Jake, this is john.
Hey.
How are you? You ready? Yeah.
Will I see you there? Yeah.
Yeah, I might swing along.
You know, but Got a few reports to finish, but You guys have fun.
Don't work too hard.
worlds away with memories of killing time and dreams think of me it was so cold we burned and as they leave they cross my mind no time I think it's over this life inside I seem to mind look in your eyes, you're worlds away