Layer 08
| Layer 08 - RUMORS | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Layer 08 | RUMORS |
| Original Air Date | 1998.08.24 |
| Main Characters Introduced | Alice's Teacher |
| Script | Layer 08 Script |
| Analysis | Layer 08 Analysis |
| Credits | |
| Previous Episode | Layer 07 |
| Next Episode | Layer 09 |
Short summary
- Someone on the Wired tells Lain Iwakura about Tachibana General Laboratories involvement in Protocol 7
- Lain tells her parents about someone questioning her identity and they stare at her
- Deus speaks to Lain
- Everyone stares at Lain and she is called a peeping-tom
- Evil Lain spies on Alice Mizuki
- Lain tries to choke her evil self to death and then sees millions of chattering Lain mannequins
- Lain wipes the memory of the rumours
- Lain tries to greet Alice, Reika Yamamoto and Juri Katou but another Lain replaces her
Long summary
Night time in the city. Stock footage of cars and people. A female voice asks, “Do you want to hurt yourself too? Do you want to feel your mind scraped by a rasp? If you want that never turn your eyes away.”
[Title: Rumors Layer: 08]
A sword slices across the screen. A digitized image of a boy is the user of the sword. He is Taro. He is disposing a digitized foe. The foe is defeated and the sword is sheathed. Taro is speaking to someone, “Nobody knows if there’s a God in the Wired or not. Whether there is a God here or not makes no difference to the user. Lain, wait for a while. I’ll get him!” Taro summons the sword back to his hands. He is fighting a giant monster. A metaphorized Lain is watching him battle. She asks, “Why are you interested in killing other players so much?” Taro replies, “Nobody knows what's fun or why.” Digital Lain appears skeptical, “Hmmm..”
Lain is seated in front of her Navi. “Tachibana Lab was written on that door plate,” she comments to her Navi. Lain clicks on her mouse and her image on the battlefield with Taro disappears. A screen pops up with the English sentence “CUM ON IN”. A glowing, multicolored image of a woman floats in midair. Wired Lain is watching. A male voice says, “Tachibana is a huge company. So they shy away from illegal activities. But I’ve heard a rumor.” Digital Lain scowls, “A rumor?” The male voice says, “Do you know why we can communicate in the Wired?” Lain counters, “So you're testing me? I believe you are referring to the IP.” The male voice says laughingly, “Sorry. That's right. We aren’t usually aware of the protocol. But the current protocol, the 6th generation, has already reached its data throughput limit.” Digital Lain says, “The 7th protocol.” The male voice agrees, “Yes, the 7th protocol. The ones in control of its infrastructure are the corporations. The reasoning is that if they rule the protocol, they will rule the whole economy in the Wired. Because of this, there have been many sabotage attempts. The people behind it are…” “…Tachibana Labs,” Lain completes for him. She then turns to leave. The male voice softly chuckles.
Lain walks out of her room. Her sister Mika is slumped in the hallway. Lain says, “Sister.” Mika is only able to articulate guttural sounds. Lain walks downstairs and sees the television news is on. Her parents are sitting motionless at the kitchen table. Lain walks by them. She notes that they do not move or acknowledge her in any way. Lain opens the refrigerator and pours herself a drink. Lain addresses her parents, “Mom… dad… I…. A while ago somebody asked me, ‘Are you really Iwakura Lain? Are your parents really your parents?’ Isn't that weird? Isn't that a funny thing to ask?” Her parents remain still and do not respond. No response. Lain washes her glass in the sink. She turns around and sees both of her parents are looking at her. Not a word is spoken as Lain and her parents just stare at each other.
Morning light shines on the electrical wires. Lain is walking toward her school. A hand pats her on the shoulder. Lain turns around and acknowledges the owner of the hand, “Alice. Good morning.” Alice is standing with Juri and Reika. The three girls are staring at Lain. Lain asks, “What happened?” Alice says, “I don’t believe it.” Lain grows concerned, “What?” Alice replies with a question of her own. “Lain, it’s not true is it?” Lain again asks, “What?” Reika snaps, “She’s just pretending not to know.” Alice backs her down, “Reika, don’t jump to conclusions.” Juri pipes in, “Lain, you did it, didn’t you?” Lain is now thoroughly confused, “What are you…?” Alice interrupts her, “Lain, in the Wired, did you…?” Lain has a blank look on her face. Alice watches Lain’s reaction to detect if she is being honest. Relief spreads over Alice’s face as she concludes, “No. It must not have been Lain. I believe in you.” Juri interjects, “Alice”, and nods her head to steer Alice’s attention to the right. Alice looks over and gasps as she sees a red car checking in at the school gate. A handsome man is behind the wheel. Alice and the other girls stare as he drives into the school lot. Alice turns and runs towards the school. Reika yells after her then she and Juri follow her path. Lain is left standing alone. She looks in the direction of the red car but it has already passed out of sight. Lain casts her gaze downwards.
The teacher is writing on the blackboard. Lain is accessing the Wired on her pocket Navi. She clicks on the Tool Manager button and the screen changes. Lain is in the Wired as her Wired persona. She hears a male voice say, “That company is in danger. They must avoid being taken over.” Digital Lain sees rows of digital figures. The figures are made up of a variety of clothing styles, both for men and women. All that is visible of their faces is chattering mouths.
A female mouth reports, “Can you believe he has such vulgar taste even though he looks quite good.” A male mouth says, “There is a serious bug in Protocol 6. It will cause an enormous loss to the Wired.” Another female mouth adds, “Every night, a man in a red and green striped shirt appears in her room.” Wired Lain has moved to the middle of the digital mouths. A male mouth tattles, “When she was in high school, that idol singer knocked down someone and ran away with her boyfriend’s car.” Wired Lain starts to walk. A female mouth confirms something, “That’s true. I heard it directly.” A different male mouth warns, “that building is famous for ghosts. When you look at the terminal at midnight…” A female mouth states, “Knights doesn’t exist. It’s just a hoax made up by an American student.” Lain says exasperatedly, “Shut up! Why do you care about any of this stuff?” A new male voice enters the discussion.
The new male voice does not seem to have a corresponding mouth. He answers Digital Lain, “Don’t you think it's interesting?” Lain looks around. “Who’s there?” she asks. The male voice continues, “Aren’t you looking for me?” Lain sarcastically asks, “Is it an appearance of God?” He responds with another question, “What is the definition of God? If you mean the creator of the world, it’s not me. If you mean an omnipotent ruler of the world, it’s not me.” Digital Lain asks, “Where are you?” He does not answer her question. Instead he continues with his own line of thinking, “If you mean an omnipresent being in some world, then I suppose I do fit that description. Though I only have a little power over that world.” Digital Lain is angered, “Who are you?” He replies, “I am you. I believe you noticed that there has been another ‘You’ in the Wired.” Lain glances downwards. He continues, “You’re a hologram of it. You are only flesh.” Lain utters, “I can’t…believe that. It’s crazy.” The male voice says, “Even you can’t believe that the Lain in the real world is the same person as the current Lain in the Wired?” Lain falls to her knees, “But I am myself.”
Lain has fully returned to real world and is sweating in her classroom seat. She clicks off her Navi. Lain looks up and sees all of her classmates are staring at her. Her teacher is standing directly in front of her desk. The pocket Navi beeps. Lain looks down at the screen and sees the message, “Lain is a peeping tom.”
Lain runs through the hallway. Her HandiNAVI is clutched to her chest. Several groups of her classmates are standing in the hall. They all stare as she goes by. Lain becomes afraid. She accesses her pocket Navi and asks, “Alice? Alice where are you?’ She keeps repeating and repeating the question aloud. Lain drops to her knees in the hallway. A large window over her head cracks. Lain in the Wired hears Lain looking for Alice. She wears an evil smirk.
Lain has gone outside. She is sitting against the door to the gym equipment shed. She is resting her head on her knees. Lain sobs, “What did I do in the Wired? What is my unknown self doing?” Lain looks down at her HandiNAVI. On the screen, a message says, “Don’t mind the rumors! from Alice.” Lain sniffles and picks up her Navi. She holds it near her chest. A strange energy orb appears and passes over Lain. The force of it breaks through the shed's door and causes the equipment to disintegrate, almost like an explosion. Lain walks through the flames with her brow furrowed.
A computer screen scrolls the word SEARCHING. It is nighttime. A light can be seen through the window of an apartment building. The silhouette of two figures embracing can be seen through the window shade. A man runs his hand over a young female’s face. She is moaning with pleasure. It is the man from the red car. The young female is Alice. The man says, “Is it right to do this kind of thing with your teacher?” Alice gasps, “It's not right...” The teacher continues, “It isn't right, is it? Then why are you doing it?” Alice replies, “Because I want to…”
Alice’s eyes snap open. Out of the corner of her eye she sees evil Lain sitting cross legged on her bed. Alice is not aware that this is not the same Lain she sees at school every day.
Evil Lain has interrupted Alice in the middle of a fantasy. The teacher is not really in the room. Alice is sitting in a chair at her desk. Evil Lain giggles gleefully. Alice is stunned. Sweat drips down her face. She guiltily moves her hand away from her groin. Lain taunts her, “Do you know? Do you know whom Mizuki Alice loves?” Alice gasps. Lain in the Wired’s grin broadens as she continues, “Do you know who Alice thinks about when she does lewd things?” Alice is incensed at this breech of her privacy. She turns to face the being she believes to be Lain and asks, “Did you spread it? Was that rumor true?”. Lain laughs. Alice stands up. “Lain! Have you always been watching me like you are now? That was my secret, and something I never wanted to be known…I…” Lain in the Wired just laughs at her. Alice’s eyes well up with tears. “Tell me it’s not true Lain!” Lain in the Wired continues to laugh at Alice’s pain. Alice cries, “Lain…you…” Her face registers total betrayal.
Electric currents can be viewed sparking outside of the power lines. Lain is lying in her bed. She sees the electricity and gasps in fear. Different locations float by. First an apartment building, then the Cyberia Café. The electricity continues to pulse through the lines. A person is standing in the middle of the power lines. A mass of energy leaves the person’s body. The person appears to be Lain. Lain is wearing her bear suit and is floating around the high tension lines. Her bear suit disappears. Lain appears to be a pure energy form.
Evil Lain is laughing. She is sitting cross legged on a bed. It is pitch black all around her. Wired Lain is standing in front of her nemesis for the first time. Wired Lain asks, “Who are you? You are not me. I won’t be like you.” Evil Lain starts to answer, “I,” but Wired Lain cuts her off, “Stop it! Why do you mimic the part of me I hate?” Evil Lain just laughs at her. Wired Lain leaps and pounces on Evil Lain. She grabs the still laughing Lain around the throat and begins to choke her. Wired Lain says, “You…” Evil Lain taunts her, “I’m committing suicide.” Electrical energy flashes around them. Wired Lain asks, “Why? Why is your body so warm? Why do I feel your body temperature?” Lain in the Wired responds, “Because I am Lain.” Digital Lain cries, “No…No!”
Shift of scenes. In the Wired, the rows of digital mouths/clothed beings all now bear Lain’s face. Their heads bob in unison and their mouths chatter nonstop. Digital Lain is again standing in the middle of the row of these images. She asks aloud, “What are these?” A silver energy orb appears before her. It almost looks like liquid metal. It possesses the same male voice that was questioning Lain on her last trip to the Wired. The orb again waxes philosophical with her, “They are all you. I said that you have always existed in the Wired.” Digital Lain is perplexed, “Huh?” The orb says, “You are my equal. You are omnipresent in the Wired. Therefore you were always by everyone’s side, everywhere. You saw everything that everyone never wanted to be known. And you've told others about it. You were right. Information in the Wired would be shared with everybody.”
Lain considers what the orb has told her. “Everything you said must be a lie”, she retorts. The orb asks, “Why.” Digital Lain says, “Alice said she saw me in the Wired when I wasn’t there. As long as I'm self-aware, my ego has to be inside of me!” Lain angrily runs over to the chattering Lain dummies and knocks several over. “Are you saying that these poorly made up dupes are me? Nonsense! Even if you are right…” The orb interjects, “Then what Lain?” Digital Lain finishes, “Then I can delete the memories of those I spied on.” The orb is agreeable, perhaps too much so. “Sure. Try it. You were born to be able to do it.” Digital Lain grimaces as she considers his statement.
A computer screen shows the word DELETING.
It is morning. Lain’s classmates stream into the school yard. Lain is walking alone. Her shadow seems to be made up of moving energy. A muffled voice yells, “Lain!” Lain’s eyes open wide. She turns and sees Alice, Reika, and Juri excitedly running towards her and all are calling her name. Lain asks herself, “Did you forget?” She is hoping that her deletion of the rumors has been effective. Alice looks happy. Lain is guarded and still hoping, “Is it true?” The three girls continue to run towards Lain. Lain concludes, “It is true!” She turns and says, “Alice!” As Lain completes her turn, an exact image of herself propels from her body and runs towards her three friends. Lain thinks to herself, “What?” and watches as Alice, Reika and Juri embrace the duplicate of herself. The duplicate Lain is very physically affectionate. She group hugs the girls and grabs onto Alice. Duplicate Lain says, “I want to go to Cyberia tonight, please.” Juri says, “I agree.” Reika notes, “It’s unusual for you.” Alice says, “Okay. Change clothes at my place again.” Duplicate Lain says, “Yippee!!” Then she jumps up and down with Alice. Lain watches as the four girls make their plans. Duplicated Lain rubs her head against Alice and asks, “How should I dress?” Lain yells, “Stop it! I am myself.” Duplicate Lain leads Alice by the hand. Juri and Reika follow. All four girls are giggling. Lain yells after them, “I’m right here!” The girls hurry to Alice’s. Evil Lain pops up in front of Lain and says, “Yes, Lain is Lain. I am myself,” Then she laughs her wicked laugh. Lain is stunned once more. Lain in the Wired disappears. Lain is left alone.
Lain says, “Hello Navi.” The female Navi voice responds, “Hello, Lain.” Lain places her hand on the screen. She says aloud, “I am myself. There is no ‘I’ other than myself, is there?”
( Source )