Welcome to Paradox

In the city of Betaville, in the near future,

the technology we developed confronts us, the science

we created seduces us.

But will our dreams of tomorrow be turned into a nightmare?

Welcome to Paradox.

Be careful what you wish for.

Nothing is impossible anymore.

In the city of Betaville where the laws

have outlawed advertising, only the stars showcase product.

And they're treated like gods.

But when a poor discarded mortal like P. Burke

is chosen for an experiment to become one of them,

she finds that getting what she's always dreamed of

is more dangerous than she ever imagined.

Wait till you see her.

She fits our profile to a T. There.

Push in.

Get closer, Joe.

She is so perfect.

Each time we watch her, I'm more convinced.

Where do you get real feelings like that?

put him on contract last week.

Sales have already doubled.

I'm telling you, she's our girl.

We keep the feelings, and we take away her pain.

You think she'll go for it?

What's she got there?

Where'd she get that?

Let's get an ambulance on the GTX Vid Park.

Full cycle med squad.

We can't lose her now.

Do you think there's time?

I'm going to go to the hospital pronto.

If she lives, I'll request GTX for the start-up cash.

Get everything prepped!

P. Burke, right?

John Richie, GTX Corp. Hey, we almost lost you today.

It's a good thing they got here in time.

No family, right?

What about friends?

What do you want from me?

You enjoyed seeing Breath today, didn't you?

Being so close.

How'd you like to meet him?

Not just meet him, get to know him,

get to know all the cast of the Gods, all his friends,

Djuma van O, Ali, Jim Ten, you name it.

I can do that for you.

But you're going to have to work very hard.

Why would you do that for me?

Because somebody up there thinks you're pretty special.

And deep down, you know you're special, too.

It's a whole other world where the vid cams come from,

Miss Burke, watching what we do.

I don't have anything anybody would want.

So what happens when they find out they made a mistake?

Maybe they want something that you would never expect.

Let's look at it this way.

Isn't what I'm offering you exactly what

you've always dreamed of?

To be part of something, Instead of groveling

out on the street all alone?

What have you got to lose?

Does Breath know about this?

Not yet.

But if you say yes, I'll make sure he's the first to know.

I'll do it.

That a girl.

Identify yourself.

John Richie, GTX Corp.

Cleared.

How much longer will this take?

We'll get her healthy first.

I can't wait to see her.

Nice of you to make it.

So since first sales are up 21% in the Southern

District since Chris started wearing

beaver hats on the Gods.

I think we can expect those percentages to increase--

Yes?

Mr. Isham, I have

Joe Payne on the vid phone for the prototype

body shop project. Do you remember it?

Didn't I tell you to handle all peripherals?

It's the body shop project, the living doll.

Yes, of course.

What does he want?

It's a

goal pending your dollar ,, sir.

Any demo?

Not yet.

No demo, no dollars.

Stay on it.

Anything else?

No.

There's been another incident with your son, sir.

Oh, what is it this time?

Broke into a big studio and made

another one of his revolutionary statements.

Knocked the entire production out for a day.

Playback.

Don't worry, I took care of the bail.

My son, the social critic.

Nothing a week in a psychomed room wouldn't fix.

People only listen to him when he's getting himself arrested.

Give him his own forum with all the airtime he wants.

Watch him run himself out of gas.

Today is the big day.

I'm getting better?

That's what the doctor's say.

The fungus place under my arm is all gone.

Nothing hurts.

So what are we waiting for?

What is that?

That is you.

Don't play tricks on me, Joe.

I'm not.

She is you.

We didn't want to get you too excited

before it was time to know.

Now move your hands, or at least think about it.

Easy, easy, take it slow.

Take it slow.

Easy, take it slow.

Oh no, it can't be.

It is.

Be brave.

Just one minute and then you'll understand better than I

could ever possibly explain.

That is me.

She is you.

It's just like moving your arm, only

the signals from your brain have a little further to travel,

that's all.

That's me.

All I control is the link up.

Oh, God.

Trust me.

You're doing fine.

This is what was all meant to be from the start.

I'm sorry that was so scary for you.

It'll get less.

I mean, if you want to keep at this.

What is she?

She's called a waldo.

We grew her.

Look, not even calluses on her feet.

She's incredible.

Yeah, but without a remote operator, without you,

she's nothing, no one.

You're the first.

Why can't you grow a mind for her, too?

Oh, we could, just no one like yours.

Things that you feel, the things that you've been through.

You can't know what I feel.

Don't you know what this is like for me?

I've been locked up in this body my whole life.

It's like I just walked outside. I was free.

Do you know when advertising was--

um-- what do you call her again?

Delphi.

Right.

Do you know what advertising was, Delphi?

It's when they used to tell people to buy things, isn't it?

It's against the law.

This only after two weeks.

It's like she was born again in that body.

Advertising, as it used to be, is something that we

don't like to talk about.

The city was all filled with billboards and signs.

When the vid screens came, well--

but what makes people buy one product over another?

Ever wonder?

They hear about it from someone else.

Well, what made you buy your particular brand of body lift,

for instance?

I have never had a body lift.

All right, a cooker.

Well, no house to put a cooker.

Don't you remember where you found me?

She's a little head strong, don't you think?

Are you sure she's going to do what she's told?

It's not head strong.

Don't you get it?

She's just so thrilled with being her.

That's what people are going to spark to.

And that comes from the girl plugged into that pod who

never had anything in her life.

Not from something we could grow or from somebody

who always had everything.

Oh, wait, I know the best cooker.

Ananga uses the Burnbabi on the Nude Gourmet.

Exactly.

You signed on to using it, so you knew it

must have been a good product.

And that's exactly what you want to be doing for us,

show people which products are good.

Because we both know that if we had to rely on word of mouth,

no one would ever buy anything or hear about anything

new and improved.