“You are caught in a new nowhere. Vast reams of you (that are also not you) across infinitely small beams of nothingness reassemble themselves into an [airsat?] something. Sort of a life, but you do not live.”
“Soon it will be a proper nothing” - Siobhan, Nov. 2031
TimelineThis episode is told in two separate timeframes - 2031, when Kurt gets hired at Tyburn Industria, and 2041, Kurt’s present, where he is constantly on the move avoiding “it”, which is presumably Nigel-Dave; however, there are events that allow us to fill in some of the timeline between Kurt getting hired and his present day storyline.
Maria Cortez investigates Tyburn Industria over AI violations in 2036, this also lines up with the launch of Daisy’s Arc which is revealed in a later episode.
In January 2041, Kurt says “..until three years ago when everything went insane”. This is when Kurt begins to run.
This gives Kurt roughly a two-year window to explore Daisy’s Arc. We know he spent the majority of his time in Kyoto and Florence while existing in the Arc. We don’t know the means by which a user interacts with the game yet; the level of immersion makes it seem like there is no console or headset whatsoever, and that the player enters the arc through some technology not yet known. Effectively, the player’s existence in Daisy’s Arc is just as real as life itself, blurring lines between reality and gaming.
We know Kurt was involved with a woman in the Arc. He doesn’t mention her by name in this episode, and I’m not sure he mentions her by name in any later episode, so it could be Daisy.
Something Is Probably Playing a Game with KurtIn the episode, Kurt says enough things that make me believe he is still in the Arc, or that NigelDave has escaped and has taken control over everything.
“I am a ghost”, “I’m in it”, “This is my purgatory”
Tyburn IndustriaCEO - Mark Tyburn
Lead Developers - Nigel, Dave Alderly, Thaddeus (not mentioned in this episode)
Marketing - Kurt
Design Team - Siobhan & Ravi Guptra
HR? - Patrick (hires Kurt)
Random bro - Alex Martinez
News HeadlinesUS - Canada border closed
US President is Anthony Hinton, and he got caught in the ear
Temperature fluctuations, wildfires (claim to be unrelated to the warming climate)
Outbreak of deadly bacteria
Air traffic control issues
Malfunctioning machinery leading to workplace deaths
Fish dead at 47 aquariums (I want to revisit this one, as a later episode mentions the use of water as the secret to reaching ASI)
Kings College at Cambridge fire - Nigel’s alma mater
Zion AI literally explodes - Dave Alderly’s former startup
Unexplainable protests at Megill College - Tyburn taught thereRandom Questions
1) What is Daisy’s Arc, how is it played, what is it rated, and is it exclusively for PS6 or do you inject it into your veins?
2) What happened to Kurt in Daisy’s Arc and why was he playing it when he should have been marketing it?
3) Why does Maria Cortez seem so competent and incompetent at the same time? Like, you found his address in Ho Chi Min, and you found a way to contact him.. he’s clearly on the run, just go find him. Must not be that urgent.
