ARQ

---

You okay?

Sh*t.

That guy you fried

with your clever little trap?

- That was our cousin.

- Cuz.

That's Brother.

Sonny.

You can call me Father.

And you two?

You two are the kids.

- What do you want?

- Speak when spoken to.

Where are your scrips?

No need to rush, Brother.

Let's eat first.

- We shouldn't linger.

- We haven't eaten in two days.

This fool and his money

aren't going anywhere.

He's got apples.

Nobody has apples anymore.

He does.

Okay. All right.

Go on.

Were you brats playing doctor?

You touch her and you die.

Give me your scrips.

But hold back on me?

You got five minutes.

- Who are they?

- They followed you.

No one followed me, Ren.

- I made sure.

- Nobody knew I was here except you.

You show up late last night,

then those guys show up?

You found me.

Ren, shh.

You told me to come.

That's not what I meant.

It's not your fault.

What are you doing?

They had you under surveillance.

I should've known.

What? Who?

Ren, you're gonna get us killed!

Be careful.

- We don't have much time.

- Time for... for what?

Those guys want more than just scrips.

What? Ren, listen to me, okay?

There's three of them,

and they've got a gun.

- Do you recognize him?

- No.

I think he was there

when Torus tried to arrest me.

Don't! Don't touch it.

It's rigged with 20,000 volts.

It's how this guy died.

- What is it?

- The ARQ.

The ARQ?

Arcing recursive quine.

It's what they're after.

No, they're starving like everybody else.

So unless this thing is a food processor,

I doubt they give a sh*t about it.

No, Torus sent those bastards

to take it back.

This is what you stole from Torus?

I didn't steal it.

I built it.

What's it do?

It's a hyper-efficient energy turbine.

A generator. That's it?

I know that look.

You're not telling me something.

- Lock the door behind me.

- Ren.

Ren, don't go.

This door is reinforced.

It would take ZMPs to break it down.

You're gonna get us killed.

I shouldn't have contacted you, Hannah.

Don't say that.

I just needed to see you again.

- Stay here.

- Don't go.

...the so-called Energy Wars,

dominate headlines worldwide.

...citizens and non-citizens celebrate

the reunification of Los Angeles Island

with Torus Corporation.

The island signed a treaty

that cedes all resources and citizens

to the conglomerate's

North American division.

The reunification comes six days after

the island's only remaining

nuclear desalination plant

was destroyed by Bloc missiles.

Bloc drone missiles.

More Torus lies.

...Bloc paramilitaries

over the Great Slave Lake Oil Refinery.

The refinery borders

the Arctic Parallel neutral zone.

Torus executives...

Man, why you always gotta listen

to this propaganda, huh?

Know thy enemy, my brother.

Yeah, well,

the Pope tells it like it really is.

Those who can't remember the past

are condemned to repeat it.

Torus execs claim that the energy crisis

threatens humankind.

I agree.

- Torus claims to be humanity's savior...

- You cut that into four pieces?

- So?

- There's three of us.

...our executioner.

Listen to the mad words of a wise man.

"What if a demon crept after you

one night, in your loneliest...

The eternal hourglass of existence

is turned upside down again and again,

and you with it, too."

- Get up, Hannah.

- What? Why?

They're coming.

Who?

Were you brats playing doctor?

Touch her and you die.

Whoa.

So menacing.

Give me your scrips.

But hold back on me?

- "You have five minutes."

- You got five minutes.

Who the hell are they?

Ren? Ren?

Stop. They'll be right back.

- We've got time.

- What?

You're gonna get us killed.

Okay. Hannah, listen to me, okay?

Right now, this very moment,

it's happened before.

Twice, I think.

- What are you talking about?

- Sh*t.

What the hell are you doing?

Ren, you're going to get us killed.

I don't want you to get hurt.

Ren?

Okay, listen to me. There's three of them,

and they've got a gun.

Hannah, listen to me.

Today is repeating.

Tell me you remember.

Come on, you have to remember.

Have you lost your f***ing mind?

- No. No.

- What?

Incredible.

I think... I think the ARQ

is causing time to loop.

Okay, Ren, you're talking crazy.

No. No. No, no, no.

I remember.

Okay, this guy, um,

he's got a big scar across his face.

Prick who calls himself Father...

Uh, brown eyes, a little bit of stubble.

The big guy?

Brother? Dark hair, baby face.

Sonny?

Full beard, shaved head.

How did you know that?

Because it's happened before.

Twice.

Don't touch it.

What else do you remember?

Nothing...

except that Father guy killed me.

Well, how come you remember and I don't?

I don't know.

Oh, and what about those idiots

with the code names?

- They don't remember either?

- Just me.

Hannah, you don't have to believe me,

but I need you to trust me.

Torus Corporation's

global military operation

against rogue states

and Bloc coalition terrorists,

the so-called Energy Wars,

dominate headlines worldwide.

On the West Coast,

citizens and non-citizens celebrate

the reunification of Los Angeles Island

with Torus Corporation.

...borders the Arctic Parallel

neutral zone.

Torus executives...

Man, why you always gotta listen

to this propaganda, huh?

Know thy enemy, my brother.

Yeah, well,

the Pope tells it like it really is.

Those who can't remember the past

are condemned to repeat it.

What are these for?

- Cyanide gas.

- So you're gonna kill them?

- They'll kill us first.

- You don't know that.

They already killed me.

I'm gonna crank up the thermostat.

As soon as the furnace turns on...

Your furnace works?

Okay, nobody has that much electricity.

Not around here.

The ARQ powers the house.

The second the furnace turns on...

pull this pin,

dump this canister into the chute.

It feeds the entire house.

They won't be safe anywhere.

They have masks.

Air masks.

They need gas masks.

You ready?

Is it painless?

It's quick.

"The eternal hourglass of existence

is turned upside down again and again,

and you with it, too.

Would you not throw yourself down

and gnash your teeth,

and curse the demon..."

The only species left for us

to destroy is ourselves.

If the Bloc and free states

don't surrender to the Torus Corporation,

what happened to continental Australia

will happen to the entire planet.

It will be 10,000 years

before anyone can step foot

on that radioactive rubble again.

I'm sorry.

I couldn't do it.

Mask off and lose the glove.

Now.

I wasn't lying when I said

we just wanted your scrips,

but here you go and try and gas us.

This kid's got a mean streak.

- I'm sorry.

- It's okay.

Hands.

Where are your scrips?

Just tell them.

- I have a safe.

- See how easy that was?

- Cooperation makes the world go round.

- And money?

Where's the safe?

Hannah, it's gonna be okay.

Thirty thousand in StomaChem scrips...

Environ, sixty-five thousand...

Jackpot.

Over a million in Torus scrips.

We're gonna have ourselves

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