Conception 5

Conception 5

Burton C. Bell (Fear Factory)

SCENE I

2076 A.D.

Everything that you believe to be true is a contradiction. Imagine a world that is suffering a slow decay, and a culture on the edge of extinction. A world in chaos brought to obedient order by the machines that man created, The linear programming that the system machine created to bring order is failing steadily due to one variable the machines cannot compute... humanity.

In this time, man has become a docile creature herded into submission under the mechanical laws that apply, programmed and desensitized for their convenience. However, there are certain persons drawn together for reasons that are grounds for punishment, or even death. These people long and yearn for a change within the infrastructure, a better way of life, and a logical existence. These people create factions that congregate in total secrecy in places random and unknown. These factions maintain chaos in society in order to disrupt the system, locate the weak spot, and trigger a collapsing effect, Their anger is only superseded by their will to exist, and nothing could be stronger.

Fade from black into a dim, tungsten-lit room. The walls are the texture of rust, and the color of dried blood. Below the light stands a man in the center of the room, and he is surrounded by various persons, sitting or squatting on the floor. The dim light scarcely highlights his harsh exterior. He is rigid in form, and severe in his expression. The people around him seem intent to hear what he is saying, for this is the eve of their attrition.

Shock

Shock!

Welcome to my world

Headfirst to the Earth

With my sights on the god damned kill switch

Ive become a fuse

Charged with attitude

Fixed and dilated by my anger

I have become a direct

I have become a current

I have become a direct

I have become insurgent

I will be the power surge

Shock to the system

Electrified, amplified

Shock to the system

Shock!

Alternate my wires

Heat my core desire

I will not stand for condemnation

Ive become the volts

To lead the revolt

Fuck with me ensues certain danger

I have become a direct

I have become a current

I have become a direct

I have become insurgent

I will be the power surge

Shock to the system

Electrified, amplified

Shock to the system

I will be the power surge

Shock to the system

Electrified, amplified

Shock to the system

I am the power surge

I am the insurgent

Electrified, amplified

Shock!

Cut to an angle directly in front of a viewing monitor. A large screen flush-mounted to the wall. There are no knobs, buttons or on/off switch.

The screen is flat black, and there is no sound. Suddenly, there is a 'pop' sound, and then a low electrical hum. An image is slowly coagulating on the screen, and the hum turns into scrambled jargon, After a few more seconds, the image has solidified, and we see something that resembles a news report. The sounds have been decoded, and we listen in to what the report is about:

Newscaster: "This is Programming Channel 5 bringing you the latest update on the Maxi-Security Containment Facility breach."

On the monitor, we see an image of a massive structure. The sounds of sirens and red alert alarms echo in the background. Smoke drifts in and out of the camera, occasionally obstructing the view. There are squads of enforcers in front of the structure preparing anti-terrorist tactics and maneuvers.

Newscaster: "We have live coverage and a correspondent at the scene.

A well-groomed, well-dressed reporter steps into camera-view, his plasticity shrouded behind his winning grin.

Reporter: "It is mass hysteria down here at the MSC facility. Only moments ago did this well-ordered facility explode into a structure of crumbling chaos. We have been tipped by reliable informants from within the facility that the breach was instigated by the Faction; however, no claim has been forwarded. The actual breach was caused by EDGECRUSHER from inside protected walls. He has been serving a sentence for Public Disorder and Infrastructuring Sabotage. Could we roll the clip?..."

Edgecrusher

Conceived in hell beyond your depth of perception

Chaotic case of conquering domination

Psychopath snaps fired chains of imprisonment

A bludgeoning force that's undermining the government

Inflict strain upon the structure

Collapsing below my pressure

Inflict strain upon the structure

Collapsing below my pressure

Break of the Edgecrusher...

The purist, non-conformist, jaded, subhuman terrorist

From flesh to steel and blood to blade I fight to exist

A rival of justice, extreme rush of hatred

Survival in a twisted world where nothing is sacred

Inflict strain upon the structure

Collapsing below my pressure

Inflict strain upon the structure

Collapsing below my pressure

Break of the Edgecrusher...

Inflict strain upon the structure

Collapsing below my pressure

Inflict strain upon the structure

Collapsing below my pressure

Break of the Edgecrusher...

The file footage ends abruptly, and the reporter is once again center screen.

Reporter: "We now have word that EDGECRUSHER has eluded the enforcers, and has fled the area. Much damage has been sustained by the facility, and quite a few civilian and state casualties have been accounted for."

Images of bodies strewn across the grounds of the facility. We see enforcers picking through the debris. The camera manages to pick up every detail of the suffering.

Reporter: "The state has allocated reinforcements for the tracking, apprehension, and custody of EDGECRUSHER. We have been informed that a SMASHER/DEVOURER module has been issued for reconnaissance."

On the monitor appears an image that looks solid and mechanical. A bi-pedal design with an egg-shaped, armoured mainframe. What appears to be arms are actually weaponry for protection. The camera follows this machine as it lumbers across the landscape of the facility.

Reporter: "Now that the SMASHER/DEVOURER is on the scene, we will hopefully see an end to the violence and our city will sleep in safe comfort tonight."

The images from the facility remain on the monitor. The live coverage of the event continues to be transmitted for all to see. The sounds of the area are still loud and clear. The chaos is enhanced by the demonstrators outside the facility. Demonstrators that support EDGECRUSHER's route for change.

The camera continues to follow SMASHER/DEVOURER's search. Over the noise of the chaos, we hear the commands of the machine to the hostile congregation:

Smasher/Devourer

Fear me not but fear my hell

Man made me so I could kill

Praise me in the name of war

I destroy both rich and poor

I am the way, prepare for salvation

Strength in time of suffering

Man alone is a weakling

Ascension is what you ask

I will be the fall of man

I am the way, prepare for salvation

Salvation...

Those of you who dare to stray

I will tear your mind away

Those of you who dare to stray

I will take your life away

I am the way, prepare for salvation

Salvation...

The scene cuts to a dark alleyway. There is garbage scattered across the ground, and the only light available creeps around the corners of various structures. Sounds of helicopters and sirens are nearly inaudible. EDGECRUSHER traverses over the city with tenacity and stealth, constantly aware of the watchful monitors of the SECURITRON system. The visible red glow of the camera eye is purposely conspicuous, to maintain the order. To let you know that you are clearly under surveillance.

EDGECRUSHER is forced to take flight underground. He descends into the shadows below street level. The only refuge he can find is within the refuse. He knows that he is safe from incident from any enforcer among the trash. He proceeds onward despite his odds.

Securitron (Police State 2000)

Invade and encompass to judge and dissect

Witness and persecute to serve and protect

To serve, and protect to serve

Watchful and aware, constrain every movement

Admit the consequences, freedom's an illusion

Where is security governed through scrutiny?

Your privacy denied, organized and confined!

No place to hide!

There is no place to hide

Plugged in your mind

Conformed design

To concede your rights

Concede your mind

Surrender to authority

"All must abide and all must adhere"

Future oppression becoming more clear

This is a warning so you must take heed

This coming vision is reality

Where is security governed through scrutiny?

Your privacy denied, organized and confined!

No place to hide!

No place to hide...

SCENE II

The scene fades out with EDGECRUSHER running down a deserted street, away from the camera and into the night.

Fade from black to the same monitor as before. Already flashing across the screen are multiple images of violence, depravity, and despair. These are auditory illusions that will relate to mechanisms normally enhancing accuracy of perception.

EDGECRUSHER is alone. He has grown tired, and appears worn out. He has been running for so long from the grasp of SMASHER/DEVOURER, and evading the scope of SECURITRON.

His situation is looking bleak, and the stress and angst wear on his face heavily. He ponders his own outcome, calculating every living moment of his life with the variables of his own actions. He dwells upon his life, and what it actually amounts to. He asks himself if he is merely becoming a repetition in the overall machine. Has his quest for freedom become a meaningless descent into oblivion?

EDGECRUSHER stops in an abandoned building to rest himself. As he falls to sleep on a cold, flat floor, he repeats the same words as he does every night:

Descent

Falling victim from neglect

Designed thoughts and intellect

Forgotten and displaced

The crux of my dismay

I feel nothing

I am nothing

I feel nothing

Nothing

How deep I descend?

Until I reach my end?

How deep I descent?

Deeper into this abyss

Weighted down and sinking fast

Life did not offer me

More than false destiny

I feel nothing

I am nothing

I feel nothing

Nothing

How deep I descend?

Until I reach my end?

How deep I descent?

I feel nothing

I am nothing

I feel nothing

I am nothing

Nothing

Nothing...

How deep I descend?

Until I reach my end?

How deep I descent?

EDGECRUSHER lifts his head and looks to the night sky. He realizes that his life is worth the effort, so he maintains, to arise..

SCENE III

This scene begins in a room that reeks of sterility. It appears to be an office of someone with ranking authority. On the walls of the office are neatly framed pictures in a uniform design. All the photographs are of men in dark suits extending plastic hands as if they were welcoming you inside.

The camera closes in tight on one man in a particular photo, and focuses on his frigid smile and steely eyes. From this angle, the camera pulls back from the photograph through the office, and out through the window. Focusing into shape is an official, heavily guarded building. As the view continues to pan backward, the structure resembles an abstract fortress. Enforcers patrol the compound, while in the distance, we hear a commotion, like many voices chanting in unison. We continue backward, beyond the compound's boundaries, and we finally see what is causing all the noise. It is a large group of angry protesters holding signs with anti-war slogans. Factions of various dissensions. The harsh man emerges forward from the seething crowd. He turns to face the people as if they have turned into an audience, and raises the megaphone in his hand to his mouth. He begins to orate:

Hi-Tech Hate

These weapons of mass destruction

Around our world, threat to us all!

Operated by fears, cold over years

Systematic death, terminal breath!

Leaders of our time just stand behind

An arsenal to end us all!

Fighting a war, we can't ignore

Destined to fall, cowards to all!...

We are losing, weapons controlling

This is the hour of your reckoning

These weapons of mass destruction

Around our world, threat to us all!

Fighting a war, we can't ignore

Destined to fall, cowards to all!...

We are losing, weapons controlling

This is the hour of your reckoning

No more arsenal threatens all

Heading for a downfall

Mass destruction, mass destruction

Mass Destruction for all

As the man is finishing his statement, SECURITRON's enforcers move in on the crowd. Brandishing guns and laden with heavy armour, they surround the people, huddling them together like a mass of rats preparing for annihilation. Panic ensues, and it spreads like wildfire. Like a cornered animal, freedom is the object.

The same harsh looking man that had spoken before to the people about the State's unwarrantable plans of genocide is suddenly thrust into the realm of deciding his own fate: freedom or captivity. This man sees in his mind that true freedom is impossible in this scrutinized society, and the choice of capture is imminent, an outcome that is living death. He knew of this possibility before he arrived at this place.

Without hesitation, he grabs a large metallic container and unscrews the cap. As the enforcers move in closer, the man raises the container above his head as an act of defiance. Liquid instantly drenches the man as the smell of gasoline permeates the area. He has prepared himself for this destiny. As he holds a single match in his fingers, we listen to his final words:

Freedom or Fire

How can you accept social suppression?

This weak state of mind in our time

I demand release from hypocrisy

I'd rather die than be held down, forced down

Freedom or fire

I'm on the threshold of revolution

I'd rather burn than be held down, forced down

Freedom or fire

Unrestrained determination

Set ablaze for liberation

Locked in chains of this sovereignty

Let me be 'cause I long to be

Free! Free!

Unrestrained determination

Set ablaze for liberation

Set ablaze

Freedom or fire

His final words become screams of laughter as the horrified mass looks on, only to visualize his actual release from this oppressive society. A burning memory, emblazoned in the pages of history.

After the flames subdue, members of the crowd disperse in order to escape detainment of the enforcers. Others are rounded up into custody only to await further proceedings of injustice. One enforcer marches up to the charred remains as if he was inspecting for life signs.

Enforcer: "Negative..."

He spots the megaphone laying near the body and with gloved hands, picks it up. The instrument that once was the voice of reason has suddenly transformed into a melted, mutated vision of disorder. Speaking out against the people it had previously tried to sanctify. The words are hateful and arrogant. Imperious and mechanically calculated:

Obsolete

Nothing is the way it seems

Discerning man from machines now

Dominate is to erase

Wiping man off Earth's face now

Defaced by all inept justice

Shamed by the mental abuses

Branded 'inferior weakness'

Ordered to cease and to desist!

Man is obsolete!

Our world, obsolete!

Man is obsolete!

Erased, extinct!

Obsolete!

Fueling engines through deceit

To eradicate humanity

Defaced by all inept justice

Shamed by the mental abuses

Branded 'inferior weakness'

Ordered to cease and to desist!

Man is obsolete!

Our world, obsolete!

Man is obsolete!

Erased, extinct!

Obsolete!

Among the shadows, EDGECRUSHER witnesses the entire event. The unnecessary maximization of injudicious power. He thinks to himself:

"How weak.. where did our humanity disappear to? Where does the soul of man reside now? Locked away inside the fear, the machine that perpetuates ignorance? In order to save humanity, we must first give a damn! We must respect ourselves as a free-thinking culture and procreate compassion for one another. Without compassion, man will certainly become obsolete. A vague reflection of a long dead existence..."

As he eludes the enforcers, he unknowingly enters an abandoned building. It is dark, cold, and deserted. There is a ray of light piercing the darkness from a window high above. The light exposes rows of old, wooden seats. One row on either side. In the shadows, behind the ray of light, he sees a statue of a man, hanging vertically with his arms spread out from side to side. He has seen this image before, but a very long time ago. Almost like a faded memory. He contemplates whether it was a myth or a legend. As he walks up to the figure, he views the colored glass on the walls, and the paintings of men with glowing orbs around their heads. Now standing adjacent to the statue, he extends his arm with a curious hand to touch the tired-looking face of the forgotten man.

Resurrection

Consumed with memories that proceeded today

Given a chance to bereave life that's slipping away

Suffered through tragedy of my slow decay

Deceptive tendencies dragged my soul away

All that I know there was no God for me

Force that shatters all, absence of mortality

Revive all my fears

Revive wasted tears

Revive void within

Revive once again...

Forsaken by destiny, forsaken by my own mind

I must remove my skin to see belief in your eyes

All that I know there was no God for me

Force that shatters all, absence of humanity

Revive all my fears

Revive wasted tears

Revive void within

Revive once again...

Reach for the sky

Touch the sky

Revive a hope

For mankind

As he walks away from the hanging figure, he glances back for a moment. The dampness in the air appears to be affecting the statue, for the beam of light is now hitting his face, and it seems as though he has been weeping.

"Lest we forget the lost..."

Out world is on the verge of a temporal displacement, and it will be humanity that falls victim to the repercussions. The hew humans remaining desperately search for answers to their infinitesimal existence. Searching for others that long for the touch of something real and definitive, not blind and contrived. Searching for something that will break the vast loneliness of humanity.

The camera cuts to the SECURITRON monitor. The screen is black and deep. All you see if your own reflection, mirrored in space. Alone in a solitary void.

You are floating outside your own existence, looking at yourself through eyes other than your own. Voices from a nether part of your subconscious echo into the chasm of your conscious mind. You reach for the screen and...

Timelessness

I've felt darkness

Closing in on me

Chilling shadows

surrounding me

I've had the poison

leak into my skin

And it corroded

My heart away

Bled away

Cut Away

Dark night of my soul...

The camera fades to black as the monitor fades out with a low electrical hum and a small white dot in the center of the screen.