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This page is the transcript for META RUNNER - Season 1 Episode 10: Shutdown.
Meta Runner Merch Promo[]
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Scene 1[]
(Tari is still pinned under the column at Belle's mercy. She tries to use her icicle Spell on Belle, but she just swooshes it away. Belle is crushing her arm with her foot.)
Belle: You know, the more you struggle, the more painful this is going to be.
Tari: What else do you want me to say?! I told you last time I have no idea how I warp into video games!
Belle: Oh, please! I couldn't care less about your freak abilities! What I care about is what you did to Lucinia.
Tari: I didn't do anything! I don't even know who that is!
Belle: LIAR! (She holds a fireball close to Tari's head.) You feel that, don't you? This is your last chance. What. Did you do. To Lucinia?!
Tari: What's the point? You're not gonna believe me no matter what I say.
(An enraged Belle holds the fireball against Tari's head, who starts screaming in agony.)
Lamar: (Real world) This has gone way too far, man! We have to pull her out.
Masa: NO! It's not over yet.
Lamar: Are you crazy? Look at what she's doing to her!
Theo: Tari... I wish I could help you right now. But... I can't. I know it's not fair that we're all counting on you when you're alone and it seems impossible. But I've seen you do the impossible before, so I know you could do this! I believe in you, Tari!
(Back in Tempest...)
Tari: Alright! Stop! I'll tell you what I know!
Belle: There... Was that so hard? Come on, let's hear it.
Tari: The truth is... You called game too early.
(Tari spawns a giant purple arm and uses it to fling give her a katana and knock Belle away. She uses her Spell again to lift the column up and free herself before she gets crushed.)
Belle: NOOO!
Theo: Yeahh! I told you you could do it!
Lamar: That's my girl! That's. My. Girl!
Masa: Tari, here's your chance! Do the glitch now!
(Tari starts the glitch execution process. Belle tries to stop by spawning a pillar and hurling a fireball, but Tari avoid each one. At the top, Tari leaps off, narrowly avoid another fireball in the process. An irate Belle leaps after her. Tari hurls icicles, but Belle dodges. Belle spawns behind Tari and fires another fireball. This causes Tari to go off track.)
WARNING!
DEVIATING OFF COURSE
FAILURE WILL OCCUR
(Tari avoids this by wall jumping off another cliff.)
RECALCULATING
SUCCESS
(After another sequence of shooting fireballs (larger and smaller) and icicles, Tari prepares to land.)
Belle: You're not getting away! (Hurls a large fireball)
Tari: I just did.
(Tari clips through the ground. She then finds herself in the same purple void she was before in episode 8. She looks around and spots Lucinia with her back turned to her. Lucinia turns to face Tari. She's missing an arm and the side of her face is coated in scars. She says nothing as she gives Tari a little smile.)
Scene 2[]
(Tari wakes up back in the real world.)
Tari: What's happening?
(Lamar peeks out the doorway to see the gamers leaving the area. A warning is displayed.)
ALL CONTESTANTS AND SPECTATORS
EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY
Please move toward the emergency assembly zone located in the carpark
Theo: You did the glitch, Tari. You won!
Tari: I did it? I did it!
Masa: Tari, in my entire life, I have never seen gameplay like that! I couldn't be prouder to call you my teammate.
Lamar: Tari, you're a video game genius and we love you a lot, but can we PLEASE run away now?!
Tari: Oh, right.
(They get out quickly. Meanwhile...)
Lucks: (Drops his earpiece) No. NO! She was right there, Belle!
(He furiously shoves a binder off the desk.)
Lucks: Fine. Plan B, then. (Points to two TAS scientists) You! Reroute this through the backup system.
(One of the TAS scientists plugs the chord in for the system containing Theo's UJM cartridge and grabs the controller. Lucks opens the desk drawer and pulls out the revolver seen in episode 7.)
Lucks: Prepare a security team. I'm done playing games.
Scene 3[]
(As everyone is leaving, Masa spots TAS guards looking for them.)
Tari: Masa?
Masa: Turn back!
(They run back the way they came, only to be greeted by Lucks and three TAS guards.)
Masa: Lucks?!
(They make a break for it, only to find themselves surrounded. Lucks walks up.)
Lucks: Hello again, Masa. Is it just me, or does this whole situation seem somewhat... familiar?
Masa: You're too late, Lucks. The hack is done. Sofia's long gone by now.
Lucks: Is that so? Well, we'll just have to call her back then, won't we?
(Lamar and Theo get electrocuted.)
Tari: Theo! (She gets zapped as well. Theo starts glitching.)
Lucks: SOFIA! I KNOW YOU'RE STILL HERE! YOU HAVE TO THE COUNT OF THREE TO COME OUT! (He points the revolver at Masa's head.) ONE!
(Masa tries fighting Lucks, but is brought to his knees.)
Lucks: I'M NOT BLUFFING, SOFIA! TWO!
Masa: SOFIA, DON'T! OR ELSE EVERYTHING WE'VE WORKED FOR WILL-
(Before he could finish, Lucks shoots near his MR arm, thus wrenching the lower half of it off. Masa screams in pain as he falls to the floor.)
Tari: Masa!
Lamar: LUCKS, YOU FRICKING PSYCHOPATH!
(Lucks waits. Still no response or appearance from Sofia. Out of patience, he points the revolver to the back of Masa's head.)
Lucks: Very well.
(Everything goes black...)
Sofia: WAIT!
(Before the trigger could be pulled, Masa sees Sofia enter the room. She has tears rolling down her face.)
Lucks: Ah. There we are.
Masa: Sofia... No...
Sofia: Please... Just don't hurt him anymore...
Lucks: I won't, as long as I have no reason to.
(A TAS scientist rolls a table up. Sofia lays the tablet down.)
Lucks: Wipe everything on it. Run a worm program too in case she made backups.
(The scientist wipes the tablet clean and gives a thumbs up.)
Lucks: Such a waste of talent. If only you'd have come to TAS Corp instead of joining up with this one. (Gestures to Masa)
Sofia: It's just- I just wanted to know what you did to my sister.
Tari: Sister?
Lamar: Lucinia.
Belle: (Appears) Lucks didn't do anything, Sofia.
Lucks: Stay out of this, Belle. You have pushed my patience tonight as is!
Belle: No, Lucks! She deserves to know. (Goes over to Sofia) Lucinia is dead, Sofia. I saw the footage myself.
Sofia: Show me.
Belle: Sofia...
Sofia: Show it to me, Belle!
(Belle plays the footage.)
Lucinia: DOCTOR! WHAT'S HAPPENING!?
Sheridan: JUST HANG IN THERE, I'M TRYING TO-
Lucinia: AHHHHHH!
Sheridan: AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!
(The tape ends. Sofia slowly falls to the ground in tears.)
Lucks: Well, Masa, you finally got the answers you are so desperate for. But as you can see, it's Sheridan who's to blame for Lucinia's death, not I.
Sofia: I don't understand. Why did this happen? What was she doing there?
Belle: Ask her! (Points to Tari)
Theo: What, Tari? Tari would never hurt anyone.
Belle: Oh, so it's just a coincidence that she has the same logo as the one right here? (She shows that the MR logo on the tape matches the one on Tari's arm.)
Masa: Tari, what is this?
Lamar: Masa, chill. There's gotta be an explanation for this. A frame job, a doctored video. This is TAS Corp we're talking about! Sofia, back me up here!
Sofia: I-I-I-I don't...
Tari: Sofia, I honestly have no idea about any of this. Please, believe me. I'm your friend. I would never lie to you.
Lucks: Oh, don't worry. You'll all have plenty of time to talk things through in a TAS Corp holding cell. (To the guards) Prepare the van. We're done here.
(The guards bring them all to a standing position.)
Tari: Wait! You're a businessman, right, Lucks? Well, I have a deal for you.
Belle: Really? In case you haven't noticed, you're in no position to bargain.
Lucks: Quiet, Belle.
Belle: Lucks, you can't be serious. She's involved in Lucinia's death! What could she possibly offer tha-
Lucks: I said QUIET! You have made enough mistakes tonight, Belle! Do you really want to make another? (To Tari) My apologies, Tari. Do go on.
Tari: I want you to let my friends go. They just walk away, and they never trouble you again.
Lucks: And what do I get in return?
Tari: You get me. Let them go, and I'll join TAS Corp as one of your Meta Runners. Forever.
Theo: Tari, no, don't leave. We can get through this. We just have to stick togeth-
(He starts glitching. Lucks tapped a screen.)
Lucks: I don't appreciate being interrupted. (He taps again, causing Theo to glitch a second time.)
(Theo looks up. On a big screen is Lucks with a TAS scientist beside him. On the screen, he looks at his hands, then at Lamar.)
Tari: I-Is that... Theo's game cartridge!?
Lucks: Oh, yes. It did take me a while to figure out exactly how it worked. But as it turns out, video games can be extremely educational.
Lamar: That's how you knew our plan? You turned Theo into a spy?! That is messed up!
Theo: Guys, I swear I didn't know. I'm sorry. You're the most evil boss ever!
(He runs towards Lucks hoping to attack him. But Lucks takes the UJM cartridge out of its slot, causing him to glitch a third time.)
Tari: Theo!
Lucks: Tari, I am intrigued by your offer, but you'll understand if I don't exactly trust your little band of friends. Tell me, do you know what collateral is? THIS is collateral.
(Without another word, Lucks crushes the cart with his hand. Theo glitches a fourth time, but more severely.)
Tari: NO!
(She runs to him. He is fully glitched out now.)
Theo: Tari, what's happening?
(The glitching worsens.)
Theo: Don't worry, Tari. I'll just respaw-
(He's gone... Everyone is wordless at what just happened.)
Tari: THEOOOOOO! (She breaks down in tears.)
(Lucks crushes the remaining cart pieces, except for the computer chip, which he hands to a scientist. The scientist puts it in the computer base, types something, and begins analyzing the chip. Theo appears, floating lifelessly in a void with white eyes.)
Lucks: Here is my counteroffer, Tari. Their freedom in exchange for your undivided loyalty to TAS Corp, to me, but if I get anything less, or if they give me any reason to regret my generosity, then your collateral is forfeit. (He turns the computer off.) Understand?
(Tari, looking at her friends and back to Lucks, nods in reluctant agreement.)
Lucks: Wonderful! Oh, don't look so sad. TAS Corp isn't that bad. I'm sure in time you'll learn to love it. (To the guards) Do one final sweep of this place. Then let them scurry back to that rat's nest they call hideout.
(Lucks escorts Tari out. The table is rolled away and Belle walks off)
Lamar: Tari! We're not gonna forget you, understand?
Sofia: It's going to be okay, Tari, trust us.
Tari: Don't worry guys, I'll be fine.
(She and Lucks leave.)
(Credits roll.)
Post-Credits Scene[]
(Belle is walking down a hall when she notices something in a trash can. Curious, she goes to pick it up. It contains a backup of the information that was on Sofia's tablet before they got wiped by Lucks. Belle notices Sofia, tears streaming down her face, being escorted by a guard. Belle ponders giving Sofia the tablet, but has second thoughts. Sofia stops to look at Belle, hoping to talk with her. But because neither Belle nor anyone else ever told her about what happened to Lucinia, she instead continues walking off, silently crying to herself. Lucks suddenly appears.)
Lucks: Belle! The van's waiting on you. Are you done yet?
Belle: Yeah, I'm done here.
(She walks off. Lucks sighs to himself as he turns on his earpiece.)
Lucks: Subject updates.
Robot Voice: Brain activity: Unchanged. Heart rate: Unchanged. Body temperature: Unchanged. Blood pressure: Unchanged. Overall condition: Stable.
(As all of this is said, we pan upwards to see a cryogenic freezer. There is a woman inside of it...)