96 Souls

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1

Do you use Ketamine?

No, Pentobarbital.

The first injection

will induce sleep.

So any pain sunny-girl is

experiencing will stop.

The second injection will

slowly shut down her functions.

Then she can have a

blessed eternal rest.

Are you a professional or

a psychic pet whisperer?

There's not much that can be

done because of her age, Mel.

Her stomach's flipped.

The surgery would

be too stressful.

She just... she wouldn't survive.

Oh, Jack.

Goodbye, proud girl.

I appreciate you getting

sunny-girl and me.

I know this is

killing you inside.

Take the time.

Let it play out.

Do you want that box of

notebooks still in the hallway?

I'll get it when

I pick up the rest

of the stuff from the garage.

Which will be?

I've got a review tomorrow.

The Alfa needs a battery.

And I'm sleeping on a couch

in my mother's studio.

That's why I haven't collected

the rest of my things.

I see your follow-through

outside the lab hasn't changed.

I'll speak with you later.

Jack.

Don't shove it aside, ok?

It'll come back and kick

you in the ass later.

Morning, Medina.

Cheers, ram.

Sunny-girl?

She went last evening.

Arey.

I thought she would

have a couple months.

I know.

It's so sad.

Is Dr. Sutree ok?

When you think of

smell detection,

it's the nose interacting

with the brain.

Olfaction.

We are the only

research group seriously

looking into the molecular basis

of olfaction involving sight.

Does this liquid emit an odor?

How would you know?

Its molecules have to be

wafting through the air,

and our noses have

to be fairly close.

But if you could see

odors, think of how helpful

that would be.

You'd know something

about the contents

without the

unpleasant experience.

A major gas leak could be

detected from miles away.

I probably even know

which one of you

had coffee brewed from

robusta beans this morning.

This is quite a departure

from the original study, Jack.

I mean, insects

carry a large number

of debilitating diseases.

Stopping that spread

has always been

about using traditional methods

to identify what attracts them.

Don't underestimate light.

Light.

It's a food.

It nourishes our bodies

with vitamin d. It has mass.

It occupies space.

We now know it can be

slowed and stopped.

Yes, stopped.

It actually behaves differently

when it's being observed,

almost like it's imbued

with a consciousness.

Multiple wavelengths

of light mixed together

give us white light, a

mixture of frequencies,

all processed by our cortex.

But odors... the cortex must

process different chemical

structures and match them to a

stored database of known odors.

I think current methods to

understand this limit us.

They limit all olfactory-based

research, every single project

in the world.

If we can use light to

visualize specific pheromones,

we've taken it to

the next level.

Will your work also show

us why people near death

see a white light?

One concept our learned

colleagues in this room

are familiar with is that

the near-death experience

comes from the cortex

returning to full function

after the body's gone

through a trauma.

Sometimes our neuroscience

escapes those of us

from the pharmaceutical

industry.

Is a Bigfoot discovery

also imminent?

I thought we agreed to keep

the work involving your wife's

genetic code confidential.

At least I know where to find

my wife... at home, at night.

That's assuming you

left her inflated.

Gentlemen.

Thanks, Dr. Sutree.

We will immediately review

your latest findings.

We need to get to that

scheduled luncheon

with the rest of the committee.

You appear as if you've

come up empty-handed,

then you feign a new

discovery and bite

one of the hands that

feeds the institution?

He obviously slipped through

the evolutionary sieve.

That's what I'm

talking about, Jack.

I mean, no one is expecting

blind ass-kissing.

But these insults...

Ass-kissing isn't

the issue, Billy.

Everyone knows Redfield

got on the board

because he's in bed

with the pill companies.

And you can come up with

the millions necessary to run

this branch of biochemistry?

Kowtowing to a special interest

portends a myopic approach

and a lack of respect

from our colleagues

throughout the world.

At least create the appearance

of respectability, especially

when the work is questioned.

Ram is a neuroscience

graduate from Yale.

Medina is from the

Rockefeller university.

Physics and mathematical

biology are her specialties.

Do you seriously think

they'd be wasting their time

with crackpot research?

Where are you guys with this?

The evidence that Dr.

Sutree has uncovered

is very compelling.

Definitely exciting.

My colleagues were impressed

with the potential correlations

discovered here.

How close are you and your team?

Could there be

something concrete

by the end of the quarter?

It's difficult to say.

I'm going to see what I can do.

But no more detours.

Here are the latest ORNs.

Anything interesting?

It confirms you're on

the right track regarding

odor discrimination.

Good.

I'll take it from here.

How late you staying, boss?

Just want to finish prepping

these detector compounds.

Tomorrow.

Thanks, ram.

Are you and Mrs. Jack

still on for dinner?

Of course.

Hey.

I'm having a send-off for

sunny-girl tomorrow afternoon.

You can join me if you'd like.

I'm there.

I'm very saddened

with your loss, Jack.

Sunny-girl was very special.

She would certainly have been

honored by the Nepal Hindus.

Don't worry, I'm not

going vicar on you.

There was something unique

between you and sunny-girl.

It was more than friendship.

I'd call that spiritual.

I'm sad.

But spiritual?

We are scientists.

We compare one thing

relative to another.

We connect to them in

a linear, rational way

that makes sense to our brains.

Could sunny-girl

speak words with you?

No.

Could she tell

when you were sad?

Yes.

She's gone now.

Where do you feel it more...

Here or deep inside here?

There is a special kind of

intelligence inside here too.

It's a spiritual intelligence...

A spiritual energy.

It was more than friendship.

It was spiritual.

I appreciate the

kind thoughts, ram.

I'm bringing a young lady friend

who caught my eye to dinner.

Let me know if you

think I have a chance.

What?

Ram, something's happening.

He didn't even see me come in.

He's been at it

for over an hour.

My gosh.

He's been here all night.

All night?

Making breakfast for everyone?

I think we got

something here, ram.

I plugged in the

discrimination factors,

and they seem to have taken

things to the next level.

Are we talking

practical or theoretical?

I'm saying the cat's in the bag.

But it appears the

bag may be too small.

Ram.

Hit the lights.

Wow.

Medina!

Hang on.

Don't rub, don't rub.

You ok?

Say something, Jack.

Aah.

Just keep breathing.

Jack, doctor, say something.

Are you ok?

Ok.

Here you go.

Here you go.

Here you go.

Ugh!

All right.

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