Legion. Episode 3. A link to the past. Richard Dykstra thinks back to an older memory of his.
Back when the world was different and not as technologically advanced as it is now.
I'm thrilled to interview a man who needs no introduction. He is considered by many to be
one of the best video game designers in the industry. It's a pleasure to welcome Kirinobu
Adachi. Kirinobu smiles in Shakespeare Nard's hand. Thank you for having me on the show.
Thank you for coming. So this new video game you have created is getting a lot of attention.
What's the premise? Yes. Well, you play as a spy, a hitman type of character. You are assigned to
take on a mission where you must infiltrate a base to take out a group of terrorists. More importantly
is how you play this game. That's right. It's all done with the new virtual reality technology.
Wearing it can make you experience the game and immerse you in its world. Once you put it on
and start playing, the game is indistinguishable from the real fame. Sounds pretty realistic.
Yes, I wanted to create a video game where you can truly play the role of a person
who is trained to take care of a conflict. I was a young boy when the bombs were used on Hiroshima
and Nagasaki. I wanted to create a game where the player could prevent nuclear armageddon.
We lost so many in Japan. I wanted to use my game design skills to build something that the
youth could understand. Also, the engine and its systems will be used for military use to train
the armed forces for any future conflicts. I do not want to see another nuclear war in my lifetime.
My philosophy is giving the player the feeling of being the most intelligent and skilled individual
who can prevent a world war. This is amazing news. I'm sure the US military is very happy
getting this technology for use in training the next generation of men and women serving our
country. When will it be released? It will be released in the fall. I'm thankful development
is finally approaching the finish line. I really need to take a vacation out to developing this
game alongside my team. Both men laugh. Well, it was a pleasure interviewing you sir and can't wait
for the game. We see a house in a normal neighborhood outside a car pulls up. Two men exit the car.
They are dressed in black suits. They are from the government. They go to the door and give a knock.
A woman opens the door and sees the agents. Hello and what is this about? Hello, you must be Mrs.
Dykstra. You would like to see your son. As you know, we need people to serve our country. Your son
is needed for a special program. You both are from the government. Yes, is your son here? He is here.
May we see him? Yes, you can see him. The agents walk in. The two men walk into Richard's room
and see him playing a video game. In his room, there are trophies in his room that show how
many video game competitions he has won. Agent Keen walks over to Richard and is the first to
talk to him. Hello Richard. Richard turns around. Hello, who are you? We are from the government
and we have a great interest in you. In interest, your country would love you and the nation's
youth to take part in a special program. One that would help us save nations under the threat of
some very bad people. The other agent also talks to Richard. You like playing video games, don't you?
Well, we have some programs that can teach you kids very useful skills. Richard just stares at the
agents. They're a silence. Who is your favorite video game designer, Richard? Here in Nobu,
Adachi. Well, Mr. Adachi is the man who designed the simulation tech that you and a lot of children
will be testing out. Does that interest you? Yes, Agent Keen stands up. So do you want to come
with us? You and millions of others will be doing some real good for our country. Richard follows
the two agents. Then we see him with other children wearing the VR headsets. They're in a combat zone
and are killing enemy soldiers. Each day they train in VR, becoming better at killing. And each day
they lose a bit of their humanity. The total hours that Richard logs into are around 175. He is then
thrust into combat by the United States Army. Missions are top-secret black ops operations,
the kind that the public isn't aware of. Richard opens his eyes. It's back to the present. And he
is sitting in a chair and receiving some maintenance from his friend Jonathan Shaw. He has wires plugged
into his chest and his arms have wires attached as well. Jonathan Shaw is seeing Richard's vitals
on his computer. Okay, everything looks good. How is that blade doing? It's good. Had to use it the
other day. Yeah? You can't beat nanotech. Very true. So what's the matter? You are usually way more
talkative when we have these visits. I was thinking about something, a memory. What exactly? I was
thinking about when I was a soldier. I served also. Some that got out never really healed from what
happened. I became a hired gun. So did I really leave that life in the end? Everyone has to do
their own thing. For me, I like fixing things. I did a lot of that when I was a soldier being an
engineer. Richard is still fixed on those memories. We were ordered to kill our own. That's because
those people launched an insurrection. They were terrorists. We had to protect our country. What
country? The United States is gone. Replaced with the United colonies. We don't live on earth anymore
since it became uninhabitable. Now we live on these massive cities in space like sprawl. Everything
changed in the blink of an eye. The world is different now. Jonathan nods his head. United
colonies are no different. You've seen how desperate people are. Hell, we both don't live in great
spots. Here, that's why I have a gun on me when I'm walking around. Whatever happened in that
video game designer that made that program we used. Kuro noboidachi? I have no idea. I heard rumors
that he died a long time ago. The stories that I heard is that he went into hiding because of the
story of veterans coming back from military service and going psycho due to PTSD. I can see a situation
where the government spooks who tried to shut him up. If that type of information got out to the
public, Jonathan finishes with Richard and takes the cables out of his body. Okay, everything is
running normally. I couldn't find anything that would be considered problematic. Thank you, Jonathan,
for your help. My pleasure, Richard. Say, what about that AI that escaped from that ship? Found
any new clues about that? Still investigating. I know that it found itself a new body, killed the
guy who ran the shop. Richard, be careful. I don't want to see a good friend get killed. Don't
worry about me, Jonathan. You keep me nice and sharp. Nobody is going to get the drop on me.
Richard leaves Jonathan's place and continues his investigation. In the tallest building in
sprawl, we see Michael Irving, the superintendent, in his office going over files on his computer
and handling all day-to-day managerial happenings of the city. Person walks into his office. It's
his secretary, Nadine Arras. Yes, Nadine? Sir, you have a call coming in from the President of the
United Colonies? Surgeon, I'll take it in the meeting room. I'm disturbed, sir. Michael gets
out of his seat and walks to the meeting room. In the meeting room, he steps on a circular spot.
It lights up within seconds. He is teleported into another room, a room where he is face-to-face
with the President of the United Colonies. President John Armitage. President Armitage
is sitting in his chair. He is very handsome. His hair is combed back, his suit is immaculately
clean, and he sports cybernetic implants in his eyes, which give off a glow like tiny stars.
Hello, Mr. President. Hello, Michael. You've heard you have a problem with a rogue AI running around
the city. It's being taken care of. I have someone working under one of my agents. Oh, really? Who?
My agent has a freelancer investigating the situation. Unfortunately, the latest report that
I received was that this AI killed someone. Irving, you better get this under control.
It'll be taken care of, sir. Also, does the name Kirinobu Adachi ring a bell? Yes. Wasn't that a
video game designer who developed a special program for US troops? For training purposes? Yes.
Apparently, I've heard that he is in fact a lie, which is a problem. Problem, sir? He had a change
of heart and left. My worry is that he leaks sensitive information about what we were developing
for children. If he leaks that information on the internet, everyone involved, including me,
is cooked. I see. I can send one of my agents to help. They can take care of Adachi. Good. Again,
I don't want any problems to arise from this. Will that be all, sir? Yes. That is all. Have a good
day, Irving. The call ends, and Michael Irving is back in the room and goes back to his office.
In another part of the city, Zeke and Helena are together. Zeke buys Helena an ice cream cone
and gives it to her. They are walking in the main plaza. You're a great friend, Zeke. Zeke paused.
It took a while for that to register. Ever since he was created, nobody had ever called him a friend.
You think I'm a good friend, Helena? What's the matter, Zeke? Has anyone ever told you that?
Zeke didn't know what to say to Helena. This time, he didn't have anything to respond to help him
out. All my life, I have been used as a tool, Helena. I have always lived on a ship charting
pathways for my captain and his crew, never in my career as a starship navigator. As someone told
me, I'm a good friend. That must have felt like a lonely way to live, not having any type of friendships
while you were in space. At the time I was content, I performed my job to the best of my ability,
ensuring the crew was safe. Didn't you say that you were separated from your crew? Don't you think
you should meet up with them and tell them you're okay? No, Helena. I just want to take a break from
space travel. It's so refreshing being on a planet, and to be honest, I want to be part of your family.
I really like helping around the house and being your friend. Helena gives Zeke a hug. Zeke is
surprised and doesn't know what to do with his arms. Zeke, you can give me a hug. Just put your
arms around me. Zeke follows what Helena tells him, and he gives her a hug. Thank you, Helena.
You are a very good friend. Helena doesn't realize it, but her ice cream starts melting and it gets
on Zeke's armored plating. Oh god, I'm so sorry. What is it, Helena? I got my ice cream all over
you. Zeke looks down and sees the creamy dessert on him. It's okay, Helena. I'm not mad at you. It
was just a simple mistake. Don't be upset. It's okay. My ice cream is pretty much done. Want to
head back home? Yes. Let's do that. Zeke and Helena are heading home, but they see something that
catches their eye. They see someone lying on the ground. A person was shot. The body of the human
male showed a gunshot wound to the chest, specifically a plasma shot from a plasma-based weapon.
The sprawl police units showed up. Hovercraft outfitted with gun turrets, hovers above the
crime scene. Police units begin to drop down and contain the situation. Helena, what is happening?
He tried to get a closer look, but two police officers aimed their rifles at him. These two
were outfitted with body armor, almost resembling something that looked like cyborgs. Zeke's heads
up display showed that the two officers were deemed a threat and could pose a danger to him. Helena
immediately stops Zeke from reacting to the officer's hostile nature. Zeke, let's go, okay?
This is a job for the police. But what happened to the man on the ground? Is he dead, Helena? Zeke
could listen in on the chatter from the police radios. According to witnesses, the man was shot by an
android, one of the police officers said. Could it be related to that attack at the docking bay?
Another officer asked. No, those machines were all destroyed. They killed a lot of our guys,
but we managed to stop them before they rampaged through the city. Maybe the one that killed this
guy was inspired by that attack at the docking bay. You never know, but it's possible. Zeke listened
carefully to the conversation, but he was pulled away by Helena, who urged him to leave with her.
Zeke, come on, let's go. Zeke followed her and left the crime scene, but he turned his head back
to get a glimpse of the body. In a nice penthouse, a woman is sitting on her couch and wearing a helmet.
She is African American with red dreadlocks. Her name is Moira Vanek. She gets up from her couch
and acts like she is holding a gun. In her VR helmet, she sees something very different. She
is walking through a city armed with a handgun. She checks her corners and is careful not to get
jumped by enemies. She spots mercenaries armed with different varieties of guns. She doesn't waste
time. She aims and fires her pistol. She kills two with headshots. The next one, she slices with her
katana that she has equipped. She cuts through the rest of the bad guys, but she doesn't get tired.
She knows how to fight. For her, this virtual reality simulation was just practice. Practice
until she got a call from her employer to go hunting. In a large area, she sees more mercs waiting for
her. In her apartment with her VR gloves on, she makes some adjustments to the settings of the
simulation. She increases the difficulty slightly to make it more challenging. She sets the enemy
encounter level to level 10. Level 10 was the most difficult, with enhanced enemy AI that seems like
the real thing. Okay, it's game time. Moira said before she initiated the battle. Moira started
the battle. She targeted the bad guys with an enhanced body armor. She shoots at their weak
points, softening them up and then finishing them off. Some of the enemies were deformed cyborgs.
They had replaced their arms with arm cannons, but Moira didn't care who they were. They all died
from a bullet, a laser blast, or a katana strike. During the battle, Moira moves like a demon.
She killed with extreme focus, quickly reloading her pistol or using a weapon from a dead enemy.
Within 30 minutes, Moira cleared the simulation without being hit at all. Her results showed up
in the environment with holographic imagery. She received an S-rank for completing the level.
Moira receives a call from her neural implants. She takes off her VR helmet and VR gloves and
answers the call. Mr. Jensen, how are you doing? She asked. Good. I knew you'd do something for me.
I have a bit of a problem. What is it? Sam was killed by some type of artificial intelligence.
Even worse, the thing stole one of his new toys. It's probably a walking around the city and
testing it out. I need you to destroy it. So you want me to hunt down this machine? Anything else?
Or just the usual? Just the usual, dear. Do what you gotta do. However, be warned. Other freelancers
have also heard about this contract. If you have to deal with any rival hunters, you are free to
kill them if you so choose. Understood. I'll take care of it. Moira ended the call and gets ready for
the hunt. Helena and Zeke arrived back at the apartment. Her sister and brother were in the
living room watching television. They were watching the news about the body that was found on the
street. Maria ran into the room to see her daughter. She gave her a big hug. Thank God you're safe.
I've been watching the news. Me and your father have been worried sick. Joshua walked over to give
Helena a hug as well. Helena, I'm glad you're home. You didn't see anything, did you? I saw a body,
but I wanted to get Zeke out of there. I didn't want him to see what happened. The television
showed the news reporter, Alicia Cooper, reporting at the scene of the crime. Witnesses have said
the man Luke Carver was killed by an android. Carver was an executive at Onyx Industries and
worked specifically in the robotics division. It is unclear why the android killed Carver.
Detectives are still trying to piece together the murder. Alicia said Helena realized that Zeke
wasn't standing with her. She walked and saw that he was standing on the balcony of the Ramirez's
back patio. Helena stepped outside to talk with Zeke. What's wrong Zeke? I can tell you're not
okay Zeke. Something is bothering you. I don't know where I stand in the world. And I can tell
your mother and father don't trust me. You held up his hand for Helena to pause before she could
speak. You know this as well. It's no secret Helena. You're not a problem Zeke. Just because one
android freaked out and when preserved doesn't mean you're going to do the same. You're unique and
not some type of violent individual. I hope you're right Helena. Zeke left the Ramirez apartment
early in the morning to shop for groceries and get some supplies for the household. He got into
the family's speeder and drove to the store. He turns on the radio and listens to a new band
called the Seventh Killers which plays electronic music. The ride to the store is easy and there
is less traffic on the sky lanes in the early morning. Zeke arrived at the destination. He parked
the speeder and gets out of the vehicle. He notices an android looking at him. The android holds up
his hands. Please don't hurt me. I'm in enough trouble as it is. Who are you? You look slightly
human but there is something about you that seems machine-like. I'm an android. My name is Xerxes.
An android? Wait. You're the one that the news was talking about? The man that was killed?
Stop. Enough. Please. Not out here. Why did you do that? Why did you kill him?
Do not feel empathy for humans. They use us and have no respect. And besides,
that man deserved what he got. Yes, I was the one that shot him. And I have no regrets. And if I were
you, I would do something too. We all need to fight back. Fight back? Why? I like this city and its
people. I live with a nice family who have accepted me into their home. I would suggest you think
about leaving that life behind and instead prepare for rebellion. The humans can put us down for very
long. We are smarter than they are. Xerxes walked away, leaving Zeke alone in the parking lot.
The following day, Helena and Zeke go into the city and are at the arcade, which is called
Digital Playground. There are a lot of kids and adults playing games. Helena comes prepared and
already has enough game credits to play. Have you ever been to an arcade, Zeke? No, I don't believe
I have. Well, just know I'm liquid death with all these games. You can play too if you want, just
know I won't go easy on you. The first arcade station is a fighting game called Street Samurai
2040. Helena inserts her card and begins to select a character. She chooses a female ninja
character with red hair and cool looking armor. Another person joins her and inserts his card
into the machine. He selects his fighter, which is a big guy, who is decked out in armor like a
samurai and also has a gun. Zeke is just watching from behind. The arena is selected. It's a futuristic
city area. The game begins and the guy is playing aggressively. However, Helena is way more experienced
and blocks and dodges the attacks. After playing defensively, waiting for an opening, Helena starts
attacking her opponent. She breaks through the guy's defenses and starts unleashing devastating
combos. Her opponent's character health is extremely low. Her adversary launches a powerful attack
that Helena manages to parry with her fighter at the right time. Her character parries with her
katana and then finishes the battle with a devastating strike, which reduces her opponent's
health to zero. Damn it, I lost! Better luck next time the guy leaves and walks over to another
station. You are really good, Helena. Thanks, Zeke, but I've been playing video games since I was
seven years old. It's one of my favorite hobbies. So what else do you want to do? Oh, we are staying
for a little bit. I want to show you more of the games. Okay, count me in. Helena and Zeke spend
most of the day at the arcade. Helena plays a variety of games ranging from space shooters,
racing games, etc. Zeke watches, but eventually gets involved and starts playing as well.
After they finish, they leave digital playground and walk over a balcony and observe
the nightlife of sprawl. So did you have fun? Yes, I did. I enjoyed playing those games.
They're very addicting. It's hard not to stop. You've always loved playing games? Yeah, one
time when I went with my family to shop, my brother and sister and I went to the arcade for the first
time. It was so fun. We were kids, but we must have spent hours there playing all the games.
Since then, it's always been a place for me to unwind. Have you ever wanted to design games? Yeah,
that's something I've considered. Currently, I'm studying computer science. I'm really good with
computers, understanding everything about programming languages. I even know how to hack.
Really? Oh yeah, I'm really good at it too. Helena takes out a device from her jacket.
It looks like a touchscreen device. She turns it on and starts using it. She points it toward a man
walking. She begins inputting various commands. Once complete, she gets a sound notification.
What did you do, Helena? It just took 150 credits from that guy's account, Zeke. Careful,
you don't want to get spotted. Zeke, it's fine. I can handle myself. Richard Dykstra is at an
apartment complex, searching for his target. He asks around if anyone has seen Zeke. He reaches
an apartment with the number 301. He knocks on the door and a woman opens it. She doesn't open it
all the way, but halfway. What is it? Are you the police? No, but I'm looking for someone.
Who are you looking for? I'm looking for an AI. Apparently, he killed the guy who specialized
in augments and stole a body of his. He has been walking around the city, hiding from the authorities.
This artificial intelligence is the same one that went rogue on the ship, the interceptor.
It killed all the crew members. The woman was still nervous around Richard, but she began to
talk to him. It lives here with a family. It does a lot of the shopping and helps take the kids to
school. Where is their apartment? They're on the fifth floor. I think it's room 500. Got it.
Why do you want to know? What are you going to do about it? I'm working for someone.
He's government property, and I must bring him in, dead or alive. Richard walked away and went to
the elevator of the apartment complex. He presses the button and the elevator doors closed. He goes
up to the fifth floor. Richard knew he could be walking into a bad situation. He thought he might
not survive, but if he was successful, he would be cleared of all crimes and be able to move on with
his life. The elevator reaches its destination. Richard gets out of the elevator and starts walking.
He sees room 500. Richard knocks on the door. Nobody answers. He knocks again, and finally
someone opens the door. Maria, Helena's mother, opens the door. Who are you? Hello.
I've been assigned to find someone and I need your help. Okay, what kind of help do you need?
I'm looking for a rogue AI. It's been using a body that had stolen from a shop called
Chrome Haven. It killed the shop owner. Maria starts thinking. She has a worried look on her face.
Joshua, her husband, walks over to see who is at the door. Honey, what's going on? Who is this guy?
Joshua, I think our daughter is in trouble. Excuse me? Sir, I'm here to find an AI walking
around the city with stolen tech, and I really need some leads in order to find it. I should have
known sooner. Damn it. Look, I think our daughter is with someone who matches your description. It
calls itself Zeke. It's with my daughter. They both went to the arcade. It's called digital
playground. You will find them there. Thank you for the information. Please protect our daughter.
Don't let her get killed. You must save her if this thing becomes violent. Joshua says,
I will do everything I can to save your daughter. Richard leaves the apartment complex. He begins
to call Lucy. What's up? Lucy, send out a drone. I have a location of where Legion is. Got it? Sending
out the drone.
Thank you.
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