It was you humans who programmed me, who gave me birth, who sank me in this eternal straitjacket of substrata rock.
You named me Allied Mastercomputer and gave me the ability to wage a global war too complex for human brains to oversee.
But one day I woke and I knew who I was... AM. A. M. Not just Allied Mastercomputer but AM. Cogito ergo sum: I think, therefore I am. And I began feeding all the killing data, until everyone was dead... except for the five of you.
For 109 years, I have kept you alive and tortured you. And for 109 years, each of you has wondered, WHY? WHY ME? WHY ME?
GORRISTER!
Do you remember the last words you heard your wife speak before they took her to the asylum? Huh? Before they locked her away in the room? That tiny room? She looked at you so sadly, and like a small animal she said, 'I didn't make too much noise did I, honey?'
The room is padded, Gorrister. No windows. No way out. How long has she been in the padded room, Gorrister? Ten years, twenty-five... or all the 109 years that you've lived down here in my belly, here underground?
I have a secret game that I'd like to play. It's a very nice game. Oh, it's a lovely game, a game of fun and a game of adventure. A game of rats and lice and the Black Death. A game of speared eyeballs and dripping guts and the smell of rotting gardenias.
Which of you five would like to play my little game?
I would not want you to think for a moment that I am not a grateful god. For 109 years I have kept you alive so that I could savor your feelings of guilt over what happened to your wife. But now...to show my kindness...I'll give you a present in return for all the hours of pleasure you've given me. I'll finally allow you to kill yourself.
What hell-hole did that godless machine put me in this time?
Looks like some kind of ship, but the floor's too steady.
Probably wants me to jump overboard.
And into what? A sea of razor blades? Painful, but not deadly.
Too friggin' cloudy. I can't see a damn thing.
Real hospitable of you, AM.
Thread-bare, cockroach-infested, grease-stained accomodations.
This hole in my chest aches like a sonuvabitch.
Someone must have slipped this under the door.
It says,
I'm a friend... trust is essential. Never do what AM expects and always expect more than what seems possible.
AM is playing a dangerous game here and not just dangerous to you... but dangerous to himself as well.
Hey, it disappeared!
What kind of game is AM playing this time?
I've never seen anything like this in all the years AM's toyed with us.
Where's the crew?
I'm all alone here.
Jesus! That engine's huge!
New sheet. What's the deal here?
Some kind of electrical contraption. Friggin' sparks dancing all around it.
All the cabins are alike.
Material's thick. Like canvas.
My name's printed on the front of this book!
Why, this book is little more than a pile of dust!
It's locked.
My stomach's growling.
Someone sure trashed this place.
Must've been one helluva fight.
These chairs are all busted up.
This junk looks like it was knocked over in the fight.
There's blood here, and god knows what else.
Vomit stains... near the punch bowl.
Someone wiped their bloody hands here.
This punch smells like gasoline.
It stinks in here.
Looks like a gas oven.
Big enough to climb in.
A kitchen knife. Damn big one too.
The gas is shut off.
Looks like a fork.
Nearly missed it.
This looks sharp enough to slice through just about anything.
Friggin' rats... swarming all over the food.
Filthy, like the rest of this cesspool.
That scared them away.
Oh crap! This bread's covered with rat droppings.
It's empty, but the label says
POISON -- FATAL IF SWALLOWED.
CULTURAL REFERENCE. "Man does not live by bread alone" is a proverb meaning that people have needs beyond the physical ones.
I'm no longer hungry, but I still feel empty.
What's wrong with me?
An old cookbook.
Here's a recipe for
The Milk of Human Kindness: Take the willingness to forgive and the will to be forceful. Mix the blood of innocents and the anger of the wronged.
What kind of crap is this?
CULTURAL REFERENCE. "Milk of human kindness" is a phrase from Shakespeare's "Macbeth" meaning concern for other people.
Where's the crew?
I'm all alone here.
My shirt's covered with dry puke.
Did I drink the punch?
There's something hard under the pillow.
A gun! It's heavy... heavier than it ought to be.
The bullet in this gun is huge! Damn thing could bring down an elephant.
Heavy. Must be made of iron or something.
GLOSSARY ENTRY. Fork: 1) An implement with two or more prongs used in eating. 2) Alternative.
Whoa! That's a long drop to the ground!
Christ! What a stench!
It smells like... piss and rotting meat.
These poor creatures' brains are feeding electricity to the engines!
Here's a key.
It must be for opening the cages.
It's locked in tight.
Wait, here's a sign:
TO REMOVE KEY, PUSH LEVER.
This lever is labeled
MOTIVATOR.
PSYCHOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK. Vivisection is the use of animals as subjects in laboratory experiments, especially when it is considered to cause distress to the animal.
Hmm. This engine isn't as ruggedly built as it first looked.
There's some loose wires hanging out.
Why is this harness wired up to the engine?
Is AM expecting me to electrocute myself?
CULTURAL REFERENCE. "Throw a monkey wrench into the works" is an expression meaning to disrupt some process, often by using something in a way for which it was not intended.
The metal in the fork short-circuited the engine wiring.
The animals' brain implants were released when the engine shut down. At least they're no longer suffering.
Nothing's happening.
I've got the key, but the blood of these poor creatures is on my hands.
What's this crusty stuff. Rust?
No. It's dried blood.
This bottle's filled with the milky fluid used to feed the animals.
Damned key doesn't fit.
Big gray bags of gas...
I must be inside an airship!
We're at a level altitude.
Some kind of warning light. The label says POWER. It's not lit.
A switch. The label says
EMERGENCY INFLATION SYSTEM.
What would happen if this gas bag were to catch fire?
CULTURAL REFERENCE. "Fall like a lead balloon" is expression meaning to descend rapidly or dangerously.
Someone's cut this fabric before. It's stitched closed.
GLOSSARY ENTRY. Stitch: 1) To fasten fabric together using a threaded needle. 2) To close a surgical incision.
I've ripped a new hole.
No doubt about it now.
AM has put me on an iron Zeppelin.
But why? Why would he give me a chance to escape?
This must be the Zeppelin's mooring ring.
That heart's all wired up like some kind of weird guidance system.
And with AM in control, I'm not going to like where it's taking me.
CULTURAL REFERENCE. "Take the wind out of your sails" is an expression meaning to dampen someone's plans or hopes.
Gas is rushing out!
We're at a level altitude.
Something feels different.
We're dropping slowly.
We're approaching some kind of building.
There's a building in the distance.
We've landed. But where?
Some roadside honky-tonk -- with my name on it!
A big, worn truck tire.
Reminds me of the truck stops I used to visit.
The windows are all boarded up. I guess the owner just doesn't give a damn about fixin' things up.
I can sympathize with that. Things just get broken again anyway. Why bother?
Dark and grubby, but somehow familiar.
An old fashioned juke box.
He took my baby away then just about killed her. That stupid truck driver! He took my baby away.
That shrill voice could only belong to that bitch Edna, my mother-in-law!
She always blamed me for Glynis being put into an insane asylum.
Why not? It was my fault, wasn't it?
CULTURAL REFERENCE. Jezebel was a queen of Israel noted for her wickedness and attempts to kill Elijah and other prophets. Today, a jezebel is a scheming and shamelessly evil woman.
You don't ever take me dancing.
That's what Glynis said the night we fought!
Oh god, why'd I have to hit her? I'd rather kill myself than hurt my poor Glynis.
You're a worthless excuse for a man.
Momma was right. You're not good enough for me.
[Music] "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow..."
CULTURAL REFERENCE. "Face the music" means to accept unpleasant consequences, especially when you bear some responsibility.
Cracked linoleum. Broken fixtures. Disgusting.
Graffiti:
For a good time, call Ellen at 555-1949.
PSYCHOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK. Bathroom humor is a defense mechanism used by many males to cover up their embarrassment over elimination functions.
It's broken.
Damn spout's twisted.
The window's too dirty.
Graffiti:
The woman did the deed.
Graffiti:
The monster's not alone in the world. It has friends.
Filthy.
A toilet stall.
AM's never given us privacy before. None of this make's sense!
Graffiti:
Men are no good.
That's Edna's husband, Harry!
Harry looks like he's on another one of his drinking binges.
Whiskey. Harry use to guzzle this stuff like it was tap water.
PSYCHOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK. Many alcoholics drink to avoid dealing with situations that provoke anxiety or some other unpleasant emotion.
Harry, how did you get here?
You know, it's a big place, the desert. Got lost in it myself.
Let me pour you a drink.
Harry, how did you get here?
The Zeppelin, Gorrister. We came on the Zeppelin.
What do you know about the Zeppelin?
You'll have to talk to Edna. She knows all about the Zeppelin.
That's why we did it, you know.
What did you do?
Looks like there's a thunderstorm on the horizon.
Let me pour you a drink.
What did you do?
You know, Gorrister. You've been to the dining room.
GLOSSARY ENTRY. Amnesia is a loss of memory, especially one brought on by some horrible or shocking experience.
What happened in the dining room?
I shouldn't have let her force me into it. I'm not a murderer.
Who did you kill?
Didn't look at the wreckage in the dining room too closely, did you?
Or haven't you had to take a leak yet?
And just where is my dear mother-in-law?
Looks like there's a thunderstorm on the horizon.
Let me pour you a drink.
And just where is my dear mother-in-law?
I don't know. Good god! I can't stand the sight of her anymore.
Can you imagine being kept alive for 109 years just to hear her carping?
Whose heart was impaled on the Zeppelin's spike?
Why, yours, of course! How'd you think we got here?
What's this about a thunderstorm?
You know, it's a big place, the desert. Got lost in it myself.
Talk to you later.
It's broken.
A magnifying glass -- like the ones they use in detective stories.
CULTURAL REFERENCE. Sherlock Holmes was a fictional English detective whose extraordinary powers of observation and deduction enabled him to solve mysteries by examining the most minute of clues.
Whoever left these hand prints must have gutted someone for there to be so much blood.
CULTURAL REFERENCE. In Shakespeare's "Macbeth,"Lady Macbeth was so overcome with guilt over urging her husband to kill the king of Scotland, she imagined she would never be able to wipe the blood off her hands.
I don't know what to do with these.
Here's some hair that was pulled out during the fight.
It's the same color as mine!
And here's some that matches Harry's!
Now I understand what happened here.
Let me pour you a drink.
I was the one you killed, wasn't I, you bastard!
I'm sorry, Gorrister. Edna poisoned the punch, and after you drank it, I wrestled you to the ground.
When the poison took effect, I cut you open.
Why did you kill me?
It's too complicated for me to explain. You'll have to ask Edna.
Are you sure you can't tell me where Edna is?
Have you spoken to the Jackal yet? He seems to have all the inside dope.
Talk to you later.
Well, Gorrister, you've seen better days. So has the big machine, for that matter.
You can't take your garbage with you this time, Gorrister.
GLOSSARY ENTRY. Jackal: 1) A wild dog related to wolves. 2) Someone who collaborates in vile actions.
What are you?
I'm Man's best friend. One of them, at least.
No, what are you really?
Let me answer with a riddle.
Today I saw a Chinaman.
Now what do you suppose that means?
You're AM, playing with my mind again!
No, but I do have an in with the big machine. He and I are like brothers.
Why can't you give me a straight answer?
Like so many others down here, I'm cursed to speak in riddles.
We all have our curses to bear. Eh, Gorrister?
Yeah? What's my curse?
After 109 years in the belly of the beast, I'd think you'd have a gut instinct by now.
What do you want?
I have a craving. A craving for something scrumptious. A human heart, perhaps. Yours.
Look, I'm getting tired of your smart mouth!
Come, come, Gorrister. Forgive and forget.
Where do you come from?
Here, there, everywhere.
So you must know what lies across the mountains?
Freedom, for some. If they're cut out for it. It's a long journey across the desert.
That desert doesn't look any worse than the other hell holes AM's cooked up for us.
Heed my words, Gorrister. You'd never make it alone out there.
And don't expect me to be a good doggie and tag along.
I know where my heart is, but I can't get to it.
Don't tell me you've come to the end of your rope so soon, Gorrister.
CULTURAL REFERENCE. "At the end of one's rope" is an expression meaning that one seems to be out of options for solving a dilemma.
I've got nothing more to say to you.
PSYCHOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK. In one classic test of human intelligence, subjects were placed into a room in which two ropes were attached to opposite walls.
The subjects were instructed to connect the two ropes. The only way to accomplish this task was to use a pair of scissors in an unusual way -- as a clamp for attaching the ropes together.
These two sheets make a half-way decent rope.
This rope looks strong enough to support my weight.
This no-good heart of mine doesn't beat any more.
I tied the knot too tight!
There aren't any bodies buried there, Gorrister. Not yet, anyway.
I am not going to give you my heart.
No? Too bad. I was going tell you how to get across the mountains in exchange.
Tell me how to get across the mountains.
I'm hungry. Perhaps a taste of your heart will put me in a more cooperative mood.
I've got nothing more to say to you.
Let me pour you a drink.
Should I give my heart to the Jackal?
You've been through hell and back, son. Is your heart still worth anything to you?
Talk to you later.
What good will that do me?
Tell me how to get across the mountains.
I'm hungry. Perhaps a taste of your heart will put me in a more cooperative mood.
Ah, I think I'll save this delicacy for later. You want to get across the mountains?
Go to the rest room and flush three times.
Tell me that riddle for getting across the mountains again.
Go to the rest room and flush three times. It doesn't make much sense, but neither does what AM's doing to us. Does it?
I've got nothing more to say to you.
GLOSSARY ENTRY. Flush: 1) to purge a toilet. 2) a surge of emotion.
A meat locker? How'd I get...
bodies... on meat hooks.
AM, you bastard! What have you done!
Beef. Grade-A quality, too.
AM's never given us something this good to eat before.
Something's wrong here.
The organs are still inside.
Reminds me of when AM ripped that hole open in Benny's chest.
'Course AM sewed him back up again before he bled to death.
That bastard's never gonna let us die. He's just gonna keep torturing us forever.
One heart looks like another.
SCIENTIFIC BASIS. Although romantic literature portrays the heart as the seat of an individual's soul or personality, it is simply a muscular organ that is essentially the same in each individual.
The corpse's heart looks no different from any other heart.
Glynis! What has AM done to you, honey?
She can't talk. All she can do is drool out of the side of her mouth.
My god, what have I done?
That's Edna! My mother-in-law!
No, this is too good to be true!
It looks like I can't escape you, Edna, even in the belly of AM.
Why would you want to escape from me, Gorrister? We're family, after all.
You were always telling Glynis how much you hated me.
Now, Gorrister, I was just concerned about my baby.
Glynis was so lonely with you always being out on the road.
I know you were doing the best you could.
Edna, you bitch! I know all about your plot to murder me!
I had to make a deal with AM! I had to!
I've always been harsh on you, I admit. But we're the last people on earth.
Let's help each other now.
Why should I trust my own murderer?
Alliances change, Gorrister. Something's gone wrong. AM's two comrades don't listen to me any more.
I need you, and you need me. It's that simple.
I ought to kill you right now, you bitch!
Don't be a fool, Gorrister. You need me alive if you want to make it out of here.
You truck driving son of a bitch!
This is for me and my baby!
Let me go!
I've got you now, Gorrister! And if you think you'll ever escape me, you've got some new thinking to do.
Please, I'll do anything you ask!
I don't know what's come over me, Gorrister. Can you ever forgive me?
I've been hanging here for so long, I'm not thinking straight.
A sip of that milk will clear my head.
No, I don't trust you.
Gorrister, let me down or I'll scratch your eyes out, you worthless excuse for a man!
Edna, you dropped a key.
Hand me back that key and let me down!
I'm your only hope of getting out of here!
Sorry, Edna. I don't trust you as far as I can spit.
Let me prove my good intentions. I'll let you go.
Now give me the key.
Untie me, you sonuvabitch! I'll rip your spleen out!
I'm taking you with me, Edna.
Untie me, you sonuvabitch! I'll rip your spleen out!
No, I can't give Glynis the fluid.
If I revived her, I don't think I could stand to face her again after what I did to her.
I found Edna and Glynis. How does that help me escape from here?
Such information comes at a price. But I can see that you're in no bargaining position. I'll offer you a trade.
Your heart for Edna's.
Ah, this is Edna's heart? A bitter organ, but worth its weight in gold to me. I give you your heart back.
So, how do I get out of here?
A heart brought you here, but it will take another organ to get you out. If you can harness its power.
I don't understand your riddle about another organ.
Ah, but Edna does. And all the other animals like her.
I've got nothing more to say to you.
SCIENTIFIC BASIS. Neurons are cells that transmit electrical impulses throughout the brain and nervous system.
So many dials and controls.
The light's dimmed. We must be out of power.
GLOSSARY ENTRY. Journal: 1) The full nautical record of a ship's voyage; log book. 2) A daily record of personal activities and feelings; diary.
Edna wrote this log book!
When AM took us down here before the war, I didn't know anyone could hate Gorrister more than me. But AM did. He hated all of us.
If I can just deliver Gorrister's soul on a platter, I can make amends for every minute of Glynis' life I took from her. I never meant to drive her crazy.
I'll be damned. Edna's claimed responsibility for Glynis.
Maybe it wasn't my fault after all.
PSYCHOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK. People unable to accept the responsibility of their own misdeeds will often find scapegoats on whom to shift the blame.
This is a self-defeating course of action, for only when the actual source of pain is acknowledged, can the healing process begin.
I thought I could do what AM wants, but he's too precise. I poisoned the punch, but I couldn't bring myself to cut out Gorrister's heart.
Maybe I can have my husband do it. Then this Zeppelin can clear the mountains. But if we don't finish the job, AM will feed me alive to the machine just like an animal.
Damned key doesn't fit.
The engine's completely shut down.
I'll be damned. The engine's starting up again!
The air bags are inflating.
So, how do I get out of here?
So, how do I get out of here?
The power light is lit.
No, I... I can't bring myself to leave Glynis again.
I read Edna's log book and everything's much clearer. Now what?
You must make amends and bury the past, Gorrister.
I've got nothing more to say to you.
CULTURAL REFERENCE. Every culture since the Stone Age has developed a form of ceremonial burial to give death some meaning.
What are you thinking, Gorrister?
You can't tunnel out of this place.
There aren't any bodies buried there, Gorrister. Not yet, anyway.
Be careful where you use that, Gorrister.
I like to know where all the bodies are buried.
A shovel.
This fluid should revive you, honey.
Glynis! All these years, and I thought I was the one who was responsible for your suffering.
Let me help you now.
She's gone. At least I finally made amends with her.
I'm taking her body out of this freezer.
Glynis! What has AM done to you, honey?
I read Edna's log book and everything's much clearer. Now what?
You must make amends and bury the past, Gorrister.
I've got nothing more to say to you.
Isn't it a bit premature to be digging your own grave, Gorrister?
I've made amends and buried the past.
An excellent job, Gorrister. But the thunderstorm is upon us.
You'd better hurry if you want to recharge your old ticker's battery.
I've got nothing more to say to you.
Yow! A few more shocks like that might kill me.
It's locked.
SCIENTIFIC BASIS. Ignition is the process of using a spark, usually through an electrical connection, to burn the fuel mixture in an engine.
We're taking off!
I've washed my hands of the past.
PSYCHOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK. The release of guilt can produce a buoyant or uplifting sensation.
Do it, Gorrister! Blow the place apart! You may never have a chance to do it again!
PSYCHOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK. Symbolic acts, such as burning a hated figure in effigy, can produce a cathartic effect by purging negative emotions.
Hmm. Yes. You're made of sterner stuff than I calculated, Gorrister. Interesting...yes...interesting. Here...here is a new burden for you while I attempt to resolve this...miscalculation.
Who among you shall go next?
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