Yair is the fifth episode of second season of Pantheon.
Synopsis[]
Maddie and MIST try to find and rescue Caspian, who is held hostage until he promises to cure his captor; Ellen and Waxman learn of a plan to destroy humanity from the unlikeliest place.
Plot[]
In Holstrom's private network, Vinod Chanda and Han Ping examine the remnants of SafeSurf that Stephen Holstrom contained. While Chanda is intrigued, Ping is horrified at the prospect and continues to question Holstrom's promise to cure them. As Holstrom watches newsfeeds of the UI protests from different perspectives. He takes note of the movement advocating for accessible uploading. After discussing the prospect of open warfare, Holstrom schemes to engineer a virus that will force humanity to upload to survive.
In London, Maddie and MIST get into a cab and, after the driver offers to take them to the police station, she pays him fifty pounds to keep driving. Maddie describes one of the abductors to MIST as she hacks into any and all cameras in the area. Unfortunately, SafeSurf arrives and Maddie unplugs MIST from the network. MIST protests the it will result in them losing Caspian but she saves whatever they have collected so far.
As nearly two dozen deep scan chairs are functional, Renee dawns a haptic suit and virtual reality goggles to speak with Holstrom. After requesting to upload, Holstrom rejects, saying he still needs her in the physical world. When Renee asks why not him, Holstrom states he wants an embodied voice to spread pro-UI views, he instructs her to speak with Charlie Dugan, a teenager with progeria who desires to upload to save his life, fits his ideal candidate. Renee goes to speak with Charlie, donating to his charity. He reaffirms his desire to upload as she reassures the teenager that she will take care of the legality of the procedure, pleasing Charlie.
At Heathrow Airport, Maddie and MIST are looking through different pictures from different angles as Maddie feels hopeful. MIST protests the she had plenty of time before SafeSurf got to her as Maddie thinks she sees one of the abductors in a picture. MIST analyzes the picture and reveals the the cab's driver is in Spain and finds no identification for anyone in the picture. After theorizing that the abductors are from one of the governments that Caspian’s information was leaked to, Maddie remembers reading about a group who went to great lengths to delete any information on themselves from the internet, Mossad ghosts. They realize that the Israelis took Caspian.
Caspian wakes up in a locked room with only a sleeping mat, desk, chair, and virtual reality headset. Realizing he is being watched, Caspian tries hears a ping and puts on a headset. Once he does, he is greeted by Yair Gispan, the Israeli UI. In an attempt to gain Caspian's trust, Yair shows him the files on Project Caspian that his government was given and asks for the cure. Caspian lies that he hid it in a secure section of the American SIPR-Net and promises to give it to Yair if he is released. However, Yair reveals he was an expert interrogator when human and knows when someone is lying, a skill that was amplified after uploading. He asks teenager again.
In an interview, Ellen Kim explains her experiences with UIs and how she went from fearing them to seeing them as equals to embodied humans. She expresses her reluctance to do so but realizes she has to tell her own story. Chanda watches the interview as Ping tells him they can find Caspian if one of the governments grabbed him. As Chanda tells him to be patient, Ping chastises Chanda for checking his back doors whenever Holstrom is out if he truly trusts him. Just then Holstrom arrives and enlists the two in a smash and grab job to obtain biometric data. While Chanda and Ping are worried about SafeSurf, Holstrom instructs them to go slow to remain undetected.
Back at Heathrow, Maddie sits in a recreation of her bedroom while MIST searches for Farhad Karimi. MIST returns with the bell Olivia used to signal him as Maddie rings it. As the wait, Maddie tries to leave but MIST asks her to stay. When Maddie says being in the recreation makes her feel sad and nostalgic. MIST states she has trouble understanding nostalgia and misses the future instead as she longs to be with others like herself. The sisters soon get a response.
In the room, Caspian still demands his freedom as Yair states he is a target not only because he cracked integrity, but also because he is a clone. He offers Caspian asylum in Israel and mentions he can grant the teenager access to different technology as he still has a leadership position. When Caspian suggests a killer rather then a god to obtain the cure, he as Yair to kill Holstrom. At first Yair is skeptical, but believes Caspian when he reveals his template was uploaded. He then tells Yair that in order to make the cure, he needs a second of his code that is linked to his memory, the memory that makes and drives him. Yair reveals he had his memories removed offers to have them brought in.
Maddie and MIST find Farhad in a data storage system and ask him if he has any knowledge on Yair. They offer him the cure but he refuses and wishes to die so that he can be with Olivia. Maddie explains that the flaw will leave him in a catastrophic state and states Olivia would not have wanted him to suffer. After stating Maddie is looking for someone she greatly cares for. Farhad shows her a Mossad warehouse in Cyprus. As he decided to take the cure, SafeSurf arrives and speaks in Olivia’s voice. MIST shields them as Farhad escapes. Maddie is told by a security guard to quit down as she goes to buy tickets for a flight to Cyprus.
After being given a meal, Caspian goes through Yair's sealed memories. They find him losing his legs in a missile strike and killing a coworker for treason. Yair becomes shaken by the memories but Caspian fails to find the right one and suggests it is in Yair.
Renee meets with Charlie and, after donating to his charity, she encourages him to speak his truth by comparing his drive to her son’s. While he is surprised that she has access to upload technology, he is hesitant as the governments will not allow people to upload. Renee assures him that her brain scanning business is not beholden to governmental regulation, greatly pleasing Charlie.
In Crprus, Maddie is watching a soccer game when MIST asks if she is nostalgic for it. Maddie states she misses her normal life from before everything when crazy. After MIST mentions dating, she asks Maddie if she is interested in dating Caspian once everything is resolved. After rejecting MIST's offer to observe their position courtship, the truck full of technology Maddie ordered arrives and they head out.
At the site of the data, Chanda and Ping ask what Holstrom's plans for the virus are and how he plans to avoid SafeSurf. After stating it is retaliation for SafeSurf, Ping declares it and act of revenge. Holstrom freezes Ping in place, revealing he knows Ping leaked information on the cure and Caspian, and attracts SafeSurf. Chanda tries to defend Ping, but Ping says he did it to cripple Hostrom, calling him humanity's destroyer rather than its savior. Holstrom states that the foundation of a new society cannot exist without destroying the old just as SafeSurf arrives. Holstrom leaves as Chanda reluctantly goes with him. Ping accepts his fate is devoured.
As the sisters prepare for the assault on the compound, Maddie gives MIST a new arm, which she feels excited about.
Yair asks Caspian how to find this drive. Caspian rejects this as, because of Project Caspian, all his core traits and values were implemented into him by Logorhythms and, after learning he was a clone, any core traits and values were made void as he has no idea if what he thinks is truly his thoughts. After mentioning these memories deal with weakness, Caspian suggests Yair got rid of them as they reminded him of the time he felt weak with a loved one. Yair mentioned how he loved his older brother Eran, but he walked out of the family after it was discovered he had dated an Arab woman and participated in anti occupation activities. Caspian reveals this is his drive, but is unable to create a cure as he needs to code of another UI. Yair lashes out at Caspian for lying, but Caspian states he is not.
Maddie parks outside of a gas station and instructs MIST to be quick and remember the backup plan. Maddie uses drones to storm compound as Mossad agents shoot them down. After MIST gets inside, Maddie is forced to abort the mission while SafeSurf arrives. She prays for Caspian to escape. MIST makes her way to the servers and meets up with Caspian and Yair. She attacks Yair and unlocks the door. Before Caspian, leaves, Yair asks who Caspian, who has met all the remaining UIs, chooses to be the guardian. He states he is unsure as Yair calls his bluff. Caspian meets up with MIST and they steal a car to escape. The reach the gas station and Maddie hugs Caspian.
As Waxman and Ellen watch her interview, Ellen gets a call from Maddie. She picks it up only to find Chanda on the other end. He apologized for his attempt to nuke Sacramento and she puts him on speaker. After Chanda mentions her interview, he reveals that Holstrom's brain was cryogenically preserved and uploaded. He tells them of Holstrom's plan to use a pandemic to force people to upload. Waxman asks for more information and, when Chanda cannot provide more, Ellen demands he risk more to find out what they need.
As Maddie and Caspian watch the sunset, they lament on what to do as all remaining UIs are either unsuitable to become the UI guardian or rejected their offer. Fearing what will happen if Holstrom goes unchecked, Caspian intends to have himself uploaded, much to Maddie's chagrin. She berates him for even suggesting it, but he insists as it is their only option.
Cast[]
Starring[]
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