96 Souls

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?