|
|
Scanners are people with the ability to "scan" other people. This is explained as the ability to connect two nervous systems separated by space. This included the ability to involuntarily hear people's thoughts (telepathy) and control other functions (heart beat).
Most scanners are unhappy people, condemned to "hearing" an unstoppable flood of strangers' thoughts. Cameron Vale (Lack) has uncommonly powerful scanning abilities but cannot handle the pressure and has withdrawn completely from society. A homeless derelict, he lives in a shopping mall. When he psychically overhears two women denigrating him he inadvertently induces violent convulsions in one, which in turn attracts the attention of ConSec agents who tranquilize and abduct him.
Meanwhile ConSec is holding a conference where they are introducing their work with scanners to 25 VIPs from all over North America. The company's senior (and only) scanner (Louis Del Grande), offers to "scan" a volunteer to demonstrate the banality of the process. Unfortunately his volunteer, Darryl Revok (Michael Ironside) is a renegade with formidable telepathic powers who has declared war on ConSec and all scanners who voluntarily work for it. The demonstration does not go well; the ConSec scanner's head explodes. ConSec security agents try to detain Revok but he escapes, killing several of them in the process.
Dr. Paul Ruth (McGoohan), head of ConSec's Scanner Research Section, meets with ConSec's newly hired head of security, Braedon Keller (Lawrence Dane). Keller recommends shutting down their scanner program. Ruth tells the head of the company he believes Revok has his own scanner underground at work and that is why ConSec was attacked, because Ruth's program was the only obstacle to Revok. Ruth claims Vale might be the only scanner with sufficient psychic power to challenge Revok. Vale is reluctant; Revok's whereabouts are unknown, and the only lead is Benjamin Pierce (Robert A. Silverman), an artist and unstable scanner who tried to kill his family as a child. Ruth tells Vale about a secret drug, ephemerol, which ConSec uses to suppress scanners' telepathic powers. This drug is very important to Vale as using it allows him to suppress the influx of other people's thoughts, thus supplying him with it becomes Ruth's way of establishing trust and dependency between him and Vale.
Vale tracks down Pierce after locating a gallery exhibiting his morbid sculptures. Pierce is in hiding from Revok; he has rejected Revok's offer to join his renegade faction, which makes him a liability. Four of Revok's men gun down Pierce. Vale flings the four assassins into unconsciousness, then scans the dying man's mind to learn what he knows about the scanner underground.
Pierce's dying thoughts lead Vale to Kim Obrist (O'Neill) who has formed a telepathic alliance with a group of other scanners. Vale is invited to a meeting, but the gathering is ambushed by more of Revok's assassins, who kill Obrist's scanner friends before Vale and Obrist can kill them.
Vale infiltrates a company called Biocarbon Amalgamate in place of one of Revok's men and learns that large quantities of ephemerol are being manufactured and shipped out in tankers under a program called "Ripe," an operation that appears to be run by Revok himself. Vale and Obrist travel to ConSec headquarters to inform Ruth of this development. Ruth tells a stunned Vale that he founded the company himself and sold it to ConSec. Ruth is in disbelief that ephemerol is being produced and insists Vale get the information by scanning the computer's electronic nervous system and learn more about the 'Ripe' program; but Keller, who is actually a traitor working for Revok, attempts to kill Obrist. She escapes and Vale leaves Ruth to help her. Keller kills Ruth, then attempts to capture Vale and Obrist, who escape by scanning the ConSec guards. Vale infiltrates Revok's computer network through a payphone. When Keller discovers this, he orders ConSec computer scientists to rig the computer to self-destruct while Vale is plugged into it. The plan backfires and the laboratory explodes, killing Keller.
Vale and Obrist pursue their only remaining lead: the mysterious ephemerol shipments. Their investigation takes them to the office of Dr. Frane, an obstetrician on the list of recipients of ephemerol, where Obrist becomes aware that someone is scanning her. She realizes that she is being scanned by the unborn baby of a pregnant woman in Frane's waiting room. Vale tells a stunned Obrist that is the purpose of the 'Ripe' program. Ephemerol doesn't just help adult scanners control their ability. It is creating new scanners. The two are suddenly ambushed by Revok's men, tranquilized, and abducted.
Vale regains consciousness in Revok's office. Revok begins asking Vale about his life, which Vale does not remember. Revok explains that Ruth always knew where Vale was and what his life was like but only helped when he needed him as an agent against Revok. Revok tells him that they are brothers and that Ruth is their father. According to Revok, Ruth's company created ephemerol as a drug aimed at pregnant women as a morning sickness sedative, but it had an invisible side effect - creating scanners. Ruth had twice given the prototype of ephemerol to their pregnant mother, and saw what it did to his sons. Revok's plan is to build an empire "so brilliant, so glorious we'll be the envy of the entire planet" by finding and training the new generation of scanners - a new generation of which is just months from being born; the result of the ephemerol shipment. He invites Vale to join him, but Vale refuses, and a psychic battle ensues. Visible physical changes result between Vale and Revok from the battle; Revok's forehead pulsates with veins and his head swells. Vale, less experienced than his brother, uses his body more and veins throughout his body emerge. Vale begins bleeding and peeling flesh from his face involuntarily as Revok pushes the advantage. Vale is able to compose himself, his body ignites, and he focuses on Revok as his eyes explode and he leaves his body and enters Revok's mind. Revok's eyes turn white and he screams as Vale takes control of his body.
Obrist awakens to find an incinerated corpse on the floor and begins to call out to Vale. In a corner, hidden under Vale's jacket, is Revok but with Vale's blue eyes and without Revok's forehead scar. "We've won," he says, in Vale's voice. |
|
| Steve Jobs |
You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life. |