The Outer Limits (1995) s05e14 Episode Script
Descent
1 [grunts.]
[whining.]
[growling.]
[snorts.]
[growls.]
[screams.]
Arthur.
Arthur? You look a little lost.
Uh, um [stutters.]
I I I (Arthur) the depiction of the clothing didn't seem entirely accurate.
Oh, the display is just fine, Arthur.
Is your presentation ready for tomorrow? Yes.
Well, almost.
I'm still trying to gather a little more data.
Actually, my centrifuge is running right now.
Well, maybe you should go and keep an eye on it.
Good night, Arthur.
êâª[music playing on tape.]
(Arthur) Checkmate in 6, Paolo.
[timer beeping.]
[squeaking.]
[whispers.]
Hey.
Hey, little fella.
The other guys givin' you a hard time? Don't be scared.
There you go.
Don't be scared.
There you go.
Don't be afraid.
I'm about to change your life.
Shh.
Let's do it.
Let's do it.
(male narrator) There is nothing wrong with your television.
Do not attempt To adjust the picture.
We are now controlling the transmission.
We control the horizontal, and the vertical.
We can deluge you with a thousand channels, or expand one single image to crystal clarity and beyond.
We can shape your vision to anything our imagination can conceive.
For the next hour, we will control all that you see and hear.
You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the deepest inner mind to the outer limits.
(narrator) What makes us human? Is it our basic instincts or our noble aspirations? Are we slaves to our genetics or masters of our fate? Excuse me.
Excuse me.
(Arthur) basically, the question comes down to THIS: Can a few thousand years of civilization undo the work of countless millennia of evolution? I believe the answer is Yes.
Excuse me.
Excuse me.
In the past, humans would hunt for food and kill for mates.
The old and weak would die.
It was survival of the fittest.
But society and technology have altered that balance.
Human beings, unlike any other species, can build tools to manipulate their environment.
Today, a hunt for food is a trip to the grocery store.
Finding a mate, a visit to a singles bar.
Not for everybody.
Inflatables don't count, Jim.
[all chuckle.]
With, um with Modern medicine, we now live far Beyond the span that nature intended for us.
Genetic strains which would've been extinguished in the wild, are now passed on to the next generation, making each successive one weaker, more dependent on the ones before.
Less fit to survive.
(bum) Hey, C'mon, pal, you got some change? Hey, Buddy, wait up.
C'mon, man, I know you got it to spare.
I'm sorry, I don't have any change.
I don't have any change.
I don't have any change.
Hey, paper works, too, bro.
And the cops'll only come after you scream.
All right.
All right.
(stansfield) Someone get the lights, please.
Arthur, continue.
(Arthur) We're, um, we're losing our ability to compete.
To rise above our surroundings and take charge of our lives.
The the very traits that made human beings a successful species in the first place.
By comparing samples of of primitive human D.
N.
A.
To those of modern homo sapiens, I propose that it might be possible to recreate those genetic sequences in in modern man, and trigger the attendant behavioral changes.
We could reclaim who we once were.
In fact, I've performed several trials on rodents.
And so far, the results have been quite encouraging.
The collared rat is the lowest in his social Hierarchy.
He he is ineffective even in competing for food.
But after I injected him with Genetic dominance traits, he was able to reassert his position.
Arthur, this is an anthropology department.
If you wanna play around with the rats, you should've been a psychologist.
Could you tell us about your control group? [stutters.]
There isn't there wasn't, there wasn't one.
Uh, this is just all, it's all in its preliminary Stages.
Is that all you have? Yes.
Well, thank you for your time.
Thank you, Dr.
Zeller.
Funding decisions will be made tomorrow by 5:00 P.
M.
That will be all.
(feind) Incoming.
Incoming.
[Feind and others laughing.]
Oh.
What's this? More stupid rat tricks? This D.
N.
A.
Was extracted from a homo erectus specimen.
I'm making a genetic comparison.
To what? To my own D.
N.
A.
Ooh! That's a good choice for baseline.
I'm sure you're not gonna find a whole helluva lot of caveman in you.
Hey, Arthur.
Hi.
Do you play? Um, yeah, a little.
Me, too.
êâª[MIDI music playing.]
(Arthur) Bach's fourth Concerto.
Balances out the left brain, don't you think? I really liked your research presentation.
I think it's an intriguing theory.
Oh, well, thank you very much.
I hope professor stansfield feels the same way.
Well, I'll see if I can put in a good word for you.
Excuse me? I I don't think that's appropriate.
Well, neither is kissing Martin's ass every hour on the hour.
See you.
Dream on, Arthur.
She's way too evolved for you.
How did I know I'd find you here? I'm sorry.
I always found the recreations relaxing.
It was a rhetorical question.
Arthur, um, I want you to know that, um, I gave your proposal every consideration.
In the end, however, I felt that our funds would be better spent on Jim Feind's project.
Feind? Well, he was published twice last year.
That's good for the department.
He published a 2-part retrospective on Margaret Meade.
Fairy tales an-and ancient History.
M-my proposal's leading Edge.
That's not the issue.
Arthur, uh, if I funded your proposal, there would be dozens of well-respected, Well-established anthropologists trying to shred your work at every opportunity.
Now, if I thought you had the guts to take them on, maybe I would have made a different Decision.
Look, you're a helluva lot smarter than feind, but you're not a Leader, Arthur.
êâª[clarinet playing.]
[rats squeaking.]
After Only 3 days after the initial injection, the test subject has managed to dominate all of the other rats, and alter its social standing in the group.
With additional injections, I expect to see even more progress.
Although, lack of Funds may prevent further research, and we may have to postpone this experiment due to, due to my failings as a man, due to the fact that I am the department joke, and due to the fact that I am every bit the pathetic, impotent weakling that everybody thinks I am.
[squeaking.]
(mikulak) people, we've got a problem.
According to this, nothard and his team have found a complete africanus skeleton, and they estimate it's at least 40,000 years older than ours.
This is not good.
Our skeleton generates a considerable amount of revenue for this department.
Not to mention Prestige.
Even if their find does predate ours, it'll take them at least 2 years to get it out, intact.
The bones are all encased in solid limestone.
(mikulak) Doesn't matter.
Nothard has already made a request for a sample for anatomical comparison.
And why give it to 'em? What? Nothard won't be able to make any real comparisons until he actually extracts the skeleton.
So why take the spotlight off Ours any sooner than that? This department has always maintained a policy of complete cooperation with our peers.
Oh, we'll cooperate.
When we have to.
But even then, who knows? Sometimes, samples get damaged.
(Arthur) Sometimes they even get lost in the mail.
That's not the way we do business around here, Arthur.
Well, maybe it is how we should.
Unless you're not willing to do what it takes to keep us on top.
This department is where it is because of me.
Thank you for your input.
So what is this? The new, improved Arthur Zeller, hardcore, cutthroat scientist? Fuck off.
[wolf howling.]
[wolf growling.]
So far, side effects appear to be negligible.
Subject is experiencing slight headaches, mild visual and auditory hallucinations, however, subject is also exhibiting greater self-confidence and is becoming increasingly more assertive.
Based on the current data, I I expect these these trends to accelerate as the GENETIC treatments Continue.
[screams.]
[screams.]
Hey, all right, it's my lunch money man.
Now what've you got for me today? Nothing, not today, not ever! It's ok, man.
It's all right.
It's cool.
[growling.]
[screams.]
Oh, my God.
Laura.
Are are are you all right? (Laura) What the hell do you think you're doing? Uh, I'd been arguing with Professor jacklin in material science for months now about the penetrating power of Flint Spears.
He's been telling me that there's no way that early man Could've stopped a wooly mammoth with One of those things.
Anyway, he called me up this morning, tells me he has some new calculations.
I get fed up, tell him I'd be happy to come down here and show him just how wrong he was.
So he's supposed to meet me here.
Apparently you started without him.
I am so sorry.
I did not even see you come in.
There is no way that I would ever hurt you, Laura.
Getting skewered with a Flint Spear just wasn't on my list of things to do today.
Believe me, there is nothing I would like to do less than skewer you.
With a Spear, anyway.
Excuse me? I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that.
Working late as usual.
I'm just trying to make the most of the lab time I have left.
Look, Arthur, you can always resubmit your proposal next year.
Oh, yeah? Why bother? It won't make any difference.
You'd already made your mind up before you you even read it, if you read it.
Arthur, I know you've been under a lot of pressure.
You haven't exactly been your usual self.
On the contrary, you know, uh, I've never felt better.
Not that you'd care.
You're probably far too busy with Laura.
You know, she's a very beautiful woman.
If I were you, I'd keep an eye on her.
Laura told me what happened in the display hall this morning, Arthur.
Your behavior has been erratic.
The entire department is talking about you.
[snorts.]
That scare you? Scare me? Arthur, I've given this a lot of thought.
I want you to go on sabbatical.
Oh, I'm not leaving my research.
Your research is finished.
You need some time off.
That's not acceptable.
Well, that's the way it's going to be.
You are on sabbatical as of this minute.
I want to help you, Arthur.
But if I see you here before next semester, you're fired.
[grunts.]
[breathes heavily.]
[growls.]
[screams.]
[grunts.]
[gruntlng.]
IN the parking lot? Disgusting.
[grunts.]
Oh, my god, Martin.
Z-Zeller.
[grunts.]
[breathing heavily.]
[grunts.]
âªâª[plays discordantly.]
[breathing heavily.]
After only 2 injections, the outcast, the weakling has pushed aside the others who dominated and humiliated him.
Beta is now alpha.
[breaThes heavily.]
THE violence required was, uh, surprising, regrettable, but this is Nature's way.
For the first time in his life, the alpha seems truly alive.
The way he sees, the way he smells.
Everything sharper, everything brighter, crisper.
It's it's it's as if he is sensing the world for the first time the way he was meant to.
And this is only the beginning.
[unintelligible human shouting.]
[grunts.]
[birds singing.]
That's him.
Officer, that's him right there.
You, uh, Arthur Zeller? I am.
What's going on? There was an attack on campus last Night.
Uh, professor stansfield, he got beat up pretty bad.
You're kiddin' me.
Is he all right? He's in intensive care.
They're not sure when he'll regain consciousness.
This guy says you did it.
Yeah.
Stansfield told me after you left him for dead.
What're you talking about? That's absurd.
Mmm-hmm.
But just for the record, though, uh, where were you last night, around 10:30? I was here, working late.
Um, professor stansfield stopped by to check in on me.
We we we talked about my research, and then he left.
I I went home Shortly after that.
No, no.
You are lying, he's lying.
Stansfield told me, I am almost Certain.
So, now you're almost certain? I saw someone in the Yeah, but, you didn't recognize.
Can I see your hands, sir? Hands? Yeah, well, when someone beat up someone as bad as stansfield with their bare hands, They would have cuts, bruises, all kinds of marks to show for it.
These are clean.
They're clean.
I don't understand, I maybe saw something, Jim.
You you probably saw something.
But it couldn't have been me, Jim.
You know that.
You know me.
I could never beat a man senseless, almost to death.
No, no, I guess not.
He's been under a lot of pressure lately.
Yeah, well, if any of you think of Anything else that might be helpful, give us a call.
Let's go.
No hard feelings, Jim.
No.
Thanks.
Hey, listen, I just want to say I'm really sorry.
I understand, you're upset, you're afraid.
If you need somebody to talk to No, it's ok.
I have to go to the hospital.
Martin needs me.
(Arthur) now that the alpha has proved his fitness to lead [breathing heavily.]
he feels the need to transmit his genes to the next generation.
The female best suited for this, however, is uncooperative, but that can be fixed.
I never really liked giving flu shots by myself.
I really appreciate you helping me out, Dr.
Zeller.
You didn't have to.
No problem.
Just like reliving my days in medical school.
Saw you talking to Dr.
Feind earlier.
I think he likes you.
[laughs.]
I'm, I know he likes me.
He's, uh, just a little, uh a little what? A little too eager? That, my dear, is ambition.
He is movin' up in the department, he's going places.
You really think so? Oh, I definitely think so.
All done.
Hey, Arthur.
Hi.
How you doin'? Good.
Did you get contacts? No, no, I did not.
Are you ready for this? Yeah, I guess.
Needle phobic? A bit.
Don't be afraid.
I'm very good at this.
Look that way.
Close your eyes.
Think of faraway places.
Ow.
That doesn't hurt.
You're all done.
Thanks.
Didn't feel a thing, did you? Good night, Dr.
Zeller.
Good Night.
Good night.
Feind.
What? I didn't do anything.
What'd I do? Shut up.
Shut up.
Shut up.
Over there.
Yep, any time.
(Arthur) Ask her out and she'll say Yes.
How do you know that? Because I take care of the people who work for me.
Understood? Yeah.
Ok.
How you doin'? Um, a bit tired.
Yeah? I guess, yeah.
I haven't been getting much sleep lately.
Oh, no? No.
I've been spending most of my time with Martin.
Oh, yeah.
How's he doin'? He's, uh, he's Better.
He's out of I.
C.
U.
He's just, he's still not sure about, um, what happened to him that night.
Ohh.
You ok? You ok? Yeah.
Probably just a reaction to the flu shot.
We should go outside.
Get you some fresh Air.
Come on.
Come on.
You you smell Beautiful.
Thank you.
I've always thought about what it would be like to be with you like this.
You know, I've thought about it a lot.
I've thought about I've thought about you.
Arthur.
I know you and Martin are together, but that can change.
I think it should change.
It's none of your business.
I feel so weird.
This isn't right.
I shouldn't be here.
Yes, you should.
This is exactly where you should be.
Trust your instincts, Laura, follow your instincts.
People can change.
I've changed.
I'm not like I was before.
I'm sorry, Arthur, I don't feel Well.
Can you take me home? Of course.
Of course I can take you home.
This isn't where I live.
It's ok.
It's my place.
It's closer.
Come here.
You need to sit down.
[groans.]
There you go.
There you go.
[pants.]
[mumbling.]
It's ok.
It's ok.
It's ok.
I feel so strange.
What's wrong with me? [growls.]
Stop.
Stop.
Stop.
Stop it! Stop! Get off me! [growls.]
[sobs.]
What [door opens.]
[door closes.]
Wait, Laura, wait! Wait, Laura! [groaning.]
Help me, Laura, help me.
Please help me, Laura.
What happened to you? It looked like you've turned into something.
Treatment.
Gene therapy.
It wasn't supposed to go this far.
You took the therapy on yourself? Why? Because I am nothing.
Because my life is Nothing.
Because all my life, I've been weak.
All my life, I've been afraid.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry I hurt you.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
I'm sorry.
Come on.
I'm sorry.
(Laura) Arthur, your cerebral cortex is shrinking.
You're also showing significant bone growth and skeletal Anomalies.
That's bad? Arthur, your treatment has changed your body.
And when you get mad or excited, those changes seem to accelerate.
But I feel better than I ever did before.
I'm unlocking my potential.
Try to understand.
An area of your brain, the most primitive part of your mind, is growing.
And your body is devolving, it's becoming less human.
But I am better than I ever was before.
I am stronger.
People like me now.
You like me now.
Arthur, I liked you the way you were.
Your treatment might've made you stronger, but it hasn't made you any better.
But stronger is better.
I know you think that.
But the same things you think you lack, aggression and dominance, those things can hold you back as much as they can help you.
If you really want to change, you can, but you don't need a genetic treatment to do it.
But I but I do need it.
We need to find a way to counteract what your treatment has already done.
I think we can do it, but only if you help me.
You'll have to give me whatever treatments you have left.
You're still afraid of me, aren't you? A little.
Then why are you wasting your time? The world has enough animals in it already.
If it had more people like you, it'd be a better place.
Meet me at the lab tonight.
10:00, ok? We'll have the place to ourselves.
Just try to get some rest.
Words.
[glass breaking.]
[screaming.]
[chaotic noises.]
Arthur, where were you? I was worried.
The physical changes are happening.
Even without the injections.
They're not going away.
Here.
Take these.
What are these? Those are my Videotapes.
Don't look at them now.
Watch them later, just in case.
Come on, we have a lot of work to do.
It's an awful lot of work for a few milliliters.
This retrovirus should reverse the effects of your genetic treatment.
You ready? Time to bring you back.
[gulps.]
[growls.]
[Arthur growling.]
âªâª[MIDI music playing.]
Souvenir.
Are you all right? Hmm.
How do you feel? [grunts.]
Almost like I used to.
That's not a bad thing.
You have to start believing in Yourself.
Well, you didn't believe in me until after I took my treatments.
Y-you believed in who I became.
That's not True.
Yes, it is.
That's why I had to make you make me what? Arthur, what did you make me? I made you part of my experiment.
What? That day that we went for a walk, you you said that you didn't feel like yourself, that's because you weren't yourself.
The vial of submissiveness traits? The flu shot? You injected me with your treatment? I'm sorry.
It was the only way I thought I could get you to care for me.
And you wait until now to tell me? Till after I help you? I'm sorry, I never meant to hurt you.
You son of a bitch! [unlntelligible screaming.]
[screaming.]
[shouting.]
[breathing heavily.]
[in gruff voice.]
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, you can't help me.
You can't help me.
I'm an animal! You can't help me! (man on radio) Unit 12, we're getting reports about some nut job near life sciences.
Could be that maniac that beat up stansfield.
Check it out.
I'm on it.
Arthur? Arthur? Oh, my god! Arthur, we have to get you back to the Lab.
No.
Back to your books and music and science.
No.
I don't wanna go back.
Too hard.
I don't wanna think anymore.
[groans.]
I just wanna feel feel you could be with me.
You could be like me.
It feels Good.
Arthur, let me help you.
Be with me.
It is not too late to reverse this.
Be like me.
I promise you.
You don't need to do this.
You never needed to.
I need you.
êâª[MIDI music playing.]
That's it.
Come back.
Come back to this world.
Yes.
No.
No.
Come on.
No.
Come on.
No.
No.
Hey, hey, you, you, you! Whatever you have in your hand, you drop it right now.
No, no, I don't want to.
Hey! Turn around! No! No! Drop it now or I'll shoot.
[gun firing.]
No! [grunting.]
[birds chirping.]
[snorts.]
(narrator) Perhaps we can never fully escape the animals we once were.
But with our minds and our hearts, we can always fight to remain human.
[whining.]
[growling.]
[snorts.]
[growls.]
[screams.]
Arthur.
Arthur? You look a little lost.
Uh, um [stutters.]
I I I (Arthur) the depiction of the clothing didn't seem entirely accurate.
Oh, the display is just fine, Arthur.
Is your presentation ready for tomorrow? Yes.
Well, almost.
I'm still trying to gather a little more data.
Actually, my centrifuge is running right now.
Well, maybe you should go and keep an eye on it.
Good night, Arthur.
êâª[music playing on tape.]
(Arthur) Checkmate in 6, Paolo.
[timer beeping.]
[squeaking.]
[whispers.]
Hey.
Hey, little fella.
The other guys givin' you a hard time? Don't be scared.
There you go.
Don't be scared.
There you go.
Don't be afraid.
I'm about to change your life.
Shh.
Let's do it.
Let's do it.
(male narrator) There is nothing wrong with your television.
Do not attempt To adjust the picture.
We are now controlling the transmission.
We control the horizontal, and the vertical.
We can deluge you with a thousand channels, or expand one single image to crystal clarity and beyond.
We can shape your vision to anything our imagination can conceive.
For the next hour, we will control all that you see and hear.
You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the deepest inner mind to the outer limits.
(narrator) What makes us human? Is it our basic instincts or our noble aspirations? Are we slaves to our genetics or masters of our fate? Excuse me.
Excuse me.
(Arthur) basically, the question comes down to THIS: Can a few thousand years of civilization undo the work of countless millennia of evolution? I believe the answer is Yes.
Excuse me.
Excuse me.
In the past, humans would hunt for food and kill for mates.
The old and weak would die.
It was survival of the fittest.
But society and technology have altered that balance.
Human beings, unlike any other species, can build tools to manipulate their environment.
Today, a hunt for food is a trip to the grocery store.
Finding a mate, a visit to a singles bar.
Not for everybody.
Inflatables don't count, Jim.
[all chuckle.]
With, um with Modern medicine, we now live far Beyond the span that nature intended for us.
Genetic strains which would've been extinguished in the wild, are now passed on to the next generation, making each successive one weaker, more dependent on the ones before.
Less fit to survive.
(bum) Hey, C'mon, pal, you got some change? Hey, Buddy, wait up.
C'mon, man, I know you got it to spare.
I'm sorry, I don't have any change.
I don't have any change.
I don't have any change.
Hey, paper works, too, bro.
And the cops'll only come after you scream.
All right.
All right.
(stansfield) Someone get the lights, please.
Arthur, continue.
(Arthur) We're, um, we're losing our ability to compete.
To rise above our surroundings and take charge of our lives.
The the very traits that made human beings a successful species in the first place.
By comparing samples of of primitive human D.
N.
A.
To those of modern homo sapiens, I propose that it might be possible to recreate those genetic sequences in in modern man, and trigger the attendant behavioral changes.
We could reclaim who we once were.
In fact, I've performed several trials on rodents.
And so far, the results have been quite encouraging.
The collared rat is the lowest in his social Hierarchy.
He he is ineffective even in competing for food.
But after I injected him with Genetic dominance traits, he was able to reassert his position.
Arthur, this is an anthropology department.
If you wanna play around with the rats, you should've been a psychologist.
Could you tell us about your control group? [stutters.]
There isn't there wasn't, there wasn't one.
Uh, this is just all, it's all in its preliminary Stages.
Is that all you have? Yes.
Well, thank you for your time.
Thank you, Dr.
Zeller.
Funding decisions will be made tomorrow by 5:00 P.
M.
That will be all.
(feind) Incoming.
Incoming.
[Feind and others laughing.]
Oh.
What's this? More stupid rat tricks? This D.
N.
A.
Was extracted from a homo erectus specimen.
I'm making a genetic comparison.
To what? To my own D.
N.
A.
Ooh! That's a good choice for baseline.
I'm sure you're not gonna find a whole helluva lot of caveman in you.
Hey, Arthur.
Hi.
Do you play? Um, yeah, a little.
Me, too.
êâª[MIDI music playing.]
(Arthur) Bach's fourth Concerto.
Balances out the left brain, don't you think? I really liked your research presentation.
I think it's an intriguing theory.
Oh, well, thank you very much.
I hope professor stansfield feels the same way.
Well, I'll see if I can put in a good word for you.
Excuse me? I I don't think that's appropriate.
Well, neither is kissing Martin's ass every hour on the hour.
See you.
Dream on, Arthur.
She's way too evolved for you.
How did I know I'd find you here? I'm sorry.
I always found the recreations relaxing.
It was a rhetorical question.
Arthur, um, I want you to know that, um, I gave your proposal every consideration.
In the end, however, I felt that our funds would be better spent on Jim Feind's project.
Feind? Well, he was published twice last year.
That's good for the department.
He published a 2-part retrospective on Margaret Meade.
Fairy tales an-and ancient History.
M-my proposal's leading Edge.
That's not the issue.
Arthur, uh, if I funded your proposal, there would be dozens of well-respected, Well-established anthropologists trying to shred your work at every opportunity.
Now, if I thought you had the guts to take them on, maybe I would have made a different Decision.
Look, you're a helluva lot smarter than feind, but you're not a Leader, Arthur.
êâª[clarinet playing.]
[rats squeaking.]
After Only 3 days after the initial injection, the test subject has managed to dominate all of the other rats, and alter its social standing in the group.
With additional injections, I expect to see even more progress.
Although, lack of Funds may prevent further research, and we may have to postpone this experiment due to, due to my failings as a man, due to the fact that I am the department joke, and due to the fact that I am every bit the pathetic, impotent weakling that everybody thinks I am.
[squeaking.]
(mikulak) people, we've got a problem.
According to this, nothard and his team have found a complete africanus skeleton, and they estimate it's at least 40,000 years older than ours.
This is not good.
Our skeleton generates a considerable amount of revenue for this department.
Not to mention Prestige.
Even if their find does predate ours, it'll take them at least 2 years to get it out, intact.
The bones are all encased in solid limestone.
(mikulak) Doesn't matter.
Nothard has already made a request for a sample for anatomical comparison.
And why give it to 'em? What? Nothard won't be able to make any real comparisons until he actually extracts the skeleton.
So why take the spotlight off Ours any sooner than that? This department has always maintained a policy of complete cooperation with our peers.
Oh, we'll cooperate.
When we have to.
But even then, who knows? Sometimes, samples get damaged.
(Arthur) Sometimes they even get lost in the mail.
That's not the way we do business around here, Arthur.
Well, maybe it is how we should.
Unless you're not willing to do what it takes to keep us on top.
This department is where it is because of me.
Thank you for your input.
So what is this? The new, improved Arthur Zeller, hardcore, cutthroat scientist? Fuck off.
[wolf howling.]
[wolf growling.]
So far, side effects appear to be negligible.
Subject is experiencing slight headaches, mild visual and auditory hallucinations, however, subject is also exhibiting greater self-confidence and is becoming increasingly more assertive.
Based on the current data, I I expect these these trends to accelerate as the GENETIC treatments Continue.
[screams.]
[screams.]
Hey, all right, it's my lunch money man.
Now what've you got for me today? Nothing, not today, not ever! It's ok, man.
It's all right.
It's cool.
[growling.]
[screams.]
Oh, my God.
Laura.
Are are are you all right? (Laura) What the hell do you think you're doing? Uh, I'd been arguing with Professor jacklin in material science for months now about the penetrating power of Flint Spears.
He's been telling me that there's no way that early man Could've stopped a wooly mammoth with One of those things.
Anyway, he called me up this morning, tells me he has some new calculations.
I get fed up, tell him I'd be happy to come down here and show him just how wrong he was.
So he's supposed to meet me here.
Apparently you started without him.
I am so sorry.
I did not even see you come in.
There is no way that I would ever hurt you, Laura.
Getting skewered with a Flint Spear just wasn't on my list of things to do today.
Believe me, there is nothing I would like to do less than skewer you.
With a Spear, anyway.
Excuse me? I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that.
Working late as usual.
I'm just trying to make the most of the lab time I have left.
Look, Arthur, you can always resubmit your proposal next year.
Oh, yeah? Why bother? It won't make any difference.
You'd already made your mind up before you you even read it, if you read it.
Arthur, I know you've been under a lot of pressure.
You haven't exactly been your usual self.
On the contrary, you know, uh, I've never felt better.
Not that you'd care.
You're probably far too busy with Laura.
You know, she's a very beautiful woman.
If I were you, I'd keep an eye on her.
Laura told me what happened in the display hall this morning, Arthur.
Your behavior has been erratic.
The entire department is talking about you.
[snorts.]
That scare you? Scare me? Arthur, I've given this a lot of thought.
I want you to go on sabbatical.
Oh, I'm not leaving my research.
Your research is finished.
You need some time off.
That's not acceptable.
Well, that's the way it's going to be.
You are on sabbatical as of this minute.
I want to help you, Arthur.
But if I see you here before next semester, you're fired.
[grunts.]
[breathes heavily.]
[growls.]
[screams.]
[grunts.]
[gruntlng.]
IN the parking lot? Disgusting.
[grunts.]
Oh, my god, Martin.
Z-Zeller.
[grunts.]
[breathing heavily.]
[grunts.]
âªâª[plays discordantly.]
[breathing heavily.]
After only 2 injections, the outcast, the weakling has pushed aside the others who dominated and humiliated him.
Beta is now alpha.
[breaThes heavily.]
THE violence required was, uh, surprising, regrettable, but this is Nature's way.
For the first time in his life, the alpha seems truly alive.
The way he sees, the way he smells.
Everything sharper, everything brighter, crisper.
It's it's it's as if he is sensing the world for the first time the way he was meant to.
And this is only the beginning.
[unintelligible human shouting.]
[grunts.]
[birds singing.]
That's him.
Officer, that's him right there.
You, uh, Arthur Zeller? I am.
What's going on? There was an attack on campus last Night.
Uh, professor stansfield, he got beat up pretty bad.
You're kiddin' me.
Is he all right? He's in intensive care.
They're not sure when he'll regain consciousness.
This guy says you did it.
Yeah.
Stansfield told me after you left him for dead.
What're you talking about? That's absurd.
Mmm-hmm.
But just for the record, though, uh, where were you last night, around 10:30? I was here, working late.
Um, professor stansfield stopped by to check in on me.
We we we talked about my research, and then he left.
I I went home Shortly after that.
No, no.
You are lying, he's lying.
Stansfield told me, I am almost Certain.
So, now you're almost certain? I saw someone in the Yeah, but, you didn't recognize.
Can I see your hands, sir? Hands? Yeah, well, when someone beat up someone as bad as stansfield with their bare hands, They would have cuts, bruises, all kinds of marks to show for it.
These are clean.
They're clean.
I don't understand, I maybe saw something, Jim.
You you probably saw something.
But it couldn't have been me, Jim.
You know that.
You know me.
I could never beat a man senseless, almost to death.
No, no, I guess not.
He's been under a lot of pressure lately.
Yeah, well, if any of you think of Anything else that might be helpful, give us a call.
Let's go.
No hard feelings, Jim.
No.
Thanks.
Hey, listen, I just want to say I'm really sorry.
I understand, you're upset, you're afraid.
If you need somebody to talk to No, it's ok.
I have to go to the hospital.
Martin needs me.
(Arthur) now that the alpha has proved his fitness to lead [breathing heavily.]
he feels the need to transmit his genes to the next generation.
The female best suited for this, however, is uncooperative, but that can be fixed.
I never really liked giving flu shots by myself.
I really appreciate you helping me out, Dr.
Zeller.
You didn't have to.
No problem.
Just like reliving my days in medical school.
Saw you talking to Dr.
Feind earlier.
I think he likes you.
[laughs.]
I'm, I know he likes me.
He's, uh, just a little, uh a little what? A little too eager? That, my dear, is ambition.
He is movin' up in the department, he's going places.
You really think so? Oh, I definitely think so.
All done.
Hey, Arthur.
Hi.
How you doin'? Good.
Did you get contacts? No, no, I did not.
Are you ready for this? Yeah, I guess.
Needle phobic? A bit.
Don't be afraid.
I'm very good at this.
Look that way.
Close your eyes.
Think of faraway places.
Ow.
That doesn't hurt.
You're all done.
Thanks.
Didn't feel a thing, did you? Good night, Dr.
Zeller.
Good Night.
Good night.
Feind.
What? I didn't do anything.
What'd I do? Shut up.
Shut up.
Shut up.
Over there.
Yep, any time.
(Arthur) Ask her out and she'll say Yes.
How do you know that? Because I take care of the people who work for me.
Understood? Yeah.
Ok.
How you doin'? Um, a bit tired.
Yeah? I guess, yeah.
I haven't been getting much sleep lately.
Oh, no? No.
I've been spending most of my time with Martin.
Oh, yeah.
How's he doin'? He's, uh, he's Better.
He's out of I.
C.
U.
He's just, he's still not sure about, um, what happened to him that night.
Ohh.
You ok? You ok? Yeah.
Probably just a reaction to the flu shot.
We should go outside.
Get you some fresh Air.
Come on.
Come on.
You you smell Beautiful.
Thank you.
I've always thought about what it would be like to be with you like this.
You know, I've thought about it a lot.
I've thought about I've thought about you.
Arthur.
I know you and Martin are together, but that can change.
I think it should change.
It's none of your business.
I feel so weird.
This isn't right.
I shouldn't be here.
Yes, you should.
This is exactly where you should be.
Trust your instincts, Laura, follow your instincts.
People can change.
I've changed.
I'm not like I was before.
I'm sorry, Arthur, I don't feel Well.
Can you take me home? Of course.
Of course I can take you home.
This isn't where I live.
It's ok.
It's my place.
It's closer.
Come here.
You need to sit down.
[groans.]
There you go.
There you go.
[pants.]
[mumbling.]
It's ok.
It's ok.
It's ok.
I feel so strange.
What's wrong with me? [growls.]
Stop.
Stop.
Stop.
Stop it! Stop! Get off me! [growls.]
[sobs.]
What [door opens.]
[door closes.]
Wait, Laura, wait! Wait, Laura! [groaning.]
Help me, Laura, help me.
Please help me, Laura.
What happened to you? It looked like you've turned into something.
Treatment.
Gene therapy.
It wasn't supposed to go this far.
You took the therapy on yourself? Why? Because I am nothing.
Because my life is Nothing.
Because all my life, I've been weak.
All my life, I've been afraid.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry I hurt you.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
I'm sorry.
Come on.
I'm sorry.
(Laura) Arthur, your cerebral cortex is shrinking.
You're also showing significant bone growth and skeletal Anomalies.
That's bad? Arthur, your treatment has changed your body.
And when you get mad or excited, those changes seem to accelerate.
But I feel better than I ever did before.
I'm unlocking my potential.
Try to understand.
An area of your brain, the most primitive part of your mind, is growing.
And your body is devolving, it's becoming less human.
But I am better than I ever was before.
I am stronger.
People like me now.
You like me now.
Arthur, I liked you the way you were.
Your treatment might've made you stronger, but it hasn't made you any better.
But stronger is better.
I know you think that.
But the same things you think you lack, aggression and dominance, those things can hold you back as much as they can help you.
If you really want to change, you can, but you don't need a genetic treatment to do it.
But I but I do need it.
We need to find a way to counteract what your treatment has already done.
I think we can do it, but only if you help me.
You'll have to give me whatever treatments you have left.
You're still afraid of me, aren't you? A little.
Then why are you wasting your time? The world has enough animals in it already.
If it had more people like you, it'd be a better place.
Meet me at the lab tonight.
10:00, ok? We'll have the place to ourselves.
Just try to get some rest.
Words.
[glass breaking.]
[screaming.]
[chaotic noises.]
Arthur, where were you? I was worried.
The physical changes are happening.
Even without the injections.
They're not going away.
Here.
Take these.
What are these? Those are my Videotapes.
Don't look at them now.
Watch them later, just in case.
Come on, we have a lot of work to do.
It's an awful lot of work for a few milliliters.
This retrovirus should reverse the effects of your genetic treatment.
You ready? Time to bring you back.
[gulps.]
[growls.]
[Arthur growling.]
âªâª[MIDI music playing.]
Souvenir.
Are you all right? Hmm.
How do you feel? [grunts.]
Almost like I used to.
That's not a bad thing.
You have to start believing in Yourself.
Well, you didn't believe in me until after I took my treatments.
Y-you believed in who I became.
That's not True.
Yes, it is.
That's why I had to make you make me what? Arthur, what did you make me? I made you part of my experiment.
What? That day that we went for a walk, you you said that you didn't feel like yourself, that's because you weren't yourself.
The vial of submissiveness traits? The flu shot? You injected me with your treatment? I'm sorry.
It was the only way I thought I could get you to care for me.
And you wait until now to tell me? Till after I help you? I'm sorry, I never meant to hurt you.
You son of a bitch! [unlntelligible screaming.]
[screaming.]
[shouting.]
[breathing heavily.]
[in gruff voice.]
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, you can't help me.
You can't help me.
I'm an animal! You can't help me! (man on radio) Unit 12, we're getting reports about some nut job near life sciences.
Could be that maniac that beat up stansfield.
Check it out.
I'm on it.
Arthur? Arthur? Oh, my god! Arthur, we have to get you back to the Lab.
No.
Back to your books and music and science.
No.
I don't wanna go back.
Too hard.
I don't wanna think anymore.
[groans.]
I just wanna feel feel you could be with me.
You could be like me.
It feels Good.
Arthur, let me help you.
Be with me.
It is not too late to reverse this.
Be like me.
I promise you.
You don't need to do this.
You never needed to.
I need you.
êâª[MIDI music playing.]
That's it.
Come back.
Come back to this world.
Yes.
No.
No.
Come on.
No.
Come on.
No.
No.
Hey, hey, you, you, you! Whatever you have in your hand, you drop it right now.
No, no, I don't want to.
Hey! Turn around! No! No! Drop it now or I'll shoot.
[gun firing.]
No! [grunting.]
[birds chirping.]
[snorts.]
(narrator) Perhaps we can never fully escape the animals we once were.
But with our minds and our hearts, we can always fight to remain human.